Recommended Resources from Fortugno

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How Games Tell Stories with Nick Fortugno RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FROM NICK FORTUGNO Articles & Books ● MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research ● Rules of Play Game Textbook ● Game Design Workshop Textbook ● Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Festivals ● Come Out and Play Festival Games ● The Waiting Game at ProPublica ● Rez ● Fallout 4 ● Red Dead Redemption 2 ● Dys4ia ● The Last of Us ● Shadow of the Colossus ● Kentucky Route Zero ● Gone Home ● Amnesia ● Pandemic: Legacy ● Once Upon A Time A SELECTION OF SUNDANCE NEW FRONTIER ALUMNI / SUPPORTED PROJECTS About New Frontier: New Frontier: Storytelling at the Intersection of Art & Technology ● Walden ● 1979 Revolution ● Laura Yilmaz ● Thin Air OTHER GAMING RESOURCES ● NYU Game Center - dedicated to the exploration of games as a cultural form and game design as creative practice ● Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab - focusing on a diverse range of creative and research practices originating in fields from the arts, humanities and technology 1 OTHER GAMING RESOURCES continued ● Kotaku - gaming reviews, news, tips and more ● Steam platform indie tag - the destination for playing, discussing, and creating games ● IndieCade Festival - International festival website committed to celebrating independent interactive games and media from around the globe ● Games for Change - the leading global advocate for the games as drivers of social impact ● Immerse - digest of nonfiction storytelling in emerging media ● Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling - essays and reviews on narrative in games and new media ● The Art of Storytelling in Gaming - blog post 2 .

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The First but Hopefully Not the Last: How the Last of Us Redefines the Survival Horror Video Game Genre
The College of Wooster Open Works Senior Independent Study Theses 2018 The First But Hopefully Not the Last: How The Last Of Us Redefines the Survival Horror Video Game Genre Joseph T. Gonzales The College of Wooster, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy Part of the Other Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Other Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Gonzales, Joseph T., "The First But Hopefully Not the Last: How The Last Of Us Redefines the Survival Horror Video Game Genre" (2018). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 8219. This Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar is brought to you by Open Works, a service of The College of Wooster Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Independent Study Theses by an authorized administrator of Open Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Copyright 2018 Joseph T. Gonzales THE FIRST BUT HOPEFULLY NOT THE LAST: HOW THE LAST OF US REDEFINES THE SURVIVAL HORROR VIDEO GAME GENRE by Joseph Gonzales An Independent Study Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements for Senior Independent Study: The Department of Communication March 7, 2018 Advisor: Dr. Ahmet Atay ABSTRACT For this study, I applied generic criticism, which looks at how a text subverts and adheres to patterns and formats in its respective genre, to analyze how The Last of Us redefined the survival horror video game genre through its narrative. Although some tropes are present in the game and are necessary to stay tonally consistent to the genre, I argued that much of the focus of the game is shifted from the typical situational horror of the monsters and violence to the overall narrative, effective dialogue, strategic use of cinematic elements, and character development throughout the course of the game.
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Sites of Play: Locating Gameplace in Red Dead Redemption 2
Sites of Play: Locating Gameplace in Red Dead Redemption 2 Andrew Westerside University of Lincoln Brayford Pool, LN6 7TS United Kingdom [email protected] Jussi Holopainen University of Lincoln Brayford Pool, LN6 7TS United Kingdom [email protected] ABSTRACT In Video Game Spaces (2009), Michael Nitsche proposes three indicators of ‘placeness’ in video games: identity, self-motivated and self-organised action, and traces of memory (191-201). We read this notion of placeness as closely aligned to, or overlapping with, the understandings of place and site articulated in theatre and performance research as site-specific performance. Here, we articulate the ideas (and analyse the experiences) of placeness and sitedness in Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) through an analytical conversation between performance studies and games design research with a human-computer interaction bias. Through a close- reading of gameplay experiences (Bizzocchi and Tanenbaum, 2011), we individually experienced over 30 hours of RDR2 gameplay while taking notes, recording, and capturing screenshots. During our individual analyses, we met periodically to compare notes, discuss notable game moments and share analytical insights. At this intersection of game research and performance research, we ask to what extent the theoretical articulations of aesthetic/affective experience in physical, corporeal and material spaces can develop – and further nuance – our understanding of how place is experienced (and thus designed) in contemporary videogames. In doing so, we propose the term gameplace as a means of articulating what this article will define as the affective relationship between place, experience and play. Keywords Place, space, placeness, gameworld, gameplay, performance research, phenomenology INTRODUCTION Site-Specific Performance For scholars and practitioners in the discipline, site-specific performance refers to ‘performance conceived on the basis of a place in the real world (ergo, outside the established theatre)’ (Pavis, 1998, p.337).
