DOCSLIB.ORG

Cutscene (Video Games)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Cutscene (Video Games) Cutscene (video games) This article is a post-print version of: Klevjer, Rune(2014).“Cut-scenes”. In M. J. P. Wolf & B. Perron (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies (pp. 301-309). New York: Routledge A cutscene is a non-playable animated or live-action sequence in a video game, usually employed as a storytelling device, and typically following established conventions of cinema. Cutscenes are closely related to (and may blend into) other storytelling sequences that have no or very limited gameplay functionality, like text dialogues or comic book panes. The main function of cutscenes is to push the plot forward and give narrative context to the GAMEPLAY [Juul], often by evoking generic characters, settings and storylines from popular fiction. Cutscenes are important to the structure and pacing of singleplayer games, providing rewards to the player, and brief respites from the intensity of gameplay. They may also have specific gameplay functions like giving mission briefings or providing clues to what lies ahead (Hancock 2002; Klevjer 2002; Salen and Zimmerman 2004). Donkey Kong (1981), which first presented the character later to be known as Mario, was also the first game to use a series of short animated intermissions to advance the story between levels. During the 1990’s, following the introduction of CD-ROM media on home computers and game consoles, full motion video cutscenes – of either animated or live-action footage – proliferated. Since the turn of the century, however, animated cutscenes rendered in real time through the game's graphics engine have been the favoured option, offering lower cost and stronger visual seamlessness between gameplay and cutscene imagery. The real-time rendered cutscenes in Grand Theft Auto III (2001) were particularly praised for their high quality of motion capture, voice talent and cinematic direction. The new opportunities opened up by computer game graphics engines also sparked a movement of amateur or small-scale real-time animation production, coined MACHINIMA [Nitsche]. When cutscenes are being rendered on the fly in real-time 3D environments, the "cut" from gameplay action to cinematic «scene» implies a temporary suspension of avatar-based navigable gamespace. In contrast, dramatically scripted events, as utilised to powerful effect in Half-Life 2 (2004), unfold within navigable gamespace, so that the player remains in control of the first-person avatar and needs to be restricted and directed by the game designers in various ways. At the other end, there are innovative games like Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008), in which cinematic sequences do suspend regular gamespace, but where the player is invited to choose camera angles and/or conversation lines in a way reminiscent of INTERACTIVE CINEMA [Davenport]. The more popular variant of the interactive cutscene, however, would be the so-called quick-time event, which challenge the player to quickly respond to button prompts in a Simon Says fashion in order to make the cinematic interlude unfold successfully. The role of cutscenes has been much discussed among game designers, players and theorists alike, as a paradigmatic case in the larger debate on the function and value of pre-written narratives. Klevjer (2002), Weise (2003) and Cheng (2007) all investigate cutscenes as a way of looking into the nature of agency and rhetoric in computer games, emphasising the ways in which cutscenes and gameplay interact to form a distinct langue of dramatic expression. References and further reading: Cheng, Paul. 2007. Waiting for Something to Happen: Narratives, Interactivity and Agency and the Video Game Cut-scene. Situated Play: Proceedings of the 2007 Digital Games Research Association Conference, http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=07311.24415.pdf. Hancock, Hugh. 2002. Better Game Design Through Cutscenes. Gamasutra, http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3001/better_game_design_through. Klevjer, Rune. 2002. "In Defence of Cutscenes." In Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings, edited by Frans Mäyrä. Tampere: Tampere University Press. Salen, Katie, and Eric Zimmerman. 2004. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Weise, Matthew. 2003. How Videogames Express Ideas. Level Up Conference Proceedings: Proceedings of the 2003 Digital Games Research Association Conference, http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=05150.07598.pdf. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Resurrection of Permadeath: an Analysis of the Sustainability of Permadeath Use in Video Games
    The Resurrection of Permadeath: An analysis of the sustainability of Permadeath use in Video Games. Hugh Ruddy A research paper submitted to the University of Dublin, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Interactive Digital Media 2014 Declaration I declare that the work described in this research paper is, except where otherwise stated, entirely my own work and has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university. Signed: ___________________ Hugh Ruddy 28th February 2014 Permission to lend and/or copy I agree that Trinity College Library may lend or copy this research Paper upon request. Signed: ___________________ Hugh Ruddy 28th February 2014 Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to study the the past, present and future use of Permadeath in video games. The emergence of Permadeath games in recent months has exposed the mainstream gaming population to the concept of the permanent death of the game avatar, a notion that has been vehemently avoided by game developers in the past. The paper discusses the many incarnations of Permadeath that have been implemented since the dawn of video games, and uses examples to illustrate how gamers are crying out for games to challenge them in a unique way. The aims of this are to highlight the potential that Permadeath has in the gaming world to become a genre by itself, as well as to give insights into the ways in which gamers play Permadeath games at the present. To carry out this research, the paper examines the motivation players have to play games from a theoretical standpoint, and investigates how the possibilty of failure in video games should not be something gamers stay away from.
