The post Top 5: Open World Games appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Which one will I chose a game where I run around shooting at a number of rival gang members or nuking entire Civilizations into the ground.”

Of course I’m being facetious and don’t really think I need to go to rehab for video game addiction. Although I would wonder in our current nanny state society that such clinics could soon exist. The Dutch have already implemented such clinics in Amsterdam, to help gamers who have just spent too many hours behind the keyboard or controller. I just can’t understand why this game continues to draw me in. I love Rockstar and every game they have produced, I was buzzing with excitement prior to the release of GTA V. When I received the game in the post, I tore the shrink-wrap of the case and booted up my console. After sitting through an hour or two of installations, eventually I got into the game and a peculiar thing happened. Although I was enjoying the game, I wasn’t fully engaged with it or overly compelled to continue to play. Whether it was the narrative or the gameplay, or the fact that it was one o’clock in the morning and I was becoming a bit drowsy. I found it hard to force myself to get back into the world of Los Santos and instead would start up a game of Civilization V.

“The Steam Workshop has made installing mods to the game much easier, therefore extending the longevity of the game.”

Personally I think that Civilization’s turn based gameplay is the key reason for its addictiveness. There is no obvious end point to a game of Civilization, like any game there are certain victory conditions that can be accomplished in order to win the game. However to reach that point can involve many hours of gameplay with the player given the option to continue even after they win the game. The player has to decide when to end the gaming session, this is where my addiction to Civilization takes hold. When I get into a prolonged session, I start to tell myself that I have to quit soon enough as the sun is beginning to rise over the horizon and it’s time to get some sleep. Everything in Civilization is determined by the number of turns it will take, whether it is researching technologies or moving troops into battle. It becomes a case of how many turns until you quit, the mantra “I’ll quit after the next turn” sums up my feelings at the four to five hour point of a gaming session.

“I dread to think what the playtime is for all my years playing Civilization, for the current game in the series it sits at 173 hours”

Although I have since gone back to GTA V and completed it, I still find myself drawn back to Civilization. Probably due to GTA Online being unplayable for weeks after its launch. On numerous occasion I have tried to play and only had my fun spoil by the game crashing. Now I don’t know if it is a problem with Rockstar’s servers or my badly aging console, but it is enough to sour my mood and send me back into another empire building Civilization binge session. The latest Football Manager was released at the end of last month and may well be the solution to my Civilization addiction. Although it’s more a case of just replacing one addiction with another, all I know is for some strange reason GTA V is not as alluring to me as its predecessors. If a Rockstar title is failing to satisfy my video game addiction as well as some other titles, there something wrong. I have to seriously revaluate my life as a gamer, video game therapy here I come.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Sidenote: My Obsession with Civilization appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

The one interesting thing with the troubles that players have faced when attempting to play or more aptly not play GTA Online, is that they have remained quite patient and understanding. As always there are some who will find any excuses to berate and belittle video game developers when they run into standard problems, often just to let out their own frustration of events in their own lives. Like a bully picking on a kid, when they themselves are being bullied by someone else. However I’m amazed at how reserved the usually vitriolic online community are being. It is a testament to how loyal and appreciative Rockstar’s consumer base are that even in the face of data corruption and lose of service they remain patients. Most like myself have faith that Rockstar will soon be able to work out the kinks in the service. Personally I did have my character wiped, although I had barely made it past the opening cut scene for me to be really upset that I had to start over again. Other players have lost a little more than I did, but will be richly rewarded with Rockstar’s free giveaway of $500,000 of in game money to all players as a way of any apology. Myself I feel a bit guilty getting the 500k since I didn’t really lose much but I will never say no to free cash. If you just rewind to March of this year and the launch of the latest SimCity we can see a very different reaction to EA’s server issues. The main complaint with the game was the always online component that didn’t allow for offline play. Day one server issues often trouble many game launches e.g. Battlefield 1942, but in the case of SimCity it was an unmitigated disaster as players had no way to play even the single player aspect of the game. The issue of always online DRM raised its head again in May with the Xbox One announcement. Not to mention the backlash from former Microsoft employee Adam Orth’s tweets and his “Deal with it” comment, aimed at those who with decent internet connections. Unlike EA Rockstar somehow have being able to keeps its fans on its side, probably helped by the fact that the single player campaign is available to play and the online service is slowly but surely being rolled out to consumers.

