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LO1 - Sumo digital business report

Sumo digital is a gaming company based in Sheffield in South Yorkshire which was set up following the closure of Gremlin graphics in 2003 as the majority of workers moved over to Sumo. They have 260 people spread across their office in Sheffield, not including those working in their Art studio in India. They have developed over 50 games and won multiple awards for those they've had a hand in, their most successful being little big planet 3 which they won 3 separate awards for after spending 4 years on the project. [1]

Hierarchy
The CEO Carl Cavers joined in 1995 and doubles up as the UK development director and co-founder of Sumo. It was in 2003 that he became a co-founder alongside Paul Porter and Darren Mills; Mills is also the director of Sumo India! Other recognisable members are: Ash Bennett, the technical director (helps with technical problems anybody in his area is facing within their work), he had his first 'big' role when becoming lead programmer of the PS1 game 'Loaded'. Sean Millard is the creative director and has been designing games since 1999 but returned to Sheffield in 1999 to work for Gremlin (joining Sumo Digital upon Gremlin's closure). [1] Under the creative director there will be: concept artists, character artists(make 3D character models), environment artists (create levels), graphic artists, level designer and VFX artists. The development directors are: Gary Edwards, Steven Zalud and Gary Moore. [1] Possible other occupations focusing on the technical aspect within Sumo digital are: mission designers, AI programmers, render programmers, network programmers and physics programmers; as well as a QA test team which report any bugs within the game.

Gametypes
Sumo digital create multiple game types which they classify under: 

• Arcade action 
• Driving 
• Arcade sports 
• Platformers 
• Licensed IP 
• Original products [1] 

Platforms
These games span across a multitude of platforms as Sumo have developed games for the majority. whilst Dead space ignition is only for the xbox arcade and playstation network, Disney infinity and F1 2011 can be found on both the old and new generation consoles including the WiiU and DS. Virtua tennis was brought out over 2 decades ago and was created for: the dreamcast, game boy advance, the arcade and microsoft windows. They have created games across most consoles, even older platforms as they have been developing video games for a long time as both Gremlin and Sumo.  [2]

Development software and Platform technology
When developing games such as Virtua tennis they will use software such as Maya, 3D studio max and Unity, Unity was used for the creation of Scorched. Photoshop is used to create the texture and graphics. Sumo also use their own software- the Sumo engine- when working on particular games as well as separate engines that have been developed for the specific title that they are currently working on, Forza is one of these titles. 
For instance, when participating in the creation of Forza in they used the Forza engine to develop the game. [2] They were tasked with reformatting Forza horizon on the Xbox One so that it was suitable for the 360, a very time consuming task for Sumo! The majority of games they worked on were known to have run on the unreal engine, a popular choice amongst games developers. 

Regulatory bodies
Sumo’s main regulatory body is ESRB, or the Entertainment Software Rating Board which is used by the vast majority of gaming companies. 
They are also regulated by Pegi whom control the companies that stock and sell their games- because of the restrictions put in by Pegi all their games are age rated for the consumers, for instance little big planet 3 is an E-meaning it’s for everyone [3].



1) Sumo Digital (2015) Who we are
http://www.sumo-digital.com/#who-we-are
Mon 28th September 2015

2) Sumo Digital (2015) Gaming archive
http://www.sumo-digital.com/games
Mon 28th September 2015

3) Sumo Digital (2015) Little big planet 3
http://www.sumo-digital.com
Mon 28th September 2015

LO1 - Review Analysis Forza 5

This review uses second person address, as a reader this makes you feel more involved. The idea of owning the game appears closer to reality as the reviewer chattily offers both positives and negatives of Forza- making the review seem far more personal to you.

"The best place to dribble over them is in Forzavista mode, where they look absolutely remarkable. You can't pop the hood on everything, but the level of attention paid to even the smallest of details can be downright astonishing. Explore every inch and you'll find the cars modelled down to manufacturer stickers on the inner-edges of doors. The detail really is something else, from the speckled surface of a steering wheel in an enduring '90s hatchback to the staggering crispness of the tiny labels accompanying the multitude of switches in a Le Mans Prototype. Forza 4's Autovista mode already gave us an appetiser of this two years ago so the novelty is suppressed slightly, but the fact that every car can be so closely inspected is exceedingly cool."

