Documentation

Slums Environment

I aim to produce a realistic slums environment level set in Kenya on a PS3 platform.

 

 

Personal Aim – To become an environment artist and demonstrate my capability of designing weapons.

Objective – Design and create a successful playable FPS level and further my technical knowledge within the game engine (UDK).

Genre – FPS, SHMUP.

Audience – 15+

Software – I will use 3ds Max and UDK as the game engine.

Technical Specifications for:

·         Lead Character

Poly Budget – 7000 Tri’s demonstrating clean and solid topology.

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Style – Mercenary with armour

·         An NPC

Poly Budget – 4000 Tri’s

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Style – Kenyan rebel

·         A Vehicle

Poly Budget – 3000 Tri’s  

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

One abandoned vehicle used for parts and on bricks

·         The Environment

Poly Budget – 20,000 Tri’s

Textures – 10xDiffuse, 10xNormal and 10xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024 on each

I will use a mixture of unique texturing and tillable texturing for the slums as well as reference images.

·         Weapons

Poly Budget – 2,500 Tri’s per weapon (14 weapons) 

Textures – 1xDiffuse, 1xNormal and 1xspecularity map with a budget of 1024x1024

Realistic weapons will be hidden in one shack ready for the lead character to collect for example this Scar-L assault rifle.

Level Design

  I don’t know much about level design to be honest so I have been looking through a few websites gathering some information from tutorials and articles. It’s quite clear how much planning and preparation is put into the design before it started. I will go through a process I think is a general guideline I think everyone seems to stick to when creating an environment. The majority of artists I have looked at have planned and executed a whole map in just 3weeks. I’m guessing this must be industry standard but I think time management is vital when doing so.

 This is the basic work flow I have come across with most artists but i have been looking at one in particular named Alex A.Galuzin

Ideas – Initial vision of the level, what it consists of. This will mainly be images of things that trigger your imagination, put them all down on a mood board and write a list of the things you want to include, don’t set a technical limit yet. Get some cool ideas to work from for inspiration then you can move on.

Reference – Collect reference images, get a feel for the atmosphere you want to create, this gives you a better image in your head of what you want to achieve in the end.

Visualization – this puts you into the mindset, it’s very important to see your final product before it is done. If this doesn’t happen you will be doing it by trial and error which will equal bad planning and a lot of frustration.

 

 

Planning and Execution – Sketch out a few visually pleasing guidelines of what you think the map will look like for example a top down view of how it will play out and where you would want the player to explore. After this you can jump in to the editor and starts blocking in big shapes in your map, no details just get the basics down roughly.

 

 

Atmosphere - Set the scene outside the environment to create the feel you wanted. Add the sky and terrain to see how the space will look, again not much detail the basic lights.

Playable Map – Test the map, run around in it, see if you like how the map is planned out. Having no details on the map at this stage will help you really concentrate on the layout itself.

Textures – Start blocking in your textures and getting rid of the checked patterns!

Adding Objects – Any objects you wanted to include can now be modelled and textured it’s like a phase one of putting in the detail. Still at this stage add the big details then go to the small and don’t just concentrate one area of the map.

Adding Objects Phase 2 – Strat detailing specific details of the map, polish up individual areas.

Lights – Add the light you think will create the best atmosphere you want to achieve

Gameplay – As well as you ask other to play the map, they will probably find flaws that you won’t!

 

  Following these artists has given me such a better idea of what level design is all about and how to develop my own ideas. I will do more research like this when it comes to group projects!!

Visual Composition

 I think it is vital for anyone trying to develop their skills in art to understand exactly what meaning of visual composition is. The term composition means ‘putting together’ this is basically elements put together by conscious thought, it can also be thought of as the organisation of the elements of art according to the principles of art. Understanding this principle and being able to develop it in my work is a professional skill I need to acquire. When looking at successful piece of work you can see how and why that person has placed the elements in a particular order, for either realism or for the image to have impact and make the audience feel a certain way. For example if a  photograph was taken at a man’s level this would treat him as an equal, if one was taken from below it could result in an impression of dominance.