“GTA Online is the key to the longevity of this game, with endless missions and challenges keeping players hooked for longer”

As for the online experience itself, again I have to say that its early days for me with only at level five character. I have to be honest it was hard to get into the game not just from a technical point of view but just in terms of gameplay. The first issue I had was with the character creation menu which to me is unique. In most games the player is handed a set of dials and sliders to manipulate your characters appearance big or small nose, green or blue eyes etc. However in GTA Online your appearance is determined by your genetic heritage by choosing your maternal and paternal predecessors. The result in my case is a character that looks like a police photofit mock up, slightly odd features that don’t really resemble the other npc’s that inhabit Los Santos. I’m still waiting for the mob with torches and pitchforks to come chase me out of town. None of this really matters however as you tend to stare at the back of your characters head for most of the game, so with a baseball cap and shades I can overlook his odd appearance. Although it may just be part of the services teething problems I did feel that the open world of Los Santos seemed to be less populated, maybe my characters looks scared them away. When I first dropped in their wasn’t another npc or car to steal in sight and waking around on foot can be a hazardous task in GTA Online as I came to learn the hard way. What makes the cities in GTA games so immersive is the life like nature of the npc inhabitants, going about their day around you and the dynamic logic to the traffic systems. With GTA Online resembling a ghost town at times save only a few human players on the hunt for newbs, it’s hard to immerse yourself. It forced me to constantly keep logging off in frustration/boredom and instead had me looking to catch up with Trevor, Michael and Franklin.

“Rockstar have being slowly refining its online gameplay over the years starting with GTA IV through Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne finally arriving at GTA V”

Again I would stress that I have barely played GTA Online with simply logging on proving impossible in the first two weeks. However in the last few days with the service working better I’ve started to get sucked in. The vast array of challenges and mission available in GTA Online is staggering from traditional team deathmatches and motorbike races to all out buzzard helicopter warfare, it offers something for everyone. Personally I’m a fan of the racing challenges which can get a bit heated with car to car contact not resulting in a steward’s enquiry, with a revenge punt to send your opponent of the track a more favoured option. So on the whole I think I can see my life being consumed by GTA Online over the next few months with the new consoles not even crossing my mind. Hopefully the service will be fully functional within the next few weeks with Rockstar promising to continue to releases updates and patches in order to increase playability. The next patch will also include that nice cash bonus which will hopefully allow me to buy a nice penthouse suite on Vespucci Beach to retire with all my ill-gotten gains.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post GTA Online Review appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Rockstar have dealt with violent torture in their previous series Manhunt, with the sequel initially being banned in both Ireland and the UK”

The player assumes the role of the slightly psychotic, mean tempered and twisted philosopher Trever Philips. In order for Trevor to extract the information from Mr K who has the misfortune of knowing the wrong people. The player is offered an array of hardware to choose from in order to cajole Mr K into giving up the target pliers, a wrench, a car battery etc. all inflicting more pain then the last. The graphic nature of these various methods of torture start to cross a line between excessive violence and a snuff film. When all is said and done and the terrorist has being taken out, Trevor helps Mr K escapes and drives him to the airport. On the way Trevor expresses his opinion on the effectiveness of torture as a means of gathering information and that it is really just a way for America to demonstrate its power. This is the punch line we’ve being waiting for, Rockstar’s comments on the US stance towards torture including the very controversial method of waterboarding which the player can inflict on Mr K if they so choose.

