P5 - E - Legal and Ethical Issues

P5E-Legal/Ethical Issues

While creating a video game there are many legal and ethical issues which need to be considered. One legal factor which needs to be considered in every media release is age rating. The age rating of my game is an 18 due to the graphic violence and nature of the game as it would be highly unsuitable for younger audiences. It would not be a sixteen as the violence is much more graphic than that of a 16 rated game. Also the graphic designs make it look similar to real life which is why it has a such a high age rating. The characters in the game also use profanity and bad language which is not suitable for younger viewers also. An ethical issue I have to consider is not misleading fans during the build up to the game. By this I mean that I cannot mislead fans in trailers and screenshots by making promises to hype up the game when in reality these promises will never be carried out. Therefore, I will have to always only feature in things which will actually be in the game. If fans are misled it can lead to a negative backlash such as poor reviews of the game which can ultimately put people off wanting to buy the game.

Another legal factor is copyright and royalties. In the game there will be music played through the cars CD player as well as the game characters’ portable music player. Therefore, when I choose my music I will have to contact the owners of the music and organise a contract which grants me access to use the music in the video game. If did not consult the owners of the music there would be a potential lawsuit for unpaid royalties. The games characters must not be similar to real life people as it can result in copyright.

For example, if my character looked similar to Rick from the Walking Dead which is a zombie TV show the company would sue for copyright due to it copying their character. Another ethical issue in my game could be to do with the violence. If there is an extensively violent scene in the game, it may be subject to complaints. For example, GTA V had a torture level which was frowned upon so in the game the scene where a character is slowly eaten by zombies may also be under fire due to the nature of the violence and how gory it would actually be. Also in the game it would be unethical to have all the characters as one specific race or subject any characters to stereotypes as It would offend a large group of people. Religion will also be taken into account as certain things may offend religious groups                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

P5 - D - Target Audience

Myles Harrison – P5 D – Target Audience

Action games have been the top of the most popular games for some time now so therefore many action fans would enjoy this game. Zombie themed games have also dominated the markets since 2013 and some unique zombies with sandbox features usually sell the best which is why I am having sandbox features. Multiplayer games also dominate the market and are now prioritised over single player which was not the case until around a year ago. The target age will be a mature audience due to the extensive violence and violent scenes.

The game as aimed towards people who enjoy sandbox games which include action adventure and survival aspects. The game will attract people who delve into realism and make it feel like they are there due to the features like eating sleeping and mental state. It can be appealing to a casual gamer who wants to just roam around and kill zombies in their spare time but then it also appeals to hard-core gamers who want to follow the storyline or play for 100% completion.

It can also appeal to people who want to play co-op with their friends or enter multiplayer game modes such as death match or team death match. This can result in a bigger audience as online games appeal to a lot more people than just single player as they want to connect with their friends using the console.

Overall this game will appeal to a variety of gamers as it has features which will interest many different audiences and ages.

P5 - C - M2 - D1

Gameplay: In the game the player controls the protagonists in the game with the keys WASD to move the character and using the mouse for the camera as well as other keyboard commands for controlling the player. The aim of this game is to complete the campaign and survive against the zombies and other survivors. The gameplay will be quite complex and follow a linear storyline with the player being able to free roam in-between missions. Players can purchase new items from traders and also sell things they’ve collected on the way. Users have the ability to drive vehicles and free run over obstacles to create more immersive ways of playing the game. Players recruit other survivors to their camps and can train them to make their stats better e.g. fighting and shooting. Players have to maintain their camps such as upgrading buildings and having enough bedrooms for the survivors in the camp. They will also have to watch out for bandits raiding the camp and zombie hordes passing by.

I have drew out a POV from the users perspective when playing as the character in 1^st person. It shows a mini map in the bottom left corner so the user can see where they are and also has health, armour hunger, thirst and stamina around this map so the player can always keep track of their players status easily. The gun is currently at the hip and can be aimed and shot when needed. The drawing shows the player in free roam mode so the player can travel the map without interruption from missions unless they trigger one by starting one themselves. He is facing a military building and there is various loot items inside such as other weapons, food, water keys for vehicles and sometimes zombies or bandits. This free roam can help the character advance at controls and find new things to keep them interested and to keep them playing the game. The free roaming aspect will keep the target audience interested as many games today have the freeroaming aspect to games now.
To meet the D1 criteria i have drew the image to have a high level of appeal to the target audience. It is appealing as it has a clear first person view which means shooting gameplay would be easy to pick up and the mini map allows them to navigate easily as most games like this today have a mini map on the HUD. The game itself also pays attention to detail which will create a visual appeal for the audience as they would want to play a nice looking game.

This other sketch is of the Map/Inventory menu. This screen displays the map in full view and allows users to have a full scale version of the area rather than just the small mini map while playing. Players can set waypoints to their destinations and travel there and also see any points of interest which may be highlighted on the map. On the inventory side it shows all the inventory slots the players can have. The slots to the left indicate items in the vicinity whereas the slots to the right is the players current inventory which may have items such as food water and ammo in. There is also a description box at the bottom which will explain to users the functions of some items and explain what they are. This will appeal to the audience as the system of inventory and mapping is easier and not difficult and will keep them interested. In addition to the inventory menu there is other slots with icons which indicate the other menu options: guns, melee weapons, medical supplies, survivors in your camp and finally the camp settings. It allows all modifications etc. to all be in one place rather than having to go through many menus for each thing. In the D1 aspect it appeals to the target audience as it has a functioning full sized map which allows the users to navigate easily and track where they are headed to as in most games these are a desirable feature to many players who are playing sandbox games.

