Computer Game Review

Introduction

In this post I will be reviewing a computer game. The name of the game I will be reviewing is Grand Theft Auto V. I have selected this computer game to review because I have been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series for many years and GTA V is also one of the games I have been playing recently. Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action-adventure video game. This means that there is a campaign to be done with missions but players can also choose not to do missions and explore the game world doing whatever they want. It is better to do this later since doing missions will unlock more features. GTA V is available in a range of platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It was released on the 17 September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was then re-released for new generation platforms PlayStation 4 and Xbox One a year and a bit later on the 18 November 2014. For a long time GTA V was not available for PC gamers but on the 14 April 2015 it was finally released for Microsoft Windows. The game was developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. On the day of release, GTA V broke records earning $800 million and becoming the fastest selling entertainment product in history. It has now sold over 52 million copies, making it the fourth vest selling video game and it is still one of the most popular video games of the present.

Section 1

Grand Theft Auto 5 introduces a new 3 man narrative in which the player can switch between and play those individuals characters. Each of them have their own story and past but they all come together in a plot which the game follows. The story of GTA V is exciting and centres around 3 main characters Michael, Franklin and Trevor. The story starts nine years after a bank robbery by Michael Townley who was believed to be dead. Michael is now living safely with his wife Amanda but after he discovers she had been sleeping with her tennis coach he destroys a mansion who Michael thought belonged to the coach. The mansion actually belonged to a drug lord. Michael and his apprentice Franklin were forced perform a bank robbery to pay his debts and then reunites with former crew mate Trevor. Michael is now officially back to the crime life and will have to finish it once and for all with the help of his friends. GTA V uses many cut scenes at the end of each mission to explain the narrative make sure the players understand where the story is coming from and how they are progressing in it. Cut scenes help develop the game's story line which is important for a game like this. Full-motion videos are also used in GTA V. FMVs are different to cut scenes as they are pre-recorded video files and have a more realistic feel to them. FMVs are mainly used in GTA V to present a new point within the game's storyline. For example, an FMV is used to present a whole new arc to the storyline while cut scenes are used after each mission within the arc. One of the things the gamer's dislike about GTA V's narrative is that it is too short compared to other games. So gamers find that they take very little time to complete the game. To improve the narrative they could include more arcs to the main storyline so that it is not as short as it is right now for future GTA games.

Section 2

GTA V story is set in "Los Santos" (based in Los Angeles). It also includes famous landmarks such as "Vinewood" (Hollywood), "Rockford Hills" (Beverly Hills) and "Del Perro Pier" (Santa Monica Pier). Since the game is based on a real city Los Angeles it would be expected of the game to have lots of architecture which refers to all the structures, buildings and statues in the game world. GTA V uses architecture within the game to make the players feel as if they were in the actual real life city. They do this by creating the exact copies of the building in the game world with hugely advanced graphics. As you can see from the pictures the GTA V vs real life comparisons are very similar. There is no denying that the quality of graphics of the architecture is top class since they look as real as the actual structure. As you advance in the story, you find that the players and missions move from the city to the countryside. In here, the terrain is obviously different and there are many other different terrains within the GTA V game world depending on where you are. For example, we can see in the images that the game has different terrains such as sand for the beach, concrete for the main roads and even rock. In the game, because it is so big, the terrain is constantly changing as you move around the game world. In addition, there are many different objects that are used within the game. Objects used can be weapons, guns and clothes. There are also other objects which cannot be used and are there just to give the realistic feel to the game. These objects are things like bins, traffic lights, chairs and TVs. The player might not be able to use them but they can certainly interact with them by destroying the chair and running the traffic lights over. Some objects such as the cars and weapons are constantly used within the game. Players can use them to target civilians and travel to places quicker. Some temporal features that the developers have included to make the game fit with the time period is probably just the modern and luxury cars available, the fact that you can go to cinema and that there is an international airport with planes of this generation. 