    [Show full text]
  • Why John Madden Football Has Been Such a Success
    Why John Madden Football Has Been Such A Success Kevin Dious STS 145: The History of Computer Game Design: Technology, Culture, Business Professor: Henry Lowood March 18, 2002 Kevin Dious STS 145: The History of Computer Game Design: Technology, Culture, Business Professor: Henry Lowood March 18, 2002 Why John Madden Football Has Been Such A Success Case History Athletic competition has been a part of the human culture since its inception. One of the most popular and successful sports of today’s culture is American football. This sport has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, and like the video game industry, has become a multi-billion entity. It was only a matter of time until game developers teamed up with the National Football League (NFL) to bring magnificent sport to video game players across the globe. There are few, if any, game genres that are as popular as sports games. With the ever-increasing popularity of the NFL, it was inevitable that football games would become one of the most lucrative of the sports game genre. With all of the companies making football games for consoles and PCs during the late 1980s and 1990s, there is one particular company that clearly stood and remains above the rest, Electronic Arts. EA Sports, the sports division of Electronic Arts, revolutionized not only the football sports games but also the entire sports game genre itself. Before Electronic Arts entered the sports realm, league licenses, celebrity endorsements, and re-release of games were all unheard of. EA was one of the first companies to release the same game annually, creating several series of games that are thriving even today.
    [Show full text]
  • Internet Camera the D-Link SECURICAM Network DCS-2100 Internet Automatically Add It to the Network
    Remote Audio & Video Surveillance for Home/Office View Full Motion Video of Your Home or Office over the Internet 4x Digital Zoom1 Magnifies Image for Enhanced Viewing Captures Video in Minimal DCS-2100 Lighting2 – Ideal for use at Night Remotely Take Snapshots and Save to a Hard Drive via Web Browser Starts Recording and Sends E-mail Alerts When Motion is Detected 10/100 Fast Ethernet Internet Camera The D-Link SECURICAM Network DCS-2100 Internet automatically add it to the network. The DCS-2100 can Camera is designed for office and home users who want be accessed and viewed from “My Network Places” as a a full-featured surveillance system that provides remote, device on the network. high quality video and audio monitoring over the Internet. By signing up with one of the many free Dynamic DNS The DCS-2100 connects directly to an Ethernet broadband services available on the web, you can create a personal network to enable remote viewing and management of web address (e.g., www.mycamera.myddns.com) the camera from anywhere in the world using Internet for your camera. This allows you to remotely access Explorer version 6. With its own IP address and built-in your camera and monitor your site without having to web server, you can place the DCS-2100 anywhere on remember the IP address, even if it has been changed the network without requiring a direct connection to a PC. by your Internet Service Provider. As you watch and listen remotely to video and sound Full-featured software is included to enhance the obtained by the DCS-2100, you can instantly take monitoring and management of the DCS-2100.