I think the best word used within this paragraph is ''staggering'' because of the impact it has on the reader. It's not just 'good' or even 'great' it is 'staggering', a much more impressive adjective that may influence the consumer on their decision of buying the game. The elements being reviewed are the graphics of the cars in the 'Forzavista' mode, in which it includes highly positive connotations. During the review, the author speaks to the target audience (gamers from teenagers up to early adults) relatively conversationally but dipping into hyperbole too so the review remains interesting. They address the reader with the guise that we will have a similar knowledge of cars to them and do not need to be condescending.

LO1- Game analysis: Metro Last light

I am analysing the game Metro: Last light to review the overall experience of the game.

This is a first person shooter (FPS) post-apocalyptic survival adventure game set in Russia’s metro. Like an adventure game you have quite a lot of opportunities to free roam and search for ammo as it tends to be scarce- because of this lack of ammo there are also many opportunities for stealth. Bioshock is similar as it is quite taxing on the player as they must scrounge for supplies by exploring, but Metro is more orientated to stealth which implements a new feature less frequently used in adventure games.

The game is the second in the series and is set in post-apocalyptic Moscow. It revolves around Artyom, the protagonist of the first game, as he is sent to retrieve arms from a bunker known as D6 to aid in the war. As it is post-apocalyptic a lot of weaponry has been destroyed and is difficult to location, informing the survival methods of the player. Stealth is used as you will need to sneak through enemy bases to ensure Artyom can achieve specific objectives and is not captured by the enemy. In the game there are ‘moral points’ that can be earned or lost depending on small choices you make and effect the outcome of the game- the player may decide to play a certain way to get the end they want. The target audience is teenagers to early 20 year olds because of its often violent and occasional horror like nature.

To create last light they worked on the same engine used to create 2033 but spent time upping the graphics and improving the games physics. These were both invested in specifically to enhance the gameplay so the companions have a more diverse set of movement and its visually more attractive for the player. The improved physics give both Artyom and his companions newer skills and make the game run more smoothly. New weaponry and a drivable mine vehicle was also added to add interest to the game so it would differ from the first and keep the players attention. These factors each manage to enhance the gameplay.

The humour of the characters appeals to the target audience as it is often quite dark, they also display abilities (action scenes) that will interest people of the target age. Characters are not necessarily relevant to the target audience as they are majorly quite a lot older and facing battles the players can’t imagine, but some of their personal issues may reflect those of the gamer. The characters are gradually developed as the game continues, but many companions leave and return throughout the narrative so Artyom (and the player) gets the chance to effect the lives of many different characters. Each character is a part of one of the many factions formed in the metro and can often be unhinged because of the diegesis. I feel that the characters are very interesting but would be stronger if there were fewer of them so you learned more of their lives.

The challenge is to make your way through to bunker D6 as Artyom and achieve the best ending using the ‘moral points’ you accumulate. Gamers will engage with this as it is an objective with a reason behind it- to help the rangers (a faction within the game). You are challenged to conserve ammo as much as possible so you only use it when you find yourself stuck- the moment you finally get the chance to use your stash players will feel satisfied. The gameplay often asks the player to use stealth as it fits with the current mission objective (e.g. sneaking through a camp) which keeps the fighting relevant and leaves you gripped to the storyline. Each level has a new location filled with guards with different routines and the player gets the opportunity to decide how they will deal with them so it isn’t always the same tactics. The action is broken up by sections where you are given the opportunity to explore the ‘surface’ or to buy ammunition in one of the few safe houses.

The target audience of the game is teenagers to early 20s, although the game is rated 18, as it captures the interests of this age group. It’ll probably mainly be boys playing because of the action-packed and violent nature of the game which at times diminished the story’s effect. FPS games are stereotypically very popular with people of this age group and gender. Other games targeting a similar audience would be Call of Duty or Battlefield- whilst this game may not necessarily be as well known it is still very popular. It is also renowned for having a better storyline than the aforementioned games, even though it does not have multiplayer which are the main features used to target their audience Call of duty and Battlefield. 

