Episode 59: Animal Crossing Tutorial

Topic: Animal Crossing

Like alot of people right now, we've seemed to amass a great bit of time on our hands.  Those fortunate to still be working maybe not, but alot of us have been stuck at home and have been really wanting to find something new to do.  Thus, we offer this topic on Animal Crossing, specifically Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a new game perfect for people who don't necessarily like video games, but also a game perfect for people to relax with.

Nintendo Switch

Affectionately called ‘The Switch’ or just ‘Switch’, is Nintendo’s latest console released in 2017.  Unlike Nintendo’s main line consoles for the last few years, the Switch merges the comforts of a home console with that of a handheld console, two markets Nintendo is unique in their mastery in.  What makes it unique is that the console starts as a hand held, with controller on either side of the game screen, but can be docked in a cradle at home, allowing you to connect your device to a larger Tv monitor.  The controllers on the side of the switch can also come off, allowing you to use them as either a new controller mode, or use them as smaller controllers for two people to play at once.  The system itself is just behind the power of a PS4 or Xbox-One, but makes up for it with a classic Nintendo titles/games that can’t be played anywhere else, but also a robust 3^rd party and indie game market place.  Right now, it’s the console to have, especially as it’s very portable and inclusive for all. 

As Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a Nintendo exclusive title, you can’t this game for any other video game console but the Switch.

If you are new to the console and/or don’t have one already, but are interested in getting started, there are two major models to keep an eye out for: The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite.  The major difference is the Lite version has missing features, primarily that the controls on the side of the game screen do not come off and are permanently attached to the main unit.  As well, there is no docking option for the console, so you can’t connect it to a larger TV or monitor.  The Lite version is ideal for children and those without ease of access to a TV, but is more compact and mobile.  If you are not a serious gamer, and don’t mind the reduced screen size, the Lite version is a good compromise and decent price point.

As of writing and recording: a regular Nintendo Switch will typically cost $299 at retail, and the Nintendo Switch Lite around $199. Beware of Bundles or Special Editions, as they will charge you more for the base unit than necessary.  Bundles often also include a game or added tools, like a carry case, for your system; as where a Special Edition are merely additional decorations on the console, which may or may not matter to you.  In either case, expect to spend a lot more money for either cosmetic bonuses, which can be purchased cheaply, or additional items that purchased separately wouldn’t cost as much. 

In Mom’s case, she was able to purchase a Switch Lite for the actual retail price via www.gamestop.com.  Other retailer may have it available, but we found Gamestop selling it for the actual intended price. 

Also Keep in mind that Animal Crossing: New Horizons itself is a $59 game as of this writing and recording.

What is Animal Crossing?

Anima Crossing is a life simulator, similar in vein to other games like The SIMs or other simulators like Sim City or an Airplane Simulator. 

Developed by Katsuya Eguchi, a level designer and programmer at Nintendo, he relocated from the Chiba prefecture to Kyoto prefecture shortly after college, leaving behind all of his friends and family.  After moving, he realized how lonely he was after leaving all of his friend and family behind, and how being close to them was a great and important thing for him.  Thus, this was the impetus for creating the game.  He later recounted that he and his family loved to play video games, but never actually played them together.  He wanted to create a game that his kids could play, and that he could play too later in the day, seeing their progress and leaving stuff for his kids later on too.

All Animal crossing game follows similar gameplay experiences and roles.  You start as a villager arriving to an area, and after meeting with Tom Nook, you are given a place to live, but must pay off the rent/ownership of the house to him over time.  You do this by collecting various objects from around your island, town, or village, and either selling it back to Tom Nook or using it to decorate your house with.  You meet other anthropomorphic animals that act as fellow neighbors and villagers in your area, who you can communicate with.  They can come and go as they please, with new one appearing later on to take their place.

While the game has no root ending or endgame element, your encouraged to make your village, area, island, or town in to the best darn place possible and to decorate it as you see fit.  As the game has no base requirements for completing it, you are allowed to focus on individual goals to your leisure.  While many would ask what the purpose of Animal Crossing, the game has been described as a ‘Healing’ game.  In Japan, ‘Healing’ media are just media that are good and wholesome, and makes you feel good afterwards.  In terms of Anime, ‘Healing Anime’ have no real agenda, and typically follow characters as they live their lives and find either happiness in the mundane or little delights of life.


Examples of Healing Shows in America might be:

• Golden Girls
• Friends
• Black-ish
• Grace And Frankie
• Gilmore Girls
• 30 Rock
• Cheers
• The Big Bang Theory

History of Animal Crossing?

Animal Crossing (2001) Nintendo 64 / Game Cube

First game initially titled: Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest)

It was initially intended to be released on the Nintendo 64’s 64DD expansion device, as it would have utilized the 64DD’s internal clock, but at the 64DD was a flop in Japan, the game was retooled and an internal chip was created for a cartridge version of the game in 2001.  It is considered the last N64 game released for the system in by Nintendo in Japan, and second overall. 

