Production Reflection for Video Game

1. Production Reflection
Harry Taylor

2. Process
This week I started the Video Games rotation. I have completed 3 proformas, the 1st of
which being a case study. In this case study I had to talk about certain subjects of a
game such as graphics about a chosen video game. For me, the most important
aspect of the case study was talking about each part in depth and detail. For example,
I had to talk about what game engine Call of Duty used but I had to go into detail
about it. Alternatively, I probably didn’t need this much detail on a game engine
because there is only so much to say about it unlike talking about the gameplay of the
game. This knowledge of talking about something in detail is essential to me as a
learner because a lot of detail is needed to gain extra marks. I have also completed
initial plans and product research this week. My initial plans are fairly brief but there is
still enough information within the mind map. To improve on this I can consider
alternative ideas to the ones I have written down. This way I wont be stuck for ideas.
For my product research, I explored four existing games and talked about the use of
production techniques such as lighting, mise en scene and music. The most significant
part of creating my initial plans and researching existing products was making the
mind map and analysing what makes a good game. Having a mind map means that I
can brainstorm ideas and then narrow these ideas down so that I can have the best
product possible. Analysing a game similar to mine then helps me generate extra ideas
to brainstorm. Having analysed video games in a research stage of this rotation, I now
feel a greater understanding of what makes a good video game.

3. Process
This week I have created a production experiment. I practiced using techniques that I
plan to use in my final production. The most significant part of this was remembering
how to, first, set up the document and then actually create movement for an
animation. I remembered how to do this pretty quickly as it isn’t the most challenging
task but it still took me a while to complete. I spent a lot of time putting detail into
the background because the last time I made an animation like this, the background
could have been developed more. When I make my final product, I will definitely put
more effort into the background.

4. Process
This week I began my production stage of my video games rotation. I started off by creating a
document with different measurements than I would for making a print project. The dimensions
of the page were 120 width by 80 height. I then had to change the layout of the page to pixels per
inch so that I could use the pencil tool to make pixels. The first task was making the background
but when I had finished making it, I realised I had done it wrong. This was because I needed to
make a document that was 600 long so that when I pasted it into the starting document, I could
make it scroll. I think this wasted a lot of my production time because I had to make a fairly big
background twice. Looking back on this, I think there is a positive side to it because I have had
multiple attempts at producing something which has therefore improved some skills. When I
remade my background, I changed the look of the buildings, the sky, the platforms and the avatar.
This was because I realised I needed to work with different colours as all the colours were dark or
pale. This went against my plan to have vibrant colours. I have also added a ”Score” title and a
pause button. An important part of this week was constructing the foundations of my game so
that in the second week of production, I can focus on animation and fixing any mistakes. Adding
to this, I can also improve my game within the second week if I think that it doesn’t look good
enough. I will try and begin aniamting everything by the end of this week so that I have more
time to look over my product once it has been completed.

5. Process
This week I carried on production. I managed to overcome any problems that I faced last week. For example, I
managed to make the new background I made last week scroll despite the fact I had to re create it due to sizes
of the Photoshop document being incorrect. This week I was focusing on animation and getting everything
moving/working. I found this task fairly easy as I had done it before in an earlier rotation. For me this is an
important part of the process because it reminds me of a skill I have already learnt which, in theory, makes my
skill set improve more. A significant part of production this week was making the background scroll. The reason
for this is that if I had not managed to make the background scroll, the rest of my product wouldn’t have
worked.
I have now completed my product and the final result turned out better than I thought it would have. When I
began production, I thought the game would look far too basic but adding in extra details on to the background
such as lights on the buildings made it look more complex. The game is still very basic but this is what I planned
because normally simple games sell better to an audience as there isn’t a lot of detail that could potentially
confuse the player. Having a simple game also means that it can appeal to all ages and not just the main target
audience.
I have also made my animation into an mp4 file and then edited this file within Adobe Premiere Pro. I did this
so that I could add sound effects and music. I didn’t use any colour correction or any other effects like that in
Premiere because the colours were already bright and vibrant enough. I stuck to using simple tools such as the
razer tool and then using the audio mixer so that the volume of the sound effects wasn’t too loud. I haven’t
really increased my skills whilst using this program as I was using the very basics of the program.

6. Process
This week I have focused on evaluating my work. I have evaluated every part of the process from research to
the actual production.
When I began evaluating I found it fairly easy because I was talking about my own work so I could remember
everything about it. It also meant that I didn’t have to research anything to evaluate my work.
Overall, the evaluation process was fairly repetitive but it helped me to improve on talking abut strengths and
weaknesses.