Research Lecture

Reflecting on today's design research, I believe I have narrowed down or at the very least got a basic idea of the question I want to base my degree on:

How are game remasters affecting the industry?

While this is a start I don't believe it fully encompasses what I ultimately want the achieve. I want to delve more into how re-releases (remasters and remakes) are affecting the current industry, the pros and cons of this and then show that not all re-releases are a bad thing. That they do in fact further game design, the industry as a whole and are not stifling creativity / progression. Or alternatively, if the opposite becomes apparent, then Why?

Then finally through my research attempt a small scale remaster of my own to demonstrate what I have learnt.

Initially prior to doing much research, I do believe that most re-releases are a good thing, not all but most. Some re-releases are just a plain cash grab, some try to stay faithful and others re-imagine the title for new audiences. While I like a good faithful remaster or even remake, I expect it to be built upon to such an extent that it's basically the same game but if it was created in today's market.

Not only that, but I believe there are many unique, lost and forgotten game mechanics / design elements lost in modern games. whereas classic games drove creativity, modern games mostly reiterate the same things for fear of risk. A great example of this fear in recent years is Konami. Due to current industry trends, they have shifted their focus from AAA to other revenues. Their highly anticipated 'Silent Hills' demo was praised by millions, but due to the risk of developing another AAA game in today's market, they opted to cancel the project without much or any reason.

To scrutinise Konami again, they have themselves released a remaster of 2 of their classic games; Silent Hill 2 & 3 into a HD bundle. Which was mostly negatively received compared to their original releases, as they don't particularly fix anything and only seem to upscale the games resolution slightly.

Personally, I never played 2 or 3 on their respective platforms. So I took advantage of this and played the HD remaster on a modern console and enjoyed them. Which is another point to take into consideration and discuss in relation to my degree. While is its obvious it is a plain cash grab, it does also have the added benefit that it allows other / newer generations experience the same game they otherwise might not be able to.

So taking all this into consideration I think my initial question is almost on point, maybe I could expand upon slightly like so:

Are re-releases a bad thing? Or can they further design?

Initial Research

After doing some preliminary research into the world of remasters and remakes, the number one consensus seems to be that nostalgia trumps all. This affect can be seen in various other mediums and not just gaming, although it is most pronounced in games due to their far greater immersion level (Clay Routledge).

There are numerous articles online discussing nostalgia; how it affects the industry and gamers etc. Even some published educational papers / books on nostalgia too.

Issues that I hadn’t even considered were brought to light by these articles. Like creativity stagnation, market over saturation, demographic unbalances affecting industry direction and so on.

However, at present, there are no studies directly related to video game remastering that I have come across yet. Although I’ll admit, it is somewhat of a niche subject to study and nostalgia does cover it mostly. I like the idea that I will be able to work on something somewhat new.

Whilst I don’t want to solely focus on nostalgia, I do believe it will play a big role in further research.

I want to see if there is more to what I propose, than simply a nostalgic trip...


Related articles:

• An Abundance of Remasters: Originality in the Gaming Industry
• Nostalgia is ruining video games
• Crippled by nostalgia the fraud of retro-gaming
• How the video game re-release became an art and a craft of its own

Academic:

• Staffan Björk
• Clay Routledge

First Session

What Skills do you bring?

I like to consider myself an all-rounder, jack of all trades etc.

I think that I am particularly good at documentation, 3D modelling (medium to low-poly) and Photoshop. I'm also good at scripting, level design and texture creation.

Prior to Uclan, I started my journey creating 2D fan games for my own amusement, then I went onto creating my own games. Following this I then started to get involved in creating levels for Unreal Tournament! After which I decided I want to try and make a career out of it. It was at this time I studied Games Design at Bolton and loved every minute of it.

Following my graduation, I managed to find my first job as a Junior Game & Level Designer for a German company In Frankfurt. Which is where I contributed to my first commercial game MiB to tie in with the 3rd movie, which was amazing!

Since then I took a good number of years out to raise family and do more indie work. During this time, I created models for an Xbox 360 indie game called Figure 8 Racing and some Google Play games. Which then led onto me pursing the next stage in my education so I can again get back into the industry.

What interests you?

I like the idea of furthering design; how games ideas and mechanics influence the final project. How past games are built upon to create new experiences. Or how games can be so original that they in-turn create many inspired games and / or genres of their own.

Super Metroid 1994

An example of this is Super Metroid (my favourite game), although it is the 3rd title in the series, Nintendo managed to perfect the design through each iteration to create something fully masterful. Ushering in a genre of its own dubbed Metroidvania. Many games since have used this template to great effect, and not only in this genre. Metroid was one of the first games that use the mechanic of self-exploration without aid, which has influenced modern games in multiple forms. Such as Dark Souls (yes, un-mapped exploration) which is an unrelated genre. The mechanic has also been extended upon through the years and is used in many titles in the form of fog-of-war.

What is your initial idea for Ma study?

Following on from my previous point; I want to explore the ideas behind how old games influence new games and genres. Why old games are re-created / remastered and how well these games-with possibly outdated mechanics-translate to a modern demographic. Also explore whether remakes / remasters are detrimental to the industry or not and explore their impact.

What things are you going to look at?

I want to look at both successful and unsuccessful games within the criteria mentioned in the last section. Games such as these include; "New" Mario games, Sonic games (The Sonic Cycle) and Pokemon. And other not as mainstream games like: Full Throttle, Mickeys Castle of Illusion etc. 
Also look at unfavourable titles too such as: Deadpool, Dungeon Keeper, the new Aladdin / Lion King etc.

Basically, I want to look at games that have some success, either in their original release, re-release or both, and even how some games seem to be exempt from this.

By doing this I hope to find and establish a connection between a successful remake and an unsuccessful one to help differentiate the two. To further my understanding of Games Design, so that I may follow my own research and demonstrate how to create a successful remaster. Hopefully to be able to show how old mechanics can translate to a modern title and be successful!