As you watch the documentary, write comments about the film based on the questions supplied for each. These will be used as the basis for a post-film class discussion.
1) What kind of company was Nintendo before it made videogame and videogame consoles?
Playing Cards and toy company
2) What videogame system did it sell before it made its FAMICOM (known in USA as Nintendo Entertainment System)
Game And Watch
3) Shigeru Miyamoto was not a programmer - what skill set did he bring to the industry?
Artist and aspiring storyteller.
4) How did the limits of the technology affect the way Mario could be shown?
The large nose was used to indicate the face. The mustache was used to better indicate that he had a mouth. A hat was used, because it was hard to use hair-styles. Red was an engineering trick to make the character pop and be more noticeable on the screen. These were all in response to limitations of the technology at the time, such as the small screen.
5) Why did US retailers think there was no future in home videogame consoles at the time just prior to the NES release in the USA?
The video game crash of the 1980's. People were sure that PC's were going to be the future.
6) What was assumed to the be the 'next big thing' by electronics manufacturers?
Personal Computers (PC)
7) What did Legend of Zelda bring to gaming that was new?
The gameplay progression from pen and paper role playing games. There was a a character changed as the game was played. The game was also the first to have save state storage inside the game cartridge.
8) How did the conservative values of the 1980s (Reagan & Thatcher etc) affect the culture of videogames?
It was a response to conservative values and it was now ok for adults to buy these "toys" and to play games, priorities changed.
9) How were the PC games published by Mystery House like King's Quest different from console games?
They were more adventure games compared to console's action games. They were not direct control. You had to point to were the character had to go. There was more text and were more story oriented.
10) How did Sega's 16 bit Megadrive system change home console gaming?
It started a new generation of consoles, the 16-bit generation. The graphics processor was faster and the sound processor was better.
11) How did "Leisure Suit Larry" differ from most genre based games of the period?
The game had adult themes and mature content. It had a sense of humor and was based on real-ish people in a modern time and a modern setting.
12) How is this aspect reflected in many games of today?
There are many M rated games. Mature content in games are more the norm than the exception. The idea of realism continues today with new games continually moving graphics closer towards realism..
13) What is 'motion capture'
It is a process in which performers wear motion capture suits with reflected balls. The performance data is translated onto a wireframe figure and used in games for animation.
14) What is the 'uncanny valley'?
The uncanny valley is a point at which the graphics of a game character get more realistic and as the closer the character gets to absolute realism the more people notice the little tiny details that make them not quite real and in the process the character looks odd to the viewer.
No comments:
Post a Comment