Section 3

There are 3 main characters in the game. They are Michael, Franklin and Trevor. The main characters are free to move around the game world, but they can do so in different ways. All 3 characters own a car in which they use to move around. However, Franklin owns a motorbike on top of that and Trevor owns a private plane and will obtain a chopper further down the storyline. The characters can also steal other people's cars, bikes and travel that way. In the consoles platform, the gamer controls the character using the controller that they have to give the characters commands so that they move. Using a controller is fairly easy but for PC gamers is different. PC gamers have to control the character using their keyboards and mice which is slightly harder. PC gamers also have the option of buying a controller for their PC which would facilitate their gaming experience. The interaction model used in this game is the avatar interaction model where the gamer can control many different avatars freely. This creates a more interesting way of playing the game since he can always switch between characters during the missions. This type of interaction model is suitable because the missions are usually carried out with multiple characters and it makes it easier to be able to control them all at different stages. It is also one of the only games that have this interaction model so it makes it kind of unique in a way. The perspective that the designers decided to use for this game is 3rd person. This is the type of perspective where the playable character is visible on-screen at all times. The gamer will be most likely looking at the character's back all the time. This enhances the gameplay since the gamer can see what happens all around the main character and can also see other characters involved in the mission. I think it is suitable for this type of game since the game world is quite big and you always need that extra vision to be able to know what is going on around you. It also makes controlling the character easier for PC gamers since they do not usually have a controller. A bad thing though is that this does hurt the graphics but just by a bit and it will look less realistic. If I were the designer I think I would still stick with the 3rd person perspective since it is the signature perspective for the Grand Theft Auto series which has been going on around for years and will probably continue for years to come and with the same perspective. Another thing is that designers could change their mind and change the perspective to give a different feel to the newer GTA games and spice things up which would not be a bad thing. NPC's in this game include characters that are part of a mission but cannot be controlled by the character such as the enemies. Other NPC's are more passive which are characters that own a barber shop for example of people in a night club. And then obviously there are the NPC's which just walk around the game world which are the people. Their role is pretty much to just fill the space in the game world to make the game as realistic as possible.

Section 4

The feedback interface of this game is pretty well structured and it shows just exactly what the players need. As we can see from the picture we the feedback interface where the player is at the bottom right, the weapons it possesses, the amount of health, money it has and the amount of stars of cops he has on him right now. He can also see which main characters he can switch to and the number of enemies in the mini map. While playing the game, the player can receive different feedback such as if they need to kill 3 people in a mission the screen would have a "1/3" showing somewhere to let the player know he has killed 1 person and needs to kill 2 more. This is usually presented with a box and it must be clearly visible for the player. I think it is easy to understand as long as the players have some common sense and they also should be able to see it clearly. I think that to improve the feedback interface, designers could include how much health the character has in numbers to be able to know exactly how much damage he can take before dying and not just show the health with a green bar with no numbers.

Section 5

Unfortunately, this game is limited to only 2 game modes: Single-player and online multiplayer. This hurts the game so much because it means only 1 person can play it at a time and so it is not suitable for a group of friends to start playing the game at a party or something. For such a popular game to not have co-op mode is kind of dissapointing but it is always up to the designers. However, the incredible single-player and game play could make up for it. 

- Single-player: This is the game mode in which the player carries the campaign out by themselves plays vs the AI and NPC's within the game. This is the way players go through the protagonists story lines and complete the game. This is one of the reasons GTA V is so popular because people like the gameplay where you complete missions by yourself. Again, this excellent design of the single-player makes up for the lack of co-op multiplayer game mode which has been the same across all GTA games. GTA games have always been known by the incredible and unique stories that they carry and is always thanks to the imaginative side of the designers. 

- Online Multiplayer: This is another reason why GTA V is so popular, the multiplayer. In this game mode the players can absolutely do anything they want within the game world. They can have costumed cars, own buldings and have wicked costumes for their character. In this game mode, people battle each other online to have the most reputation within the game and to be respected by other players. You can also play with friends online which makes the experience even more fun to the players. 

Section 6

The absolute aim or goal in this game is to complete the storyline. Players can do this by completing missions and advancing further into the storyline to eventually finish the game. However, completing missions might not be the only aim of the gamer. The gamer could want to own a place which he can buy, customize a car or even go to piloting lessons. All these are side tasks that can be done but are not part of the actual storyline. Short term challenges in GTA V are things such as completing just 1 mission or a part of a mission. It could be stealing a car or getting to a certain spot in a building. Medium term challenges are more like the actual missions and not the smaller missions that make up a whole mission. It could also be a combination of short term challenges. These could include things such as getting 10 headshots or doing a mission fast enough to unlock the challenge. The long term challenges refer to the main aim within the video game. It is the overall objective that the missions are all working towards. In this specific game, the long term challenges is to kill all of the 3 main character's enemies and then officially retiring from the crime life and part ways. The rewards in GTA V are different than other games. Players don't necessarily get rewarded XP points or coins but they are rewarded with usually money, properties and the accessibility of some buildings and places. 