“At some point you just wish Mr K would stop being hesitant with the information so that you can just end the torture session”

However is the long drawn out torture session that the player must complete in order to pass the mission worth it for those few satirical line uttered by everyone’s favourite violent sociopath. I’m not so sure, I have replayed the mission in order to perfect it which involves inflict every method of torture available on Mr K. I feel that it is just a tad excessive especially for the fact that Mr K isn’t quite clear with his descriptions of the target which means the torture session is prolonged longer than it should. Rockstar have always looked to use their games as a vehicle for socio-political satire and I’m not surprised they looked to tackle this issue. I just wonder if they could have played the scene out a little more tactfully, maybe a Reservoir Dogs style cut-away to imply the torture is taking place but not have to show it. It’s just one controversy in what has become an ongoing tradition for the most controversial gaming franchise in the industry and will unlikely turn too many people away from future Rockstar games.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Sidenote: Has Rockstar Gone Too Far? appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

Rockstar’s stalwart franchise has long being a torn in the side of concerned parents and censorship campaigners. The GTA series has being at the forefront of video game controversy ever since their first outing back in 1997. The first game in the series was a top down open world that allowed players to mow down pedestrians in cars and shoot up the streets with an array of different weapons. The general public and mainstream press at the time where shocked at such levels of violence in a game that was in their opinion targeted at children. A problem that has always dogged games like GTA that feature violent or graphic content is that although that most carry an 18 or R rating, video games are still generally viewed as a medium for children. This of course is far from the case as the annual survey of the average gamer carried out by the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), puts the average age of a video game player at 30. Nevertheless GTA has always been used as an example for video games effect on the youth. Whether it ranges from excessive playtime causing mental health issues that affect many children or even incidents of young people carrying out extreme acts of violence being attributed to the influence of the game. Although the latest game in the series has just being released and once again carries an 18’s rating it wasn’t long before controversy reared its head. It was an employee of a video game retail outlet that raised the issue of negligent parents purchasing GTA V for their children, even with the content warnings on the box and the advice of the retailer falling on deaf ears. It would seem that Rockstar can rarely release a game without it causing some level of controversy. Rockstar’s Table Tennis probably one of the rare exceptions in their catalogue of games not to be involved in any controversy.

“GTA V is already putting Rockstar in hot water over the scenes of torture featured in one of the mission, an obvious satire on current American politics but a step to far for many”

The first GTA game set the tone for the public’s reaction to the violence that featured in the series. The game received general negative reaction from the news media in many European countries with the game being banned outright in Brazil. The next major controversy came with GTA III as the series moved in the 3D realm with the violence now more realistic than its predecessors. The main complaints levelled against the game was the apparent lack of consequence to the criminal actions carried out by the main character, with no lasting repercussions for killing police or military personal. The message being sent to the player in the game doesn’t reflect real life. A just argument if it is a child playing the game who may not be able to reason out the differences between the virtual and the real world. However as is always stated by the game developers and publishers is that these game are for adults who are able to distance themselves from the games universe and the one we inhabit. Similar issues where raised with the next game in the series GTA Vice City set in a fictional Miami during the 80’s, however this time it was Cuban and Haitian groups that also added to the debate. They argued that they had being poorly represented in the game as nothing more than criminals and thugs.

“GTA IV saw Rockstar break new ground with criminal violence not the only controversial issue, the main characters ability to drive while intoxicated raising the ire of many concerned campaigners.”

All of these grievances where soon overshadowed with the release of GTA San Andreas and the major controversy the unfurled around the sexual content of the game, the fiasco that was otherwise known as the “Hot Coffee Mod”. A sex based mini-game that was removed from the final releases of the game but was modded back in later by those who found the hidden source code. Although not featured in the retail release and any modifications to the game breaking the EULA (End User Licence Agreement), the news media focus it accusations entirely on the games creators instead of those who distributed the mod. The mod features the main character CJ engaging in sexual intercourse with one of several girlfriends that appeared as part of the dating mini-game. The “Hot Coffee Mod” allows players to control CJ actions while engaged in the act of intercourse, with similar controls to the dancing mechanics used in other parts of the game but didn’t feature any nudity. Regardless of whether the content was hidden or a breach the EULA the game faced major criticisms by numerous interest groups, even senator Hillary Clinton at the time demanded that new regulations be drawn up for video games. The controversy resulted in the games re-classification by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) from mature to adults only. It marked a point where GTA and its creators Rockstar were made the focus of the media’s negative attention towards video games. The series has continued that tradition right up to the current release, in fact the Guinness Book of Records Gamers Edition even cited the franchise as the most controversial in the industry with over 4,000 articles written on the subject.

