#study of games

[gameofstudyofgames-blog]

For the midterm, I have decided to analyse the game: Overwatch.

For this analysis, I have taken a look at Overwatch’s gamespaces, unit operations, critical process, game classifications, and ludology and narratology.

Gamespace

Overwatch provides players with a variety of maps to play or practice in. Their gamespaces are heavily influenced by real world locations, some even drawing exact names from real world locations, such as Hollywood, Nepal, and Lijiang Tower. Others, while not representations of real world locations, are inspired by them. Kings Row is inspired by London, Temple of Anubis is inspired by Egyptian Temples. Overall, the maps in Overwatch are all representations of real world spaces that have been simulated and abstracted to create unique but also relatable gamespaces.

Unit Operations

Overwatch makes use of several units of operations for the game to move forward. I have decided to look at the core 4 unit operations, Choose, Kill, Secure, Hold.

These 4 unit operations are present in the game of Overwatch when players are engaged in an objective game (outside custom games and the practice range). Players must choose a character to play, kill (eliminate) players from the opponent team, secure their given objective, and hold it until the timer runs out or they achieve the given objective (capture or escorting a payload).

Critical Process

Overwatch’s critical process is the ability to choose the character you wish to play, and also be able to swap to an alternative character while mid-game. This gives players the flexibility to adjust to the skills and choices of his/her opponents and also to change the flow and movement of the game. It also gives players the opportunity to ‘troll’ other players.

Ludology vs Narratology

Overwatch is a game that is driven mostly by its game mechanic instead of a story. Players progress through the game by repeating the same maps, securing the same objectives over and over again, the only difference being the people they play with and/or against. 

However, this does not mean that there is no narrative element in the game. Overwatch, in fact, has a very strong narrative embedded in the gameplay. This narrative is shown through not only the cinematics that publicised the game, but also through the locations and maps in the game, and the characters via their interactions with the locations they are in, and the interactions with the characters that a player’s teammate has chosen.

Game Classification

It is impossible to classify Overwatch into 1 category. While having elements of Padia, Overwatch is mainly a Ludic games, players playing the game with the intention of winning.

Also, while Overwatch is a game that heavily focuses on player skill, it also depends on luck, whether or not your are placed in a good team, or if you are matched up against opponents of higher or lower skill levels. Overwatch also heavily mimics real life as their characters draw inspiration from real life figures such as ninjas, scientists, soldiers, so on and so forth. There is also a sense of vertigo in the game as players often have to take risks in the game if they want to secure a win or get a crazy Play of the Game.

ReThink

Character Lock

How would the game change if the players of Overwatch were unable to swap characters after the game had begun? How would this affect the overall gameplay and level of fun?

Team Conflict

What would happen if the ability of certain characters were affected by the other characters that have been chosen. It is known that certain characters are enemies, but as of now, picking them in the same team has no effect. But what if, for example, picking Tracer and Widowmaker, would cause both of them to have a reduction in the effectiveness of their abilities if they were on the same team, but would have greater effect against one another if they were on opposing teams?

Narrative Drive

Overwatch is driven by its competitive and repetitive nature. However, what if the game had continued to be driven by it’s strong backstory as initially planned by Blizzard? Would the game still be as popular, or rather, would the gameplay of Overwatch still be the same? Perhaps in a PVP aspect of the game, but the actual game itself would be completely different.

[gameofstudyofgames-blog]

For the study of games, I believe there are two very important aspects to consider. The technology used, and the drive. Therefore, I have split my framework into two main sections, namely Technology and Drive. 

To explain this further, I shall delve into the two main headers.

1. Technology

The level of technology can draw a player to play the game, and also to continue playing the game. New technologies will make people want to try something they have never tried before, and old technologies draw in people with a sense of familiarity and sometimes nostalgia.

Beyond that, is the platform the game uses. In the case of video games, the medium is ultimately digital, giving us the considerations of PCs, consoles, and handheld devices (PSPs, Nintendo DS, Smart Phones). Most games are able to be played across platforms, but certain games, such as Halo, can only be played on the Xbox, which greatly limits a person’s ability to play the game (say he doesn’t have the console). Above physical platform, there is also the digital platform, whether the game is played in the tradition sense, or in the new forms of augmented reality (like Pokemon GO), or the new Virtual Reality style of games using VR Headsets.

This extends to the another point under technology, being the movement involved in a video game. With more traditional video games, the physical movement of the player is stationary (meaning he doesn’t walk around), but with the introduction of new kinds of technology like augmented reality and virtual reality, players are able to move their bodies either within a constrained space, or about any space they would like to.

2. Drive

What drives a player to play the game or to finish the game is also an important aspect in the study of games. From here, I’ve split drive into 3 different aspects, Rewards, Narrative, and Gameplay.

Players driven by Rewards tend to play games that reward their time, effort, and skill, usually with character skins or prizes. Competitive games tend to rewards players with a skill ranking against other players, which will cause players to want to overtake the current best player.

Players that are driven by narratives will enjoy games that have a strong story, bringing them to complete the game based on the flow of the story above other aspects of the game. 

There are also players that are driven by the pure Gameplay of a game. This could be from their level of interest in the gameplay and the fun they have in the gameplay mechanics. This also segments into the level of interactivity within the gameplay. Some games offer single player gameplay while others offer multiplayer gameplay in the form or co-operative, competitive, or both.