    [Show full text]
  • Permadeath in Dayz
    Fear, Loss and Meaningful Play: Permadeath in DayZ Marcus Carter, Digital Cultures Research Group, The University of Sydney; Fraser Allison, Microsoft Research Centre for Social NUI, The University of Melbourne Abstract This article interrogates player experiences with permadeath in the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter DayZ. Through analysing the differences between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ instances of permadeath, we argue that meaningfulness – in accordance with Salen & Zimmerman’s (2003) concept of meaningful play – is a critical requirement for positive experiences with permadeath. In doing so, this article suggests new ontologies for meaningfulness in play, and demonstrates how meaningfulness can be a useful lens through which to understand player experiences with negatively valanced play. We conclude by relating the appeal of permadeath to the excitation transfer effect (Zillmann 1971), drawing parallels between the appeal of DayZ and fear-inducing horror games such as Silent Hill and gratuitously violent and gory games such as Mortal Kombat. Keywords DayZ, virtual worlds, meaningful play, player experience, excitation transfer, risk play Introduction It's truly frightening, like not game-frightening, but oh my god I'm gonna die-frightening. Your hands starts shaking, your hands gets sweaty, your heart pounds, your mind is racing and you're a wreck when it's all over. There are very few games that – by default – feature permadeath as significantly and totally as DayZ (Bohemia Interactive 2013). A new character in this massively multiplayer online first- person shooter (MMOFPS) begins with almost nothing, and must constantly scavenge from the harsh zombie-infested virtual world to survive. A persistent emotional tension accompanies the requirement to constantly find food and water, and a player will celebrate the discovery of simple items like backpacks, guns and medical supplies.
    [Show full text]
  • Cows, Clicks, Ciphers, and Satire
    This is a repository copy of Cows, Clicks, Ciphers, and Satire. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/90362/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Tyler, TRJ (2015) Cows, Clicks, Ciphers, and Satire. NECSUS : European Journal of Media Studies, 4 (1). ISSN 2213-0217 Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Cows, Clicks, Ciphers and Satire Farmville, launched in 2009, is a social game developed by Zynga that can be played on Facebook. The game is, as its name suggests, a farming simulation which allows players to grow crops, raise animals, and produce a variety of goods. Gameplay involves clicking on land tiles in order to plough, plant and then harvest maize, carrots, cabbages or any of a huge variety of crops, both real and fantastic, as well as clicking on cows, sheep, chickens and the like to generate milk, wool, eggs and other products, all of which generates virtual income.
    [Show full text]
  • Video-Based Interactive Storytelling
    4 Video-Based Interactive Storytelling This thesis proposes a new approach to video-based interactive narratives that uses real-time video compositing techniques to dynamically create video sequences representing the story events generated by planning algorithms. The proposed approach consists of filming the actors representing the characters of the story in front of a green screen, which allows the system to remove the green background using the chroma key matting technique and dynamically compose the scenes of the narrative without being restricted by static video sequences. In addition, both actors and locations are filmed from different angles in order to provide the system with the freedom to dramatize scenes applying the basic cinematography concepts during the dramatization of the narrative. A total of 8 angles of the actors performing their actions are shot using a single or multiple cameras in front of a green screen with intervals of 45 degrees (forming a circle around the subject). Similarly, each location of the narrative is also shot from 8 angles with intervals of 45 degrees (forming a circle around the stage). In this way, the system can compose scenes from different angles, simulate camera movements and create more dynamic video sequences that cover all the important aspects of the cinematography theory. The proposed video-based interactive storytelling model combines robust story generation algorithms, flexible multi-user interaction interfaces and cinematic story dramatizations using videos. It is based on the logical framework for story generation of the Logtell system, with the addition of new multi-user interaction techniques and algorithms for video-based story dramatization using cinematography principles.