Section 7

In this game we could say that there are no rules since players can do what they want. What the game has though is a system where if the player does something bad, the player will be prosecuted by the police. This system goes up in stars, where 1 star is the weakest and 5 or 6 stars is the strongest. At or 6 stars, police will constantly go for you using the tanks and choppers. If they manage to make your health go below 0 by shooting at you or running you over with tanks a message will appear saying "WASTED", which basically means you have been killed. When you are wasted, you lose a lot of money. You then respawn at the closest hospital. However, if you don't get killed but get "BUSTED" it means you are going to prison and you respawn at the closest police station. When you are busted, you don't lose as much money but you lose all your armor and weapons. In this game, there are not difficulty settings but what the designers have applied is a difficulty curve. This means that you are not able to change the difficulty of the missions but the missions get harder and harder as you progress in the storyline. The designers have done this so that the players get used to the game first by doing the easy missions first and then doing the harder missions as you go along. This feels kind of like a training experience and it has been successful so far. Some people might not like this because it might be far too easy for them. These people could be extreme gamers that are just really good at computer games. But the difficulty curve system allows newer players to learn as they play the game which makes it even more enjoyable as it makes them feel that they are getting better at the game. I think that GTA V is fairly addictive for the average person. I think it is a fun game with lots of missions and also the freedom that players get from the game world is what makes the game so addictive. Also, what designers have done to make it more addictive is they have made the game more realistic and life like. By this I mean that players can do things such as fly and airplane and killing people which they absolutely cannot do in real life. However, the simplest reason for why this game is addictive is because it is simply really fun to play, specially with the freedom you have and the amount of missions and things gamers can do. 

Single vs Multiplayer

Single Player

Single player is a type of game mode where the player is allowed to play on their own and go up against the Artificial Intelligence (AI) of the NPCs and objects that exist within the game world.
This type of game mode is manly used in games where there is a protagonist and a story line that needs to be completed. For example, games that has single player mode or campaign mode are Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty and Battlefield. Single player games are very popular they can be played on your own where you have to complete missions by yourself. They were even more popular in the early stages of computer gaming due to the fact that they were much more easier to design and develop. Also, having a story makes the designer pull out the more imaginative side of designing a video game. A downside to this type of game mode is that there is no teamwork involved so players are more likely to fail in their decisions during the game. Also, players might need to put extra effort into the game since they are by themselves as opposed to having a team to back them up.

Multi Player Games

Multi player games are the type of games where not just one player can play in the whole game world. More than one person can be playing in the same game world at the same time. These types of games are becoming more and more popular due to the fact that you play online and technology is becoming more and more advanced. This enhances gamers experiences and can have an online community within that game. Different types of multi player games are:
- MMO (Multiplayer Massive Online)
- Co-op (Games with co-operative gameplay)
- Competitive (Versus Gameplay)
Different multi player games will have a different type from the above.

Co-op (games with co-operative gameplay)

This type of gameplay is applied to games with different playing game modes such as Call of Duty and Battlefield where it allows players to work together as teammates to fight the computer or AI. These types of games are often played on consoles and they can do splitscreen. These types of games are popular as it lets people group up and enjoy a game together with friends or family. This would be the perfect type of game for a party at a friends house or something where everyone can play together as a team to complete the game. An advantage to this type of gameplay is that if you are stuck in a mission or need help, there is always someone there to back you up and together you can move forward in the game and successfully complete it. A disadvantage is that sometimes a splitscreen can be annoying, specially if there are 4 or more players in the same screen. The players would not be able to see properly and would often make mistakes. This could be solved by buying a bigger screen but that obviously costs money.


Competitive (versus gameplay)

Competitive games are those in which people compete with each other to try and win a tournament or be more successful than their opponents. Some games have "pros", which are extremely good at the game they play and they compete in that games own competitive and professional league. These organized multiplayer video game competitions are what is now called e-Sports (electronic sports). Examples of competitive games are: Counter Strike Global Offensive, League of Legends, Starcraft 2, Hearthstone and Call of Duty. These games are really popular because it allows gamers to go online and compete with other real life players and see how they match up with them. These games also have a ranked system where it suddenly gets serious and players competitively play to beat each other and achieve high ranks. An advantage to this type of gameplay is that there is a ranking system to see how people are competing with each other world wide and this encourages gamers to keep playing competitive and try and beat others in order to achieve a higher rank. A disadvantage is that it is really addictive and this might be the cause of some teenagers dropping school and focus on playing the game competitively.



MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online)

MMO games are ones capable of supporting huge numbers of players at the same time via a network. For this to happen players need to have an internet connection, hence "online". Most games like this are also defined as RPG (Role Playing Games) and require a subscription to play such as Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft. However, free games such as League of Legends will require real money to purchase in game items or "skins" in this case. Examples of really popular MMO's are LoL and WoW. These games are hugely popular world wide as it allows people to play in a massive online community. Players can interact with each other, play together and trade items for gold. Advantages to MMORPGs are that servers allow millions of players simultaneously and a community atmosphere is created as people interact with each other. A disadvantage is that most MMORPGs require a monthly or yearly subscription in order to play and it is also time consuming to play.

Rules and Addiction

Rules

Rules are set so that they define how to play the game and what is right and wrong in that specific game. It is important that rules are set so that the game is played in an ordered manner and fair way. Game designers need to establish rules in the designing phase as rules state how the players can interact in the game and people will know if a player is cheating or not. This has a huge impact on the players as they know exactly what to do and what not to do once inside the game world. All these rules, guidelines and factors that affect the game need to be in sync for a successful game to be made. Different games have different rules within the game. For example, in Fifa 15, a bad tackle leads to a foul or penalty for the other team depending on the position of the foul. Another example would be GTA 5, where if the player does something that violates the rules of the game, the player is prosecuted by the police or even the army if it is grave enough.

Addiction

Addiction is the condition of one that causes them to keep performing a habit or practice as if they were mentally and physically enslaved by that habit. Addiction in video games is fairly common. The reasons why people become addicted to video games is because video games have become a lot more realistic and life like. People can now do things within the game that they cannot possibly do in real life such as flying, win a Champions league or even killing people. Also, gaming is used by many to kind of escape their daily lives and be free for even just an hour or 2 and be something else within the game world. Another reason is that some games are really competitive which causes players to keep playing the game to get better and be able to compete with others. The simplest reason for why addiction happens in video games is probably because video games are fun and provide experiences for gamers that they cant experience in real life. Designers will want to make their game addicted as it will heavily boost the sales and people will keep playing them for a long time which will make the game be very popular.

Players actions

There are two different types of player actions on video games: Main actions and Gamer control.

Main actions

This type of player actions is where the character does actions such as jumping, walking, crouching and many more. For example, in Flappy bird the only things the avatar can do is fly and jump and that is pretty much it. The game could go on and on the the bird would still be flying and jumping. However this is probably one of the reasons why it is so addictive as it is repetitive but fun at the same time. Another example would be in Fifa 15, where the players can walk, rum, jump, dive and tackle. These actions can be performed depending on what the player needs at that exact moment in the match.

Gamer control

This refers as to how the gamer controls the main character in the game world using either a controller, mouse and keyboard or even their own bodies through motion sensor. A controller is a device that directs commands to the game or main character in this case by pressing different buttons and moving a joystick and that is usually connected to the gamer's console. Consoles such as PS4 and Xbox One provide their customers with controllers that they use to control the console and play games. Mouse and keyboard are pretty self explanatory. Motion sensor is a device that detects movements, mainly from people and is also connected to the console via wires or wireless connection. Motion sensors in consoles detect the person's movements by using a camera and then translate that information to the game and character so that they move in the way the gamer is moving. This allows the gamer to control the player using their own bodies. For some, this could be used for exercise and working out since it is a more fun way of working out than by running or going to the gym. Games that use motion sensors are mainly sports games and dance games. A popular console known for this is the Wii.

Mechanics

There are three main types of mechanics in video games:
- Inventory
- Scoring
- Win condition

Inventory

Inventory are used in video games to allow the player to see a list of items that the player has or has gained throughout the game and that they can use to help them complete the game. These items often improve the avatars abilities or strength to boost them. For example, in League of Legends, players collect gold from killing minions or enemy champions to buy strong items that will allow them to have an advantage over the opponent and win the game that way. In other games such as GTA 5 you can hold many different guns and explosives in your inventory that you can take out whenever you need them in the game.

