This week I had a meeting with my thesis advisor, and got some feedback on my draft introduction.
My articulation was seen to be off in describing what I was talking about. I was told I had to explain what my argument was the way I described it in words to my advisor. I editied my introduction accordingly:
Draft Introduction
Video games offer a unique experience to players through interactivity within a digitally created environment, playing characters with fictional backstories and motives, and in most cases, combat scenes with strategies and methods taught to progress the game and provide immersive gameplay.
This thesis will be looking at combat within video games, and more specifically, how visual effects enhance this part of the experience in video games. Visual effects are most known to bring to life action and magic in films and TV that can’t be filmed or to enhance scenes that have in fact been filmed. In worlds that are completely digital, and nothing is real, visual effects are included seamlessly in history within video games. Choices made by the game’s creators such as weapon designs, creature design, game mechanics, chase sequences, and bodily damage all arguably lean on visual effects to enhance the combat experience. For example, “combat designers will work on the player’s experience when the player meets enemies” (Killick, 2022), or even work on signifying to the player they are about to die and require health. These are common in genres such as survival horror and fantasy games, both of which we will be delving into with game examples, and conducting research on the effective visual changes some of these methods bring to games. Moreover, if visual effects in some modern games provide too much of an overcooked scene; the comparison with older games, and why these are still favoured over hyper-realism.
There is an ethical side to look at when any mention of violence is made to seem more realistic or immersive in video games, specifically linked to psychology when playing a game, and the development of psychology within children, who are the main target audience for many games revolved purely around combat. Whether visual effects’ implementation affects these issues will be discussed and researched.
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I was then told my keywords were too vauge and some of them not needed. I removed ones such as ‘guns’ and ‘meele’ as my advisor said these wouldn’t really bring up the academic sources I was looking for.
I then worked on my research method design and coming up with the names of chapters I would be using to write my brief outline of each. My advisor said that conducting my own research wouldn’t be a great idea, and to stick to getting data from other researchers online:
Research design methods
My research will consist of gathering data and information from sources online that other researchers have identified. Using my keywords, I have and will find papers, other theses and articles that agree with or contradict my argument, and implement them into my thesis to back up my statements throughout. I will conduct this research using academic online search engines and library resources at my University. With these academic papers I will compare and contrast them, and use these findings to aid my thesis.
General outline of each chapter
- Game mechanics
- Weapon design
- Damage and healing
- Creature design
- Ethical issues