    [Show full text]
  • Intercultural Perspective on Impact of Video Games on Players: Insights from a Systematic Review of Recent Literature
    EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES: THEORY & PRACTICE eISSN: 2148-7561, ISSN: 2630-5984 Received: 28 November 2019 Revision received: 16 December 2019 Copyright © 2020 JESTP Accepted: 20 January 2020 www.jestp.com DOI 10.12738/jestp.2020.1.004 ⬧ January 2020 ⬧ 20(1) ⬧ 40-58 Review article Intercultural Perspective on Impact of Video Games on Players: Insights from a Systematic Review of Recent Literature Elena Shliakhovchuk Adolfo Muñoz García Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain Abstract The video-game industry has become a significant force in the business and entertainment world. Video games have become so widespread and pervasive that they are now considered a part of the mass media, a common method of storytelling and representation. Despite the massive popularity of video games, their increasing variety, and the diversification of the player base, until very recently little attention was devoted to understanding how playing video games affects the way people think and collaborate across cultures. This paper examines the recent literature regarding the impact of video games on players from an intercultural perspective. Sixty-two studies are identified whose aim is to analyze behavioral-change, content understanding, knowledge acquisition, and perceptional impacts. Their findings suggest that video games have the potential to help to acquire cultural knowledge and develop intercultural literacy, socio-cultural literacy, cultural awareness, self-awareness, and the cultural understanding of different geopolitical spaces, to reinforce or weaken stereotypes, and to some extent also facilitate the development of intercultural skills. The paper provides valuable insights to the scholars, teachers, and practitioners of cultural studies, education, social studies, as well as to the researchers, pointing out areas for future research.
    [Show full text]
  • Informa 2018 Full Year Results Statement
    Informa LEI: 5493006VM2LKUPSEDU20 Press Release 7 March 2019 Informa PLC Results for 12 Months to 31 December 2018 2018: Combination & Creation 2019: Performance & Growth KEY FINANCIAL AND OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS1 • Strong Revenue Growth: +3.7% underlying and +34.9% reported to £2,369.5m, including six months of UBM (2017: £1,756.8m) • Higher Adjusted Operating Profit: +2.3% underlying and +34.4% reported to £732.1m (2017: £544.9m) • Improved Statutory Operating Profit: £363.2m (2017: £344.7m) • Increased Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share: +7.0% to 49.2p (2017: 46.0p); Statutory EPS of 19.7p (2017: 37.6p), with prior year including non-cash credit from US tax reforms • Attractive Free Cash Flow: £503.2m and £600m+ including a full year of UBM (2017: £400.9m) • Robust Balance Sheet, in line with plan: Net debt/EBITDA1 at 2.9x (2017: 2.5x) • Enhanced Dividend: up 7.1% to 21.90p (2017: 20.45p) London: Informa (LSE: INF.L), the International Exhibitions, Events, Information Services and Scholarly Research Group, today published its financial results for the 12 months to 31 December 2018, reporting a further period of operational progress and improving financial performance. Stephen A. Carter, Group Chief Executive, said: “In 2018, the Informa Group delivered a fifth consecutive year of improving growth, increasing adjusted profits, adjusted earnings per share, cashflow and dividends.” He added: “In 2019, our focus is on continuing Performance and Growth as we consolidate our market positions and further reduce complexity. This will enable
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix A. DEFINITIONS of TERMS
    Appendix A. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS In this section, we provide more detailed information about each of these facets as well as indexing terms, examples of video game screenshots, and corresponding rules for applying these terms with regards to the related terms. 1.1 Artistic Style Facet The style facet provides a framework for selecting the predominant and recognizable visual appearance of a video game towards which its artistic features are intentionally directed. Style describes the overall aesthetic organization of the entities in the game, and provides a distinctive category shared by similarly designed games. Abstract The term “abstract” describes pure forms, so generally it does not go with games which have narrative contexts to accompany the gameplay (from Järvinen, 2002). This term has two child terms: fractal and text. Fractal is a form of algorithmic art created by computations calculating the movement and display of graphic objects. It tends to be symmetrical and geometric in appearance but encompasses all abstract visualizations of color and form. Psychedelic, a child term of fractal, refers to a specific abstract fractal style featuring “kaleidoscopically swirling patterns” in bright, multicolored entropic motifs, and is commonly found in rhythm games. Figure 18. Abstract: Tetris (1984) Figure 19. Fractal: Fractal: Make Blooms Not War (2011) Figure 20. Psychedelic: Dyad (2012) Text, on the other hand, refers to an abstract visual style where the artistic elements are completely conveyed through the use of text. This is more common in older video games such Legend of the Red Dragon (1989), Zork (1977) and other MUD games. Figure 21. Text: Legend of the Red Dragon (1989) Photorealism The term “photorealism” refers to “photographic likeness with reality” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Griefing, Massacres, Discrimination, and Art: the Limits of Overlapping Rule Sets in Online Games Sal Humphreys University of Adelaide (Australia)
