Social Trends in Gaming

Social Trends in Gaming

Unit 8: Computer Games Development 

Introduction To Unit 

• Learners will spend time investigating the computer games industry before assuming
the role of a software developer within the games industry and analysing popular
genres to design and develop their own computer game.

• Computer games are now developed for personal computers, consoles, mobile
devices such as handheld consoles, phones, tablets and wearable technologies.

• With the spread of devices available for use, the computer games industry is
continually growing and, as such, many computer game developments are as large a
production as blockbuster movies, involving many contributors.

• As game developers, learners will need to meet client requirements and understand
the limitations and potential of different gaming solutions.

Introduction To Unit 

• Create a folder on your OneDrive "Unit8_Games".

• Create two folders 'Assignment One' and 'Assignment Two'.

• Share your ENTIRE Unit 8 Folder with me.

Learning Outcomes

Assignment One:

Learning Aim A: Investigate technologies used in computer gaming.

Assignment Two:

Learning Aim B: Design a computer game to meet client requirements.

Learning Aim C: Develop a computer game to meet client requirements.

A1: Social Trends In Gaming 

Learning Outcome A1

Explain social trends relevant to computer games, including: 

• Popular Games
• Players, e.g. age range, gender, casual games, immersive     gamers, themes

• Multiplayer 

Gaming Trends and Society 

Computer and video games are a big business and a continuing source of creative and exciting jobs, that require strong IT skills and original ideas.

There are lots of different genres of games available within the

industry and many new genres are emerging through the

introduction of Virtual Reality, Augmented reality, new operating

systems and advances in streaming technologies.

These different trends have led to an ever-evolving industry that

seeks to bring interactive entertainment to all areas of society.

https://www.ponggame.org/ 

Popular Genres 

• Sandbox
• Real Time Strategy (RTS)
• Shooters (FPS, TPS) 
• Multiplayer Online battle (MOBA) 
• Role Playing (RPG, ARPG)
• Simulation and Sports
• Puzzlers and party games 
• Action-adventure
• Survival and Horror 
• Platformer 

Popular Genres 

First-Person Shooter (FPS) genre where the player sees through the eyes of a character and must fight through
different levels to achieve a particular goal, for example Call of Duty.

Genres can grow and change, they can spawn sub-genres that take the original definition of a genre and spin it off
in a different direction, or they may become hybrid genres that take elements of other genres and merge them
together.

Popular Genres 

An example of this is an online FPS, such as Star Wars Battlefront, which features many players fighting at the
same time. This game has all the features of an FPS game but it also fits into the massively multiplayer online
(MMO) game genre. So it could be called an MMOFPS.

This role-playing concept works very well in computer game format and some RPGs, such as The Elder Scrolls V:
SKYRIM ® , have had massive success.
Other games developers have noticed the appeal of RPG game players improving their characters and have been
adding this feature to titles from other genres, such as Call of Duty ® , enabling them to ‘level up’ and receive
perks and rewards

Select 3 genres and identify what
makes them popular with players

Types of Players

Causal Gamers- People who only play games for short periods of time and prefer simpler games 

Immersive- a term which refers to how focused on the experience that you are having. An immersive game will keep your attention for

long periods of time and block out distractions.

It should make you enjoy the game more, but

only if you have the time to spend on it.

Types of Players

Game Genres and Players: Computer game titles are categorized into different genres, and

it's important to consider the various types of players when developing a game. Each

player has unique tastes and interests, making it impossible to create a game that pleases

everyone.

Target Audience: Game studios must identify and understand their target audience when

pitching a new game idea to publishers. Basic demographics help categorize people to

better understand their preferences.

Types of Players

Online Gaming Popularity: With the increase in home broadband speeds, online games

have become highly popular. The previous generation of consoles (PS4, Xbox One) was

designed for engaging online multiplayer experiences.

Modern Console Capabilities: The latest generation of consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X)

includes features for online play and streaming, allowing others to watch and comment on

gameplay.

Carry out research to identify the 3 different
games that can be played in different ways

Emerging Technologies

The rapid pace of development and new ideas help to maintain

excitement within the gaming industry.

Virtual Reality:

• VR in its current form consists of two screens, one over each eye,

with special lenses that magnify the screens so that they fill your

field of vision.

• Added to the headsets are accelerometers, which measure which

direction you are looking in, and gyroscopes, that measure how

much you have turned your head.

• Examples include Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.

Emerging Technologies

Augmented Reality

• Microsoft® have taken a different approach to the new headset

phenomenon and have focused on augmented reality (AR)

instead of VR.

• AR uses cameras to capture the real world and layers virtual

game assets over the top, so that they appear to exist in the

real world.

• AR already existed on various mobile apps and in game form

on the Nintendo® 3DS™ and PlayStation Vita™ but

Microsoft®’s HoloLens™ seeks to outdo them all by creating

engaging experiences with virtual characters in the real world.

Digital Distribution 

Digital Platforms: Platforms like Steam™ and PlayStation™ Store

have revolutionized game purchasing, shifting from physical

media to digital downloads, leading to the decline of brick-and-

mortar stores.

Convenience: Instant access to new releases and updates has

made digital distribution highly convenient for gamers.

Indie Game Accessibility: Steam™ provides indie developers

with a global marketplace, democratizing game development

and allowing small studios to compete with major publishers.

Cost and Innovation: Indie games are often cheaper and

encourage unique, innovative content.

Name four streaming platforms

Streaming 

• Streaming has become a huge part of games culture with

websites such as Twitch™ and YouTube™ making gameplay

videos highly popular because they enable people with limited

budgets the opportunity to preview a game that they might be

interested in buying.

• Many people are used to streaming music and films to different

devices, and games can be streamed too, using services such

as PlayStation Now™.

• Subscribers can rent games for set periods and download

them to their device, be it a console, PC or a smart TV.

• Players pay a monthly fee to access and play the games. This

can be a seen as a cheaper alternative to buying the games.

• However, it requires a strong and reliable internet connection.

Create a new word document ‘Social Trends

in Gaming’ and save this into your

Assignment 1 folder within your games

folder on OneDrive.

Task 1 Questions

Genres:

Discuss different genres in gaming, using illustrated examples to support discussions

Discuss 3 popular game genres. What makes these genres popular? What encourages people to replay these games or keep going back to them?

How have new genres emerged and what has caused them to appear? E.G: Has fast reliable internet access impacted genres? Development of online multiplayer games etc... 

Task 2 Questions