Category: Thesis Proposal

This week I developed my thesis proposal more by defining what the chapters in my thesis would be, and writing the general outline for each chapter:

General outline of each chapter

1. Introduction

For my introduction, I will introduce my topic and argument, and briefly explain the main factors of my thesis. I will explain visual effects and introduce some topics of how it is involved in video games, and how I will be exploring its implementation within games.

• Literature review

My literature review will be introducing some of my sources, how I found these, and how they really help me develop my thesis discussions. I will also be explaining how they link to my topic, and how they have helped me delve into the appropriate research and data needed to back up points in my thesis.

• Common game mechanics in combat-led games

This chapter will look at common game mechanics used in games such as progression bars, achievements, levelling up, and experience points, in accordance with how these are used during combat in games, and visual effects’ part in creating these.

• Weapon design

This chapter will be more looking at 3D modelling, a huge part of visual effects, and how the design of certain weapons in different genres affects the game’s combat experience. For example, different sword designs could be linked to certain specialities in combat, meaning the character and player feels more of a link to the combat they are playing, with the aesthetics they are seeing.

• Damage and healing

This chapter will look at how visual effects helps create motifs of damage, healing, or death in a game. For example, in most games, a player knows when they are near death, whether that be due to blood appearing on the screen, or a pulsating effect on the screen. I will be exploring visual effects within these elements and how this adds to a gaming experience.

• Designing dynamic combat sequences

This chapter will be looking at design elements in combat scenes that are crucial to games and their experience for the player. For example, how chase sequences are made in a way the player knows attacking isn’t an option and a chase sequence is coming. For example, visual effects use specific creature design to indicate a threat that no weapons can solve, sometimes using only visual aesthetics of the creatures themselves, whilst initiating a chase sequence. I will also be looking at the combat design itself when a wand or sword emits magical spells, or lightning is conjured, and how these sequences are visually produced.

• Ethical issues surrounding visual effects in video games

This chapter will be focusing if visual effects in games, making the combat more realistic, etc. is an ethical concern or not, in accordance with the psychology the player experiences, especially targeted at children who play games aimed primarily focused on combat gameplay.

• Conclusion

My conclusion will be gathering up all my findings and concluding about everything discussed and rounding up my thesis as a whole.

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

1. Game mechanics
2. Weapon design
3. Damage and healing
4. Creature design
5. Ethical issues

This week I conducted more research for sources (bottom of page) and made a draft of my first 3 parts of my Thesis proposal – my key words, contents page and Draft introduction:

Contents

Page

3 –      Key words

4 –      Draft Introduction

5 –      Research design methods

6 –      General outline of each chapter

7 –      Draft Literature review

8 –      A draft chapter

9 –      Indicative bibliography

Keywords

•            Combat

•            Visual effects

•            Video games

•            Spells

•            Weapon design

•            Melee

•            Swords

•            Guns

•            Creatures

•            Survival Horror

•            Fantasy

•            Game mechanics

•            Health

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 the majority of cases, intense and riveting combat scenes, with strategies and methods taught to progress the game and provide immersive gameplay.

This thesis will be looking at the latter, combat within video games, and more specifically, how visual effects aid this part of the experience in video games, negatively or positively. 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 creators of the game such as weapon designs, creature design, even 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, and how people react to these.

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 that are debated will be discussed and researched.

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I also conducted more research of sources and quotes I will be able to use in my thesis proposal and maybe even my thesis:

“the concept of “reported realism” as an alternate analytical tool to account for the impression of truth and authenticity produced by specific stylistic components of these representations of combat violence.”

– Bender, S.M., 2014. Blood splats and bodily collapse: Reported realism and the perception of violence in combat films and video games. Projections, 8(2)

“Combat designers will work on the player’s experience when the player meets enemies.

– Killick, M., 2022. Video Games: Under the Hood. In The Way We Play: Theory of Game Design (pp. 27-45). Berkeley, CA: Apress.

Game Mechanics –

“games involving war, combat, or adventures may provide opportunities for psychological satisfactions that are irrespective of the violent elements within the games.”

“opportunities for mastery, achievement, heroism, and self-directed action.”

“players often “like” the act of killing in games primarily because it represents feedback of progress or advancement through the game.”

– Przybylski, A.K., Ryan, R.M. and Rigby, C.S., 2009. The motivating role of violence in video games. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 35(2)

This week I had a meeting with our thesis proposal supervisor and my feedback was that:

• My topic was very specific (which is good)
• The answers to my topic may be ‘obvious’ so delving into more areas may be benefical
• Work on writing about specific games

From this, I developed a first plan for my thesis proposal using elements from the thesis proposal structure we were provided with:

•            Research title or question

“Enhancing the Gameplay Experience in Video Game Combat through the Implementation of Visual Effects”

•            Keywords

• Combat
• Video games
• Spells
• Weapon design
• Melee
• Swords
• Guns
• Creatures
• Survival Horror
• Fantasy

•            Introduction

Introduces your topic – Combat in video games overview. Visual effects overview.

States your problem statement and the questions your research aims to answer – introduce ethical questions, how the implementation of visual effects increases gameplay experience positively or negatively, and examples and types of implementations.