 

 I have recently tried to incorporate good composition into my 3d work, I haven’t had much feedback from the design yet but I’m hoping the way I have laid out specific objects creates and impression of realism, which was the brief to create a realistic grouping of trash as seen outside on the streets. Admitting the background of my final render needed a bit of tweaking as the colours didn’t really fit well within the scene and the lighting I used didn’t compliment the brick wall. I spent quite a while arranging the different objects and making duplicates of assets to make it more interesting, I think it’s easier to apply good composition to something you can already move around, this is why so much planning and concepting is important before attempting to start a final piece.

 

 A few principles of organisation which can affect the composition are shape and proportion, negative space, colour, contrast, geometry, lines, lighting, repetition and perspective. This is important to remember when developing any work, another technique visual artists use is the Rule of Thirds.

 The rule of thirds is a guideline followed by some visual artists. The objective is to stop the subject(s) and areas of interest (such as the horizon) from bisecting the image, by placing them near one of the lines that would divide the image into three equal columns and rows, ideally near the intersection of those lines.

 I struggle to understand and put this into practise myself with my images but I am going to start using these guidelines and see if my work improves, if so my work should be aesthetically pleasing which means the elements must be arranged in a composition ally balanced way. Overall practising these techniques can only improve my work and then eventually I can develop the understanding of where specific elements within UDK should be placed. The sooner I learn this the better, better knowledge of this will help create decent level design and help me with our group project in the future.

 

Planning & Concepting

 This blog is still about elements of game design but I will be talking about the planning and concepting that goes into producing a successful product. The games industry relies heavily on the good solid initial planning, similar to writing a brief before you start modelling on 3ds and basically any design work in general. All artists require a base to work from, ideas need to be visually explored before they are processed and developed. I remember watching the ‘Black Hawk Down in the making’ documentary and thinking how amazing it was that this whole idea and art direction had come from small thumb nail concept art, a lot like a comic book. I found this interesting because it’s easy to assume that films/games are made from just random activities churned together in a sequence to look visually pleasing.

 Concept artists will be given an idea or a brief on the project, the artists will then take this idea and sketch from ten to a hundred thumbnails exploring the possibilities and designs. Then out of all these only a handful will be picked for further development. If this process is not carried out the likelihood of the project being a success is already at a low.

 I have recently taken a great interest in the game soon to be released called ‘the last of us’ unfortunately only on the ps3 platform and i believe to be inspired by the film 'I am Legend'. Visually the game looks stunning with such high intensity detail and game play, very similar to ‘Uncharted’ made by naughty dog. I have found that the artists James Paick from the USA actually contributed towards both of these games, designing brilliant concepts for both environments, below are a few concepts he put together for the last of us.

 

  I know these pictures don’t show the development of the concepts and only the final product, but they just so brilliant and detailed you could actually spend a long time looking at them. You can automatically tell how much work has gone into one of these images, the colour and atmosphere creates such an great image for the audience, and let’s be honest if you can accomplish this people will want to play your game. Concepts art like this makes the games so appealing for example Uncharted was so popular because the environments were so realistic and stunning due to the planning that gamers were quite happy just to walk around the level. I believe the to bring this kind detail into the game the 3d modellers have to work very closely with the 2d team trying to being the concept to life. The concept provided is never an absolute but its more than a guideline, obviously there are technical challenges to overcome so you have to allow change with assets etc. I hope to achieve this level of organisation and one day develop something as stunning as this.

Reflection & Ambition

Now I have finally made it into the second year I can start to see how much I have progressed through the first year, not just with 3ds max but with drawing, Photoshop and adopting a way of learning that suits me. Having these fundamental skills gives me the ability to concentrate less on the finals and how I’m actually going to do them and more on the ideas, concepts and planning of any projects.

For me, a stressful first year was all about learning the foundations for example, learning new software, presenting work effectively and how the course runs. I know the second year will be a lot harder and probably even more stressful (I hear in the group projects) but I have already found in this first project that I’m not worrying about as many things. Projects this year will be a lot more interesting as I have found already. This time last year I would have been panicking about weather I would have finished the work in time for the deadline, now I have finished the work with plenty of time left to so anything I don’t think is right again and I can think about the best way to present my work professionally, I have even been looking into how to make a quick video of the project. Having developed the skills and knowledge in first year allows me to think about the projects in advanced way.

