Now, as with all A-Z lists, there is always going to be a number of letters that going to a pain in the bum. Hopefully I can do this all for the midnight deadline! Just so you know, what this will be based around is all aspects of gaming that come to mind, including the gameplay, creation, community, online and offline, also the media interpretation - also these points will be a mix of positive and negative. I think these are all important factors when it comes to looking at games because ultimately it affects what is available and possibly influences what you think.. I will throw some pictures in to make it more appealing on the ol' eye holes.
A - Anonymity
So, this is more to do with online gaming. When you play online, more often than not, you will have an ID that you play behind. With this ID you can do whatever you want really, in terms of how you portray yourself to that games online community. I remember from playing MMORPG's when I was at school, I always kept my identity secret because to me it made sense and made me feel safe playing online. Then again, some people will use this for the wrong reasons and be just generally horrible people. For no reason. Because they feel there are no repercussions of what they say.
B - Balance
No I am not talking about the Wii balance board although that would probably make a lot more sense.. But for many games, also ones with a heavy online aspect, balance is really important. To me, the idea of a game has been that anything that is made available to you in the game should be able to function on an near equal level to other things in that class or area. This is very important in shooter games although there always seems to be an imbalance.. And you end up with a 'God gun' which everyone uses because it makes them feel good.. And also the Wii balance board is pretty cool.
C - Creativity
There are many many games which will let you express your creativity. Games such as Little Big Planet and The Sims which give you free reign over an a sandbox type environment are always entertaining because it gives you that sense of control. I read an article about this a long time ago, because everyone likes to feel in control - looking at it in a broader perspective you really aren't. How you may ask? You are only given an ex amount of tools or items or customisation options to play with in this limited environment. In terms of games in general - yes you are more creative just.. Limited. This is the beauty of things like Gary's Mod where people can go in a make their own things and just throw them like cooked spaghetti on the wall of the internet!
D - Difficulty
So, this one is definitely a big player for me. I like me a hard game such as Dark Souls 1&2. I think the thing I like most about them is that they are renowned for being difficult from the get go and there is no real way of taking the edge off of that. I also like that it makes you play over and over and try and evolve and eventually win get really excited and realise you still have the rest of the game to play. Games with difficulty settings are just as good because they really let you tailer the game to your mood or experience level to give a different experience. For example, every CoD game I have owned I have done on veteran for the challenge and the achievements.
E - Excitement
I think it is safe to say that playing any game is exciting. Playing a game of cards is exciting and you can add to that excitement factor by introducing money etc. Playing games online or offline is exciting because you feel like you are experiencing a moving story where you are writing the words with your actions. In a way. As a gamer, that feeling of excitement knowing you want to get back to playing something is pretty awesome.
F - Friends
Of course, games are better with friends. Even single player games can be better enjoyed with friends, even if it is just sitting together or chatting to them online experiencing the same story and twists as they are. Playing online with friends, for me, I have always found more comforting. You know them and how they play and you most likely won't get an earful from someone who is clearly too young to play the game because you aren't doing it their way. No thanks!
G - Guessing
What I mean by guessing is better applied to the world of horror games and thrillers. The type where you are always left guessing what is going to come next to make you pee a little. Or to find out who the bad guy is or how to finish it. Games like Amnesia, where the original game is pretty scary on its own, but then the mods which are made with even more jump scares and the like definitely leave you second guessing every move you make. Games like Heavy Rain where you play as police and a grieving father to try and find you son before the time runs out.. Leaving you guessing who was behind it all. And by the way - if you can't play it like me, I would really recommend watching a play through on YouTube.
H - Heroism
We grow up with stories where there is always a hero. A program will have a hero, a movie will have a hero. It is drilled into our minds that being a hero would be amazing - and now with gaming you have millions of different ways to experiencing being that hero. Hero's for the people who stand up for the good or a hero for the bad. A different twist on things, this appears to be coming more into light recently with games where you can make 'bad' decisions. Mass Effect is a great example of this because your decisions make different characters live or die even though you are the hero who is usually expected to save everyone.
I - Ingenuity
I probably speak for a lot of gamers when I say I have at least once said I would love to be a games designer. Playing games thinking 'wouldn't it be amazing if I was the one who made this?' The time and effort it takes to make games is crazy. And how ideas keep falling out of peoples heads baffles me, surely there is only so much we can do?
J - Jokes
I put jokes in for J just because of Borderlands. Games like this are as much about their comedic value as they are about making a great and well polished game. I love playing Borderlands because not only it the game enjoyable anyway, but you know there will be some great dialogue which will make me 'lol' - which generally means exhaling once whilst sitting on my own.
K - Kill
This point is one that is highly contested in the media, so many games these days involve killing. Shooters, fantasy, RPG.. All will have some aspect of killing. Now, I admit to playing a lot of games like this where you kill the 'bad guys' but to the media this is just a way of fear mongering. You see the headlines stating gaming because you a murderer because it just so happens a convicted felon has played a game. If that was the case - we would be in a state of world wide panic.
L - Learn
So, I am an avid scroller on 9Gag and according to the other users.. Loads of people have learnt more of a foreign language from playing games than going to school where they specifically go to learn. Now, I have no proof as to the matter to say this is true or if they just want upvotes but if it is true - then it supports my point. Games do help you learn, I learnt many things about war and tactics and places across the world through games.
M - Movies
What people can do with CGI these days is incredible. I always remember hearing that one day we won't need actors and actresses anymore because CGI will be too realistic and you couldn't tell the different. Most films now you only know it is fake because your brain is telling you that you know it is not real. Games inspire films, films inspire games (not always the best way around..) and games themselves have cinematic elements. More recent games like Beyond Two Souls are more like an interactive movie which fully involves you in the story telling. Also, Final Fantasy games cut scenes are just mind blowing. CGI!