“The GTA series has run the gambit of culture taboos from drug trafficking, glorifying criminal acts, full frontal male nudity, excessive violence to the sexualization and subjugation of women.”

All thee controversies aside the question still remains that, is GTA a bad influence for young people? The problem with such a question is that there is no simple answer, there are far too many variables in the equation to find a definitive cause of negative behaviour in young people. It is far easier to lay the blame with one source instead of fully investigating the myriad of reasons for young people to act out in violent or disobedient ways. Countless surveys of that effect of violent video games on the mental state of young people have been deemed inconclusive, with some arguing that games do have a negative affect and other contending such views. There are some that go as far as to argue that violent video game allow people with violent dispositions to alleviate their stress and behavioural triggers. Whether these statements are true is irrelevant as it is not just video game alone that can influence somebody to carry out a violent act, if video games are to blame then so is film, TV, literature, the internet and any other number of mediums that feature violent or sexual content. Prior the rise of video games into mainstream culture, it was often violent movies or TV shows that took the brunt of the general public’s criticisms. It was the rock n’ roll stars of the 50’s and 60’s such as Elvis and Johnny Cash that were blamed for corrupting the minds of young people. Video games are simply the most misunderstood medium at the moment and therefore make for an easy target. Until the video game industry becomes as well known and ubiquitous as film or TV, it will always be used as a way to explain the complex negative issues regarding youth wellbeing and health. Instead of spending time addressing the growing problems of youth violence the media just looks to a game like GTA for the easy answers to their problems. The scapegoat for much larger economic and socio-political problems that can’t be solved with news report attacking GTA over the content within their game. Children by their nature are more impressionable and vulnerable to graphic content then others, however simply looking to ban violent video games is not going to stop them from being influenced by another source. More effort should be made to protect children from such games not by censorship of such material but through proper parental guidance enforcing moral authority on the media that their children can consume. In an industry that boost more content than ever before why should a child be allowed to play such violent games, when a host of more appropriate titles are available on the market.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post The State of the Industry: GTA’s Influence on Youth appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Who is the most recognisable figure game developer Gabe Newell or director Steven Spielberg, I’m guessing the latter”

The end of year crunch is upon us, the release of GTA V next week will be the start of a season of AAA video game launches and with two new consoles also coming out it should be one of the busiest in recent years. This massive influx of income generated by the industry over the coming months will no doubt grab the attention of some of the news media outlets. This is a time when I dread to watch or read the news in case I stumble across a story or piece on video games. If you stick to reasoned and more favourable news sites that are dedicated to provide news on the latest games and tech, then you’ll be ok. However if you stray onto the more conventional news outlets the view that is portrayed of video games and gamers alike is often stereotyped and offensive. The main issue is not any sort of dislike or angst against the industry it is purely a case of misunderstanding. Many of the reporters and journalist don’t do their research and revert to using generalizations to make the piece more palatable for the viewers who are also likely misinformed about the culture of video games. Although as gamers we would like to think that video games have come to rival the film and music industries and yes financially the video game industry does compete alongside the more established mediums. The one problem is that outside of those who are involved in the industry, it is still not as well known by the general public. The main reason why societal problems such as violence and attention deficit disorders are wrongly attribute to video games as unlike the other mediums that make up an integral part of common culture, the video game industry is an easy scapegoat as it is seen as the outsider with nothing significant to add to the zeitgeist.

“Is this what the mainstream media think all FPS players look like?”

