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Introduction: For my literary review, I have researched scholarly papers/articles on the following themes; Graphic Design, Character Design, History, and Education in relation to our game development for our project of building a historically based battle game. It is hoped that indebt research on these elements will help us plan and design a successful game.

Character Design:

Character design is a very important element of game design. It forms the basis of every game and determines our reactions to games. A fundamental understanding of these principles/skills can be found in (Solarski’s, n.d.)www.gamasutra.com, in this article, the author, discusses the psychology of lines, shapes, and volumes as to the conceptual basis for creating art for video games. He discusses the historical links between traditional artists techniques and how these techniques are applied to game design. He says, “you and I will respond to art in different ways based on our unique life experiences, experiences that inform the way in which we individually interpret and give meaning to the world around us”. The author in a very thoughtful way starts with the ‘root’ of visual design; in the form, “lines, shapes, and volume”.

In reality, life is visually complex, and artists conceptually reduce objects to simple lines, shapes, and volumes. For example, certain shapes, which are familiar to animators and 3D digital artists, are the basis of character design. These shapes; circle, square and triangle form the building blocks for many characters. The author examines these concepts and shows how the development of these techniques in classical art from the Renaissance and onwards to today are relevant for game designers. He provides numerous examples from classical art and modern video games to demonstrate these artistic concepts.

Apart from the practical application of using simple structures to design characters, these shapes also are associated with concepts that are of a psychological perspective. The “circle” is associated with “innocence, youth, energy, and feminity”, (see the character Perl in the animated short film “Perl” that is nominated for this years Oscars). The “square” is associated with ‘maturity, stability, balance and stubbornness”. The “triangle’ associates with “aggression, masculinity, and force”. This shape spectrum offers a tool to game designers to visualize ideas regarding character design in relation to the emotions that the game developers want to provoke. Engagement with characters in gaming is essential to the success of the games produced.

Graphic Design:

Graphic design can inform the design of the environment of a game, as in the use of shapes, forms, and lines. In his discussion on the creative influence of form “The Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design” www.gamasutra.com, states; “that we can respond emotionally to characters based on their shape and animation alone, however it’s the environment that a narrative emerges”. Again, psychologically that shapes are associated with different senses i.e., circular with harmony, especially when the characters’ shape is the same. However, where the shape of the character is in contrast e.g. a “circular” character in a “triangular” environment engenders a sense of dissonance, where we interpret the character feels threatened. The use of shape, line, and form is integral to the graphic design movements of the early twentieth century. Lines, shape, and form create dynamism and mobility too, which contributes to the enjoyment of video games. The lines and shapes in video games are represented as dynamic elements, such as the jump or arc of a character. As the author says “the game’s designers give creative control to the player through interaction, allowing players to experience the very same sensations that a traditional artist would feel when painting”.

Education:

How will you be learning in the future? Will our teachers be an AI android or computer of some kind and with this higher intelligently programmed teacher provide us with a better education and basis to improve our learning capabilities than current methods of traditional learning that have not changed much in centuries?

We will focus on GML, game-based learning as it is a possible way to develop our game which is about the 1916 rising in Ireland which was part of its fight for independence. We examined research into Game based learning (GBL) and according to the (Department of Computer & Information Sciences Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, n.d.) searches for GML “retrieved 162 million hits on a Google search and 2.37 million documents, categorized as scholarly papers, on a Google Scholar search. These statistics show that GBL continues to receive substantial interest and attention not only from researchers but also from practitioners that include educators, commerce, the military and health services. With growing concern about the Net generation, GBL is claimed to be an alternative learning and training tool for motivating and training this generation (Prensky, 2003). Despite the fact that GBL is being widely utilized in a variety of settings and domains, there is still a lack of empirical evidence on its effectiveness in supporting learning and training (Sotomayor & Proctor, 2009; “.

A common motivation for using digital games to support learning is a belief that games can act as rich primers for active and deeper learning engagement with the subject matter, by providing an engaging and contextualized setting for authentic problem-solving.