A few months later, a GameCube port was created, known as Dōbutsu no Mori+. This version saw added features left out from the original N64 version, including:

• ·         Adding the Museum and Able Sisters
• Adding the second floor and basement to your house
• Adding more collectable Bugs and Fish
• Introducing Islanders (Similar to Nook Mile Islands)

This GameCube version of the game is the version we saw in the west as Animal Crossing.  Due to the localization processes, many elements of the games dialog, items, and events, had to be changed and altered for audiences.  This included:

•          Various Japanese holidays being removed or edited, and new western holidays added to replace them.
•          Reframing or removing cultural reference, and re-contextualizing them when unable to remove all together.
•          Extensive re-writing of all the in game text, of which there was a lot.  After localization was completed, it was found that there was more English text than Japanese.

Nintendo of Japan was so impressed with the results from the translation, that they re-translated the game back in to Japanese, leaving in the western changes, redubbing it Dōbutsu no Mori E+, or Animal Forest: English Plus.

Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005) Nintendo DS

The game is very similar to the original GameCube version, with slight additions and removals. 

The major feature of the game was its online abilities.  Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection would allow gamers to visit other players online, expanding the reach of the game.  While the game itself had to be scaled down somewhat, almost all the original features of Animal Crossing were there in the game, including even more characters, fish and bugs, and a whole host of features that expanded on the use of the secondary game pad on the Nintendo DS.

In 2014, the Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection was shut down to make way for new programs and services, meaning that players of Wild World could no longer connection via the internet.  Private servers and homebrew methods exists for those who play the game, as a means of connecting to the internet.  Local play is still an option as well.

Animal Crossing: City Folk (2008) Nintendo Wii

A Nintendo Wii Port of the major game, it carried over a lot of the added additions from the previous game.  The new major feature is the city portion, where you can hop on a bus to head to the city, where a lot of the shops and visitors that randomly appeared throughout a week had their own shops and stalls.  Previously, you would have visitors randomly stop by that would sell specialty goods or services, but now a majority of them could be found in the city.

A lot of players of the previous games found the newer title lacking in new features.  As well as the city being an element that you traveled to, only if you wanted to, and not a core feature of the game.  The added element of the Wii Speak module wasn’t as popular either.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012) Nintendo 3DS

A return to the handheld generation, New Leaf was well received by the players for many new features added, the most since the original e+ version that was released back in 2003, 9 years prior.  Rather than a new resident moving in, you’re promoted to the Major of your town.  Some of the new features allowed more customization of your town and buildings, particularly where they could be found and placed, along with many new shops and stores for the player to use.  It also allowed more customization to the character and several graphical and UI updates to the game, giving the characters more human models and updating all the bugs, fish, and plants to more realistic proportions. 

The game was well received by fans of the series.  In 2016, a new version of the game was released, adding Amibo Support.  Players who already had the game merely had to download an update for free, while new players could buy the game outright.

Amiibo

Amiibo are Nintendo exclusive figure statues, roughly 3-4 inches in height.  Each statue has a chip in its base that allows the figure to read by modern Nintendo Consoles, including the 3DS, Wii U, and Switch.  Depending on the game, Amiibos can unlock new cosmetics or collectables for a game.  As Example, In Animal Crossing, Animal Crossing Amiibos unlock new villagers.  In other games like Mario Kart 8, Amiibos unlock new costumes for your Mii Racer.  In Smash Brothers, they store fighting data, so you can practice against targets that know your fighting style better and player better for practice. Amiibos were first released in 2013 for the Wii U version of Smash Brothers, with most, if not all fighters, represented by an Amiibo. 

The gimmick was first introduced in to the world by Activision and their Skylander series of games, with Activision originally offering exclusivity for the idea/technology to Nintendo, but they turned it down.  Other companies had done similar gimmicks: famously Disney did similar with their Disney Infinity line, using their various Disney properties and characters. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizon (2020) Nintendo Switch

Released on Nintendo’s newest device, the game a great success with players, as it released on March 20^th, alongside Doom: Internal.  Similar memes with both games came out at the same time.  The game was also hugely successful, as they came out around the time of the Covid-19 Virus and many parts of the world being asked to stay at home, giving people ample time to play.

 

Similar to New Leaf, the game offered many new features.  Rather than starting on an established plot of land, you actually start on an abandoned Island.  Once there, you go about upgrading your tent to a house, plotting the locations of important businesses and shops, and trying to make the island as successful as possible.

Along with graphical and UI updates, the game saw even more customization in characters and furniture.  The newer features include crafting, which allows the player to create their own furniture based of recipes found in the game.  Along with crafting, there’s the option to customize your items even further as well.   Added features also include Nook Miles, a specialty currency earned through accomplishments and milestones in the game, that can be used to buy upgrades and specialty items from Nook.  A more interesting feature is the ability now to dramatically reshape your islands layout, including moving or adding rivers and lakes, to making new cliffs or destroying them.  A much beloved feature as well is an automatic saving system.(in previous versions, a very angry mole, Resetti, would chastise the player if they didn’t properly save before turning off their system.  With New Horizons automatically saving progress, he has since been fired, but takes up new work else.) 

What do you do in Animal Crossing?