    UC Irvine Law Review Volume 2 Issue 2 Governing the Magic Circle: Regulation of Article 3 Virtual Worlds 6-2012 Griefing, Massacres, Discrimination, and Art: The Limits of Overlapping Rule Sets in Online Games Sal Humphreys University of Adelaide (Australia) Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/ucilr Part of the Contracts Commons, Internet Law Commons, and the Rule of Law Commons Recommended Citation Sal Humphreys, Griefing, Massacres, Discrimination, and Art: The Limits of Overlapping Rule Sets in Online Games, 2 U.C. Irvine L. Rev. 507 (2012). Available at: https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/ucilr/vol2/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UCI Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in UC Irvine Law Review by an authorized editor of UCI Law Scholarly Commons. UCILR V2I2 Assembled v4 (Do Not Delete) 7/14/2012 2:14 PM Griefing, Massacres, Discrimination, and Art: The Limits of Overlapping Rule Sets in Online Games Sal Humphreys* and Melissa de Zwart** Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 507 I. Game Rules, the Magic Circle, and Heterotopias .................................................. 510 II. End User License Agreements ................................................................................ 515 III. Breaking the Rules ................................................................................................... 516 IV. Griefing .....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Fully Optimized: the (Post)Human Art of Speedrunning Like Their Cognate Forms of New Media, the Everyday Ubiquity of Video
    Fully Optimized: The (Post)human Art of Speedrunning Item Type Article Authors Hay, Jonathan Citation Hay, J. (2020). Fully Optimized: The (Post)human Art of Speedrunning. Journal of Posthuman Studies: Philosophy, Technology, Media, 4(1), 5 - 24. Publisher Penn State University Press Journal Journal of Posthuman Studies Download date 01/10/2021 15:57:06 Item License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/623585 Fully Optimized: The (post)human art of speedrunning Like their cognate forms of new media, the everyday ubiquity of video games in contemporary Western cultures is symptomatic of the always-already “(post)human” (Hayles 1999, 246) character of the mundane lifeworlds of those members of our species who live in such technologically saturated societies. This article therefore takes as its theoretical basis N. Katherine Hayles’ proposal that our species presently inhabits an intermediary stage between being human and posthuman; that we are currently (post)human, engaged in a process of constantly becoming posthuman. In the space of an entirely unremarkable hour, we might very conceivably interface with our mobile phone in order to access and interpret GPS data, stream a newly released album of music, phone a family member who is physically separated from us by many miles, pass time playing a clicker game, and then absentmindedly catch up on breaking news from across the globe. In this context, video games are merely one cultural practice through which we regularly interface with technology, and hence, are merely one constituent aspect of the consummate inundation of technologies into the everyday lives of (post)humans.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills
    Computers & Education 80 (2015) 58e67 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers & Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu The power of play: The effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on cognitive and noncognitive skills * Valerie J. Shute , Matthew Ventura, Fengfeng Ke Florida State University, College of Education, 1114 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4453, USA article info abstract Article history: In this study, we tested 77 undergraduates who were randomly assigned to play either a popular video Received 11 May 2014 game (Portal 2) or a popular brain training game (Lumosity) for 8 h. Before and after gameplay, par- Received in revised form ticipants completed a set of online tests related to problem solving, spatial skill, and persistence. Results 19 July 2014 revealed that participants who were assigned to play Portal 2 showed a statistically significant advantage Accepted 23 August 2014 over Lumosity on each of the three composite measuresdproblem solving, spatial skill, and persistence. Available online 30 August 2014 Portal 2 players also showed significant increases from pretest to posttest on specific small- and large- scale spatial tests while those in the Lumosity condition did not show any pretest to posttest differ- Keywords: Assessment ences on any measure. Results are discussed in terms of the positive impact video games can have on Persistence cognitive and noncognitive skills. Problem solving © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Spatial skills Videogames 1. Introduction Most children and young adults gravitate toward digital games. The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed 1102 youth be- tween the ages of 12 and 17 and found that 97%dboth males (99%) and females (94%)dplay some type of digital game (Lenhart et al., 2008).
    [Show full text]