I’m working on a writing case study and need a sample draft to help me learn.
(Instructions on how and where to access the game will be at end of description)
One of the most important video games in the history of the industry is Adventure, developed by one person – Warren Robinett – for the Atari 2600 back in 1979 (released in 1980). It was groundbreaking for many reasons as discussed in the video, and to give everyone the opportunity to experience it and appreciate its contributions to game design that we continue to see even today, this assignment requires everyone to play through the game and write up their thoughts on various aspects of its composition. As a point of clarification that may not be immediately obvious, the object of the game is to get the chalice/goblet to the yellow castle.
It’s a good exercise because while the game appears relatively simple, it turns out to be complex in terms of individual elements and contributions. There are three levels of difficulty that increase these aspects, and one can see that the visceral nature of the game can be as impactful as modern games, rudimentary graphical quality notwithstanding.
It will also serve as a robust example to further understand some of the concepts in the MDA exercise.
To that end, everyone should play through the game on all three difficulty levels in order (In other words, play through on level 1, then level 2, then level 3), observing, thinking about, and making notes of their experience. Then, provide a writeup that discusses the following aspects of the game:
Gameplay
Describe the nature of the gameplay. For example: How does your character move throughout the environment (this is not an issue of controls, it’s an issue of in-game locomotion/movement)? Where can you go, and where can you not go? How are objects and inventory manipulated in the game? How do you interact with your environment? Are there restrictions or allowances in place that enhance or hinder gameplay? Were you able to manipulate the game in a perhaps unintended way to help you achieve your goals? How could gameplay be improved? How was the balance? Was it overly simple, or difficult? If so, why? Anything else related to gameplay can be included here as well.
Controls
Describe the controls. Are they adequate? What are the limitations to the controls? Would additional controls help? If so, how would they be implemented? Do the control help, hinder, or have no effect on the experience of the game?
Graphics
Describe the graphical quality of the game overall, as well as of the various in-game elements? Are they suitable for the task? Is it easy to tell what everything is and is supposed to be within the game experience? Do they convey the theme and intended environment well, provide a sense of space and scale? Do they help place you, as the player, in the game world, or help with your suspension of disbelief? What are some of the best examples of graphical implementation in the game, and what are some examples where the graphical implementation is not as successful?
Character Development
My favorite part of this assignment! Describe the character you control: Describe its appearance, its motivations, its development, its backstory, what makes your character unique? Can you relate to the character, can you feel for the character? What about the other characters in the game? Apply these questions to them as well.
Concept
What are your thoughts on the overall concept of the game? Was it well thought out? Did it make sense? Did what happened in game help contribute to the overall experience? Did anything stand out as out of place, or was it all well-implemented? Do you see its influence in any other games, even today?
Overall experience
What did you think of the game? Was it boring? Exciting? How did you feel while playing it? Did you enjoy it, or did you not enjoy it? Did anything surprise you? Was it a compelling experience, one you would play multiple times? What was the most memorable aspect of the game?
Advice for writing the document
The document should be written in paragraph form, with attention paid to quality of writing and content. Headings should be used so we know which paragraph relates to which topic, however it is not necessary, and not recommended, to repeat the questions as headings. Screenshots are fine as well but not required, and if you are familiar with more modern gaming, whether from the 8-bit (ex. Original Nintendo console), 16-bit (ex. Sega Genesis console), or later console eras, comparisons are always welcome, as is anything else relevant that you would like to include in the document. Just remember that Adventure is the focus of the document, and if other games are included, that should be done for comparison purposes only.
Two pages max, can most likely be completed in one.
Where to find the game
If you happen to have access to an emulator or online version of the game, you are more than welcome to use that, however my recommendation outside of those – especially as most online versions use flash – is a Javascript-based version located at http://www.free80sarcade.com/2600_Adventure.php (Links to an external site.)
I especially like this site because it uses an image of the 4-switch layout from the ‘Darth Vader (Links to an external site.)’ version of the Atari 2600, released sometime around 1982, and what looks like an actual Adventure cartridge. The ‘Game Select’ switch will switch among the three game variations, while the other switches are self-explanatory, hopefully.
I also like this site because if you click on the ‘Play Atari 2600 Games (Links to an external site.)’ tab at the top of the screen, you will find a slew of other games that were available for the 2600 console, and I would encourage you to give some of them a try as well to provide an idea of what gaming was like back then, of the limitations and possibilities, and the amazing things developers could do for a console that had no processor. Think about the questions you answered for this document as you try other titles. Notable games, for various reasons, are E.T., Pitfall, Robot Tank, Cosmic Ark, Atlantis, H.E.R.O., Enduro, and Swordquest: Earthworld, however those are but a few and there are many in the list that are absolutely worth experiencing.
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