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Picture this. Your cruising down an American freeway in a typical American saloon car. All the usual surroundings can be seen, the green signs to destinations, the typical yellow road markings, the names of New Jersey ect flying past. Heck, you even driving on the opposite road to Britain. The clock of your car is in kmh and your racking up the dollars in your pocket.
Now forget that.
Picture this instead. You’re in a touring car racing around Donington. All the usual big British adverts are there, Shell ect ect. The grass is green, many of the cars are British made and so on. Now you’re back in England.
But again, picture this. You’re now in the Far East in the middle of the desert in a run down village. There’s nothing much here, few buildings, some in need of great repair. No big shops, no advertisements. Nothing. It’s the basics.
So what’s going on?
Are you a globetrotter with lots of money to do what you want? No. You’re a gamer.
Each of the above are just a few scenerios from just a few games. Each offering a different experience from the world. And that’s what all this is about. The experience. Do games have something else to offer us other than a few hours enjoyment. Can they familiar rise us with certain areas of the world? I think so.
Different games are set all other the world. Pick one of the big countries in the world and you can just about bet that a gamer will have ventured there at some point in there games. Even some of the less well known areas of the world have been visited. Developers these days pride themselves on the graphics that they can now produce. Most of the games that come out these days try to be as true to life in aspect to the area they are set in as they can. They pay ridiculous amount of attention to detail over some of the smallest things. But other than just giving us something nice to look at, this can offer us something else. Familiarity.
Burnout 2 is one of those games that you really have to see to believe. Not just because of the graphics being so good, but the amount of detail that has gone into them. Being based across a variety of areas in the States, this is one game that almost takes you from you seats and plonks you right down in the middle of the action. The whole feel of the place and looks matches what you would expect the states to be like. Some of us who have not been to the states, and have to rely on films to show us some of the ‘culture’ and looks from over there can only see this as a good thing. Because the graphics and detail are so good its like taking a photo and showing it us. We can see, and compare how things are compare to where we live. And this is something special.
It’s the same with many other games. The Getaway will be another game that’s a prime example of this, giving people who haven’t been to England a chance to see what the place is like, it even gives people who live here a chance to see what all the fuss is about too! Even the likes of Vice City offer us a chance of going and seeing other places, although the place is made up, much of it is based on the States way of things.
Then you have the sport games. Racing games like Toca and the F1 series usually base there tracks on places that are used in real life. And again the attention to detail here is pretty good. The tracks are accurately modeled on real life, often even down to the adverts on the side of the track. Games such as Toca pride themselves on this. In the end, it often does have its desired effect. We soon notice and remember what turn comes next, in some cases it can even make the sport more interesting, you can always say "Hey, ive been down that track.....sort of"
It’s the same with many many other games. More recently more games have tried to be as true to life as they possibly can, taking time to get some of the smallest aspects of the area right as they can. It’s not just the looks of the game that are worked on so hard. Taking the likes of Hitman 2, time and effort has been taken to get the characters in them to look and sound like the part, bring the whole atmosphere to that area in with them.
So where does the familiarity come into this? Well, with all the work that the developers put into making the area as true to life as possible, they really are taking us to places that we might not yet have, or will ever go. When we see these places on TV, we may make the connection of say a simple layout on a signpost and be able to determine where we are watching.
One thing we have to consider though, is, can games prepare us for part of a culture shock if we were to ever go abroad to these places? Maybe only a little, but there still might be something in this. Maybe if we have played a few games that have been set in the area of the world, we start to know what to expect and what to look out for. Sometimes it could be seen as an advantage to play a game and start to be ready for what to expect.
Who knows, maybe gaming will soon have the power to judge where we want to go in the world.
Now forget that.
Picture this instead. You’re in a touring car racing around Donington. All the usual big British adverts are there, Shell ect ect. The grass is green, many of the cars are British made and so on. Now you’re back in England.
But again, picture this. You’re now in the Far East in the middle of the desert in a run down village. There’s nothing much here, few buildings, some in need of great repair. No big shops, no advertisements. Nothing. It’s the basics.
So what’s going on?
Are you a globetrotter with lots of money to do what you want? No. You’re a gamer.