‘For me. Life is continuously being hungry’ this is part of a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger in his body building documentary I watch a while ago ‘Pumping Iron’. In this documentary Arnold is constantly eating he needs to fuel his body with high protein, high carb meals as a body builders diet is essential to succeed in any competition. Although I am interested in sports and often go to the gym, this doesn’t have much relevance to what I am studying but I found myself always using it to motivate myself. I talk about this because it’s exactly how I feel about the second year, I find with the right motivation and dedication I can succeed this year. I’m excited about the new projects and also the thought of possibly finding myself work experience through the summer!

My ambition for the second year is to leave with more than 60%, I hope to achieve this through all 3 modules but am yet to find an area I wish to pursue. A lot of people on the course know which direction they are headed for example, they want to be a character artists or environmental artists. Hopefully as I progress through the year I can think about it more and decide on which area I would succeed in. I have recently taken an interest in weapons but I’m not sure if that’s because I have been playing Borderlands 2 who won the award for the most amount of weapons in a game! Look how good these are!!

 

 

Year 2!

 

  Year 2!!!##


Well here i am in the 2nd year! Right now the emotions are high, i already have the the first few projects to complete and have had so long off will take me a few days to get back into everything! i decided to go travelling for the summer which seemed like a good idea at the time but now I'm struggling to remember anything on 3ds! Anyway i had an amazing summer in sunny Europe topping up the tan and taking plenty of photo's! I actually stumbled across some amazing architecture in Croatia as literately none of the houses are the same, everyone is unique which is far from what we have in the UK. I had so many ideas for environments for levels, the use of colour in Europe is used so much more.



So our first Game Production project is to model and texture a trash box with rubbish, i have been doing some research and taking photos around town and finding random things people would throw away. I think i will try and add a PG tips box, cereal box and a banana skin into mine as they seem like the fairly generic thing to see in trash. The brief sets a fairly realistic scene so i think ill stick to what i see out in public and add a few personal touches. General modelling of the project shouldn't be a problem, although the texture of the bin bags does look like it could be a little tricky. I think spec maps and lighting will be vital in making this look aesthetically pleasing and realistic!

 

 

This picture gives you the general idea but a bit too much for what I'm modelling. Mine will be about 4 bin bags a few box's and some cardboard. I think i should include a brick background and pavement to make it look a bit more real to life. I have 3 weeks to complete this project so hopefully it will be looking like a good bit of trash!!

 

I'm exited starting the second year and looking forward to the group projects! I will be working alot harder this year as it all counts from now on! I also attended an interesting demo given by mike about a few characters from games and how they were put together. A very useful talk gives a good understanding of how to be the most efficient you can be and how useful all the maps are because they produce such a good finish to the final!

 

Final Post

Through out the 1^st year on this course I find I have been constantly struggling to find out how I can specifically improve on different areas. Although I know we feedback sheets, which are barely readable, but they do provide us with information to help with our development, however I would love to suggest an increase in the amount of time we actually get with a lecturer. I feel that even though I have been here a year I haven’t spoke to any of the teachers for longer than a minute, obviously I understand that there are 60 students which all cry attention or maybe I’m being stupid and I’m used to the usual college teachers that nag on at you to get on with work. 

 Looking at the current state of the industry and game development I can only agree with the structure of the course no matter how intense it is I think its only preparing you for what’s actually expected at industry standard. The drawing, writing and 3d work is only increasing your chances of landing a job at the end. In a way I wish I could just learn the beast of 3ds max and solely find a job in doing so but I believe everything is just as important, developing drawing skills will make your models look realistic and believable. I do love working on 3ds Max and sometimes annoying as it is, when I can see the finish line I find it quite therapeutic.

  Looking at my own feedback sheets I am struggling with visual design, I have not passed one formative assessment yet and I am worried that what I have done won’t be enough. Practice is the only thing that helps in this course but you should always be able to see yourself improving, which I think I can.

A very important issue, which I know a lot of people, feel the same about is the labs not being open later. At the beginning of year this was a real issue for me as my unfortunately my laptop wasn’t powerful enough to run a lot of the programmes we needed to use. Now this would mean I could only use the lab computers but there not open on weekends so realistically I only have 2 days to use them. I know everyone would much appreciate the labs being open later especially 3^rd years. 

 Not sure if this will be a useful suggestion but I have wanted to look at a very successful piece of 3^rd years work in detail. I would like to see how they actually got to this idea and the process they went through to develop the work into a decent project. I think more of this would give 1^st years a better insight of how to approach their work and develop their own ideas. I know there is pictures of work posted up around but none of the initial ideas are, just a thought.  