The majority of the game play in Animal crossing is fundamentally, trivial.  Nothing you do in game really matters, save for what you otherwise make of it.  The game was meant as a way to connect with others emotionally, rather than working toward a shared goal.

That being said, the game offers quite a bit of collecting and decorating for player to do.  A lot of what you want to do in game is meant to either decorate or sell for Bells.  Bells are the main currency of the game, and can usually be earned by selling items to the Nooklings Timmy and Tommy.  They’ll buy just about anything, from crafting materials, fish, bugs, shells, fruit, clothing and furniture.  Bells are used to upgrade your house, and in other games, used toward public works projects.  Bells are also the main currency for buying decorations and outfits. 

A major staple of Animal Crossing has also been updating the Museum.  Blathers, an owl that manages the Museum, takes donations of Fish, Bugs, and Fossils from the villagers.  So long as there isn’t one already in the museum, he’ll accept the donation.  Fish can be fished from rivers, lakes, and the sea with a fishing pole.  Bugs similarly, can be caught throughout the island as well.  Depending on the season and time of day, some fish or bugs only show up then, so it’s important to play frequently, otherwise you might have to wait a long time for them to come back in season.  Fossils on the other hand, can be dug up from cracks in the ground, which ones you dig up are random, and you will often come across fossils that have already been donated to the museum.  Anything you can’t donate can always be sold to the Nooklings as well.

Most decorations come in a few different types, but most don’t fit any standard.  Decorations can be widely classified as Indoor, Outside, or plants.  Plants like trees and flowers can only be outside, while Indoor and Outside decorations being able to mix and match as your leisure.   This can range from book cases, beds, tables, and chairs, to kitchen appliances, video games, fish or bugs you’ve caught, and so many more things.  Outside items are generally bigger and require more space, but can be statues, pools, even tables and chairs even.  A special care for flowers as well, as while you can only naturally get red, white and yellow flowers, mixing certain types of flower colors together will create variations on those flowers, causing Blue, Black, Pink, or Purple flowers to grow instead, which are rare and desirable from players.

Beyond the decorations and comforts of your home and island, meeting with and talking with your villagers is also important.  They’ll often talk about other people they’ve met, things happening on the island, and will occasionally gift you with items, like clothing, furniture, decorations, or even reactions.  Reactions  are little emotes you can make your character do, depending on your mood, with a total of 40 possible reactions.  The villagers do remember what you’ve done as well, and will mention your dealings on the island if they catch you doing stuff.  While some villagers will move away over time, you can keep them happy by talking with them, sending them letters, or even gifting them items, which you’ll see them wear or keep in their house from time to time. 

Some people have gone on to create specialty islands that have interesting themes or visions.  Some have created unique scenes, while others have created locations, like basketball courts or theme parks or even mazes for people to run.  A new type of youtube video has spawned of Island tours, which people visit other people’s islands to see what they’ve done with them.  Especially when the player gain access to the development tools to manipulate the island’s geography. 

Why Play Animal Crossing?

For someone like me, who has been stuck inside for the last two months, it’s nice to have something to do each day, but also rewarding to see my villagers come running up to me when they see me, if only just to talk.

For a lot of people, it’s a healing game, even TVTropes.com agrees with this notion, describing the game as essentially a healing Video Game.  It’s meant to be relaxing, pick up as you go, and enjoy.  The mileage for some will be greater for those who can spend more time at it, or those who wasn’t to get the most out of it, but with no inherent goal, it’s okay to relax and take one’s time. 

Episode 58: Anime for Kids Tutorial

 
Topic: Anime for Kids



Today, I traveled a very FAR distance to come and visit my Sister-in-Law and discuss Anime with her.  Previously, I showed my nieces 'My Neighbor Totoro', which they loved.  Which sucked for me, because this was AFTER me and mom got back from Japan, where we saw Lots of Totoro just hanging out.  Had I show the girls this before we went, we could have gotten some killer stuff with them in it.  That being said, there's quite a bit of children appropriate Anime out there, and I'd love to get my nieces interested in the medium as a way of expanding their view points, and also having someone new to talk to about anime.  My Sister-in-Law gracious welcomed me in to her home, and we talked anime turkey.  If nothing else, give this woman a round of applause for raising two very well adjusted little girls, and also her first time ever doing a podcast.

What is Anime:

In Japan, any kind of animation, whether traditional 2d animation or 3d computer graphic animation, whether from America, Europe, China, or Japan, for Adults, Teens, or Children, all animation is considered anime.



In America, while there is no uniform consensus on what Anime does or does not include, I presume it to mean animation either from Japan or with heavy influence from Japanese Animation.  This means I would include some American properties, like Avatar, as Anime.  This means you can include Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Digimon, and other shows broadcasted on TV because they came from Japan, thus anime. 





