P2

GTA V

P2 A- Genre

Grand Theft Auto V is an open world action- adventure game, which was developed by Rock star North and published by Rock star games. With this being an open world game, players are open to explore the world around them with complete freedom in the game, instead for instance being limited to a particular section within. This game is also an action adventure themed game, as it involves action almost entirely through the gameplay, whether this be during the out scenes or within the actual game. When playing GTA V, players are able to complete their own adventures by exploring and interacting with the “world around them”.

P2 B- Narrative/ Storyline

Grand Theft Auto V involves the story with three main characters included; Michael, Trevor and Franklin. It is set during the late 90’s, whereby Trevor Phillips and Michael Townly are at the height of their criminal on-goings, which ultimately the goal is to steal money. As this behaviour continues, it ultimately results in a downfall as the heist goes wrong and leads to Michael Townly, along with another crew member, being shot and killed. After this, Trevor is seen to be running away in an escape from the authorities.

The game then fasts forward to 2013 and we are left with the shocking news that Michael is still in fact alive. He is presented happy and well with a new family of his own. It is believed that Michael had faked his own death and retired completely from his bank robbing; all under the nose of ex-crew member Trevor Philips, who still believes Michael to be dead.

The story continues with a young Franklin presented from the streets of San Andreas working as a car repo for cash to get by. He is later assigned the job of repossessing a yellow 4X4, which belongs to the son of Superior being, Michael De Santa. With being assigned such a job, he breaks into the home of Michaels multi-millionaire lifestyle, repossessing the 4X4 and beginning his journey back to the car dealership. Whilst driving back, Michael unsuspectedly pops up out of the rear passenger seat and holds Franklin at gun point questioning him about why he’s stole the car and where he’s taking it. They begin closing in on the dealership and Michael orders Franklin to smash through the dealership window using the 4x4, Michael then finds the boss and beats him up, serving as a warning to never mess with him or his family ever again. Michael then jokingly invites Franklin to his house saying the two should “have a drink sometime” and the next day Franklin turns up at Michaels house to Michaels surprise. Michael sees potential in Franklin and decides to take him under his wing teaching him the ins and outs of Los Santos offering him a way out of the hood.

Trevor begins to get wind of Michael’s presence in Los Santos and begins tracking him down. Michael is eventually tracked down by Trevor and the pair resume their sketchy friendship helping each other out with each other’s problems across Los Santos much to Michael’s demise. What they don’t know is that the FBI has been keeping track of their criminal activities and the FBI eventually get in contact with Michael blackmailing him into carrying out their dirty deeds otherwise he will face a lengthy prison sentence for his wrong doings. Michael then forms a team (made up of him, Trevor and Franklin) to aid him in his FBI orders bringing all three protagonists together to get the job done whilst dealing with their own personal problems in Los Santos.

P2 C- Production Process

Grand Theft Auto V was developed in 2009 by Rock star games. This was conducted by a team of more than 1ooo people including Rock star North’s core team and staff from the parent company, Rock star games. The game took a total of approximately 4 years to make and with a budget of £170 million ($265 million), it became the most expensive game and to this day it still holds this title.

P2 D- Characters

There are three main characters presented throughout the GTA V game;

Michael Townly- Michael Townly, who is also known as Michael De Santa, is a retired bank robber who is living in the wealthy area of Los Santos. He is shown to have the seemingly “perfect life”, with the blend of wealth and a healthy family. His family however is dysfunctional and the gained wealth from completing the bank robberies has ultimately resulted in him being more miserable and unfulfilled. Michael can’t get over the feeling of his life resulting in a “dead end” and only seems to become satisfied when the opportunity of turning back to the life of crime becomes available.

Trevor Phillips- Trevor Phillips is presented as a deranged and border line- psychotic character, who is living in the sandy shores trailer park in Los Santos. He has an attitude which is crazy and unpredictable, ultimately resulting in Michael feeling wary of his acquaintance and deciding to keep a distance from such an individual. Trevor appears in the game to have no fear of any other characters, which helps him to appear as such a valuable asset when danger becomes near.

Franklin Clinton- Franklin Clinton grew up in the hood in the Los Santos suburbs and has struggled to stay away from gang violence his whole life often getting into shootouts and other forms of gang warfare throughout his time in the hood. He is a loyal and calm character who can be trusted to do as he is told and make the right decisions. He is also extremely skilled behind the wheel due to him spending an unclear amount of time as a car repo working for Simeon. This makes him the perfect person to work with when working in a team to get a job done.

