Kallum Mullen

RESEARCH FINDINGS

• Primary research

• Secondary research

• Research techniques

• How research affected me

• Why research?

• Conclusion

PRIMARY RESEARCH

On task one we were made to play the legend of zelda: a link to the past, we got around 20-30 minutes to play

the game and get a feel for what the game was like. Whilst playing the game we had to really look at what the

game was like, so the environment or the sounds or even the colours. Once we did this we then had to write up a

review of our experience using Primary Research Only, this meant we could not use outside sources and had to

write up the review using only our experience with the game. We could only use our own images for this

research.

This task wasn’t difficult but made me really think about the game, usually we take games for granted and don’t

really notice the little details but after doing this I have noticed myself doing it more in my normal gaming

activities, so I might notice small details I may have never noticed before.

The legend of Zelda: A link to the past

SECONDARY RESEARCHDungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter

For task two we had to do the same thing as task one BUT we could use internet sources, so videos, images, text

etc. For this task I got a much larger amount of time to play the game, around 6 hours, and during this time I would

play for an hour and write up my experience after said hour, and it eventually all came together to make my review.

I noticed things changed here and there during my write up and I would have to cite sources on the web to get my

point across, I also had some problems understanding the story so I had to research into that quite a bit.

I enjoyed this task much more as I got to play a game I would be more interested in, but task one certainly helped

me with finding the little things that I could talk about in the game.

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

Techniques Used:

• YouTube videos: I used a lot of YouTube videos for resources on secondary research, I mainly used

GiantBomb videos for information.

• I used a lot of different websites to cite info, such as the official neverwinter website.

• Primary: I played the games, this in itself is research.

• Secondary: This involved going on websites such as YouTube and review sites like IGN and looking at other

peoples research and talking about it myself.

HOW THE RESEARCH AFFECTED ME.

I found that after doing research I would notice things in games more, little details such as

story based quests or areas in games that had a great level of detail, usually when playing

games I would just focus on the task ahead “capture this objective” and that’s what I would do,

but now I find myself looking at story and environment more.

I also like to review games more after I’ve played them using steams review service. Steam is

usually filled with satire reviews so it usually helps when someone gives an honest review of

what to expect.

I’ve also thought about how a mechanic in one game could be used well in another game, or

how a certain mechanic could be changed for the better.

WHY RESEARCH?

• People use research to find information.

• Use said information for ideas and inspiration.

• Get to know the industry and the market.

• Get to talk to the consumer and see what they want.

• All of this can be useful in making your own game.

CONCLUSION

• Enjoyed playing a classic game.

• Got to play a game alongside doing research on it.

• Learned new things, like what to look for in games.

• Overall fun task.