Each of the above are just a few scenerios from just a few games. Each offering a different experience from the world. And that’s what all this is about. The experience. Do games have something else to offer us other than a few hours enjoyment. Can they familiar rise us with certain areas of the world? I think so.
Different games are set all other the world. Pick one of the big countries in the world and you can just about bet that a gamer will have ventured there at some point in there games. Even some of the less well known areas of the world have been visited. Developers these days pride themselves on the graphics that they can now produce. Most of the games that come out these days try to be as true to life in aspect to the area they are set in as they can. They pay ridiculous amount of attention to detail over some of the smallest things. But other than just giving us something nice to look at, this can offer us something else. Familiarity.
Burnout 2 is one of those games that you really have to see to believe. Not just because of the graphics being so good, but the amount of detail that has gone into them. Being based across a variety of areas in the States, this is one game that almost takes you from you seats and plonks you right down in the middle of the action. The whole feel of the place and looks matches what you would expect the states to be like. Some of us who have not been to the states, and have to rely on films to show us some of the ‘culture’ and looks from over there can only see this as a good thing. Because the graphics and detail are so good its like taking a photo and showing it us. We can see, and compare how things are compare to where we live. And this is something special.
It’s the same with many other games. The Getaway will be another game that’s a prime example of this, giving people who haven’t been to England a chance to see what the place is like, it even gives people who live here a chance to see what all the fuss is about too! Even the likes of Vice City offer us a chance of going and seeing other places, although the place is made up, much of it is based on the States way of things.
Then you have the sport games. Racing games like Toca and the F1 series usually base there tracks on places that are used in real life. And again the attention to detail here is pretty good. The tracks are accurately modeled on real life, often even down to the adverts on the side of the track. Games such as Toca pride themselves on this. In the end, it often does have its desired effect. We soon notice and remember what turn comes next, in some cases it can even make the sport more interesting, you can always say "Hey, ive been down that track.....sort of"
It’s the same with many many other games. More recently more games have tried to be as true to life as they possibly can, taking time to get some of the smallest aspects of the area right as they can. It’s not just the looks of the game that are worked on so hard. Taking the likes of Hitman 2, time and effort has been taken to get the characters in them to look and sound like the part, bring the whole atmosphere to that area in with them.
So where does the familiarity come into this? Well, with all the work that the developers put into making the area as true to life as possible, they really are taking us to places that we might not yet have, or will ever go. When we see these places on TV, we may make the connection of say a simple layout on a signpost and be able to determine where we are watching.
One thing we have to consider though, is, can games prepare us for part of a culture shock if we were to ever go abroad to these places? Maybe only a little, but there still might be something in this. Maybe if we have played a few games that have been set in the area of the world, we start to know what to expect and what to look out for. Sometimes it could be seen as an advantage to play a game and start to be ready for what to expect.
Who knows, maybe gaming will soon have the power to judge where we want to go in the world.
....pop
As we all know in gaming - the aim is have a little 'difference' than what we have in the real world. Any environments being represented most of the time don't show the full extent of itself and will have some exceptions, repetition and unique-ness.
If you look at Vice City - you look at an american city wih long highways, American style cars, beeches, etc but has the game represented Miami in a 'perfect way?' well repetition and popups of people is one area which definatly hasn't and there are flaws in the environement. However the idea is to concentrate on the gaming area and as long as the environment looks similar - thats good enough for me.
If you look at Vice City - you look at an american city wih long highways, American style cars, beeches, etc but has the game represented Miami in a 'perfect way?' well repetition and popups of people is one area which definatly hasn't and there are flaws in the environement. However the idea is to concentrate on the gaming area and as long as the environment looks similar - thats good enough for me.
Triple_H wrote:
I think fictional environments or ones that are only
> loosely based on real places are a much safer bet for developers.
Well thats really what i was talking about. Take Burnout 2. You cant really say that all the roads that make up the races are real roads, of course they are fiction, but that doesnt take away the environment that you are playing in. Its still set in the states, and even though the roads are made up, all the usual characteristics can usually be spotted.
Its the same for all the other games, they arent all perfect copies of the area, but the basic mold is there, and all the little parts of it come with it.
I think fictional environments or ones that are only
> loosely based on real places are a much safer bet for developers.
