I'd like to apologise for not uploading the drafts for my essay on "What factors drive the technology?" which was uploaded on 01/12/13. The first draft/part 1 consists of the 10 ideas I originally had in mind to talk about, and how I ended up choosing this topic area to look into further. In addition to this, I also looked at how I could structure the essay in a concise, easy-to-follow manor.
Draft 1:
Possible areas to look into:
1-The growth of FPS games.
2-What aspects drive the technology forward? (Mr Powell's suggestion)
3-What are the biggest companies and how did they arise?
4-Consistent sellers & why are they are so popular?
5-Different means of controlling games e.g. Motion sensors, controllers, mats, voice, mind.
6-Where is the industry heading?
7-The relative costs of making games Vs. How much they make
8-Explore different ways to make & animate game assets e.g. Scanning, motion capture, by hand.
9-Why are games so much more popular with the younger generation?
10-Explore the different genres of games and come up with a new concept which could sell.
These were the 10 ideas I jotted down after hearing the presentation on what we need to do. My thoughts are that I'd have to distill these to my favourite ones/the ones I'd enjoy doing the most. These were: 2, 5 and 10.
I loved the idea of looking into all of the different ways we can control games and how we can use these for other applications too, not just games. For example, how there are some games which require a headset to read signals from the brain and use them as controls. Although, this technology in itself could have other uses around the house, or be used by people with paralysis. I also liked the idea of researching all of the genres of games and looking at what sells. Then, after putting together some results, drafting a new concept for a game which could be fun yet competitive, looks good, and would sell to a large market.
However, I ended up choosing the driving factors of the technology because it meant I would be able to gather a reasonable amount of resources/information, as well as call upon my own personal experience to write an interesting and concise essay. In addition, I thought it would be a nice topic to choose since it allowed me to cover many things at once, not just one.
At this stage, I didn't want to look for resources because I needed to first come up with all of the points I felt were relevant and distill those, before looking for evidence to back up what I am saying. Therefore, the things I say are my opinion, but also have some factual evidence to base them off to give them value.
I always like structure, so I did the old-school thing and drafted the layout for my essay.
Structure:
-Introduction leading to first point.
-Point #1 + elaborate + show evidence + link it back + Images
-Point #2 + " "
-Point #3 + " "
-Point #4 + " "
-Point #5 + " "
-Any additional points I'd like to make
-Summary/Conclusion
-Bibliography
This is the standard structure and fitted perfectly with this type of question.
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Once my mind was made up on what I wanted to look into further, I went about writing bullet points of interest & important factors I need to consider for this question. These points were then ordered. With 1 being the highest influence and 6 being the lowest influence. Alongside this, I gathered some relevant resources and formed the arguments backed up with information.
Draft 2:
What are the factors? - Brainstorming the key points
(I couldn't help what I always do which is to get rid of anything which isn't really relevant and write down most of the main points only)
1-The technology itself? As the technology gets better and better, we know there is always room for improvement and our desire to improve therefore keeps the development going. For example, in terms of visuals, we can only make them better if the technology can cope with the information it has to deal with in order to display them. If we have more memory to utilise, we can produce better graphics and thus, development. #4
2-Some people see gaming as a need. Obviously this is untrue because we don't exactly need it to live, but what we really need is stimulation. Games provide us with audio, physical and visual stimulation resulting in a very good way to keep our minds entertained and active to a certain extent. Not to mention they are fun to play and is a good way to unwind/relax which we definitely need to do from time-to-time. Aside from this, it has also become a part of our lives and is expected to stay. #6
3-Money. Plain and simple. If the industry wasn't generating much profit, then not as many people would bother to get involved and make it better. In addition to this, once a franchise has been established, money is then re-invested in making the next one bigger & better than the previous; in the hopes of generating even more profit. #1
4-The amount of money generated can be influenced by competition in the market. If another company has a similar product to yours, you want to make sure yours stands out as 'top dog', right? Therefore, they will do as much as they can in order to improve on the product, again, resulting in constant development of the technology. #2
5-People always want more on top of what they already have. Therefore, as soon as the next big 'revelation' comes and astounds people, in a couple of years time they'll be wondering when the next thing will come to replace it. This means if no-one fills this demand, there'd be a big empty space in the market until someone else comes along and fulfills it. #3
6-Changes & new ideas keep the ball rolling. If a new idea pops up and it seems like it has potential, money will be invested in that, and this money is a gateway into improvements, keeping ball rolling. #5
A common theme is the bottom line for developments to occur... Money. Without it, we cannot progress. Our imaginations and desire for more contributes, but it wouldn't cause the speedy advancements we are currently making without the money.
Gathering resources:
-Just putting together a list of sources I'll most likely use for the essay.
-http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1944625487/omni-move-naturally-in-your-favorite-game = Omni-directional treadmill for games.
-New electronics. (26th June 2012). From Pong to Wii: four decades of computing gaming. 2-4. = Article on Gaming, can use for information on storage size/history.
-http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.410369-ESA-Study-Finds-Women-Make-Up-Nearly-Half-of-Gamer-Population = Information to back up point.
-http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/31/the-gadget-show-plays-bf3-better-than-you/ = Amazing way of controlling the character.
-http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-show/gadget-news/up-close-with-the-battlefield-3-simulator = Add-on to point about new technology.
-http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/diffengi.htm = Difference engine.
-http://www.crews.org/curriculum/ex/compsci/articles/history.htm = Computer history.
I of course had more references, but these were the ones I initially started with and I built the essay from this point on. I felt like I had a good starting point and could go ahead with writing it.
For the full essay, click the link:
http://markeastlanddmuga.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/dmuga-assignment-3-what-factors-drive.html
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