N - New
There will always, always, always be new games. I am happy to say that. You can go to the shop every week and chances are there will be a new game out even if it is one that you have never heard of. But who cares? If you enjoy it go for it and then try make other people like it.. Then it matches up with F.
O - Oscars
This one isn't strictly true as games can't win oscars.. Even though the concept of them is the same as a film in my opinion. Someone has created a universe with characters and a story with an emotive ride and end result.. Just its interactive. Games have prompted different awards to be created to show off some of the best games created. An example of one for me was The Last Of Us which is just a masterpiece to me. I was seriously considering getting a PS3/PS4 just to get hands on with this game. I have always been a fan of Naughty Dog, the creators but.. They deserved all the Oscar equivalents they were nominated for and received.
P - Price
So this is probably going to be the only negative letter.. Because game industries can sometimes over inflate their prices after generating a large amount of hype for a game. Or for their consoles for that matter. For example, the Xbox One release price was around the £400 without any games which to me is extortionate. I know it is new, and they want to drive sales as much as possible but I would assume making it more available would increase the units sold and therefore the profit.. But I look at some games and they can be £50 a pop. I can see why the PC gamers are so happy because they get offers thrown at the left right and centre and then have a vast range of customisation available. There'll be some sales coming up.. I hope I don't partake..
Q - Quality
Now, I don't know about but the quality of a game is always really important. For example, playing any hack is fun for a joke but it never quite has that polished feeling that comes from a fully developed game. They are move for a fun time with friends in my opinion. The quality can range from the presentation to the feel of the controls. An overall quality is required for me. My opinion of course.
R - Realism
Jump in and play Binding of Isaac. Is it realistic? No, not at all. Is it enjoyable? My oh my yes. Jump in and play Battlefield. Is it realistic? Yes, from what I can tell. Is it enjoyable? My oh my yes. The idea of realism can quite easily be applied to any game quite easily and not be too important. Depending on how the game was designed to feel, it will be good. It is only a problem when a game is designed to be realistic and falls short and then.. Well it'll get bad reviews but will probably be okay. I have seen an article where someone has taught themselves to device on Gran Turismo and now have a real licence! Madness I tell you!
S - Save
I love me a save game feature. Saving a game is pretty standard because no one will have time to just sit and play through an entire game every time they want to play something. What I do find strange is all the different systems that are used. Dark Souls doesn't really, it is just an auto save feature placed an convenient times to stop you cheating the system when you do. Other games you can just stop when you want and jump right back in, like with Skyrim. Others try to integrate it into the game to make it seem more necessary than it really is.. I found this with Dead Rising. I loved it but it did annoy me that if I suddenly needed to stop, I needed to find a toilet to 'save' in.
T - Treasure
I am all about that loot, about that loot, no commons. For me, a game with drops which are rare and stuff is heavenly. I played through Borderlands 2 to get to the point where everything was up to my level and then farmed for hours on end. Ended up rich with max eridium and a couple of orange items to stare out. Dark Souls forces you to fight hard enemies and make decisions as to whether you keep the souls or exchange them for loot. Love it also. Then again, does it make us materialistic to always want the nice things? Moral questioning on a blog?
U - Undead
Why am I not putting this under zombies you say? You'll see why down below. The idea of the undead is pretty big at the moment, TV series like The Walking Dead and the games by Tell Tale Games.. All the films like World War Z.. The concept of the undead is really a bit of culture now. The army use undead scenarios for training as I have mentioned before, some universities in America have contingency plans.. Whether they are real or not. This has played a huge part in games, Halloween expansions usually making use of these supernatural beings. Others are completely based around them such as Dead Rising and State of Decay.
V - Videos
The gaming community itself is pretty big these days, the most subscribed person on YouTube is a gamer. The constant flow of games gives new content to be created to these people who make a living on YouTube. And for me, as I have a capture card which works fine but videos cannot be rendered.. Ahem. But I think it is a great that his all comes together so we can share new things and sometimes spoil it for ourselves..
W - Worldwide
That's what games are. The fact I can sit in my bedroom in a dressing gown at whatever time in the morning, knowing I could play some fancy business man in Japan is really quite awesome to put it simply. Gaming has created the stupendous worldwide network of players who will constantly play off each other, learning new things and driving each other to be better players. Plus, I have no idea what half of the people are saying. I always remember playing the MLG playlist on Halo 2 for hours on end winning with my friends.. Until we hit the Japanese teams. Loosing streaks are never fun.
X - Xenomorph
Haha! Aliens. A personal favourite of mine is where games explore the idea of a populated universe where you can meet or.. Destroy aliens. I remember playing Ratchet and Clank religiously when I was younger. I played through so many times and there were no humans in it at all! Which looking back at it now could be a little bit weird.. But it was an entire universe that came out of someones mind with aliens!
Y - You
Yes you. You are involved. You are engaged to the game. The fact this this whole industry is made, influenced and enjoyed by you in itself is amazing. Simply amazing.
Z - Zoo?
You can play games where you own a zoo. Dam it Z.
Well would you look at that. I did it. Aren't you not really all that proud of me right now?
Day 504
Once again I have been a plum and am looking around my room. Once again, I did find something I have not shared before. I have too much stuff. And this isn't even mine.
This was a birthday present for Amy from a friend who went to Egypt. It is pretty impressive how they can do that with the sand.. Honestly looking at it I don't really know how they would do it.. Apart from very slowly and carefully. I recon the middle of it that you don't see will look like a complete mess! Happily sitting between a Halloween candle and a teddy with my name on it. Yeah.
I would usually insert some stuff about a game I have played today here but.. I haven't really. I have been writing this for the evening and I very much enjoyed doing so! Let me know what you think? Blog you later.
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