Review Analysis

The video I am going to do my game analysis on, is the video that Molly- my classmate uploaded (as per the guidelines of the analysis we have to do).

I chose this video because I thought I could really analyse it with the questions we were asked to answer. These questions are:

What do we assume was the essential experience intended by the game designer as we perceive it from the trailer?
Which aspects of the lenses do we think are most prevalent in the essential experience for the game from what we can perceive from the trailer?

From what Molly said and from looking at the gameplay that has been captured, I feel like the essential experience intended for this game, was to make us feel empathy and relate to the character we play as. You play as Arthur Morgan- rouge outlaw and part of the Van Der Linde Gang. Here we can really see the pain and turmoil he is in as he realises his days are numbered. The fact that we see his face twisted in the pain of worry, and the real damage that has been done to him through how frail he looks. The way he speaks too really invokes empathy for you to feel that sorrow and regret that he feels too. All in all, I felt like the essential experience that was potentially intended, was for the player to get attached to the main character you play as you shape his story with the choices you can make, to feel like you are part of his story and suffer as he is suffering. Feeling remorse and regret is a heavy burden and I feel like, just by this scene alone, they were able to capture it well.

I feel like out of the three lenses, the one that relates to the essential experience the most for this game is Projection. Looking through the main parts that you should think about when considering the Lens of Projection are as follows- with my awnser to each of them:

- Do my players get to do something that they’d like to do in real like but can’t?

Well, this game does centre around a Cowboy Outlaw and you have the chance to play through it as you please- being good or bad. I feel like that is something that a lot of people would like to try and see how things were in those times.

- What can my players relate to?

As I mentioned earlier, I think that the players can relate through empathy through the decisions you have to make as Arthur as well as the bonds he shares with others (weather they be good or bad). Being able to relate to someone can give players a sense of comfort and understanding that draws them to the game more and I definitely think this game does it.

- Are there other characters my players would like to meet?

In this game, you can meet with basically everyone you can see. OF course the people within the Van Der Linde Gang would have the bigger interactions, but if there's a person you specifically liked (like me with Hosea or Javier), then it was great being able to have missions or quests to do with them/for them. Connections seemed to be a big deal in this game, even with Molly mentioning how Arthur has an unbreakable loyalty to those he cares about, thus I feel like this was clearly met.

I also felt like the Beauty part of the lens also fits due to the nature of how gorgeous the motion capture and expressions of the characters and even the surrounding art was. But overall, I really think that the points I have made really help show what I personally feel was the essential experience for this game: 'Red Dead Redemption 2'.

Solo task- completed 22nd October 2020.