Writing a research paper on video games is engaging, but still challenging. We won’t bore you with standard tips like “make a plan” or “write an outline.” Take a closer look at practical tips prepared by true masters of research paper writing.
Follow Tips from Video Games Bloggers
- One thought should flow smoothly into another.
- Avoid repeating the same words often in sentences. Replace them with other similar words.
- It is not enough to describe, it is necessary to analyze.
- Keep a balance. Each part of the research paper on video games should occupy exactly as much space as they deserve.
- As soon as a new thought begins, then a new paragraph begins.
- Be sure to read everything your write aloud. This is normal – twenty times re-read the written paragraph of the text and fix it as many times as needed.
- Be sure to thoroughly examine the sources.
Make a Thorough Design Analysis
Just drop all unnecessary. Your first task is to explore the underlying systems. Feel the “skeleton” of the game. Determine how the core mechanics will evolve in the game over time. What player has leverage on the system, and what will be the consequences of these impacts? Are there any system vulnerabilities that a player can use to circumvent the rules of the game? What does a player learn as they progress? Does a player’s skill in general affect his success in the game? For this, it is not necessary to spend tens of hours in the game – extrapolate.
Analyze Decisions Made by the Game’s Creators
Disassemble the game into individual decisions made by the game designer. Identify the most important ones. Think about the reasons for these decisions. What goals are pursued? What problems are solved?
For example:
- Why is multiplayer in the game asynchronous?
- Why is there no friendly fire in the game?
- Why is the choice of replicas of the protagonist in the game leveled to the “wheel of dialogues”?
Most often, systems are designed by a game designer for quite obvious purposes:
- the player continues to play
- player pays money
- the player focuses on impressions, not systems
- the player feels satisfied (most often through a sense of power)
- player wants to help other players
- player wants to beat other players
- the player is surprised
Include a Catalogue of Objects and Activities
During the analysis, systematize information on all found game elements. The easiest way is to create a catalog of objects in the form of a table with the necessary fields for analysis and write information there.
For example:
- Short description of the object (Heavy stone blocks)
- When a game object is entered (in the middle of the game)
- Its main function (They can be moved and used to access high-level platforms)
- Does it have a relationship with other objects and what kind? (If you drop a heavy block on a wooden bridge, the bridge breaks)
Research Paper Is NOT a Review
Analysis should always be based only on the objective characteristics of the product.
Not “beautiful graphics”, but “bright minimalistic anime style that allows you to save on the production of content and meets the tastes of the target audience.”
Not “exciting gameplay”, but “a set of game mechanics based on successful products from the target market segment and a number of original ideas dictated by the meta-system”.
The same is true with negative design solutions from your point of view. Do not say “Bad!” Or “Cool!”. Say “Cool, because …” and “Bad, because …”
Analysis always talks about the decisions made during the development of the game and their reasons. Do not forget that the reasons can not always be dictated by the designer’s intention. Corporate fog of Silent Hill appeared due to the fact that the PS1 simply did not pull the steep graphics of the first part of SH – the team urgently had to limit the field of view of the player to cope with this problem. This, of course, is a solution more in the field of experience than systems, but the general idea can be understood.
Writing about video games is fun, but don’t forget about thorough proofreading and on-time submission. If you are not sure you can pull this off, it is better to address a reliable writing service for buying a research paper for cheap not to lose time.