Metro is available on: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game is suited to all of these platforms though probably more specifically to the consoles as that is what it was initially designed for in relevance to the shooting and stealth mechanics.

LO1- Game analysis: Batman Arkham knight

In this analysis I will be looking at the fourth instalment in Rocksteady's Batman series, I will be describing the game in terms of the set criteria.

Arkham knight is an action-adventure third person combat video game. It has an open world that allows the player to free-roam and complete both main story and side missions- as well as having to use ‘detective vision’ to solve riddles and crimes. The games combat features many of Batman’s utilities (such as the batarang and remote hacking device) and a countering system to improve the pace of the action. Sleeping dogs is a similar title in reference to genre and combat but falls short of Arkham knight in its reviews. Sleeping dogs focuses more on physical combat whereas Arkham knight incorporates the use of other utilities, the bat mobile and also stealth. In comparison to the previous three games it was similar in many elements but added more to the gameplay than previously existed.

The narrative of Arkham knight is that the antagonist Scarecrow has launched an attack on Gotham city with the help of the Arkham knight by using his fear gas- because of this civilians have been evacuated so the world can be more readily explored. The bat-mobile has also been incorporated so that it is easier to travel the city. As Batman it is your task to stop scarecrow using every weapon at your disposal, which is why you are constantly upgraded with new gear. Because of the story the player feels the need to protect the characters left in Gotham such as James and Barbara Gordon, engaging you as a player if they are in danger. My target audience is quite diverse, anything from teenagers to adults, as most of the world knows who batman is and the older generation may have read the comics as children and want to revisit the character.

Rocksteady returned to develop Arkham knight following Warner Bros Montreal taking over in the creation of Arkham Origins.To make the final instalment of the Arkham series, Rocksteady first decided it would be best made on next generation consoles instead of what was then the current generation. The technical changes made allowed for cutscenes to be rendered in real time in the game engine instead of pre-rendered videos so they were better quality, as well as allowing more enemies to be on screen at once (and interact with the environment) using the Apex physics engine. They spent a long time working on character models and movements in the game to make them as realistic as possible and improve the graphics for players. The game mechanics such as detective vision enhance the gameplay by offering more of a variety to the players so the exploration does not become monotonous- similarly to the bat-mobile. When in combat Rocksteady make the environment more inter-actable for a wider variety of situations e.g. you can shove enemies against walls and takedown multiple enemies at a time. 

Batman is relevant to the target audience as he is a superhero; an occupation which few people aren’t intrigued by. The younger generation like him because of the films and the older generation are interested because of the comics. Theres a diverse set of characters throughout the game, from villains to allies, the villains are likeable for their ingenious designs whereas Barbara Gordon is relevant to the target audience as she's a teenager so will appeal more to the younger age group because of her personality. It’s quite a story-based game so the characterisation is important, and the adventure like genre leads to you meeting a lot of different companions. Each of these characters are very strong and you gradually grow to care for them- especially close friends of Batman’s such as Barbara, Tim or Dick.

Completing the main story is a challenge in itself but there are a lot of side missions available for the player to complete- each of which are very different (from solving riddles to stopping groups of thugs from robbing a bank) to ensure the player remains engaged as they have the ability to choose their next objective. The weaponry is key to Arkham knight’s success as each game has been improved by adding in new combative elements- in this instance the bat-mobile is the most innovative feature in fights. The gameplay utilises Batman’s ‘abilities’, mainly taken from the comics but with new additions. As a superhero the player will participate in combat against thugs trying to tear up Gotham as well as more prominent enemies in the series, relating itself to the narrative by offering you objectives/challenges. Certain areas may require you to use different pieces of equipment to take out a group; in the case of stealth you may have to use the audio voice recorder to lure guards away. Areas evolve by having different types of thugs with different movement patterns to constantly keep the players on their toes.

