Game Reflection Paper - Red Dead Redemption 2IntroductionRed Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is a Western-themed action-adventure game in an open-world environment. Published by Rockstar Games, it is a prequel of its 2010 release, Red Dead Redemption. The game is probably one of the most anticipated video games this season because of its astonishing graphics, realistic worldbuilding, and engaging narratives. The game is set in 1899, and follows Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and a member of a gang that works on various jobs to secure the group's freedom. Since the game’s release (Oct 26, 2018), it has gained acclaim from all media on its design. Most reviews of the game are positive and many comment on how different the game feels than other open-world games on the market. What makes the game so different? Structure of the Game: Linear, Open-world or Open-ended? The structure of RDR2 is unique as it sits in between traditional linear adventure games and open-ended simulation-type games. Like several other new games released this year (Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Spider-Man etc.) RDR2 has an open-world environment, but an overarching linear storyline. The game has a clear structure, broken into chapters. Each chapter takes the gang’s camp to a new location. There is a clearly a main storyline and side quests, making it similar to traditional, linear action-adventure games. However, the game has a vast map, a variety of activities and freedom of choice available to players. This structure provides goals within goals (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003, chap 24). In this structure, the player can enjoy all aspects of the game, from moment-to-moment core mechanics (e.g. gunfighting, hunting) to short-term accomplishments (e.g. successfully finishing a bounty hunt) to the final outcome of the game. The game also gives autonomy to the players. Each choice the player makes can potentially affect the Non-Player Characters’ (NPCs’)reactions to the player, providing the player agency. However, the game does not provide true transformation since it does not provide a distinctive different outcome with each play (Mateas & Stern, 2004)—ultimately, you will follow the story as written, even if the activities you complete along the way might differ. The game is not an open-ended simulation like SimCity. A true open-ended simulation would offer multiple trajectories of experiences, multiple trajectories into the space, multiple modes of interaction within the space, and multiple trajectories outward (Squire, 2008). Often, it also allows the player to design their own game scenarios. Though players can create their own conflict (by shooting people down the street or initiating a fist-fight) to create different paths and trajectories (taking certain side-missions, decide on when to do what), it doesn’t offer a vast distinctive outcome of the game. “As a rule of thumb, if a game has many spots where a player can say to another, ‘remember where you did x,’ then the game is a role-playing game, not a sandbox game” (Squire, 2008). Since the main storyline is the same for everybody, I can definitely discuss certain jobs with friends who play the same game. The game is not an open-ended game because the the narrative of the game is heavily guided. Another quality of the open-ended game is that the game is usually not focused on the player identity, but rather “more about inhabiting a world from a general perspective, which the player can play out in whatever manner suits his or her taste” (Squire, 2008). RDR2 sits in the middle for this definition. The player has been given a character identity–the life of Arthur Morgan. You can not change your identity, and players are emotionally invested in the character. However, the player also inhabits a rich world where they can do what they want. The game even provides a mechanic to measure how “honorable” or “dishonorable” your particular version of Arthur Morgan is. The game is a simulated-environment. The game simulates a very realistic image of the Wild West at a specific historical period. From architecture, clothing, to the movement of the horses, the game uses realistic imagery to enhance its embodiment of the West. The game also provides a realistic ecosystem of the world (wildlife, weather, NPCs) for players to interact with. Narrative Another unique quality of the game is its rich narrative and character building. The narrative give players a strong motivation to proceed with tasks. The tutorial of the game is an extremely interesting experience. In the beginning of the the game, the player is thrown into a high quality, cinematic story of the gang looking for shelter in the cold winter in the mountains. Unlike some games that introduce player controls immediately, RDR2 doesn’t introduce player controls until several minutes into the cinematic narrative. It prepares the player to understand the whole situation and motivation of the characters. The tutorial is heavily guided by the storyline. It is structured like a continuous plot with mini-missions. The learning process was smooth and gradual. Another unique feature of the game is blurring the lines between the cinematic narrative and player control. When the screen is showing a cutscene, a wide-angle cinematic lens drops down. When the cutscene is over, it simply moves back to regular screen size. There is no loading image and no juxtaposition or feeling of loss after the cutscene. According other’s reviews, many have experienced that they did not notice that they were already in a cutscene and were still trying to press buttons to make their horse move. Narrative is important in RDR2 because without it, it would be a game of pure skill and technique (how to hunt, shoot and rob). The narrative provides motivation for players to complete quests. For example, “I am motivated to go into the snow storm to save another member of my gang,” “I want to safely transport a lady I rescued,” etc. Embodiment - Autonomy of Choices The game is heavily focused on narrative and embodiment of the player. One way the game provides embodiment is by giving players a lot of choices. Each of the choices has a consequence, and this creates meaningful play (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003, chap 6). There are two types of player choices: micro and macro. The micro level represents the small, moment-to-moment choices a player is confronted with during a game. The macro level of choice represents the way these micro-choices join together like a chain to form a larger trajectory of experience (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003, chap 6). The game offers many micro-choices. For example, each Non-Player Character (NPC) in the game is interactive and will react differently toward the player character's appearance and actions. If the character's clothes are dirty or have a robber mask on, NPCs might comment that they don't want to be associated with the character or they might act scared when approached. If the character takes a bath and dresses more respectfully, NPCs will act warmly. This level of interaction creates meaningful play on a micro-level. This gives the player the autonomy to choose their actions, but such actions have no effect on the overarching storyline. The game also creates meaningful choices on a macro-level. If