It was a recent article on the tech news website Techdirt that really highlights this stereotyping and generalization. The piece is written on a CNBC report that discusses the issues surrounding fans of the Call of Duty Series. The report is a completely misinformed unresearched biased piece of journalism that really doesn’t deserve the airtime and the Techdirt columnist pulls no punches when he deconstructs the news report. It is just one of many news reports that feature reporters and analysts who have never played a video game or carried out any sort of fact finding or research, but have very opinionated statements and judgments to make on the subject. The most infamous of these botched reports was the Fox News claim that Mass Effect featured full frontal nudity and a completely uncensored sex scene. The report featured psychologist Cooper Lawrence who weighed in with some very assured comments on the games graphic content even though when questioned admitted to have never played the game. When later showed the sexual content from the game she retracted her comments. It shows the mainstream media’s lack of respect for video games and the people who play them. It very unlikely that when Jeremy Paxman is interviewing a politician that he hasn’t done his research on that person beforehand. So why is it ok for reporters and journalists to comment on an industry that they know nothing about apart from some misguided stereotypes or views that were established twenty years ago. Video games have moved on from Pong and Space Invaders, but to others it is still just a passive past time with no cultural merit or beneficial qualities.

“Can the media just give GTA a pass this time, haven’t Rockstar suffered enough in the accusations and criticisms in the past.”

As mentioned above the release of GTA V is close at hand and undoubtedly will spark a series of reports on what has become the bad boy of the industry in the eyes of the news media. Whenever the video game industry becomes a target for the general public’s problems, Rockstar’s title series is often the focus of those accusations. So what will the media attack the game on this time violence, sex, drugs etc. If they do want to make a case for the negative influence that a game like GTA has on people then all I hope is that they argue a strong and informed case and not resort to the usual hyperbole. Telling it’s audience that a company Rockstar is the reason for all of our societal woes, instead of facing up to the reality that it can’t be pinned down to one single source and that at the end of the day the video game industry isn’t going anywhere as much as they try to take it down.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post The State of the Industry: Media vs Gamers appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

Saints Row IV is a perfect demonstration of why many serious media critics can’t hold video games up to the same standards as they do with other mediums. The latest game in the GTA series looks to take a very wry look at modern day California, played out by three characters from different walks of life. Whereas Saints Row IV in some ways has no meaning or purpose, with the story of a guy from the streets who works his way through the hierarchy of the gang culture of the first game long abandoned. A thin narrative of an alien invasion enslaving the city of Steelport with the Presidential Saints the only ones who can save the day, is laid over what is essentially repurposed missions pulled from the atypical game design bin. Go pick up one thing, bring it to some place and repeat. There is no compelling reason for the player to have any vested interest in what is going on around them. Superpowers and Dub-step guns are not a substitute for game design, Volition have looked to take the easy route. However if they wish to shake of the shackles of Rockstar then they need to try a little harder to upset the applecart.

 “It’s off to the White House for the Saints crew, how a gang member with a prison record is elected to office beats me but when has Violation ever worried about the finer details”

Saints Row IV has had a bit of a turbulent birth which might explain some of its shortcomings. It was original planned as a DLC expansion to the previous game in the series with the interesting title of Saints Row the Third: Enter the Dominatrix. It was set to be a standalone expansion similar to Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. In June of 2012 it was then announced that the DLC would become the basis for the fourth game in the series. Then in January of the next year Volition’s publisher THQ filed for bankruptcy and sold off most of its major assets Saints Row included. Koch Media who own publisher Deep Silver bought the rights to the franchise and this week sees the game finally getting its release. It is clear that this game is borrowing heavily from its predecessor with a very slightly re-textured Steelport and an identical game engine that reuses many of the same mechanics of the last game. It’s not surprising with only a two year delta in the development between the third and fourth game, is the Saints Row game to become an annual series like so many other franchises. Where there is little in the way of innovation but instead the budget is spent on marketing the game as something new that isn’t, I’m talking about you Call of Duty. Why is the industry in such a hurry to produce content, maybe some developers should take a page out of Valve’s book. In that you take an extortionate amount of time that has gamers tearing their hair out with anticipation and then blowing those raised expectations out of the water when the game is finally released, saying all that will they please get a move on Half Life 3 unless there trying to beat Duke Nukem Forever record. Violation can’t be fully blamed in this matter it is the gamers themselves that create this demand, they need to practise a bit more patience and allow video game developers to take the time to craft a more fleshed out and graphical impressive game. It is also partly due to the pressures put on by the publishers who want to feed the insatiable appetites of impatience gamers, all in the pursuit of vast sums of money. Whereas companies like Rockstar and Valve self-publish most of their games and have a long standing presence in the industry that allows them to set their own deadlines and release dates, others like Violation have to answer to their publishers demands.