The target audience of this game is teenagers to adults because Batman is a well-known figure that will appeal to adults who have read the comics and teenagers who favour superheroes. In combat Batman does not actually kill any enemies, instead knocking them unconscious, so the gore level is not too intense for slightly younger players. There are a vast majority of popular characters in the game, from heroes to villains, all of different ages to relate to different generations. The actual gameplay also appeals to this target audience by having engaging and relatively simple combat but complete with an arsenal of different weaponry for the player to use. Arkham knight has the age rating of 18 even though it actually has a much wider target audience. Similar games targeting this audience are the Fallout games, for nostalgia purposes though this series is likely to reach a wider audience and is also more widely known for being incredible. 

Arkham knight is available on: microsoft windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox one, OS X and Linux. This game is better suited to the recent generation consoles (PS4 and Xbox one) as it offers improved visuals in cutscenes and utilises the PS4’s touch pad to use as a progress tracker for the player to view. 

LO1- Game analysis: Until dawn

I am looking at the game Until dawn and analysing its gameplay and the stylistic conventions of the genre.

Until dawn is a moral decision based horror game. It shows stylistic conventions by including numerous cutscenes throughout the game and only breaks these to allow you to free roam momentarily or make decisions that determine your characters survival. It also has a system installed called the ‘butterfly effect’, which is often shown in other decision games under different acronyms. As far as horror games go, it ticks most of the cliche boxes. 8 teenagers are stuck in a remote location in which they have minimal contact with the rest of the world; the developers (Supermassive games) even confessed to creating each character to fit into a horror movie trope type. At few points does it divert from the horror genre and appears to have the sole focus of scaring the players.

8 teenagers go to stay at their friend Josh Washington’s family chalet in the mountains on the anniversary of his two sister’s deaths. During the night each character begins to face both supernatural adversities as well as well-armed psychopaths and each must survive until dawn. Because of the thrilling nature of the plot we are told that not each character will survive the night, thus giving players the ability to make decisions which determine the final outcome. The ‘butterfly effect’ system ensures your choices remain relevant throughout the game and may alter something later on. Whilst playing you develop an affinity with certain characters, this will change how you act as different characters towards them. Knowing they face the possibility of death at any time means your approach to the game is more tentative- you pity the characters that have landed themselves in this situation. Until dawn is rated 18, the themes are relatively mature as it focuses on horror. People of that age group tend to enjoy scaring themselves a bit so they will enjoy the gameplay but also connect to the characters as they are of a similar age.

Graham Reznick and Larry Fessenden started by writing a teen horror script whilst the art department begin storyboarding/creating concept art to get fit their scripts and perfect both the mood and lighting. When creating levels they tried to make it as terrifying as possible by making dark corridors that felt claustrophobic and threatening as well as creating an uninviting woodland surrounding the lodge. After storyboarding they began to actually create the game using Killzone shadow fall’s engine. Textured clothes and characters were created using photoshop to make sure they had an air of personalisation. People played their beta version and their emotional response was measured so Supermassive knew what worked and what didn’t. The choice aspect and quick time events make gameplay more tense as you are in total control, if you mess up there isn’t an immediate redo like in the majority of games- this is called loss aversion. Until dawn also requires you to use the exploration mechanic to find objects which are potentially useful in solving the games many mysteries.

The teenagers in Until dawn are a similar age to the target audience of the game and are designed for the audience to see pieces of themselves within the characters stylisation. Most of the players will already be familiar with the characters as they have seen similar ones before in horror movies. Each of them gradually becomes more appealing through the game as they grow- each player will find they relate more strongly to different characters as they are responding similarly to how the consumer would in that scenario. I think most of the characters were not as strong as they could’ve been as they were struggling to fit within a particular trope, but there were moments where their personalities genuinely shone through.

The most challenging part of the game is ensuring the survival of each character, if the player makes a mistake it isn’t as simple as reloading a save. Quick time events make it feel like you really are the character trapped in a dangerous situation and that fear engages you. Simultaneously, you are tasked with solving the three main mysteries surrounding events within the game as well as ‘totems’ which guide some of your choices-finding either opens new pathways for the player. Completionists will wish to replay the game multiple times to find new clues or get a better ending than previously. The replay-ability adds to the success of the game as it gives the consumer more value for their money and keeps them intrigued. The gameplay is speedy, quick time events and choices have to be made within a certain amount of time, it turns the narrative into reality for the player as they must make decisions at the same pace as the characters. New decisions must be made constantly and the gamer is continuously given new environments to explore-these changes keep their attention.

