P1F

Whilst Rockstar has its own ways of creating games there are other ways to make them. One of the first types is the business model which focuses on the expenses of game making today mainly those compatible with PS3 and Xbox 360.

The business model the ‘Tent Pole’ model is similar to the business model that a lot of Hollywood studios will use. The idea is that the publisher releases a game that comes with a lot of marketing and investment. The money that is made from the game could then be used for them to create new games that are more creative.  

 One example is the GTA series, which has provided a lot of income for Rockstar games. In the past this money has let them invest in some smaller hits like Canis Canem, LA Noire and Agent. EA also uses the ‘Tent Pole’ business model by having annual updates for their popular game FIFA which is used to help with development of other games. EA spent $372 million in 2008 on research and development, mainly due to PS3 and Xbox 360. It can cost up to $100 million to make a game on this platform.

However, there are problems with this model, due to the company relying on this one game to provide money huge problems will occur if the game isn’t a hit as they won’t get their money. An example is Spore, sold 1 million copies in its first 17 days, but the development costs were so big that EA only expect to make their money back with 5 years of updates and sequels.

The next model is the Hollywood model, this is when one company contracts out parts of the games design to other companies, this way they save money on development. This means rather than having a permanent in-house development team of 50+, the developers can have a much smaller team of 10-20 specialist external teams who will have a section to work on each which is all put together later. This model also includes the company working with scriptwriters, photography directors and stunt teams, meaning games are being made just like a Hollywood film would be made.

Independent game development is a newer type of model. Game development has become a lot cheaper recently, normally it would require a developer to a have a publishing contract in order to pay for the development and the license fee required to develop for a particular console. But now there is a growing market for Indie Game thanks to open source software, like Apples App Store and Xbox Live’s Marketplace small teams and even individuals are able to create games, and then use these places to distribute their games and earn money. Other than basic developmental costs of a game and console, developers are required to pay fees to license the Software Development Kits that are required from the console manufacturer. Manufacturers often enforce a strict approval process and take a percentage of the game's net profit in addition to yearly developer fees.

 The iPhone SDK is a software development kit that’s developed by Apple, its targeted at third party developers to develop applications for iPhones OS, it was released in February 2008. The SDK itself is a free download, but in order to release the software, you must enrol in the iPhone Developer Program, a step requiring payment and Apple's approval. As of January 2010, the cost of enrolment in the iPhone Developer Program was $99 per year however this cost varies from country to country. Developers who publish their applications on the App Store will receive 70% of sales revenue, and will not have to pay any distribution costs for the application. An example of iPhone games development would be Doodle Jump, it was released April 2009, and has had nearly 4 million downloads.


Xbox also released an SDK for Xbox one in March 2015 which lets any developer build an app for the console. There had been a private SDK ever since the consoles launch however it became public allowing any and all developers to use the SDK which means they can make games For Xbox and will be able to add Xbox live features. The software uses Windows 10 which spans across PC, tablets and phones too.

PS4 also have their own SDK released which costs around $2,500. The feature of self-publishing has been available on PlayStation for over 5 years so unlike Xbox this isn’t a new feature for PlayStation. They took the lead with the feature adapting to the new publishing rules so its developers have a more creative freedom. They said they will be sticking with the kit and won’t be changing as they want to allow developers to have their chance.

P1E

P1 E

Video game regulation

PEGI labels

Bad language- the game will contain bad language

Discrimination- the game includes depictions of,   or material which may encourage, discrimination.

Drugs- the game refers or depicts the use of drugs

Fear- game may be frightening or scary for young children

Gambling- games that encourage or teach gambling

Sex- game depicts nudity and/or sexual behaviour or sexual references

Violence- game contains depictions of violence

Online gameplay- game can be played online.

PEGI 3- games with this rating are considered suitable for all ages. There could be some violence but only for comic reasons (e.g. Bugs Bunny) the child should not be able to be able to associate the game characters to real life characters, no bad language or frightening sounds should be heard or included.