Well thats really what i was talking about. Take Burnout 2. You cant really say that all the roads that make up the races are real roads, of course they are fiction, but that doesnt take away the environment that you are playing in. Its still set in the states, and even though the roads are made up, all the usual characteristics can usually be spotted.
Its the same for all the other games, they arent all perfect copies of the area, but the basic mold is there, and all the little parts of it come with it.
Great topic there Dame.
err... haven't got much else to say?
er... Go Pompey!
err... haven't got much else to say?
er... Go Pompey!
Games will not be able to accurately represent locations for some time yet. You may think the Getaway is the perfect version of real London but its far from it-streets are empty\, some buildings are missing and a lot of streets are left out-so much for being promised 40 square miles being recreated. Anyway is that the impression people will get from playing this game-that London's population hardly exceeds 300 people or something?You get the drift. I dont think games should even attempt to recreate things like that because they will simply not do the real place any real justice and will hardly impress the locals who would be more familiar with the place than outsiders. The Getaway was in production for something like 4 years and I dont see anything that makes it stand out from any other game apart from so-called accurate locations etc. I think fictional environments or ones that are only loosely based on real places are a much safer bet for developers.
good post :-)
One game that stood out for me with attention to detail was Goldeneye, now i had never seen the film before but i played (and completed) it and then the film came on ITV a while ago. It was good.
One game that stood out for me with attention to detail was Goldeneye, now i had never seen the film before but i played (and completed) it and then the film came on ITV a while ago. It was good.
Picture this. Your cruising down an American freeway in a typical American saloon car. All the usual surroundings can be seen, the green signs to destinations, the typical yellow road markings, the names of New Jersey ect flying past. Heck, you even driving on the opposite road to Britain. The clock of your car is in kmh and your racking up the dollars in your pocket.
Now forget that.
Picture this instead. You’re in a touring car racing around Donington. All the usual big British adverts are there, Shell ect ect. The grass is green, many of the cars are British made and so on. Now you’re back in England.
But again, picture this. You’re now in the Far East in the middle of the desert in a run down village. There’s nothing much here, few buildings, some in need of great repair. No big shops, no advertisements. Nothing. It’s the basics.
So what’s going on?
Are you a globetrotter with lots of money to do what you want? No. You’re a gamer.
Each of the above are just a few scenerios from just a few games. Each offering a different experience from the world. And that’s what all this is about. The experience. Do games have something else to offer us other than a few hours enjoyment. Can they familiar rise us with certain areas of the world? I think so.
Different games are set all other the world. Pick one of the big countries in the world and you can just about bet that a gamer will have ventured there at some point in there games. Even some of the less well known areas of the world have been visited. Developers these days pride themselves on the graphics that they can now produce. Most of the games that come out these days try to be as true to life in aspect to the area they are set in as they can. They pay ridiculous amount of attention to detail over some of the smallest things. But other than just giving us something nice to look at, this can offer us something else. Familiarity.
Burnout 2 is one of those games that you really have to see to believe. Not just because of the graphics being so good, but the amount of detail that has gone into them. Being based across a variety of areas in the States, this is one game that almost takes you from you seats and plonks you right down in the middle of the action. The whole feel of the place and looks matches what you would expect the states to be like. Some of us who have not been to the states, and have to rely on films to show us some of the ‘culture’ and looks from over there can only see this as a good thing. Because the graphics and detail are so good its like taking a photo and showing it us. We can see, and compare how things are compare to where we live. And this is something special.
It’s the same with many other games. The Getaway will be another game that’s a prime example of this, giving people who haven’t been to England a chance to see what the place is like, it even gives people who live here a chance to see what all the fuss is about too! Even the likes of Vice City offer us a chance of going and seeing other places, although the place is made up, much of it is based on the States way of things.
Then you have the sport games. Racing games like Toca and the F1 series usually base there tracks on places that are used in real life. And again the attention to detail here is pretty good. The tracks are accurately modeled on real life, often even down to the adverts on the side of the track. Games such as Toca pride themselves on this. In the end, it often does have its desired effect. We soon notice and remember what turn comes next, in some cases it can even make the sport more interesting, you can always say "Hey, ive been down that track.....sort of"
It’s the same with many many other games. More recently more games have tried to be as true to life as they possibly can, taking time to get some of the smallest aspects of the area right as they can. It’s not just the looks of the game that are worked on so hard. Taking the likes of Hitman 2, time and effort has been taken to get the characters in them to look and sound like the part, bring the whole atmosphere to that area in with them.