The target audience are late teens to young adults as the age rating is an 18. Until dawn has a lot of mature themes such as scenes of a sexual nature and swearing, making it inappropriate for younger players. Also, as it is a horror game, anybody below this age may be more easily effected by a lot of the content. The game appeals to it’s target audience by creating characters of the same age that are alike in personality to it’s audience, as well as having a similar humour. It isn’t as explicit as other games that have a high age rating such as: the last of us, gears of war 3 and saints row. Gears of war and Saints row are more aimed at an older generation because of the gore/inappropriate humour within their franchises. Until dawn’s main point of maturity is the horror it carries which appeals to vast majority of the audience it wishes to target.

Until dawn is a PS4 exclusive title. It’s mostly suitable for the PS4 as the controller has motion trackers within it which are used at different stages throughout the game (e.g. you must hold the controller still when hiding). Neither the xbox one nor wiiU remotes have the same capabilities. Apart from that it could be adapted to be on the xbox one or wii but with a loss of certain features.

LO1- Game analysis: Dragon age 2

For Dragon age 2 I will be using the criteria to analyse how the developers have managed to create their intended gaming experience.
Dragon age 2 is considered a fantasy adventure RPG because of it’s content. There is over 50 hours of gameplay if you choose to explore all of the world via side-quests quests and theres both treasure and collectibles for those that do. This offers consumers a wide site of exploration during their playthrough, however other adventure games can be more open-world as well as offering more ‘loot’ to the player. For instance the Witcher 3, also an RPG, which has far more open world exploration in store for the player. The Mass effect trilogy is very similar to Dragon age when it comes to genre and that is a critically acclaimed series of it’s kind.

In Dragon age you play as Hawke, a fe/male fighter of whom will be either a mage, warrior or rogue depending on the players decision. They move to the city Kirkwall after the destruction of their home and must work their way up in the city via the help of their companions and gaining notoriety from main quests. The action RPG gameplay allows you to switch between these companions and use their classes to fight, you also have the option to be more tactical and chose each characters move before beginning an attack. Dragon age is a lot about your relationship with your companions, because of the narrative you will try and build this up as much as possible to get more out of the gaming experience. The story connects with the target audience (teenagers) as it takes place in a world of magic and intrigue, whilst the characters may all be older than the target audience they are all very different- players relate to at least one of them on some level and root for this companion.

Bioware started by building cartoon animatic to get feel for game before actually beginning to make the Dragon age levels and characters using 3D modelling.When they started properly developing the game they used the Dragon age engine they had built. In order to enhance the gameplay Bioware made sure the combat was faster and more responsive in comparison to Dragon age: Origins; as well as stepping up the graphics for players. The dialogue system from Origins was replaced by the ‘’wheel’’ so the players knew what effect their speech was going to have. The quest system makes players more interested in achieving tasks as they will be awarded with equipment for their character for doing so and be able to advance through the game.

The characters are relevant to the target audience as they manage to have dialogue that the player can both empathise with and laugh at. Each of them has a different personality and backstory; there will be at least one that teenagers playing will relate to. As it is a fantasy adventure not every companion is human; there are other races such as elves or dwarves! Your companions are a very important factor of Dragon age, as it is an RPG the way you communicate with them will affect whether they like you or not which can have repercussions. Overall they are very strong characters, when speaking to each one of them you will be able to notice a difference in the way they prefer you to act around them to get a higher friendship which gives you a great sense of their personalities.

The challenge of the game is to complete both main story and side quests in order to gain approval with your companions and rise to a higher position within the city of Kirkwall. This challenge is very engaging as the game spans over a decade, because of this the player feels as though they know each character better as well as the city of Kirkwall and few locations surrounding it. The combat within the game is key to the games success as it is fast paced and considered a ‘step up’ from the prequel. It manages to engage with the narrative because of the three different classes evident within battles, for instance you may choose a mage as your protagonists class. A mage plays differently to a rogue or warrior as well as being treated differently within the world and narrative. Throughout the game your character will level up and gain more abilities to keep the player interested in testing these out.