the player decide to kill an NPC instead of letting them go, the player may experience a revenge plot from a relative of the NPC later in the game. If the player has done too many irresponsible deeds, the player’s “honor” will suffer. Embodiment - Visuals and Soundtrack The visuals and score are so realistic, they all create effective engagement for the player (Plass, Homer & Kinzer 2015). In the game, when your character skins an animal, you watch and can hear each involved step. The game is emotionally transcending. I personally felt scared when the character was walking along the cliff, or being shot at. Though the game does not offer the same feeling as a VR game, where the player is literally seeing the environment in 3D and hearing the sound in 3D, as a novice player, I was constantly stressed when a cutscene ended and I gained control of the player’s body. For example, if I don’t move my horse, I will fall behind. If I don’t actively dodge, I will get shot. This corresponds to reading on the emotional core affect that when playing the game gives the player a full simulated behavior (Plass & Kaplan, U., 2014), the players may experience transcending core affect. (Russell, 2003) Of course, such anxiety is necessary for creating pleasure in games (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003). The reward of (finally) getting it right was enjoyable. Every NPC is voiced by a voice actor. They sound realistic and it is different than cute Nintendo games where characters conversation are displayed by text only. The background music and soundtrack create the full embodiment of the Wild West. Information Design & Game Play Spatial Contiguity The map is located at the bottom left corner of the screen. All the iconic representations are located on top of the little map circle. Information like health and stamina can be easily viewed in the same space. This is good information design as it follows the spatial contiguity principle (Plass 2015). Cues The game gives significant cues on player’s health, and even the horse health is displayed all the time since the horse is the main transportation of the game. Instead of a traditional health bar, when a player is shot, the screen will show red to signal the injury. This seems to be a quite common cueing approach in modern game design. When a crime has been reported, the area on the map becomes red, which suggests danger and tension, and urges the player to move out of the area to avoid being caught. The controllers also provide cues. For example, the controller will vibrate when the character’s horse bumps into another person. Cognitive Overload The game is huge with a complex array of possible inputs. Just like other big, open-world games, it allows players to take many distinct actions. Many actions subsequently means that there are going to be a lot buttons for players to press. One may argue that RDR2 just has way too many functions when compared to limited number of buttons on the device, with the result that the same button can mean different functions under different situations. This complex system creates a cognitive overload and results in some confusion at times. In live stream game-play videos, you will often see people intend to act nice, but instead push the wrong button, resulting in punching people or pulling guns on people when they had no such intention. For example, L2 can mean “focus on something” when there are things nearby, but in combat, it also means to aim your weapon. Another is that triangle can mean mount your horse, but with another button held, it can mean to rob someone. I have also experience this frustration very early in the game, while playing the tutorial, I accidentally pulled out the gun and aimed at my allies while trying to simply examine a note. Movement
Like any simulated game, it is extremely difficult to simulate a human’s actions. Sometimes, the character will get stuck in a narrow space, which creates frustration for players. The game aims to create an immersive game environment and it wants the game to feel big. So one solution the game came up with was to (almost) completely remove the option of fast travel. The player needs to move around by riding a horse the entire way, and sometimes it can be a long time to travel long distances. There is a cinematic feature that makes player follow along the road, but the AI doesn’t seem to know to avoid others on the road, resulting in the player bumping into other NPCs on the road if not paying attention. It is rare for an open-world game to require player attention 100% of the time. Perspectives An interesting aspect of the game is that is can be played from either first person or third person perspective.In RDR2, all players have to be the main character Arthur Morgan. The game does not give you the freedom to choose another character. Some story arcs are told in first person perspective. There is a specific story arc where the main character gets drunk and starts to urinate in the back of the bar. It was extremely uncomfortable as a female player to experience in first person something that I have never (and physically could never have) done before. Reward System The game has various kinds of reward systems - Rewards of Glory (badges and metals), Rewards of Substance (food and money), Rewards of Access (secret door to do certain job), and Rewards of Facility (new skills such as hunting, lassoing etc.) (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003, chap 24) to encourage players to advance in the game. Lessons Learned The game teaches history and moral actions and consequences. The game in a way is a simulation of the West at the turn of the century. By experiencing the realistic lifestyles of the outlaws, players get to see things from a different perspective than traditional, fictional Western-themed movies. The game in a way teaches morality by providing feedback to players based on their actions. The players experience consequences from bad actions and that might encourage you to aim to be a more “honorable” man. The game is an innovative way of combining open-ended simulation and a tightly orchestrated storyline. The techniques the game uses to blur the line between story and action are amazing. As a game designer for learning purposes, I wish to continue to explore the role narrative plays in our lives and in creating games that motivate learners. Reference: Jenkins, H. (2004). Game Design as Narrative Architecture. GDR pp. 670–689. Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D., & Kinzer, C. (2015). Foundations of Game-based Learning. Special Issue on Game-based Learning, Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258–283. Also available via NYU Libraries Plass, J.L. & Kaplan, U. (2014). Emotional Design for Multimedia Learning. In S. Tettegah & M. Gartmeier, (Eds.) Emotions, Technology, Design, and Learning, pp.131–162, Elsevier. Mateas, M., & Stern, A. (2004). Interaction and Narrative. GDR, pp. 642–669. Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2003). Rules of Play Squire, Kurt. “Open-Ended Video Games: A Model for Developing Learning for the Interactive Age." The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning. Edited by Katie Salen. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 167–198. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262693646.167
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