Common Themes of Anime

• Unique/Colorful Character Designs
• Interesting worlds
• Mascots/unique creatures
• Semi-realistic human proportions
• Largely human cast
• Attention to Physics
• Stories that are more nuanced
• Characters are Moral and Upstanding typically

Types of Anime Demographics:

• Kodomo-muke (3-10 children)
• Typically shows aimed at small or young children in elementary age
• Shonen (10-18 Boys)
• Typically Boy’s action/sports for young teens to adults
• Shoujo (10-18 Girls)
• Typically Girl’s Romance/themed for young teens to adults
• Senin/Josei (Adult/Mature Audience)
• Shows aimed toward adult audiences, tend to focus on more mature/nuanced topics or life
• Hentai (Pornographic)
• Porn…. No really, that’s what it is.

While Children, Shonen, and Shoujo are aimed at their demographics, there’s a wide range of audiences that enjoy these shows too.  Many Shonen or Shoujo fans continue to enjoy these shows well into adult hood, while many teens continue to enjoy anime aimed at Children.

Types of Anime Shows (Genre) 

• Actions/Adventure
• Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Space
• Mecha
• A show in which character pilot humanoid/animal based machines
• Sports
• Mystery
• Magical Girl
• Shows were girls transform into Magical heroines
• Card/Game
• Shows were the premise revolves around a card game or type of game, often used for promotions of other games/properties available in real world.
• Romance
• Slice of Life
• Show in which share the happenings of everyday life and the adventures around it.
• Healing
• Shows that are meant to be relaxing and heartwarming when watched.
• Idol
• Shows resolving around creation, management, production, or life of an Idol group consisting of 3 or more guys or girls, typically girls
• School/Work
• Shows where the primary location for the show revolves around school(typically high school) or at work.

  

Children’s Anime

Anime is shown at all times of the day, but most particularly in the mornings and evenings.  Anime typically shown in the mornings are usually aimed at children or younger demographics, while anime shown in the evenings are often aimed at teens and adults. While a majority of children anime is shown in the morning, there are still some Shonen or Shoujo shown in the morning as well, and even some popular children’s anime is shown in the evening as well.  Anime typically can hold key evening times, including 8pm, 9pm, and even 10pm time slots, denoting its importance/prevalence.



Children’s anime tends to be simpler in scope and programming, often choosing to do a monster-of-the-week format instead of a long running story.  This means that the show often resets itself at the end of every episode, save for new characters, abilities, or statuses that are intended for use in later series.  Or the episodes are often self-contained stories: utilizing a few or single major character and other supporting characters to tells an individual story.



Children’s anime tends to be educational on some levels as well, teaching history, sciences, morals, or repeating important life lessons. 



There are four major types of Children’s Anime: 

• Western Adaptations
• Stories that are adaptations of traditional Western/European folk tales or stories
• Japanese Media/works
• These are stories that are unique to Japan, often using linguistic puns/gags that don’t translate well in the west.
• Joji-Muke
• Essentially anime for Young Girls, think Hello Kitty
• Shonen-muke
• Essentially anime for Young Boys, typically focusing on toys or video games.  These tend to have the greatest success.

Homework:

Sailor Moon Crystal (Hulu)

Card Captor Sakura (Hulu)

Kaleido Star (Hulu)

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki Kun (Netflix)

K-on (Netflix)

Cells at Work (Netflix)

Glitter Force (Netflix)

Teasing Master Tagaki-san (Netflix)

Fireworks (Netflix)

Violet Evergarden (Netflix)

Little Witch Academia (Netflix)


Sweetness and Lightning - Sharks!

Episode 57: Video Games and Money

Topic: Video Games and How to Make Money

As a follow up to last week's discussion, Mom wondered how people make money in video games, and being the clever nerd that has actually spent along time in the meta narrative on Video Game creation and process, I came back with some information to offer.

What does it cost to make a Video Game?

This namely depends on the complexity of the game.  A game with Side Scrolling or 2D graphics will usually cost less than a game with 3D graphics.  But the nature of the game’s content and desire to fulfill it is also necessary.

Staff
There are a core number of elements you need to make a game:
Game Designers

• Basically the person who designs the world, mechanics, and fun of a game

Programmers

• Individuals that make the Game Designer’s vision possible via programming and developing tools or systems for the game

Graphic Design and Animators

• Video Games being a primarily visual media, requires people who will be able to create characters, worlds, and animate them in a game. It can also include menus, UI layout, and ensuring the game’s information is easy to understand

Sound Designers

• Every good game needs a sound track, or atleast needs to have an audio feedback to express what the character is doing, if it’s a successful fit or a critical miss. Sound Design relies on giving an audio cue to know you did something

Testers

• These are individuals who test your game to ensure that they catch bugs and errors in your game, ensuring that your game is as polished and presentable as possible. Depending on the complexity of game, they can also offer balancing and ideas to further the game.

Producers

• These are people who help keep the game in line: whether they ensure every member of the team has the tools necessary, coordinating deadlines and completed tasks, ensuring the game’s vision isn’t lost during development, being a fellow visionary on the game, and much more

Beyond that, you can have more specialized roles and staffs, including an Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Integration with various console platforms, and so many more positions.  Some people may have varying roles or multiple roles, but these are the kinds of people you will needs, and each one will need a salary or compensation for work completed.

Technology
Most games are built in various software engines, on various computer products, and may need various tools and multipurpose libraries of useful assets or information.