So where does the familiarity come into this? Well, with all the work that the developers put into making the area as true to life as possible, they really are taking us to places that we might not yet have, or will ever go. When we see these places on TV, we may make the connection of say a simple layout on a signpost and be able to determine where we are watching.
One thing we have to consider though, is, can games prepare us for part of a culture shock if we were to ever go abroad to these places? Maybe only a little, but there still might be something in this. Maybe if we have played a few games that have been set in the area of the world, we start to know what to expect and what to look out for. Sometimes it could be seen as an advantage to play a game and start to be ready for what to expect.
Who knows, maybe gaming will soon have the power to judge where we want to go in the world.
Now forget that.
Picture this instead. You’re in a touring car racing around Donington. All the usual big British adverts are there, Shell ect ect. The grass is green, many of the cars are British made and so on. Now you’re back in England.
But again, picture this. You’re now in the Far East in the middle of the desert in a run down village. There’s nothing much here, few buildings, some in need of great repair. No big shops, no advertisements. Nothing. It’s the basics.
So what’s going on?
Are you a globetrotter with lots of money to do what you want? No. You’re a gamer.
Each of the above are just a few scenerios from just a few games. Each offering a different experience from the world. And that’s what all this is about. The experience. Do games have something else to offer us other than a few hours enjoyment. Can they familiar rise us with certain areas of the world? I think so.
Different games are set all other the world. Pick one of the big countries in the world and you can just about bet that a gamer will have ventured there at some point in there games. Even some of the less well known areas of the world have been visited. Developers these days pride themselves on the graphics that they can now produce. Most of the games that come out these days try to be as true to life in aspect to the area they are set in as they can. They pay ridiculous amount of attention to detail over some of the smallest things. But other than just giving us something nice to look at, this can offer us something else. Familiarity.
Burnout 2 is one of those games that you really have to see to believe. Not just because of the graphics being so good, but the amount of detail that has gone into them. Being based across a variety of areas in the States, this is one game that almost takes you from you seats and plonks you right down in the middle of the action. The whole feel of the place and looks matches what you would expect the states to be like. Some of us who have not been to the states, and have to rely on films to show us some of the ‘culture’ and looks from over there can only see this as a good thing. Because the graphics and detail are so good its like taking a photo and showing it us. We can see, and compare how things are compare to where we live. And this is something special.
It’s the same with many other games. The Getaway will be another game that’s a prime example of this, giving people who haven’t been to England a chance to see what the place is like, it even gives people who live here a chance to see what all the fuss is about too! Even the likes of Vice City offer us a chance of going and seeing other places, although the place is made up, much of it is based on the States way of things.
Then you have the sport games. Racing games like Toca and the F1 series usually base there tracks on places that are used in real life. And again the attention to detail here is pretty good. The tracks are accurately modeled on real life, often even down to the adverts on the side of the track. Games such as Toca pride themselves on this. In the end, it often does have its desired effect. We soon notice and remember what turn comes next, in some cases it can even make the sport more interesting, you can always say "Hey, ive been down that track.....sort of"
It’s the same with many many other games. More recently more games have tried to be as true to life as they possibly can, taking time to get some of the smallest aspects of the area right as they can. It’s not just the looks of the game that are worked on so hard. Taking the likes of Hitman 2, time and effort has been taken to get the characters in them to look and sound like the part, bring the whole atmosphere to that area in with them.
So where does the familiarity come into this? Well, with all the work that the developers put into making the area as true to life as possible, they really are taking us to places that we might not yet have, or will ever go. When we see these places on TV, we may make the connection of say a simple layout on a signpost and be able to determine where we are watching.
One thing we have to consider though, is, can games prepare us for part of a culture shock if we were to ever go abroad to these places? Maybe only a little, but there still might be something in this. Maybe if we have played a few games that have been set in the area of the world, we start to know what to expect and what to look out for. Sometimes it could be seen as an advantage to play a game and start to be ready for what to expect.
Who knows, maybe gaming will soon have the power to judge where we want to go in the world.