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Game Console Rating
Highland Township Public Library - Video Game Collection Updated January 2020 Game Console Rating Abzu PS4, XboxOne E Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown PS4, XboxOne T AC/DC Rockband Wii T Age of Wonders: Planetfall PS4, XboxOne T All-Stars Battle Royale PS3 T Angry Birds Trilogy PS3 E Animal Crossing, City Folk Wii E Ape Escape 2 PS2 E Ape Escape 3 PS2 E Atari Anthology PS2 E Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk PS3 T Atelier Sophie: Alchemist of the Mysterious Book PS4 T Banjo Kazooie- Nuts and Bolts Xbox 360 E10+ Batman: Arkham Asylum PS3 T Batman: Arkham City PS3 T Batman: Arkham Origins PS3, Xbox 360 16+ Battalion Wars 2 Wii T Battle Chasers: Nightwar PS4, XboxOne T Beyond Good & Evil PS2 T Big Beach Sports Wii E Bit Trip Complete Wii E Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War PS3, Xbox 360 T Bloodstained Ritual of the Night PS4, XboxOne T Blue Dragon Xbox 360 T Blur PS3, Xbox 360 T Boom Blox Wii E Brave PS3, Xbox 360 E10+ Cabela's Big Game Hunter PS2 T Call of Duty 3 Wii T Captain America, Super Soldier PS3 T Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy PS4 E10+ Crew 2 PS4, XboxOne T Dance Central 3 Xbox 360 T De Blob 2 Xbox 360 E Dead Cells PS4 T Deadly Creatures Wii T Deca Sports 3 Wii E Deformers: Ready at Dawn PS4, XboxOne E10+ Destiny PS3, Xbox 360 T Destiny 2 PS4, XboxOne T Dirt 4 PS4, XboxOne T Dirt Rally 2.0 PS4, XboxOne E Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii E Don't Starve Mega Pack PS4, XboxOne T Dragon Quest 11 PS4 T Highland Township Public Library - Video Game Collection Updated January 2020 Game Console Rating Dragon Quest Builders PS4 E10+ Dragon
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The Best Schools for Aspiring Game Developers
THE BEST SCHOOLS FOR ASPIRING GAME DEVELOPERS THE BEST GAME Whether you’re taking your first steps or refining your skills, there’s DESIGN PROGRAMS, a game design program for anyone. Check out the 50 best RANKED BY THE undergraduate and 25 best PRINCETON REVIEW. graduate programs out there. Even in these ridiculous times, video games you want to use your artistic flourish to are there to comfort, challenge, and inspire design fascinating worlds and new us. It takes a lot of work to make your characters? Do you want to manage the favorite games, though, and a lot of business of running a studio? Or do you smarts. It’s dangerous to go alone, as one want to get your hands dirty in the coding famous adventure told us, and that’s where and programming that makes games run? awaiting new image these game design programs come in. Maybe you’re also looking to master your The Princeton Review has done all the skill set with a graduate degree. & cut out heavy lifting of researching the absolute Every adventurer knows that the first best game design programs across North steps can often be the most important. America and Europe. Whether it’s the best If you’re ready to take that leap, read teachers, the most prestigious graduates, on to find out where you should start the best facilities, or the highest average your journey. salary, you’ll find a great school for you. Want to know more? Check out The So take a moment to think about what Princeton Review’s website for further info: kind of game developer you’d like to be.
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2019 Annual Report
TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL INC. 2019 SOFTWARE, INTERACTIVE TAKE-TWO TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Generated significant cash flow and ended the fiscal year with $1.57$1.57 BILLIONBILLION in cash and short-term investments Delivered total Net Bookings of Net Bookings from recurrent $2.93$2.93 BILLIONBILLION consumer spending grew 47% year-over-year increase 20%20% to a new record and accounted for units sold-in 39% 2424 MILLIONMILLIONto date 39% of total Net Bookings Tied with Grand Theft Auto V as the highest-rated game on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with 97 Metacritic score One of the most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful video games of all time with nearly units sold-in 110110 MILLIONMILLIONto date Digitally-delivered Net Bookings grew Employees working in game development and 19 studios 33%33% 3,4003,400 around the world and accounted for Sold-in over 9 million units and expect lifetime Net Bookings 62%62% to be the highest ever for a 2K sports title of total Net Bookings TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT DEAR SHAREHOLDERS, Fiscal 2019 was a stellar year for Take-Two, highlighted by record Net Bookings, which exceeded our outlook at the start of the year, driven by the record-breaking launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, the outstanding performance of NBA 2K, and better-than- expected results from Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto V. Net revenue grew 49% to $2.7 billion, Net Bookings grew 47% to $2.9 billion, and we generated significant earnings growth.