Software

• Depending on complexity of the game, you may need to buy or license a game engine to run your game and develop for it, which in of itself is not cheap. Some engines are free to use, like Unity, but more powerful engines often cost in the thousands to millions to license and develop on.  This is even before the powerful computers necessary to program in.  Less complex games can get away with reduced costs.

Services

• Depending on your game, especially in an always online world, you may need local and cloud based services like Maps, weather conditions, server space for save data, or a place to host multiplayer games. Services like this will certainly require additional money, especially if your game is popular and takes off.

Templates, Libraries, and Plugins

• Most video game elements are not created in a vacuum. Everything from characters and sounds, to how they and other objects have already been built once before.  So if you don’t need to rebuild the wheel, why not buy the assets you need for your game.  Especially if you’re aiming for certain elements of game play in your game, you can buy assets online that mirror or give you a starting point to develop your own game elements, which can save more time and money down the line.

Time
All games take a period of time to make.  This will always be dictated by the scope of the game and the size of the team.  So the bigger the game, the more staff, thus more time to produce the game, meaning more money.  Some games might also have tighter time constraints, as games based off of movies might need to come out around the same time as the movie, leading to rushed game development.  Games with a smaller scope can get by with less staff, but it still takes time.

Typically, games with bigger scopes and large teams will take around 2-3 years to develop a game, as where games with smaller teams can probably take around 10-12 months.  These can be quicker or shorter depending on the game complexity and scope, along with the team working on it.
 

In Sum
Simple games like Angry Birds as an example, might cost around $10,000 to make, while games like Grand Theft Auto 5 might cost $100 million dollars or more.  Games that cost more are also expected to sell more too, so a game costing a $100 million dollars needs to sell upwards of 2 million copies before it ever breaks even.

How Game Companies Make Money:
While it’s intended that all games are built to have fun, they are also primarily built to make money.  There’s lot of ways game developers and their companies make money off of video games:

Basic Box Retail

• This is the most basic version of how a game makes money. Thinking back to the days of the 80s and 90s, where you went to a store, bought the game, and went home and played it.  Basically, the act of purchasing the game in question. 
• Interestingly, most game consoles sell at a loss in the first few years of production. IE, an Xbox 360 might retail for $399, but the same of its parts and labor to put it together might be around $500-$600.  The logic being that while the technology is expensive, most people won’t buy multiple consoles, thus locking you in to preferred console.  From there, video games themselves can be expensive, $50-$60, and can only be played on that console
• Depending on the platform it will be played on, there will likely be fees/costs associated with publishing the game on that platform. Major Gaming Consoles like Playstation, X-Box, and Nintendo will take a small portion of revenue to be able to be played on their systems, but your game will certain reach a wide market.  Platforms like computers may have platforms like Steam who help sell your game, but take a portion of the profits from you as a result.  If you’re on a mobile platform like Android or Apple, there’s likely a fee to be on the store.

Subscription

• This is a pay to play model, where you pay a monthly/yearly fee to play the game. The game itself can have an entrance fee to purchase the game, or require you pay just the Subscription to play alone. 
• These are typically games that are intended to be played for over several months/years. These are also games with social aspects, whether working with or playing against other players.  Typically any game with online play will require a subscription.
• Major consoles Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo all have subscription services as well to be played to play online with their games. Namely since these companies host the servers connectivity with the games and their developers/publishers, subscriptions to play online are not unusual.  Though if you pay a subscription, you won’t be paying them additionally for each game.

Free-To-Play

• These are games which are free to play themselves, but may require that you watch/view material outside of the game, or pay to progress through it the game quicker.
• Advertisements
  • A game can be free to play, but will require watching or viewing of advertisements.
• Freemium
  • These are games that are free to play, but take a long time to progress, namely due to the gating of content or progression. The gating can be shortened or eliminated entirely by the purchase of game currency or unlocks, allowing progression of the game to continue.
  • Games that rely on this model are looking for gamers they term as ‘Whales’. These are games that will spend lots of money to unlock, progress quicker, or collect rare items in the game.  These are the type of people who will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on game.
• Free-To-Play are more common amongst mobile games.

Advertisements

• Game development can be expensive in and of itself, so some times game developers offer to include Advertisements in their games. It can a few different forms:
• In-Game-Advertisement
  • Some games may have advertisements built in the game’s world. EX: Grand Theft Auto 5 has some billboards that change throughout the year to advertise new stuff in the real world. 
• Product Placement
  • Because development can be expensive, some games may use Product Placement to help fund their game. EX Sonic Adventure 2 had a Product Placement  with Soap Shoes, which is seen on characters and developed a rail grinding element in the game itself.
  • Most games use fake or ‘Greek-ed’ names for items. IE  It’s not Coca-Cola or Pepsi, it’s just ‘Cola’.  But some Product Placement may request their items in the game, like cars or locations.
• Sponsorships
  • Some games may ask for a sponsorship detail, making it so it’s a preferred game and help with the advertising and marketing of a game. As a result of the company spending money to promote the game, they’ll take a portion of the revenue as well.

