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)