Environments!

‘There is nothing more amateurish than arbitrary architecture’. This statement highlights the necessity for systematic and life-inspired environments within a game, which provoke a sense of realism and belief in the mind of the player. Game designers therefore have a high level of duty in determining how successful a game is through its setting and ambiance. In this way, the atmosphere of a game is essential. For example, in order to create a scary and intense atmosphere, the environment should be bleak and dark. Not only this, but the smaller details of the game e.g. features of a room or building should assist in dictating the overall ‘feeling’ of the game. Furthermore, the accessibility of a game is also dictated by the environment. Sandbox games provide this accessibility by allowing players to utilise all props and features within the game and also allow players to go anywhere they like without boundaries. In order to achieve this sense of openness, the environment must provide exciting new experiences, so that the player indulges in the exploration of ‘never-ending’ space.

 Cevat Yerli, the CEO of Crytek, admires the ‘choreographed sandbox’ style of game, which combines the freedom of sandbox games with intermediate choreographed sequences, which create the cinematic experience within the game that is so successful with audiences. Collapsing buildings and falling skyscrapers are powerful images that unfluence the atmosphere of a game. The balance between realism and stylisation is important to control, as with all aspects of the game, it is vital to maintain a realistic environment. Falling skyscrapers etc are ‘acceptable’ cinematic additions, that although are relatively fictional, help to enhance the intensity of the game.

 This is a screen shot of a game produced by Techland called Dead Island, the reason I picked this image I recently went to travel around Bali and looking back through my pictures I found that most of them look like the game environment! I love the holiday feel to the place, the colours are very vibrant and reminds me of places I have been in the past, which would make me want to play the game. I believe the concept for the game is situated in 5star hotel called The Royal Palms resort which i believe is also a hotel in Miami. This blends in with the natural beauty of Banoi just off the coast of Papa New Guinea. The game is an action packed FPS which concentrates on the close-up melee attacks, there are a vast array of weapons and combo's however this can prove to very repetitive. Although the games has negative reviews i find the environment interesting with believable architecture and a flawless tropical beaches which i think the audience can easily relate to.  

Level designers are responsible for designing and decorating a level in a way that prompts a player to navigate in a certain way. A back story is essential to achieving a play pathway. A realistic storyline, which can be realised on screen, enables all departments to express it through art, animation and sound.

Characters

 The expression ‘you always want, what you can’t have ‘is very fitting when talking about characters in books, games, TV and films. I think the audience creates an emotional attachment to that character in different ways for example, women fall in love with Edward Cullen from the twilight series because he is seen to be the perfect man where as men like him because they want to be him.   Personally I love characters that possess individual qualities/special powers that I could never have, for example Dante from Devil May Cry is a demon mercenary that uses super human abilities to make his way through objectives. I don’t like him just because he can jump around using multiple combo attacks on people, that’s a bonus, the storyline, his personality, looks, movements, style, flair and voice all contribute into a very likeable character which you want to interact with. Every quality is as important as the next and I think if you get all these correct your character will be a success in any category. I believe game company’s know that they have to tick all the right boxes when developing a game but originality is the difficult part, finding something that’s new and exciting but will interest core gamers to keep playing and wanting more. I find characters at the moment are always quite eccentric, they stand out in a way that captures your attention, and this is just one of the many techniques developers must use to create a successful character. Attention to detail especially in game characters is so important as this is what the gamer will be looking at for the majority of the game, in most cases the character you play with will be very easy on the eye, so facially good looking and attire instantly make you like the person. 

 The script is very important as I think trying to make the connection between story-line, character, drama and environment is  very hard, if this is wrong the game would end up uninteresting and boring, a failure. You will know how important acting is from films, bad actor means bad film it’s the same principle with all media except games are not as realistic. First impressions mean a lot in games so the appearance of a character can determine the same of that game, personally if I pick up a game and see how cool the character looks and I like the concept I’ll most likely buy it. I have a very bland view on what’s right and wrong with stories and almost all of the time its good vs. evil and then good win. I suppose it’s all about what happens within that story and weather gamers will be interested in it or not however I don’t really have a favourite plot/storyline I could pick out.         

