Game Analysis and Criticism

Video games rely on critics for their success. Between any game developer and the waiting public is an army of analysts writing magazine reviews, game site posts, peer reviews, ESRB ratings, even judicial opinions, you name it.

What are the criteria by which video games are judged, and how does the industry determine (outside of raw sales) what makes a game successful? In this course, you'll learn how to analyze and criticize video games, identifying key elements in a game and making intelligent judgments about whether the game succeeded or failed.

Whether or not your ultimate goal is to be a critic, the ability to think, talk, and write about what makes games work is vital to making it in the game development industry. In this course, you'll develop both your critical and communication skills, working with an industry pro. Think you know everything? Think again, and keep thinking. Working with Alex Jimenez, you'll learn how to figure out what art and gameplay features are important in a game, how to evaluate a game through its designer's objectives, and what features the critics and players are looking for.

Course Developer/Instructor:
Alex Jimenez is a game designer and consultant ... get bio

Develop an understanding of how criticism influences a game's audience and the success of a game.

Learn practical methodologies for writing critical analyses of video games.

Learn how to identify the genre of a game and evaluate its approach to genre standards and conventions.

Learn key concepts and terminology for discussing and writing about video games.

Learn ways of identifying the game designer's intent and evaluating a game in terms of its objectives.

Learn how a game's concept is developed and translated through development into ultimate product packaging and marketing.

Learn some of the hot button issues that reviewers look for in evaluating a game.

Learn about some of the hallmarks of effective criticism.

Develop the writing skills for creating a polished written review.

Outline:

LESSON 1 Criticism and Genre In the game industry, everyone's a critic: magazine reviewers, game sites, the ESRB, and more. In Lesson One, you'll get an overview of the critical forces that influence game development, looking at how writers shape how games are perceived and received. You'll learn the difference between analysis and criticism, and how to separate your dissection of a game (how it works) from your judgment of its success (good or bad). Finally, since any analysis is based on knowledge, you'll examine the question of genre and learn to pick out what features are important in each genre: first-person shooter, RPG, strategy game, and so on. In the exercise, you'll apply an analytical method to a game of your choice.

LESSON 2 Design and Intent Video games, like novels or movies, are the unique expressions of their creators. When a designer first envisions a game, before even he lays out his first line or calls a meeting, he has already played the game several hundred times in his mind. In Lesson Two, you'll explore the critical issue of intent. The issue: What were game designers aiming to achieve with a new game title, and how successfully did they achieve it? You'll learn how a game concept is translated from proposal to development and into the game's packaging and marketing prior to release. In the exercise, you'll bust through the hype to analyze a game designer's intent.

LESSON 3 Writing Game Reviews Critics are no different than the games they review: they can be good, bad, or indifferent. In Lesson Three, you'll explore the do's and don'ts of putting together a good critical review. You'll learn about the hot button issues that reviewers look for: graphics, game play, AI, narrative structure, and more, and explore writing tips for constructing polished reviews of your own. You'll also dissect some professional critiques to uncover some of the hallmarks of a great critic. At the end of the course, you'll write a feature-length critical piece that will showcase all you've learned.