PEGI 7- any game that would normally be rated 3 but has some kind of possible violence or frightening scenes or sounds may be considered suitable.

PEGI 12- those rated 12 show more graphic violence towards fantasy characters or non-graphic violence toward a human looking character or animal. They could also involve nature that is slightly more graphic, any bad language must be mild, and no sexual expletives involved.

PEGI 16- a game would be given this rating when the violence or sexual activity is at the point it could be expected in real life. It will also involve more extreme language and the use of things like drugs and criminal activities.

PEGI 18- an 18 will be given once the depiction of violence is considered ‘gross’ violence and/or includes elements of specific types of violence. Gross violence is often hard to define as it can be subjective but it is often considered violence that would make the player feel a sense of revulsion.

PEGI

PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) is an age rating system used for games used to help parents establish if a game is appropriate for their child or not. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE), and was released in the spring of 2003. PEGI was used to replace all the different rating systems we originally had so it is now one system used in 30 different countries. This rating system is supported by major console manufactures, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Many publishers and developers across Europe also support this system.

Hot Coffee

Hot Coffee was meant to be an inaccessible mini-game in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, developed by Rockstar North. However, the public soon found the mini-game which came with the release of the Hot Coffee mod, created for the Microsoft Windows port of GTA: San Andreas in 2005. This mod enables access to the mini-game.

The mini-game portrays crudely animated sexual intercourse between the main character, Carl Johnson, and his in-game girlfriend. The name of the mod is derived from the girlfriend's offer for the main character to come into her home for "coffee", a euphemism for sex.

Although the "Hot Coffee" mini-game was completely disabled and its existence was only highlighted after the mod's release for the PC version on June 9, 2005, the assets for the mini-game were also discovered in both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and people found ways to enable the mini-game via console video game hacking tools. By the middle of July 2005, the mini-game's discovery attracted considerable controversy from lawmakers and politicians, prompting the game to be re-assessed with an "Adults Only" rating by the U.S. ESRB, and refused classification in Australia, resulting in its removal from sale.

An updated version of San Andreas has since been released with the mini-game removed completely, allowing the game to regain its original rating. A patch for the original version of the game, Cold Coffee, was designed to counter edit the script and disable the mini-game and crash the game if one attempts to access it.

P1 D

First Party developers

First-party developers are the members of the company responsible for making the game console and only develops for that company. These developers can use the companies name like Nintendo, they use the division name Sony's Polyphony Digital, they could also have been an independent studio before like Naughty Dog who were acquired by the console manufacturer. One of Rockstars first party games is GTA on Xbox due to Microsoft originally had all the rights so it was only available was on Xbox consoles.

Second Party developers

There are two kinds of second part developers, the first are studios who work with the platform holders and form a contract to make games for them normally they will be exclusive to that companies platform. The second are only partly owned by the platform holder so have a little more free range, but the games are still usually only for that platform. The final outcome is usually a first party game due to getting funds from the platform holder, but this term separates those who are and aren’t owned by platform holders.

Third Party developers

Third party developers also create games for certain publishers however, it is the publisher who gets the final say this time. Therefore they have a lot more free roam compared to the other two, the publisher most of the time gets more of a say than the platform holder does. As long as they stick to the contract deadlines and alert the company they will receive more loyalties.

P1 C

Video game genres

1.       Action and adventure (GTA)

Action-adventure is a hybrid genre; it is probably one of the biggest genres in the gaming world.  It can include many different games some with more action some more adventure. An action adventure game focuses on problem solving and challenging the reflexes, in both violent and nonviolent ways. One example of an action adventure game would be GTA V, this is from one of the most popular action and adventure game franchises. It features a lot of action and adventure in the way you steal cars and then the way you can explore different maps then solve problems in side stories.