•            Literature review

Delve into the research sources I have collected, introduce them, and explain why I am using them.

•            Research design, methods, and schedule

Parts in bold highlight what I will be using, and what I would then need to talk about.

The type of research you will do. Are you conducting qualitative or quantitative research? Are you collecting original data or working with data collected by other researchers?

Whether you’re doing experimental, correlational, or descriptive research

The data you’re working with. For example, if you’re conducting research in the social sciences, you’ll need to describe the population you’re studying. You’ll also need to cover how you’ll select your subjects and how you’ll collect data from them.

The tools you’ll use to collect data. Will you be running experiments? Conducting surveys? Observing phenomena? Note all data collection methods here along with why they’re effective methods for your specific research.

Your research timeline (if applicable)

Your research budget (if applicable)

Any potential obstacles you foresee and your plan for handling them

•            A brief outline of each chapter

For each outline:

A title and purpose of the chapter?

What are the research questions that drive your enquiry in each chapter?

Who are the key thinkers and idea that you will include in the chapter?

How will the research you are presenting answer your research questions?

•            A draft chapter

Develop a chapter I choose

•            Bibliography

Other things to add:

• Any ways your work can challenge existing theories and assumptions in your field
• How your work will create the foundation for future research
• The practical value your findings will provide to practitioners, educators, and other academics in your field
• The problems your work can potentially help to fix
• Policies that could be impacted by your findings
• How your findings can be implemented in academia or other settings and how this will improve or otherwise transform these settings

Please scroll through this template I have filled in updating my thesis proposal plan.

Throughout these weeks I have really been thinking about what I can write about that will both be something I am passionate about, and something that links to my future career aspirations.

I have always been interested in combat within games as it is such a vital element of video games and the experience. Visual effects is a huge part of this and so the opportunity to explore it’s impact will be a perfect thesis topic for me.

I am also working on weapon design for my personal project, and my FMP will hopefully be along the same lines as this path.

The working title at the moment is: “Enhancing the Gameplay Experience in Video Game Combat through the Implementation of Visual Effects”.

I am currently using Google scholar to research this topic and will list some sources found below.

With this topic, I can explore:

• Game mechanics
• weapon design
• types of combat
• final boss battles
• combat with creatures
• ethics of combat experience
• inspirations from film combat
• magical combat effects

Some keywords are:

• Weapon design
• combat
• technique
• weapon choices
• opponent design
• ethics

Sources

“Creating illumination, either by post-processing effects such as bloom or adding a glow to your texture, can add to the magical feel of your effect. This can make your effects feelmore alive and give the illusion that they are light or power sources”

“Attacks and spells that don’t affect the player or game in a dramatic or significant way should visually indicate they are less important than the mechanics that have a significant effect on the gameplay.”

“Level of importance can be controlled and adjusted by modifying the size, shape, saturation and opacity of the effect.”

Mattila, M. 2018. “Visual Effects for a 3D Action Game”. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/151308/Mattila_Meri.pdf?s

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“In Resident Evil (2015), when the player’s health is low or critical, the “Danger” condition state activates. Although the player is not in any immediate danger, this low-health state is visually exacerbated.”

“The main factor that creates an engaging chase sequence is the assertion that the player must feel that they cannot directly defeat their assailant. The player must feel powerless in the face of an insurmountable challenge, prompting theplayer to conclude that escape is the only means of survival.”

“In the reimagined Resident Evil 2 (2019), the player is periodically chased by a seven-foot creature called Tyrant, colloquially known as Mr. X, who happens to be impervious to most weapons and artillery”

Smith, L. 2023. “Creating Tension through Game-Centric Design in Survival Horror Video Games”. Bachelor’s Thesis. Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

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Through this research I have discovered game mechanics such as spell casting effects, chase sequences and effects when a player is low on health, even though these are small elements, will be so interesting to talk about within my thesis.

Research Task

Choose a topic of interest: Convex Hull Algorithms

Keywords:

• Vertices
• Points
• Geometric
• Triangulation
• Mesh
• Algorithm
• Topology

General internet search:

“We can visualize what the convex hull looks like by a thought experiment. Imagine that the points are nails sticking out of the plane, take an elastic rubber band, stretch it around the nails and let it go. It will snap around the nails and assume a shape that minimizes its length. The area enclosed by the rubber band is called the convex hull of P.”

https://brilliant.org/wiki/convex-hull/

Academic search engine; academically recognised source:

“The determination of the convex hull is an example of a primitive operation which is useful for
many analysis methods and has successfully been applied in application domains such as pattern
recognition [4], image processing [28] or stock cutting and allocation [13].”

“The convex hull of a point set in the plane is defined as the smallest convex polygon containing all points.”

Böhm, C. and Kriegel, H.P., 2001. Determining the convex hull in large multidimensional databases. In Data Warehousing and Knowledge Discovery: Third International Conference, DaWaK 2001 Munich, Germany, September 5–7, 2001 Proceedings 3. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

These were found by using Google Scholar. I like this academic search engine as you can determine what keywords need to show by uing speech marks, and it is easy to navigate and cite from.