Entry 5 - Teal
In class last week we learned about different types of story arcs and how a narrative can alter and elevate a game. The exercise for the class was to get into groups and pitch a dramatic narrative for an existing card game in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I arrived late and everyone else was already grouped up, so I took the opportunity to test my creative abilities and tackle the exercise alone. I spent the first 15 minutes thinking the ideal card game for facilitating a dramatic narrative before finally settling on Phase 10. Then, for the next 5 minutes I frantically fleshed out my story on my notepad in attempt to finish in time to present to the class. My dramatic narrative is as follows:
Phase 10 is about a man who is falsely and forcefully admitted into a 10 story underground mental institution where he attempts to plead his sanity to no avail so he instead begins to trying to prove a fake ever increasing insanity at each phase of his psychological evaluations. Each evaluation he passes moves him one level higher for a more intense and thorough evaluation. While on his journey to the top he uncovers that he was kidnapped by muscle hired by a shell company acting on behalf of the Center for Disease Control (CDC). It’s discovered that the CDC is using this facility to research and attempt to give their captive patients severe mental disorders through repeated exposure to a modify strain of he Herpes virus. Upon reaching the top 2 floors it’s revealed that you are in just one of dozens of similar facilities where the system in place is releasing these people back into society to boost the pharmaceutical industry and convert the mentally stable by making them feeling increasingly isolated in their sanity.
I was very proud of my story, but the reaction I got as I told and concluded my narrative were confusing and didn’t reflect my same enthusiasm. I received some very shocked looks, blank stares, and almost nervous or dismissive glances, which is honestly fair because I did just say out loud that the CDC was collecting people just to give them mental disorders. I then felt pretty embarrassed because I realized how elaborate and bizarre my narrative was compared to everyone else who went with more linear thought processes like a historical war narrative for the card game war. It wasn’t until a couple days later, after reflection and talking to some friends and family about it, that I realized I shouldn’t be embarrassed of thinking differently. I shouldn’t be concerned about people viewing and dismissing my ideas as crazy or too Avant Garde, because typically those are the most original and successful. I learned a valuable lesson, in that going forward with a career in game design I need to trust myself, follow my creative vision, and not fall prey to catering to norms out of fear of making people uncomfortable.
I recently picked up the free to play battle royale game Apex Legends. Apex Legends catapulted to the forefront of free to play games after its surprise release in early February of 2019. As one of the few Fortnite competitors I had high expectations. Aesthetically Apex Legends is a bit confusing. It seems as if I’m looking at the lobby screen through a slightly foggy sheet of glass. The character models are similar in style to that of Overwatch characters, but they seem to be more rigid and lean more towards realism. The character skins are either cluttered dull pattern recolors, or vibrant overwhelming geometric recolors. These same skins are also reused on weapons. So overall I was disappointed by the art style. When it came to gameplay mechanics and dynamics, I was impressed. From the moment you drop into your very first game you’re immediately realize that the game you’re playing is fast paced. The FOV is above average by default, the camera especially for small characters is placed on the chest of the characters and movement is quick, giving you an overall sense of speed and urgency in your movements. You typically land in an area with another squad and the goal is to look through bins and search buildings to acquire weapons and equipment to help carry you to be the last squad standing out of 20. Because everyone lands with nothing, you are hit with an adrenaline spike as soon as your feet touch the ground because the race is on to find a weapon before the enemies around you so you can eliminate them as fast as possible. While this can cause some frustration for players including myself due to luck of the draw, I think it is a core mechanic of the game that makes it exhilarating. Past early game, the terrain of the map is incredibly dynamic, boasting high-rise cities, towering mountains, Magma pits, research stations, hot springs with a geyser that can quickly re-position players, and even a train full of high tier look that travels the map. It is in these hectic environments and under the stress of pending attack that teamwork, communication, and positioning is more critical than any other battle royale currently available. Overall, I would say that Apex Legends was a fantastic player experience, but it is severely out of touch with consumers when it comes to their micro-transactions ($18 skins) and lacks in quality or understanding of their own art style.