Scoring

Scoring is used in video games to allow the player to see how they are doing against their opponents and if they are ahead or behind. This is specially useful in competitive games where just 1 point or kill matters a lot. For example, in games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive and League of legends you have a Kills/Deaths/Assists system and you can calculate a player's KDA. This is often important for players as it gives people an idea of the level of skill that you have in the game. In other games such as Fifa 15, the scoring is mainly how many goals you have scored in the match but it could get as complicated as number of shots and passes in the match. Scoring is important in video games as it gives the players an exact image of how they are doing in the game and they can quickly tell if they are losing or winning. If scoring was not available for players then it would be impossible to tell how they are doing and they would be surprised if the game suddenly tells the "mission failed" or "defeat" as they don't even know what was going on.

Win condition

Win conditions are placed within games to determine a winner for the match once it has ended. It is important that designers include win conditions since if a player wins out of nowhere they could be accused of cheating. Therefore win conditions must show clearly who has won the match as long as the match was fair. People can then see how close they were from winning and they can determine their flaws and can improve that way. Examples of win conditions are goals (Fifa 15) and killing all enemies or planting/defusing a bomb (Counter Strike).

Interaction models

Interaction models

Interaction models refer to how the gamer controls the character they are playing and how the character is presented in the game itself and how it interacts with the game world. There are two types of interaction models: Avatar interaction model and omnipresence interaction model.

Avatar interaction model

This type of interaction model is when the player is represented by a character or avatar that the player is able to control freely. This model is more focused on how the player controls the avatar and the actions that it does in the game world. A clear example of this would be GTA 5, where the player can control 3 different main avatars and freely play with them in the game world. People prefer this type of interaction model as controlling just 1 or 3 avatars allows them to be emotionally attached to their avatars and even get to know them in a way and be close with them as they will be playing that characters storyline.

Omnipresence interaction model

As you can already guess, this type of interaction model is when the player controls many more than just 1 or 3 characters or avatars, hence "omnipresence". The player often controls an "army" of characters and they could also do changes to the gamer world itself for strategic purposes. Examples of games like this would be farmville or clash of clans. In farmville the player controls everything in their farm and they can feed animals, grow crops and even create structures. In clash of clans, the player gets to build up their own army and base to protect their territory from an invasion. In both games the player is required to control many things at once which can be difficult. Some players prefer this type of interaction model as there is more skill involved and there is less luck. This means that they can actually become competitive with other players to see who is better at the game. Also, people like the feature that they can change their own game world so that it is unique to them and they can compare to others. 

Game setting

Game Settings

Every game has its unique and attractive settings that are used to attract a selected audience. These settings can be adjusted by the player and they can include: Physical, Temporal, Environmental, Emotional and Ethical.

Physical Settings

This is the place in which the current story is being played. For example, if you were playing a horror game, the setting would be dark and bleak to emphasise the theme of the game. This also immerses the player into the game as they would feel in fear in these settings. It is important that game designers choose the appropriate physical settings as it would not be very good to see contrasting settings and themes in the same game, it would just not make any sense. Imagine playing a horror game and the physical setting has a bright and happy theme.

Temporal Settings

This refers to the time period in which the current story is being played. It is important that game designers choose the right time period in which the game is played since it will look a bit odd. For example, if the game were set in the 1800s such as Assassin's creed, seeing computers and TVs would just be unacceptable for some gamers as they would want the 1800s style setting as they would be more immersed in it.

Environmental settings

This type of setting refers to the weather conditions of the game. For example, in a horror game the environment would quite dark, there would be lots of rain and some thunder to appropriately set the scene. In some games, the environmental settings actually affect the game play. For example, in Formula 1 games when there is rain the cars slow down and they are slippery and players need to change the wheel type just like in real life. The screen would also be quite blurry as the helmet of the driver gets very wet. Also, cars need to have a red light on at the back since accidents are more likely in this weather so they would happen more often. This setting creates a more realistic theme to the game and is important because it creates a better feel in the game. It would be quite boring to just have an environment that is only sunny.

Emotional setting

This setting's job is to consider the player's feelings during the game. Games need to get into the player's emotional side so that they are more attached to the virtual characters of the game which would turn into more enjoyment and a more realistic feel for the gamer. If players are more immersed in the game, they are more likely to continue playing it so it is important.

Ethical setting

This setting is what allows players to do whatever they want in a game. For example, in GTA 5 the player can absolutely do anything in the game, whether it is stealing cars, kill innocent people or hijack a plane. This needs to be considered by the designers as they need to get the right age rating for the game they are making. It would be quite bad if a game that is rated 3+ or 7+ suddenly have mass murder scenes or a lot of swearing. This would create a bad impression of the designers and the audience would be quite angered. Also, some people think that violent games encourages for a more violent generation of kids and teenagers.