User Data

• More common, especially in Mobile Game markets, companies can collect information about you through your phone. They will always mention this in their term of service, but they may collect information on your play habits or even reference the kind of websites you visit.  This data can then be sold to marketing companies as a way of targeting their advertisements in the future.

DLC (Down Loadable Content)

• Typically games with lot of varied items, characters, or content will have DLC. These are usually additional offerings that are not required to play the game, but are purchase-able as a way to enhance or offer new content to a game.  This content can include:
  • Unlocked characters – either new characters or ability to unlock character right away
  • New levels/modes for games
  • Unlock weapons or skins for characters or models
  • Releasing future content of the game – IE, in a chapter based story, the next chapter
• DLC has been seen in big games, as a way to add additional content to the game without releasing a new game. Typically this offers additional content to the game that isn’t included in the base game.

Currency/Unlocks

• Similar to DLC, these are often means to unlock content included with the base game. These are typically used as ways to bypass restrictions or content in a game so that you can progress through it quicker or easier. 
• Example might be unlocking all character in a fighting game, rather than progressing through a story mode to unlock them.
• It might also be a unique currency in the game that allows you to buy the best weapons or abilities in the game, so that you can progress through the game quicker, or make it easier to do so.
• Another names for this is ‘Micro-transactions’ 

How can Gamers Make Money?
Gamers themselves have opportunities to make money off of video games.  In most cases however, the game becomes less about having fun, and instead become about offering/selling a product rather than enjoyment.

Game Testing (Quality Assurance/QA Testing)

• Gamers are in a unique position to Test Video Games, as they’re familiar with games themselves, they can be useful in understand how stuff works and doesn’t naturally, along with being able to explain it easier to a bug reporter.
• While you don’t have to be a gamer necessarily, understanding the logic and inherent controls of video games is a big plus.
• While most people think you might get paid to play video games, what you’re actually doing is testing elements or parts of a game for potential bugs and oversights. Typically, these are unfinished and/or unpolished games that need someone to go in and find where the problems are.  Depending on the game, as well as the culture, some testers will work long hours and overtimes, with some working 10-16+ hours in a day, as well as weekends. 
• The pay model will differ for varying game companies and vendors, with bigger companies offering more pay typically.
• Great webcomic and stories about this found here: http://trenchescomic.com/

Youtube/Twitch

• A popular model of revenue for people is playing games online for the enjoyment of others. This is often seen live via Twitch, or recorded sessions via Youtube, which some Twitch broadcast often uploaded to Youtube. 
• A majority of these channels that do well offer a unique experience. It can include:
  • Playing a game with commentary or discussions about the game and/or content
  • Playing online against other people, testing your skill against theirs
  • A play-thru of the game, intended to show your progression through the game.
  • Playing Online with friends or fellow games, usually requiring everyone to be able to communicate together
  • Performing unique play-thru. IE Speedrunning, or playing a game with rules, limits or criteria. 
  • Developing or crafting housing/worlds, Minecraft.
• On Twitch, people viewing the content are often asked to subscribe to the channel to help pay for the content, or can cheer for the channel with Bits, a one-time gift of money in the form of a Twitch based currency.
• On Youtube, people viewing the content will be asked to watch the Youtube ads or asked to support via Patreon
• In either case, subscribing via Twitch or through Patreon will gift the viewer with unique rewards or perks, such as chatting in chat, call out in the video, special emotes or emblems, or more depending on the channel
• Popular channels can make millions of dollars a year, however most channels do not make a lot of money, perhaps $10,000 to $40,000 a year depending on their frequency and content.
• Before you can start making money, you need to show either Youtube or Twitch that you have regular/routine broadcastings, you have a certain amount of viewers, and some other criteria. Once meeting these thresholds, you can apply for Partner Status and receive money from your content.
• While it can be lucrative for some, for most it is not. With so many people posting and streaming content, it can be hard to get noticed unless you’re either already popular, or you have a unique experience you’re offering.  The more unique, the better to make yourself stand out.

Tournaments/eSports

• Some games can be played professionally, especially multiplayer games. Tournaments offer the opportunity to show your skill and talents, with the best players taking home money.
• People who play in Tournaments often are people who do it full time, playing the same games frequently and often in order to build skill, tactics and strategies, along with understanding of the game’s mechanics and limitations. This is treated a profession at this point though, with only the best typically making money. 
• eSports are a natural progression of Tournaments, which sees sponsorships taking over potential prize money.
• You don’t necessarily have to be masters of these games though. You can play host to the eSports, offer commentary on matches, Act as a referee, or help with the marketing of a league, team, or tournament.  Advanced knowledge of these games are required through, so you can’t just walk in to it.
• Most of the players for eSports and Tournaments are usually already using the Twitch/Youtube model of making money, and are actually discovered on those platforms by potential sponsors.