This is a sketch of what the player would see when inspecting their weapons at the camp or inspecting a weapon they may want to buy at a trader. The player is able to rotate the weapon 360 degrees so that they can see all of the weapon. They can also add modifications in this mode too such as attachments or colours. This appeals to the target audience as in open world sandboxes people would like to have a variety of weapons which can be modified to keep them playing with different guns for different play styles.

This is the sketch of the main character Marcus. He is the main protagonist you do the campaign with and is a leading character. The drawing here shows him at the start of the campaign as when you progress you can change outfits. He has a leadership personality which is why he leads the survivor camp. He wears a bandanna across his face which makes him distinctive to others. He is ex-military and in certain missions you have flashbacks to before the outbreak and to when he was in the military. This will appeal to the target audience as the character can be customized which is a very popular feature in sandbox games and zombie survival games.

P5 - B - Competent Production Schedule

Planning and design

Before official planning, there will be a pre-plan, which will be handed out to all of the people developing the game. There will also be concept art and various other features described and suggested in this pre-plan so employees can be shown the direction the game will be in. The storyline will also be concluded in this stage so that developers do not make it up as they go along. The head developers will create a Gantt chart, which is effectively a time plan the employees will have to stick to when developing the game so that it is ready in time for release. It is easy to follow and can be easily understood by employees. The Gantt chart will have to be realistic and followed accordingly by developers to meet deadlines etc.

Development

There are various development stages to the game (which are shown on the Gantt chart) and these development stages will pass out over 60 weeks. Examples include: Initial research, storyline and plot development, character script, gameplay ideas and features. Eventually after it has been developed bug fixing will be carried out majorly over the first month of release but after the first month they will only be fixed if discovered by the community playing the game.

Gantt Chart: click to view in full screen

Budget

The budget will be set at £100,00 and will be funded via Crowdfunding websites such as GoFundMe. The budget will fund all of the things listed on ym Gantt Chart, including paying the developers their wages.

Characters

In my game I have created a main character named Marcus Johnson who plays the main protagonist role in the game and is controllable by the player. I have also created other characters who are antagonists and protagonists who are all a part of the storyline. These other characters will assist the main character in missions/ try and stop him in missions. The main villain in the game are the zombies which are always trying to stop the player in their tracks. Apart from the zombies who will always be enemies right the way through there will be other groups in the storyline who try and stop the main character from finding the cure. There will also be other none animated characters in games such as dealers and store owners where the player can interact with their menus to buy and sell items and these NPC’s cannot be killed or moved as they are placeholders serving another purpose for the game.

P5 - A - Proposal

SAFE HAVEN

Working Title:

The working title to this game is: “Safe Haven”

Story/Narrative/ Synopsis:

The game follows protagonist Marcus Johnson who is an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD. You go through a campaign following his story throughout the post-apocalyptic world.  His sole mission is to survive and keep himself safe from the undead and other humans. The story shows his survival and his goal of trying to find a safe haven.

In each level Marcus gets closer to finding the cure and finding somewhere safe and meets other people on the way during the campaign.

Genre:

The Genre is a “horror drama” as it features zombies gory violence and a continuous storyline.

Platforms: The game will be released on all the 3 dominating platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (Via Steam)

These Platforms are powerful and will be able to run the games high end graphics and features without difficulty. It will not be released on old gen as it would not make much profit.

Gameplay:

Alongside the campaign the player is able to find new survivors in the sandbox world and add them to their camp. These characters are also playable when in free roam and have different sets of skills and powers. The multiplayer aspect allows survivors to create their own bases and find supplies within the many enterable buildings on the sandbox map. The player has a choice of a first and third person view point whether in vehicles or on foot. The actual gameplay is exploring freely whilst completing missions also. The multiplayer also allows people to connect with people all over the world.

Characters:

There are pre-set characters who are a part of storyline and some are not playable. However, you can recruit other survivors who have randomly generated traits names and looks and they can be played as. Marcus Johnson is the main playable character but the player can swap out other characters at their disposal   

Audience:

Action games have been the top of the most popular games for some time now so therefore many action fans would enjoy this game. Zombie themed games have also dominated the markets since 2013 and some unique zombies with sandbox features usually sell the best which is why I am having sandbox features. Multiplayer games also dominate the market and are now prioritised over single player which was not the case until around a year ago. The target age will be a mature audience due to the extensive violence and violent scenes.

Length:

The length of the campaign in approximately 15hours of playing time. However once the campaign is over that does not mean the game is over. There are endless things to do in the open world whether all missions have been completed or not. Also in multiplayer it has no end either and will continue until the community loses interest in the game.

Cost?

The price of the game will be £35-£40 as it is a new release and will be a bad idea to price it as £45-£50 along with other popular franchises. There will be released DLC after release which will attract new players and keep the existing players playing the game.

Levels

It features mini games which are flashbacks to life before the apocalypse. It is a mix of a 3^rd and 1^st person shooter which also has a multiplayer aspect also. The plot shows him meeting new characters and surviving the apocalypse.

There will be a playable campaign which will be the main aspect of the game. There will also be a mixture of levels, some will be linear where the player follows a designated route to complete a mission but there will also be aspects where the player uses their own way of completing a mission. There will also be side quests which can be completed whenever by the player and is carried out within the free roaming area.

Controls