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Saint Denis in New Orleans
A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR OF NEW ORLEANS & THE LOCATIONS THAT INSPIRED RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 1140 Royal St. 403 Royal St. Master Nawak Master Nawak We start at Bastille In the mission “The Joys Next up is the Lemoyne the RDR2 storyline. Saloon, the lavish, of Civilization”, Arthur National Bank, a grand three-storied social Morgan stops here to and impressive In the mission, The Louisiana State Bank epicenter of Saint gather intel on Angelo The infamous LaLaurie representation of the “Banking, The Old serves as a real life mirror Denis, made exclusive Bronte, the notorious Mansion is a haunted largest developed city American Art”, Dutch landmark in the French to its ﬁctitious counterpart to the upper echelons of Italian crime lord of in the country. and Hosea round up the Quarter. Madame LaLaurie in both design and purpose. gang for one last heist, society by its wealthy, Saint Denis. He is was a distinguished Creole According to Wikipedia, “the Established in 1763, a final attempt to well-to-do patrons. cautioned by the wary socialite in the early 1800’s, Louisiana State Bank was bartender to abandon later discovered to be a Saint Denis’ stateliest procure the cash they founded in 1818, and was Will you: play a dangerous waters... serial killer and building is older than need in order to start the ﬁrst bank established in spirited, high-stakes slave torturer. the country itself. over as new men in a the new state of Louisiana game of poker with a This is also the only When her despicable crimes Heiresses and captains free world.
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Press Start: Video Games and Art
Press Start: Video Games and Art BY ERIN GAVIN Throughout the history of art, there have been many times when a new artistic medium has struggled to be recognized as an art form. Media such as photography, not considered an art until almost one hundred years after its creation, were eventually accepted into the art world. In the past forty years, a new medium has been introduced and is increasingly becoming more integrated into the arts. Video games, and their rapid development, provide new opportunities for artists to convey a message, immersing the player in their work. However, video games still struggle to be recognized as an art form, and there is much debate as to whether or not they should be. Before I address the influences of video games on the art world, I would like to pose one question: What is art? One definition of art is: “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”1 If this definition were the only criteria, then video games certainly fall under the category. It is not so simple, however. In modern times, the definition has become hazy. Many of today’s popular video games are most definitely not artistic, just as not every painting in existence is considered successful. Certain games are held at a higher regard than others. There is also the problem of whom and what defines works as art. Many gamers consider certain games as works of art while the average person might not believe so.
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Playing in the Continuum: Moral Relativism in the Last of Us
Praxes of popular culture No. 1 - Year 9 12/2018 - LC.7 [sic] - a journal of literature, culture and literary translation Shalini Harilal, English and Foreign Languages University, India ([email protected]) Playing in the Continuum: Moral Relativism in The Last of Us Abstract Contrary to common understanding that an objective is a distinctive feature of every game, the success of process-oriented games (Nielson et al.) shows that linear narratives are not the only way to tell game stories. The Last of Us , despite being a goal-oriented video game, undermines the focus on its objective of “saving humanity” by refusing to let the player fulfil that goal. Saving humanity is a “noble” sentiment that is not only a “universal” moral value but one of import from a biological standpoint. This paper argues that the game’s insistence on making “questionable” choices on behalf of the player and its depiction of a selection of contrasting social structures are a narrative ruse to unsettle ethical complacencies of the generic player, who brings to the game such moral systems to analyze the game as are incompatible with its temporal and spatial specificity. The question of the admissibility of textual analyses based on external moral parameters is of relevance not exclusively to literary studies but to narratives in new audio-visual media as well. This paper attempts to place player reactions to the questionable character choices at the heart of the game story in a continuum between absolute player identification with narrative elements and complete detachment from the game narrative which facilitates play in an objective manner.
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The Connections Between ICO and Shadow of the Colossus: a Theory by J
The Connections between ICO and Shadow of the Colossus: A Theory by J. Dean Summary Over the years, there has been an attempt by many to connect the games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in a manner not speciﬁed by the Fumito Ueda, creator of both games (and also of the upcoming game The Last Guardian, also set in the same universe). In this brief essay, I will attempt to present my own theory concerning the connections between Ico and SotC. While I may not be the only one who presents the following theories of connection between the two games, I will say at the outset that I did not read any of these ideas off any other websites or bloggers. The theories and conclusions I will be putting forth are my own, derived solely from my knowledge, observation, and experience with both games. Any resemblance to other theories and ideas put forth by other people is purely coincidental (Warning: spoilers are included in the following essays. If you have not yet played either game but wish to continue reading, consider yourself warned...). Facts and Theories 1.) In SotC, Wander (the protagonist) brings Mono (the dead woman) to Dormin in hopes of resurrection. Wander states that she had a "cursed fate." Theory: Mono is a daughter of the Queen from Ico. Remember that the Queen needed Yorda to pass on her spirit, meaning that Yorda was intended to be nothing more than a vessel for the Queen's possession when her body became too old. It is believed that the same fate awaited Mono, as the Queen (probably in an earlier incarnation) was saving Mono for such a purpose, particularly with regard to Wander's cryptic statement about Mono's fate.