The target audience of the game are teenagers (15-18 years old) as its more of a fantasy game yet still contains themes which can be hard hitting at times with a series of fantastical characters to explore. It doesn’t have as much realism as other games might and the story has the opportunity to be slightly less developed as the fantasy nature of the genre tends to take over, because of this mature adults would be less interested in playing it. Other games targeting a similar audience are the mass effect and Bioshock trilogies, Dragon age 2 has been reviewed as not having as ingenious of a story line as either of these video games but still makes to do well targeting it’s desired audience within its combat and character development.

This game is available for Xbox 360, PS3, Microsoft windows and Mac OS X. I’d say that Dragon age 2 is better suited to Xbox 360 and PS3 as the remotes have triggers on them that can be used for combat. As well as this, using console controllers means you can make more drastic changes on the control system so the gameplay is more suited to you.

LO1- Game analysis: Sneak

I will be looking at aspects of the game Sneak such as gameplay, characterisation and the target audience to analyse how Made in me Ltd have used these categories to create what they believe is an innovative gaming experience.
It is a game for young children that fits into the interactive genre as it uses a sound sensor to listen out for your movements. There are strategic aspects within it as the kid must plan how to move to the phone without alerting the ‘monster’. There is an end goal and different difficulty levels for the player to conform to. In comparison to other titles it has less of a definitive end as it high a high replayability factor like many iOS games. It doesn’t fit quite so simply into any one genre so is quite difficult to compare to others such as the 7 second challenge.

You play as somebody that needs to hide from a monster and can only win by sneaking towards your phone and pressing the screen to take a picture of the monster. Because you are hiding the game requires you to move quietly, if you don’t the phone will hear your movement and you will be caught. To young children, as it is a monster they are hiding from they will feel cautious and listen closely to the narrative voice to instruct them. The story is simplistic for children to follow and imaginative.

This game was produced by Made in me Ltd via storyboarding and then eventual creation on their own engine. The sound sensors enhance the gameplay by making it harder for players as they are physically hiding. Voiceovers and childish music made the gameplay more interesting as it adds to the childish style. Sneak’s gameplay is infinite because of the difficulty settings, completing one difficulty makes it feel like you have progressed. There are other typical mechanics such as being interactive to the player which makes it both stylistic and unique.

The characters are playful and colourful. The cuddly monsters are described as being a friend for the child playing, appealing to the players as they are playing the game alone and will wish for a companion. Their approachablility makes them easy to interact with, thus matching the conventions of the genre, it gives a more inviting and fun approach to the game. However, the characters within the game are very simplistic and the narrator is restricted to certain phrases. Whilst they may appeal to children they are not particularly strong when compared to other figures.

The challenge of the game is to take a picture of the monster without it hearing you. This requires the child to be very sneaky and focus on the game, the unique stylings and quirky animations on screen attract the attention of children. The sound receptors are vital to the games success. Sneak stands out as you really are hiding from a monster, it isn’t a character on the screen! The fact that you physically need to participate to engage with the game to complete levels will keep children interested. You are instructed on your movement by the quirky narrative voice, the voice makes you a part of the story. There are three different difficulty modes, once you have completed one players can move onto another and will want to complete it to feel a sense of achievement.

The target audience are young children, you can tell as the game is relatively easy and follows a simple story so that they can follow what’s happening. It has a colourful style and cartoonesque characters that will appeal to young children as it makes it eye-catching. Also, the volatile narrative voice is amusing and explains the mechanics as well as offering help to the player so that young children understand the game. The rating of Sneak is age 5 and under, other games such as Super Mario (Nintendo wii/DS) or the popular game Minecraft (multiple platforms) have the same age rating and target their audience in a similar manner with bright, interesting settings and a simple/no storyline. It’s different to these games in the sense that it doesn’t require you to press buttons and instead you are the one interacting.

Sneak is available solely on iOS. It’s really only suited for this platform as it needs to be able to listen to your movement and react accordingly; although it could be moved to other platforms such as android providing they have the same capabilities.

Target grade

MTG: DD