2.       Driving/Racing (F1 2016)

Racing games, are a range between first-person or third-person perspective, players will take part in a racing competition in a map that can be based of somewhere in the real world but also a made up place often depending on what age the game is aimed at. Racing games can also vary from being very realistic to being very simple but quite often they will also fall under the sports genre too. One example of a sports game would be F1 2016 this game is a more realistic racing game being inspired by the F1 itself so maps are based around those used in the real world.

3.       First person shooter (Call of Duty infinite warfare)

First-person shooter games focus on aspects like war and always include guns and other kinds of weapons depending on the game. It is a first person experience and will always use weapon-based combat, these games can often be called action too. The game will most likely feature a multiplayer mode and the graphics will be 3d in order to enhance the experience. One of the most popular examples of a first person shooter would be call of duty Infinite warfare, also part of a franchise this game has a co-op mode in which players can kill each other of in different war type maps.

4.       Platform and puzzle (Thomas was alone)

A platform game (or platformer) is a video game which involves guiding an avatar to jump between suspended platforms, over obstacles, or both to advance the game. These challenges are known as jumping puzzles or free running. The player controls the jumps to avoid letting the avatar fall from platforms or miss necessary jumps. The most common unifying element of games of this genre is the jump button. Jumping, in this genre, may include swinging from extendable arms, as in Ristar or Bionic Commando, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines, as in Alpha Waves. These mechanics, even in the context of other genres, are commonly called platforming, a verification of platform. Games where jumping is automated completely, such as 3D games in The Legend of Zelda series, fall outside of the genre.

5.       RPGs (Final Fantasy XV)

A role playing game is one where the player will take the role of different characters within a fictional world. The player has control of the character in the story, and must guide then them through whatever the plot of the game may be. these games often include things like major character development and aims to get you to really attach to these characters and your surroundings. A popular RPG game franchise is Final Fantasy, there new game is due to be released November 29, 2016. There are currently 15 main games but there are many other side games, the plot for the games follow a group of characters from different backgrounds teaming up to save their world while dealing with their own struggles.

  6.       Strategy/simulation (sims 4)

Simulation games are a hugely popular genre mainly for computer based gamers. These games are often downloadable on computer through steam or picked up in store with a download code. There is a simulation game for almost anything now a days, the games go from horror simulators, to everyday simulators to goat simulators. But the most popular simulator game is the sims, it’s a huge hit with everyone and it has extra downloadable content so that people can improve their game.

7.       Sports/beat em ups (FIFA 17)
Sports games somewhat simulate real sports. They are often a recreation of popular sporting events like football or wrestling. Each game varies as to whether it focuses on playing sport, working on strategy or focusing on management. It is a rather popular genre and its market is competitive, just like real sports. Many of these games have annual updates as they use real sporting events and icons so it is refreshed each year. One of the most popular sports games of all time is FIFA which focuses on football from around the world and uses real football stars, it is therefore updated yearly.

P1 B

Xbox One
Xbox One is the third Xbox console to be released by Microsoft, it was released in November 2013. It quickly become a huge competitor for the Wii U and PS4, with each being in the top of the sales. The Xbox One allows players to pause and resume the game quick and easy whilst also having easy internet access and allows easy downlads as well as Kinect.

PS4
PlayStation 4 is another huge competitor for both Xbox One and Wii U and other home game consoles.. It was made available worldwide in November 2013, but it was released to USA and Canada first. Sony also released 2 different types of PlayStation 4 the pro and a slim version, which were both also released in 2013.

Wii U

The Wii U uses a game pad which has a touchscreen, button pad and looks like a more updated version of the Nintendo with only one screen. The console is able to be used on the screen on the game pad but also on the TV, this is how it differs from both Xbox One and PS4. It also connects with previous Nintendo products like the Wii remote and Nunchuk, making it more multiplatform as well as useable on the go. Just like the PS4 and Xbox One it also has an online network however, this is a lot more family friendly and aimed at younger kids, it is called the Miiverse and allows those who play the same games to connect and share opinions.