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The Last of Us Honored with 10 Awards Including Game of the Year at 17Th Annual D.I.C.E
THE LAST OF US HONORED WITH 10 AWARDS INCLUDING GAME OF THE YEAR AT 17TH ANNUAL D.I.C.E. AWARDS Top Honors Celebrating the Creative Accomplishments in Interactive Entertainment Also Went to Bioshock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V, Plants vs. Zombies 2, and More LAS VEGAS – Feb. 6, 2014 – Suspense, horror, and surreal worlds dominated the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the video game industry’s most prestigious honors. Naughty Dog’s dystopian, post-apocalyptic reimagining of the zombie thriller, The Last Of Us, stole the show with 10 awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Story, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction and the industry’s top honor, Game of the Year. The evening’s other big winners included Irrational Games’ provocative alternate-historical FPS, Bioshock Infinite, which took home Action Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition. PopCap’s runaway mobile hit Plants vs. Zombies 2 won both Casual Game of the Year and Mobile Game of the Year, while EA Canada’s FIFA 14 continued the FIFA franchise’s run of five consecutive wins with Sports Game of the Year. Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Starbreeze Studios’ touching, story-driven adventure, took home the hardware for Downloadable Game of the Year. Wargaming’s multiplayer online game World of Tanks took home the honor for the D.I.C.E. Awards’ newest category, Online Game of the Year. “Tonight’s big winner, The Last of Us, is a prime example of how today’s modern video game studios expertly blend art, game play, and storytelling to transcend the traditional notion of video games,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
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Ellie: Buddy AI in the Last of Us
35 Ellie: Buddy AI in The Last of Us Max Dyckhoff 35.1 Introduction 35.5 Combat Utility 35.2 Starting from Scratch 35.6 Armed Combat 35.3 Ambient Following 35.7 Finishing Touches 35.4 Taking Cover 35.8 Conclusion 35.1 Introduction In the last couple of chapters, you have read about the hunter and infected AI from Naughty Dog’s third-person action adventure game The Last of Us. This chapter moves on to discuss the buddy AI. The whole game focuses on relationships between characters and none more strongly than that of Ellie and Joel, the player’s avatar. Ellie accompanies the player throughout most of the game, and we needed the player to love her companionship. We were acutely aware of the common pitfalls with AI companions: the risk of them turning into a tedious “escort” quest, generally getting underfoot, or turning into mindless drones with no agency in the world. We had to make sure that Ellie never annoyed or frustrated the player and that she remained a compelling entity throughout the game. Most importantly, we had to build a character that the player cared for. Ellie is new to the world outside the military safe zone in which she grew up and new to the brutality and violence of the infected and humanity at large. She is seeing landscapes, cities, and actions as the player would, instead of through the world weary eyes of Joel. She is a young and fragile character in a dangerous world, and we wanted the AI to highlight this as well as support her growth and strength later in the game.
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Gaming and Esports: the Next Generation
VIDEO GAMING & ESPORTS GAMING AND ESPORTS: THE NEXT GENERATION YouGov analysis of the global video games and esports landscape yougov.com CONTENTS 04 Introduction 11 PlayStation, Xbox and the ninth generation of gaming consoles 20 Gaming video content and streaming 26 The global esports market 34 Deep dive: hardcore gamers in the US 40 COVID-19 and the future of gaming 42 COVID case study: Minecraft 44 The next level 46 Our data INTRODUCTION With the arrival of the next generation of consoles, the release of major titles such as The Last of Us: Part II and Marvel’s Avengers, and new entries into the competitive multiplayer landscape such as Valorant, journalists and analysts predicted that 2020 would be an important year for the gaming and esports industries. Thanks to COVID-19, they were more right than they knew. Data from YouGov shows that on average, four in ten gamers have been playing more during the coronavirus outbreak than they were last year. Compared to last year, how much more or less are you playing video games on any device (PC, console, mobile/tablet, etc.), during the COVID-19 outbreak? Frequency Australia Germany Singapore UK US More 44% 31% 47% 43% 40% About the same 40% 52% 32% 42% 42% Less 11% 8% 12% 8% 11% Don’t know 5% 8% 9% 7% 7% Beyond the pandemic, gaming’s success in 2020 have conducted an extended ‘deep dive’ survey to is an extension of its increasing significance as gain a deeper understanding of the preferences a force in worldwide entertainment: one with and behaviours of gamers – whether they play on revenues that comfortably exceed those of the mobile devices, consoles, or PCs, and whether global film, TV, and digital music industries.
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