In a research paper on game-based learning, “A Theory and Data-Driven Engagement” from the British Journal of Educational Technology, the authors explore the idea that using games for learning is a highly motivated learning experience. This analytical paper explored and the nature and development of game-based learning engagement via an iterative, two-stage analytical process. The first stage was theory-driven. The literature on motives of play, game and cognitive engagement, and game-based learning was reviewed and analysed. Theoretical discussions on how learning engagement is activated and sustained during gameplay were distilled. The second stage was data-driven. An in situ, multiple-case study was conducted to further examine affective and cognitive facets of learning engagement in gaming. “The finding suggested that game-based learning engagement is an integrated and continuous process that advances from effective engagement driven by optimal challenge, cognitive engagement situated in playfulness, to potentially game-action-based content engagement.” Ke, Fengfeng & Xie, Kui & Xie, Ying. (2015).

Technology as an educational tool has not yet been adopted worldwide or at best is available in more affluent societies, therefore making it difficult to access the value of its contribution. However, as we go forward into the future, there is no doubt that most or every aspect of our everyday lives will include many uses of technology, so it’s not a far stretch to say that education, especially with the development of AI will be utilized.

History:

Can video games be developed to present original historical scholarship and meet the standards of the discipline? Would it be necessary to write historical fiction and sacrifice history for the story or produce a video game that presents original research rivaling any great work of history, transforming readers, learners, and viewers into players interacting with history? These are important questions that we should take into consideration before developing our game. The video game offers far greater potential for the creation and presentation of history than any other entertainment or interactive media.

Some of the biggest and most anticipated video game releases of recent years have had historical themes or settings. A franchise like Assassin’s Creed has long marketed itself on the way it interacts with and depicts historical settings. These are as varied as Victorian London and Medieval Italy interweaving fantastical narratives of Templar conspiracy and intrigue into real-world events and historical processes. These video games have been enormously popular but largely they use historical settings with scant regard for historical fact.

In a research article by (D. Kevin O’Neill, n.d.) of a study based on videogames as a source of historical knowledge is discussed in detail and the findings are very interesting, as the author concurred there were to possible sets of implications from the findings, one for educators, the other for developers and enthusiasts of history games as sources of historical knowledge outside of school settings. Firstly, the fact that young people play a history game well and with enjoyment does not imply that they understand or respect it as a potential historical source -- regardless of the informed respect that scholars may have for it as such. “Substantial guidance may be necessary to help students appreciate any game as a source, and this may necessitate rehabilitating the very idea of experiential learning in students’ minds.”

Secondly, their study suggests that the appreciation of commercial games as potential sources of historical knowledge may be strongly limited by the public’s level of awareness that they are commercial products. For some enthusiasts, commercial history games are attractive as a way of informing the public about the past precisely because these games have attracted a high level of investment, and have high production values. Yet these very qualities appeared to make our participants suspicious of the trustworthiness of a game as a source of knowledge about the past.

Conclusion: In debt research for chosen projects are beneficial for providing a clearer vision. Knowledge gained from properly researched articles/papers from industry and academic sources provide an insight for the student and is necessary at the root of every project. We discovered an insight into game design with respect to character design and especially important considerations in regards to producing a game based on a historical event.

Works Cited

D. Kevin O’Neill, A. P. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://gamestudies.org/1602/articles/oneilfeenstra

Department of Computer & Information Sciences Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, B. S. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042814014311/1-s2.0-S1877042814014311-main.pdf?_tid=e4da3824-639f-4a87-a43b-a767d75af7de&acdnat=1550961749_e8991e5eeed2681ff1508963c339b9c8

Ke, F. &. (2015). A theory- and data-driven exploration. British Journal of Educational Technology. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280916567_Game-based_learning_engagement_A_theory-_and_data-driven_exploration/download

Solarski’s, C. (n.d.). The Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design. Retrieved from gamasutra: wwwgamasutra.com