8 study guide for chapter 8 test! wednesday, 3/26/14

8

Study Guide for Chapter 8

Test!

Wednesday, 3/26/14

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Know the following vocabulary words:

Copycat game

Copyrighted

Original creation

Copy protection

Consumer

Bias

Unbiased

Walkthroughs

Artistry

Plot

Reward

Reverse Engineering

Substitute Product

Critics

Know the key game elements (pages 207-212)


Chapter 8: Reverse Engineering

• Is the process of deconstructing an existing game to understand how it works! definition

• Deconstructing an existing game• Find out how it works/Take it apart!• Understand the USP of competition

• Leads to copycat game design• Competition may design a substitute product


Reverse Engineering

• A copycat game may not be made by a competing company


Copycat Games

• Reverse-engineered games have similar characters and characteristics• Cannot use the same character• Copyrighted character design

• Mario is copyrighted by Nintendo• Mario cannot be used by other companies• Permission needed from Nintendo to reuse• Nintendo can use Mario however it wants


Copycat Games

• Similar gameplay• Gameplay cannot be copyrighted• Game programming code is copyrighted

• Substitute product to the original• Satisfies the same need or want• Entertains in the same way• Does not need to be a copycat game; may just be in

the same genre


Question #1

• Think about one of your favorite games. What substitute games have been made that play similar to it?


Copyright

• Legal protection• Intellectual property is protected• Cannot use without permission• Games protected by copyright

• Characters are copyrighted• Game code is copyrighted• Burning a DVD or disc copy is illegal


Copyright

• Intellectual property, such as games and videos, are protected by copyrights


Why Copyright?

• Games are expensive to produce• Developmental costs• Marketing costs

• Copyright protects the company’s investment• By protecting the company, copyright also

protects employee jobs


Why Copyright?

• Copyrights protect game manufacturers


Copyright Violations

• Pay fines• Pay damages

• Amount the company lost due to your actions

• Pay attorney fees• Pay punitive damages

• Extra amount to punish

• Jail time


Copy Protection

• Copy protection prevents unauthorized copies• Unusual disc size• Unique disc format• Embedded copy-resistant code• Online activation codes• Software key


Copy Protection

• Software keys are a common form of copy protection for games


Question #2

Think about a time when you or someone you know watched a copied movie, played a copied game, or downloaded and listened to a copied song. Each of these copies violates a copyright. •What would you say to the police if you were caught?


Critics

• A critic evaluates a game and reports both good and bad aspects fo the game.


Game Evaluation

• Evaluations may be unbiased or may contain bias• Bias is an intentional slant on evaluation of key

elements• Positive bias• Negative bias


Positive Bias

• Overstated positive key features• Understated negative key features• Examples:

• Manufacture’s website• Review on game cover


Negative Bias

• Overstated negative key features• Understated positive key features• Examples:

• Competitor’s website• TV commercial comparison by competitor• Blog by unhappy former employee


Unbiased

• Not influenced by outside opinions• Properly weighs positive and negative key

elements


Games need rules! Quality of Rules:

• How well the rules are explained and enforced• Will the player understand:

• Game purpose• What they are supposed to do• How to overcome obstacles• Game objectives

• Fan sites often have walkthroughs to help


Don’t forget about:

• User Interface• Navigation• Perfomance• Gameplay

• See page 207-208!


Question #3

• Think about a game you played that had glitches, flaws, or even froze. Think about how frustrating that was.

• How likely were you to say good things to your friends about the game?


Artistry

• Visual appeal and design of the game• Colors contrast and complement well• Mood and theme are appropriate• Setting and background are appropriate• Characters and avatar are visually appealing

• This poorly designed game art shows flaws when the player moves


Longevity in Design and Structure

• How long the game will be sellable• Can the game be made into a series?• Will there be a long-term market?• Are there many substitute games?• Does the game use new technologies?• Is the game seasonal or a fad?• Is the game a substitute product?


Player Interactions

• What the player is doing• Do the player interactions fit the theme?• What interactions are required (shooting, jumping, battling,

conversational, etc.)?• Is a linear sequence needed?• What interactions are expected in sequence?• Many games feature a linear sequence


Plot

• The main storyline of the game• Do player actions fit the game story?• Is there a well-developed backstory?• Do we care about the characters?• Is the story fully told during the game?• Does the storyline add to immersion?


Reward

• Something positive provided to the player for completing a task• Is adequate reward given for each risk?• Do high-risk moves provide higher reward?• Are rewards unique?• Are tasks trivial or meaningless?• Are rewards linear to allow the player to overcome a

final challenge?


Summarizing the Evaluation

• Critics will typically summarize their findings using the star rating system.

• Point-rating system• Summarizes evaluation into a single number• Scoring a 5 is a perfect score

• Five-star rating system


Test!

• Chapter 8 test is Wednesday, March 26th!• For today (see your worksheet)

• Make sure I see your Spiko Game before you leave.• Research Project: Cereals• Save the Grade Assignment

8 study guide for chapter 8 test! wednesday, 3/26/14

Documents

educational use

permission games

companies permission

illegal slide

genre slide

copyrighted game code

existing game

game manufacturers