“It’s back to the streets of LA for the next instalment of GTA, Rockstar could do with branching out to some other regions of the country”

The main issue with a game like Saints Row IV is that although they offer the player an amazing array of character customization options, there is no emotional connection with the main character. To use another game that Saints Row IV parodies, Mass Effect too offers the player a chance to customize their character and even choose which gender to play as. The difference between the two is that through an engaging narrative storyline the player is able to connect with the mass of polygons on screen and have real moral decision posed to them, with the player having to genuinely weigh up the choices before commenting to an action. Those choices coming back to either help or hinder the player later in the game. In Saints Row IV the player becomes a god like superhero with a vastly overpowered skill set that separates the character from the rest of humanity that populate the game. Both Infamous and Prototype are games that put the player in control of a super powered human, however both offer consequences and a narrative interest when using their abilities. Saints Row as ever just throws out the “It’s just a game” line that seems to absolve them of having to make any effort in the narrative and storytelling department. Endless culture references written in as bad puns and cheesy one-liners are a substitute for the writers having to actual construct any meaningful dialogue. Anyone who has played a Rockstar game knows well that the writers like to make a joke or two and aren’t opposed to the odd culture reference, however they don’t let that affect the overall narrative. Lazlow one of the writers for the GTA series weaves his very apt satirical views on modern culture into the world without impacting on the main characters story or dialogue.

“It seems poor timing on the part of Deep Silver to launch their newly acquired franchise a month before GTA V, have they not heard of Rockstar before”

The sexual content of Saints Row IV is also an issue that was a talking point prior to the games release. It was the ACB Australia’s ratings board that deemed the game unrateable for the sexual content within. In particular it was the games anal-probe weapon that caused the Aussies the get all hot and bothered. The game was eventually given a M15+ rating with some of the sexual and drug related content edited from the game. The Australians ratings board can often be quite harsh when it comes to judging the explicit content of video games, Undead Labs know that with their game State of Decay being given the same treatment. However in this case I have to agree with them, they stated that the sexual content in the game including the explicit weapon set was not justified within the context of the game. It is the cardinal rule for game developers who wish to delve into the murky waters of explicit content, it must be justified within the context of the narrative. The much acclaimed LA Noire produced by Bondi Games and published by Rockstar featured racially offensive dialogue but is justified as it imitates the time in which the game is set. It is possible for games to feature explicit adult content, it just has to have a reason for being there and not just for the sake of it as it seems to be with Saints Row IV. I would genuinely like to know what in what context does an anal-probe with an animated tongue that propels unsuspecting victims across the map, have in Saints Row IV or any game for that matter.

Ultimately it seems like Saints Row has removed its unwanted tag of just being a GTA clone but not because it offered players a more carefully crafted gaming experience, with an impressive amount of narrative and gameplay innovation. Just as Uncharted unseated Tomb Raider as the King of the Relic Hunters. No Saints Row decided to go off the deep end and spend its time coming up with more and more ludicrous weapons and abilities that relegated any engaging gameplay to the side-lines. They have become a parody onto themselves. Rockstar will have no worries about Saints Row IV affecting the sales and player numbers of their latest GTA release. I would doubt any serious open world fanatic will still be playing Saints Row IV when GTA V hits the marketplace. The students still have a lot to learn from the masters who have dominated the open world genre for the last 15 years.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Saints Row IV Review appeared first on Game Design Ireland.