Category: Thesis

Research on the image of Female Characters in Video Game images in the post-feminist era

The historical change of female image in video games is divided into three stages, the major turning point is the fourth wave of feminism. 2012 the fourth wave of feminism spread through social media, also influenced part of the video game development. 1996-1999 female image is mainly realistic, lack of character and ability. 1999-2011 mainly exposed appearance design, weak character and single professional ability.After 2012, female characters gradually have a fuller character and narrative, yet still face the problem of labeled character appearance.
The reasons for the presentation are mainly cultural, online games experience male gender hegemony. Economically, sexy and exposed female images have better profitability.
However this faces a number of problems. It can be a bad guide for teenagers and the super ideal body can be misleading for male women.
In this regard I propose strategies for constructing the image of women in video games. After the influence of the post-feminist movement to eliminate stereotypes, highlight the independence and autonomy of women.

The topic I want to write about is the Next-generation art style: limitations and innovative fields

First I need to explain what is Next-generation game art style.Next generation, this word was originated in Japan.It development techniques into modern games by increasing the number of faces of models (ZBrush high-mode) and the amount of data for mapping (PBR materials) and using next generation game engines (UE5/Unity) to improve the game’s graphics.It was formed through a Growing of styles:pixel era, pre-rendering era (2.5D), 3D era and 3D next generation.Classic next-generation style games such as:gears of wars,GTA,Call of Duty

Then, I will describe the advantages and shortcomings of this art style for next generation.
it brings a lot of problems.First of all, the creators rely on next-generation technology, they repeat the production of next-generation style, lack of style innovation. The second is that the aesthetics of players gradually become single and limited, touting realistic technology, resulting in some stylized games on the market with good reputation but low sales. The last is that some countries and companies cannot keep up with the technology and still using the last generation game engine.
But there is no denying that next-generation games have good commercial value, and the use of this technology is not limited to game development.According to the research, I found that this technology can be applied to many unexpected aspects, such as restoration of cultural relics, VR history recovery, etc.

On why I wanted to write about this topic: My current career plan is to be a game modeler, so my personal work and my final project will be related to this. At present, the mainstream style of game art in both Europe and China is the next generation style, so I will focus on this area of study. think researching this topic will help me design my work in two ways. One, from the technical aspect of implementation. The next generation has a more complex set of processes, and I can keep reviewing and understanding the difficulties and key points of production while writing my thesis. Secondly, learning the next generation and also reflecting on the next generation is a great opportunity to form your own style.

In this essay I want to learn and explore the sub-genre, but I also want to warn current industry practitioners as well as gamers not to be limited by the mainstream style. There are many different styles, and it is vitality and innovation that keeps an industry moving forward.

The difficulty I faced when the word next generation might be hotter in the Asian region, I don’t know if there is an exact word for it in Europe, it’s about my inability to pinpoint to academic references.

1. A short explanation of what you’re researching? how you’re researching it?
   & why it is important to research this subject/ the relevance to your project proposal.?

Next-generation game art style: limitations and innovative fields

I want to study the next generation style of game art, I first want to explain the meaning of next generation.Next Generation, from Japanese, is the next era, the era of the future. Compared with traditional games, next generation games are the integration of next generation game development techniques into modern games by increasing the number of faces of models (ZBrush high-mode) and the amount of data for mapping (PBR materials) and using next generation game engines (UE4/Unity) to improve the game’s graphics.In the paper, I will also take the reader through the full process of next-gen production in general.

I will outline the stages that game art has gone through: pixel era, pre-rendering era (2.5D), 3D era and 3D next generation. Thus, I will analyze why the mainstream of the game market is now the next generation style from the source.
Then, I will describe the advantages and shortcomings of this art style for next generation. According to the research, I found that this technology can be applied to many unexpected aspects, such as restoration of cultural relics, VR history recovery, etc. Secondly, many games using next-gen style also have high commercial value. However, it also brings a lot of problems: the single aesthetic style, the single style of game development, and the Chinese engine itself is still using the previous generation, etc.When the next generation becomes the mainstream game style, it also means that the game market style is restricted, and the creative power of the creator is also restricted.

My current career plan is to be a game modeler, so my personal work and my final project will be related to this. At present, the mainstream style of game art in both Europe and China is the next generation style, so I will focus on this area of study. think researching this topic will help me design my work in two ways. One, from the technical aspect of implementation. The next generation has a more complex set of processes, and I can keep reviewing and understanding the difficulties and key points of production while writing my thesis. Secondly, learning the next generation and also reflecting on the next generation is a great opportunity to form your own style.

In this essay I want to learn and explore the sub-genre, but I also want to warn current industry practitioners as well as gamers not to be limited by the mainstream style. There are many different styles, and it is vitality and innovation that keeps an industry moving forward.

2. Provide keywords/ key phrases used in your searches.
   Game art, next generation, modeling, next generation new uses, next generation defects

3.Provide at least four sources, debates or texts in the subject area and a short explanation of the relevance to your project proposal.

Jarvis, Nathan. Photorealism versus Non-Photorealism: Art Styles in Computer Games and the Default Bias (2013). Web.

Zibrek, Katja, Elena Kokkinara, and Rachel Mcdonnell. “The Effect of Realistic Appearance of Virtual Characters in Immersive Environments – Does the Character’s Personality Play a Role?” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 24.4 (2018): 1681-690. Web.

Kingslien, Ryan. ZBrush Studio Projects. 1. Aufl. ed. Hoboken: Sybex, 2011. Sybex Serious Skills. Web.

example of next-gen style

In this class we were asked to finalize the topic of our research and the keywords.
I wanted to research a topic related to the next generation of game art. I would focus on the general evolution of game art to explain why next-gen is now mainstream, and then explain the benefits and drawbacks of next-gen.
Since Nigel asked us to choose topics that are as relevant as possible to our personal work and final projects, I think researching this topic will help me design my work in two ways. One, from the technical aspect of implementation. The next generation has a more complex set of processes, and I can keep reviewing and understanding the difficulties and key points of production while writing my thesis. Secondly, I can keep reflecting and reviewing my work, and gradually develop my own production style.