Farming In-Game Currency/Services

• More unique to MMORPGs, people will play a game to collect the in-game currency or items to sell for currency from a game. After collecting the currency, they will sell it through website that offer the currency for Cash.  It’s more popular with MMOs because of the ease of collecting the currency or items, as the currency is endless and the transaction can be hidden or obscured. 
• Some players will offer to farm currency for other games that offer unlock/rewards for currency. IE: Overwatch has skins that you can win via-loot boxes, or pay for them via in game currency.
• There are some players who want to play with high level players, and thus will pay another person to play their account to unlock later levels/content, or improve their ranking or level so that they can be match up with higher level players. Some people may just start accounts, level them up, then sell it on eBay or websites, though this is frowned upon by gamers and game developers/publishers, often being against the terms of service.

Journalism

• A way to monetize your game play might be to do so as Journalism. Posting reviews on games you have played or unique commentary on you experience with it can be rewarding.
• Much Like Youtube/Twitch model, there are a lot of people out there trying to do this as well, so it can be difficult to get noticed or being to make money off of it without having a unique hook or reason for people to read.
• Blogs/websites, including Youtube, offer a way to express your thoughts and opinions easily.

Other people who Make Money off of Video Games
Re-selling Video Games

• More so with older games, and less so with more recent, older games can fetch good money, especially if they were popular at one point. Collector’s editions or special type of games fetch more money than others.
• Retail outlets like Game-Stop purchase used games and consoles, reselling them for more than bought in order to make money on them.
• eBay and other online auction outlets can be a good place to purchase and resell gaming media.
• People who can repair old systems are highly valuable as well, as people who can fix older consoles are becoming fewer, along with replacement parts becoming slimmer.

Video Game Merchandise

• While you can’t reproduce copyrighted material, you can pay homage to them. Websites like Etsy and eBay offer to sell gaming merchandise for people.  This can include one off bags or accessories, cosplay and props, along with trinkets and home furnishings.  It’s not unusual for people to take their love of gaming into crafts and create stunning objects for collectors.

Episode 56: Super Mario Bros Review

Topic:  Super Mario Bros Review + Speed Running + Twitch/Streaming

So this week, we had some homework that would have been difficult for some to accomplish if you didn't already have any of the included games.  I'll be linking videos for those who couldn't play the games, but this week, thanks to some help, Mom actually played them.  And while she had difficulties playing Super Mario Bros. 1 with out any help, even she admitted she'd get it eventually given enough time.

Home Work:

Super Mario Bros. 1
Game picked because in video games, there’s quite a bit of learned knowledge that comes from years of playing video games.  Some of this includes controls, visual language, enemy interaction, and certainly familiarity with the world.  Some example of this learned knowledge is:

• Jumps are better when you run
• We always want power-ups
• Understanding Health Bars
• Controls in an FPS
• Pits are bad

I also choose it because the Game Design in Mario is very smart, even though it would never feel like it.  It assumes that you never played a game like this, because back then you wouldn’t have, and lets you experiment naturally with little punishment. 



Mario Kart
I picked this because it’s likely the second most popular Mario franchise after Super Smash Bros.  This game lets you jump in and goof around easily with friends, and always felt like it very easy to pick up and get going.  What I feel is nice about the game is that you can develop your skills over time to do better in races, rather than needing to develop your skills to progress further in to the game, which is difficult for some people to do. 



Mario Party
I picked this because I found it interesting how Mario franchise can be adopted to fit just about any genre, including a board game.  I appreciate the board game because it allows for lots of mini-games that always seem to offer unique game play and interaction.



Speed Run
The term ‘Speed Run’ comes from the intent of playing a video game and completing it as fast as possible.  Playing a game with the intent of doing a Speed Run is referred to as ‘Speed Running’.

While there are lots of games that are fun to play, there are some that are better for Speed Running.  These are games that involve:

• Skill – mastery of the game and controlling your character
• Precision – the game must be consistent in its controls and how the game mechanics work
• Low RNG – RNG is basically randomness in enemy or world actions outside of your own.

While these are not deal breakers for many games that have Speed Runs, they tend to be the more common elements. 

Some important terms:

• Frames – Essentially the micro-seconds of a game, or rather, states in which the game screen changes by even a small pixel
• RNG – Game Randomness, many games rely on random elements to keep players on their toes.  These can include random dice rolls, cards that are chosen, hit chance, or enemy actions.  Lots of games include RNG in multiple ways. EX: Pokemon: what a pokemon will do in battle.
• Cycles – In some games, enemies or mechanics work in a repeat cycle, IE, enemy will always jump, run forward, then jump again.  Various cycles or rotations in games exist and players who Speed Run tend to see them often enough to know what best to do when they encounter it.
• States – The state of the game at any time.  IE how far has a character progress, what upgraded or items to they have, what part of the story are they on.  Simple example could be board game, where the pieces are and whose turn is it is a ‘State’
• Glitch – An unintended error in the game, where the game doesn’t work right in one particular pixel or way, allowing players to exploit the game 
• Sequence Break – This is when a player performs an action that allows them break the intended layout or order in which the game developers intended the game to be played in.  IE: obtaining items out of order, skipping portions of a map, or skipping required actions the game intended.  These are usually done via Glitches or exploiting mechanics of a game to do things that the developer did not intend.

