What is a game world and what does it consist of?

What is a game world?

A game world is essentially the playing field for the main character to interact with. This varies with the different types of games that are played. For example in Halo reach, the game world is on different planets.  It is important for designers to make a game world that suits the game that is being played because you wouldn't put a fantasy adventure game in a bleak looking boring game world, it would make it essentially unplayable because the player wouldn't enjoy it.

 

 Games change from time to time with newer technological advancements coming into place. Thican be seen in these two examples from halo reach and halo 5, these games are 5 years apart and show a distinct difference in game world design however the key aspects stay the same within the game (a free roaming area where you can explore the design of the game). The game on the right is Halo reach (older) the game on the left is Halo 5 (new). As you can see the game worlds have distinct differences in graphics and design.

What is terrain?

Terrain are the things within the game world that makes the game world enjoyable for the player. Terrain is what the player can interact with by walking on. An example of a piece of terrain would be the grass on a football pitch (Fifa 15), the player interacts with the field it is terrain that is intractable physically to some extent. Some games have terrain that suits the game whereas others have different terrains as you progress through the game. The terrain in any game will be different from game to game. An example of terrain changing would be in Halo 3 where the terrain changes as you complete a level and go onto the next.

 

The image on the left clearly shows an almost post-apocalyptic game world with almost decayed terrain whereas the image on the left shows a tropical island with ruins of an ancient civilisation, these two images come from the same game but are on different stages on the game. The terrain between the two images clearly differ for the sole purpose of providing the player a good gaming experience.

What is architecture within games?

Architecture is the buildings within the game which your player enters and or destroys depending on the game you are playing. Some games have very distinct and complex architecture for example mirrors edge is a game that made you interact with the architecture the terrain and essentially the game world. The reason why we want games to have good architecture is because that is the main place where the game will take place in, however games are different so not all games will include architecture some games may not need architecture, some games may be made for you to make the architecture. The reason as to why it is important to have architecture is because of the fact that in most games it shows the quality of the game design and the game layout. Also it doubles as a guide to the player because of the fact that they may not know where to proceed within the game and if they see a piece of high quality architecture which may be of a higher quality than other pieces of architecture the player is surely going to interact with that architecture so it helps give the game a sort of identity and flow to it. Architecture has changed over time because of this reason and has improved the experience of many gamers. 

The game on the left is “mirrors edge” and has been awarded several times for its beautiful game world, terrain and architecture this game is much older than assassins of creed a game released 5 years after the release of mirrors edge. It is clear to us that assassins creed has much better graphics and a more detailed game world, terrain and architecture however mirrors edge doesn't fall off as much as other games in its time period due to the fact that it was so well produced. You can tell the differences between the two games just by looking at them, this shows that over time game developers/designers have become better at producing and creating games.

What is an ‘object’ within a video game?

An object is something that the player can or must interact with in order to make a portion of the game easier or to complete a stage within the game. Different games have different objects which is a given however some games have more than others, and it is the quantity of objects within a game which either makes or breaks the game. This is because if you were to have a game with a small amount of objects that would mean that the player would have a limited amount of playing time and it wouldn't be as enjoyable as other games with more objects (things to do in the game). A game that uses objects is a game called “rune-scape” it is a game which lets the users obtain different objects within the game to increase their speed of levelling up. One object from this game would be an iron plate body which is a plate of armour that you wear on your torso which protects you from enemies dealing damage to you. Some games change their objects depending on the play-style that it gives the players for example if an item were to be over powered they would have to de-buff the item in order to maintain balance between the player base also if an item were to be underpowered it would be given buffs in order to give it more incentive for players to use the object. Objects can also be used in games as a one-time interact able thing for example in battlefield 2 you can knock down different objects in order to complete your objective.

The image on the left is a “sniper rifle” from the game Halo 3 and is used by the player and AI in order to carry out the main characters mission. The image on the left is a butterfly knife used in counterstrike global offence, it is a rare object so it is hard to get for new players and even veterans however this object follows the same purpose where it completes the task you are set.