Art Direction

           
The term ‘captain’ greatly describes the role of an art director, as someone who is very much a team member, but who also carries the burden of profound responsibility in dictating and finalising the visual outcome, quality and overall ambiance of a game. 

 A flare for creativity and awareness of detail within a game are of paramount importance to an Art Director’s skill. The ability to create a sense of reality in both the environment and characters of a game is vital to the end product in terms of its relative success or failure. Thus, a good Art Director is aware of each individual prop and the notion that the smallest feature can depict the overall nature of a surrounding or character. Using colour, texture and tone to portray a positive or negative aspect, for example, an enemy/team mate or good/evil, is a potent method in quickly establishing the mood of the player. Such commitment to the realism of a game conveys a sense of authenticity and is certainly a praised quality by all game-players alike, who are able to feel more ‘involved’ in a game that is so realistic. Furthermore, in order to achieve this, an Art Director and his team may have the opportunity to work with Subject Matter Experts, who aid the artists in creating a game that represents the subject, as closely as possible, e.g. the detailing on army outfits and weaponry.   

 The Art Director, who is ultimately responsible to the Producer, works in tandem with both the Creative Director and Design Lead to set and the standards for a game, with insightful knowledge of technics and technical limitation requirements.  In addition, an Art Director must work in close conjunction with the Game Designer and Lead Artist to sculpt the game world. Although the Art Director maintains the responsibility for defining the visual direction of the project as a whole, the lead artist must work to interpret the Art Director’s vision. In this way, a sense of unification in mind-set and target is essential for a ‘successful’ game result.

An excellent Art director must have tree major characteristics: creativity, confidence and competence. Thinking outside the box and the ability to arrive at new methods and approaches will help in aspiring designers. Confidence will help project a positive image in addition being open to risk is crucial so a great deal of self confidence is needed to complete certain tasks. The creative industry is a competitive one. Industry participants need to wrestle with their full capacity to remain in the industry this is where competence is vital. The rules and responsibilities of an art director are certainly parallel to those of a game art director in terms of their roles and responsibilities. The most important of these roles is having the capability to bring directors aesthetic vision to life, in this way, a film art director is also responsible for delegating tasks to members of a production team, much in the same way as a game art director.

Game Design - Pt 1

   

What is meant by Gameplay?


 When i hear the word gameplay i always think of having a controller in my hand and a headset on shouting at the non responsive tv, normally expressing my anger in someway. But essentially it is not. Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with the game, its the connection between the players and the game, the challenges the player has to overcome and experience the player has with the plot of the game. This term is basically used to describe the interactive aspect of game design. Some aspects of gameplay would include, the presence of an environment, rules governing changes in the game, rewards and punishments for the player and players being able to interact with the environment such as moving objects. There are also different types of gameplay such as cooperative or deathmatch. 

 Game Design which i think is the same as Game Development is not the sole responsibility of one person in a company but a job for the whole team to create. I believe this is the process and development of designing the content and rules of the game including story line, challenges, characters and environments. This team puts together not just artistic skills but great writing and documentation demonstrating a preview of the idea put forward. I could say a leading game design company would be Bioware manufacturing games such as Mass Effect but i could argue  that these games are just copies and developments of an original idea, so is the design any different from a game such as doom? I believe the huge growth of technology has allowed such companies to change to look of games but in my opinion the design has not been changed.

 I think the interaction with games can be different depending on what the player wants, different genre of game provide different interaction therefor the design of those games cant all be the same. Different genres include action-adventure, role playing, simulation, strategy and shooter. For example flight simulator would not have the same design principles as Call of Duty, although they both want the player to feel like their very much involved in the game, i think the development process on how they do that would differ. 

What do i need to keep me interested?

 Stats and showboating! A major factor in keeping my attention on a game is the statistics of my character, this i guess like many other players keeps me wanting more. If i know i can improve, learn new skills or have to level up to get a certain weapon then ill play until i get it. Obviously not just this alone though, visual effects, great cinematics, intriguing story line and a character you grow to love are all important for me to keep playing. I am also a big fan of the ever growing online multiplayer games, this adds a certain amount of competitiveness, knowing that your playing someone else makes you want to be better. I guess all game companies thrive on all these factors when developing a game otherwise no one would bother buying them!  