P2 E- Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto V can either be played from a first person view or a third person view. The story mode requires players to compete a sequence of linear missions set in different locations around the fictional city of Los Santos whilst also giving the players the option to free roam and explore/interact with their surroundings between missions. Players will often find themselves in fire fights throughout the game which is why developers decided to add features such as automated cover which allows players to press a button which will automatically move their character to the closest object to take cover. The game also heavily revolves around the use of vehicles such as cars, planes, helicopters and boats which help players get around the map as Los Santos is simply too big to run from location to location.

P2 F- Target Audience

Grand Theft Auto V has an age rating of 18 and is rated M for mature which means the game is targeted toward teenagers and young adults. Drug references, sex, extreme violence, are just some aspects that deem this game only suitable for viewing by mature audiences. Rock star tends not to aim any games within the Grand Theft Auto series towards younger audiences as the content is simply far too explicit for anyone under the age of 18.

P2 G- Platforms

Grand Theft Auto V came out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Rock star was very smart with how they released Grand Theft Auto V as it first came out on the previous gen consoles as these were the newest consoles out at the time. However, a year later they re-released the game for the next-gen consoles and the PC with better graphics and game mechanics. This meant that players who had bought the game the year previously had to buy the game again for their new consoles/PC’s which led to Rock star doubling their profits due to the game being bought so many times on multiple platforms.

 

That Dragon, Cancer

P2A- Genre

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ is an autobiographical art game which uses story-telling throughout the entirety, in order to create a story for players to discover and think about. The game is categorised as an “art game”, entirely for the fact that it uses a unique art-style to portray the story to the audience or players. This “art style” can be used to give the game a unique appearance and easily become an attraction to new players. With this being an autobiographical game, players are put in the perspective of the two parents who are giving their story through the themes and events within the game.

P2B- Narrative/ Storyline

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ is based on the real life tragic event of a young boy named Joel Green who was diagnosed with cancer during the very early stages of his unfortunate short life. The game goes through the tough and consistent ordeal in which his parents had to face when looking after their young child. They clearly have used the game as a way of coping or dealing with such an unfortunate occurrence in their lives and in memorial of their son Joel.

 

 

P2 C- Production Process

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ was developed and produced by Numinous games with the help of both of Joel Green’s parents. They worked in a small studio with a short time allowance, using 6-8 people besides Mr and Mrs Green’s help when working on the game production. Only a small budget was used when completing this game as a memorial. Joel Green’s father, Ryan, claims that this idea came to him whilst attending church soon after the unfortunate death of his son.

P2 D- Characters

Joel Green- The young child who was diagnosed with cancer at 12 months old. We discover the journey through the last difficult stages of his life.

Ryan Green and Amy Green- The parents of Joel Green. They are shown through the game to be looking after their child when he is very poorly.

P2 E- Gameplay

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ is played through both a first and third person perspective, as it follows a number of abstracted scenes based on the Green’s experience with raising Joel from learning of his condition to the end stages of his life. The player takes the role of Joel’s parents, Ryan and Amy, in fourteen small vignettes that capture some of the emotional moments they had to face during Joel’s life expressed as interactive art. The player can interact with other characters and make choices throughout the game, which are similar to those which were faced by the Greens. For instance, the first scene of the game shows the parents who have learned of their child’s diagnosis, having the player consider their new responsibilities for caring for the child while reflecting on the “absurdity and sterility” of the hospital setting.

P2 F- Target Audience

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ is a profoundly sad game, which is playable by teens but clearly intended for an adult audience. It contains no violence, weapons or bad language, however the concepts and themes explored are sophisticated and mature, touching on difficult subjects such as whether friends and family will see the baby the parents are expecting as a “replacement” for their current child who is dying, and when to accept that prayer is not going to save their son. Religion therefore plays a central role, with mother and father who are caring and attentive people, attempt to reconcile their son’s disease with their faith.

P2 G- Platforms

‘That Dragon, Cancer’ is available on several video game platforms, including ‘Ouya’, ‘Microsoft Windows’, ‘IOS’ and ‘Mac OS’.