Most common games for Speed Runs are usually older games, games from the 80s and 90s, but not exclusively.  Some popular titles include:

• Super Mario Bros 1. – NES
• Super Mario World – SNES
• Super Metroid – SNES
• Super Mario 64 – N64
• Doom – PC
• Quake – PC

Some newer titles are also run, including:

• MineCraft – PC
• Resident Evil 2(2019) – PS4
• UnderTale - Multiple
• Mario Kart 8 – Wii U/Switch
• Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
• Cup Head - Multiple
• Portal 2 - PC

Depending on the video game, additional rules and limitations can be placed on the game in order to achieve various different times.  This can include:

• Any% - Typically the simplest, completing the game as quick as possible, regardless of using glitches or sequence breaks to bypass elements of the game.
• 100% - Full completion of the game, Plus collecting all available items, collectables, or upgrades
•  Low% - Full completion of the game, but while collecting the bare minimum of items, collectables, or upgrades necessary to complete the game.
•  Glitchless – Similar to Any%, however, avoiding any glitches or elements of the game that were unintended by the developers.
• Challenge – These may be completing a game while invoking a challenge, IE, fewest jumps or weakest weapons

Various websites exist to track the Speed Running community, where they upload videos or scores to leader boards to track their progress and who is currently the fastest.  One of the more popular is Speedrun.com, which tracks hundreds of games.

It’s a community that is very much friendly with one another, as they try to find new routes or tactics to overcome the time crunch. 


Tool Assisted Speed Run (TAS)

A Tool Assisted Speed Run(TAS) is where a person is assisted by tools to complete a Speed Run.  So rather than completing it purely by skill, a person has manipulated the controls to allow them to play in a better or worse way. 

Typically, this means a program will play the game by making precise inputs as previously recorded by a programmer.  The programmer, using emulation tools, will go Frame by Frame of a game, mapping out the inputs of the game at a speed or responsiveness that cannot be replicated by a human.  This allows a game to be played in the most optimal way to complete the game intended, or cause the game to do things unintended by its original developers.  Some example include: playing a game perfectly from start to finish, playing a game that is technically cheating but still winning, or manipulating the game to create new code and create new elements of a game.

TAS are usually showcases for cool things in video games, IE, unintended cheats or exploits in games, to weird mechanics and programming that resulted from it.




Twitch / Streaming
In the digital age we currently live in: ‘Streaming’ is the act of broadcasting things people do not actively own, over the web, in real time.  Streaming example include: Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Twitch.  Typically, streaming is the act of watching or listening to something that is currently available only for a set period of time in it is available or in which the service is paid for. 

If you watch a video on Netflix, you’re streaming because you do not own the material and you must pay for the service.  If you’re watching via Youtube, this isn’t considered watching a stream, as the content is intended to be free of charge and always available.  

Twitch
Is a Video Streaming service that primarily focuses on user-created Video Game Streaming, but also includes more general topics as well, ranging from Cooking, arts/crafts, beauty, talk shows/podcast, politics, music, and even just chatting.  These streams only include original content as generated by the channel’s users, IE: you can’t watch movies on Twitch as the channel’s user did not generate the content.  There must always be some kind of user generated input in showing the content.

Originally starting as ‘Justin.tv’ in 2007, the website allowed people to broadcast user-created content for free to unlimited number of people.  The platform was intended for people who wanted to stream their lives as they interacted and lived through it, allowing people to live in someone else’s shoes, al ‘Truman Show’.  The website’s Video Game related content quickly became the dominate content and was thus spun off in to ‘Twitch’ in 2011.  Justin.tv was eventually shut down and a majority of its content moved to Twitch.  In 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch and has since merged it with other Video game related communities, including Curse.

Today, Twitch is the #1 streaming platform for Video Game, which allows anyone to stream their own user-created content.  For many games, it is also the home for eSport broadcasts, but also including Speed Runs.  Other game content includes people with unique narrations on their game-play, or multi-player games being played together my multiple people, which is usually the bulk of the channel’s content.

Many Streamers are small time celebrities due to their views; due to the number of views, some streamers make a living off of streaming, with player Ninja making upwards of $100,000 a month while on Twitch.

Twitch is the 26^th most popular website in the world, 13^th in United States.  It is worth roughly $3.8 billion.  Twitch’s competitor include youtube.com and Mixer, which is quickly joining the ranks of Twitch as it plucks off some of Twitch’s top streamers away.

eSports

eSports is a form of Sport for video games.  It usually is an organized competition between professional players, in either individual or teams, in order to win a tournament or competition.  Most of these competitions are over Multiplayer games, which require a one-on-one or team based game play. 

Some of the most common games include:

• MOBA – Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
• FPS – First Person Shooter
• Fighting
• Card Games
• Battle Royales
• RTS – Real Time Strategy

 Some of the most popular eSports, as sponsored by their developers include:

• League of Legends
• Dota
• Counter Strike
• Overwatch
• Super Smash Bros
• StarCraft
• Hearthstone
• Call of Duty

In recent few years, eSports have been recognized by the Olympics, along with Colleges and Schools, which offer professional and amateur eSport programs.  As of 2019, 130 colleges have some kind of eSports based program.