Game Review: DMC 4

 Devil May Cry 4, released in 2008 is the newest entry in the revered series and by far one of my all time favorite high quality action games. Released on both platforms this 'feel good' game as i call it ticks all the box's for my personal preference, not quite as challenging as Devil May Cry 3 however it's no walk in the park.The first half of the game provides you with a excellent and stylish newcomer Nero,who has a selection of impressive and elegant moves obviously cut from the same cloth as Dante (the star of previous games).
 In a nutshell the games takes you through a story about Nero, and how he struggles to learn the truth about his own religious organization, The Order of the Sword and Dante's apparent murder of its its leader. This all takes place in a surreal demonic world with copious amounts of powerful architecture and melodramatic cut-scenes. Although i found the levels slightly repetitive most of my attention was focused on his stylish game play.
 The character Nero possesses a powerful demonic arm, otherwise known as the ‘devil bringer’, which gives him the ability to grab enemies from a distance and slam them down forcefully. Nero acquires other tactical combinations, providing the player with much game-satisfaction. Both a variety of methods in which to slash an opponent combined with slick timing earns the player an overall better grade at the end of the level. In this way, the game ensures players are kept interested by providing a means to ‘show off’ and display their range of capabilities
 As well as the story missions the game also offers secret missions which is no doubt the most challenging aspect of the game for example you will have to dispatch every demon within the allotted time, you aren't required to do these mission but accomplishing these tasks is incredibly gratifying. The second half the game you take control of Dante, whilst losing the devil bringer is a bit of a disappointment, Dante's new weapons accompanied with 5 new fighting styles is a lot of fun especially Pandora's box developing flashy ways to destroy demons!
 As you work your way through the puzzles you have the freedom to free roam to help break up the fast pace and acquire new techniques for tougher bosses. Each boss is widely different from the last and visually stunning, these spectacular battles require perfect split-second timing and reflexes, these boss's are cleverly designed and very rewarding to deal with.
 DMC 4 is definitely a looker showcasing a great deal of style and flair in their movements, the damage you do to the enemy the better it looks on screen. The most impressive moves are accompanied with equally powerful sound effects, again using a heavy metal effects that most demon inspired games and films use during combat. Devil May Cry 4 delivers a lot of action that will please fans and if you liked previous series you will love this one.  

New Game Journalism

Although i have explored various video game blog, online and print articles i have a very negative view on the direction of strategy guide previews and printed magazines such as Edge, Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games. It is typically based on a core reveal/preview/review cycle. There has been a recent growth in online publications and blogs which in my opinion will eventually lead to a decrease in the number of video game magazines published, or being completely abolished.  

"New Games Journalism....argues that the worth of a video game lies not in the game, but with the gamer." 

New Games Journalism (NGJ) is a video game journalism term, coined in 2004 by journalist Kieron Gillen, in which personal anecdotes, references to other media, and creative analyses are used to explore game design, play, and culture. It is a model of New Journalism applied to video game journalism. Gillen's NGJ manifesto was first published on the now defunct state forum/website, a community of video game players often engaged in discussion and analysis of their hobby, from which an anecdotal piece, Bow Nigger, had appeared. Gillen cites the work as a major inspiration for and example of what NGJ should achieve and the piece was later republished in the UK edition of PC gamer. 

A recent blog entry from Blogcritics suggest that games don't have great writing because they don't have to. This is an on-going argument as other journalists believe a great action adventure game needs a good story line making a great write up and anything being uninteresting, however others think any modern genre game now can have an equally as good write up. Personally i wouldn't buy any official printed magazine as i think the journalists have a certain limit and are governed buy the company they work for. It is common sense to know that if PlayStation develop a Game the possibility of them giving them giving the game a bad review is very low. 


I value writing about this subject and in doing so believe i learn so much more about the industry as i progress, I think many others would agree when i say i would prefer reading personal online blogs and reviews on video games, i feel the post will deliver an honest opinion even if this will be bias towards the gamers needs. I have also come across other forms of video game writing which include: 

• Blogs - often carrying rumours and hype
• Online - cater for a larger audience and contain huge amounts of information
• Video Based - game trailers and recorded game play
• Strategy Guide - walkthroughs, previews and reviews
• Printed - Magazines such as Play, PC Gamer and Nintendo Power
• Television - Game Trailers TV and X-Play