Video Game Analysis
Video game analysis is a process of evaluating a video game in an unbiased manner. It can be done by students, professional critics or gamers.
While research on games continues to expand, qualitative content analyses remain rare. Scholars like Brooker and Konzack have pointed out the need to develop a methodology for analysis of digital games.
Gameplay
Video games are a popular leisure activity for users of all ages and social groups. However, research on video game content has been scarce. This is because unlike linear media such as movies that have pre-composed fixed messages, the content of video games depends on player inputs. This can lead to variations in analysis results and may even introduce biases.
This makes it important to spend prolonged time with the game in order to analyze its gameplay. This will help to create a rich description of the game that can be used by other researchers. It also helps to ensure that the researcher’s background and interests do not influence their gameplay analysis. In this way, potential biases can be spotted and avoided. It is also important to be transparent about the methods used in the research.
Storyline
A video game’s storyline is its narrative structure, encompassing all aspects of the game’s plot. It’s the skeleton that holds everything together, and it usually includes the beginning, middle and end of the story.
A compelling storyline can engage players and elicit emotional responses from them. It can also serve as a learning tool by providing context for gameplay mechanics and making them more accessible to players.
The Last of Us, for example, features a character-driven plot that evokes strong emotions from its players. Its harrowing story of survival and sacrifice has even crossed the medium of video games to become a Netflix series, further cementing its impact. Unfiltered reception is a good way to get to the heart of video game storytelling. However, it’s important to move beyond unfiltered reception into the second phase of analysis: perspective application.
Characters
Video game characters are an important part of most video games. They are often used to convey narrative and ludic information. They are also used as a way of interacting with the game environment and other players.
The analysis of video game characters requires a medium-specific approach that takes into account the complexity and interrelationship of character representation, character experience and interaction. In addition, it is necessary to consider how players construct characters in their own minds.
This paper develops a framework for video game characterization, drawing on a tradition of character research in literary studies. It argues that the ontology of the character must be taken into consideration, because it is both an individual and a semiotic construction. It also distinguishes between three modes of character representation, namely narration, simulation and communication.
Graphics
Video game analysis focuses on the elements of video games and how they work together to create an engaging gaming experience. Analyses can look at the storyline, characters, and graphics of a video game to understand its appeal and why people play it.
The study of video games is gaining momentum and scholars have begun to explore the possibilities of video game analysis as an analytical tool. However, few have attempted to develop a qualitative methodology for video game analysis.
This paper examines the link between graphical technologies and innovation in the games industry and in gamer culture. It also identifies the need to investigate the role of technology and gameplay in video game development. It lays out an analytical framework that incorporates strategies from textual analysis to analyze games based on their context, content, reception and formal qualities.
Audio
Video games offer a unique opportunity to explore how audio is used to convey meaning. However, the interactivity of video games makes them more difficult to analyze than linear media like movies. This is because video games allow players to frame their experience in various ways, depending on their skill, preferences (e.g., regarding their avatar), and playing style.
Because coding all the content of a game would take too much time, most studies use recordings of only certain parts of the game. For example, if a study is interested in violent content, it might only record the first 10 or 20 minutes of the game.
Another limitation is that technology rapidly changes, making coding schemes outdated. These challenges make it important for researchers to find alternative coding materials for video game analysis.