Video games as a media form

Overview

Interactivity in the context of a video game, player agency and game engine.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What distinguishes a video game from other media forms?

   Model answer

   A video game requires the audience to act before anything happens. The player's input produces the text rather than simply receiving it.

2. 2

   Define interactivity in the context of a video game.

   Model answer

   Interactivity is the capacity of a text to respond to what its user does. A game changes state in reply to each input.

3. 3

   What is meant by player agency?

   Model answer

   Player agency is the degree to which a player's decisions genuinely change what happens. A game with high agency offers real alternatives rather than the appearance of choice.

4. 4

   Distinguish a linear game from an open-world game.

   Model answer

   A linear game moves the player through a fixed sequence of events. An open-world game lets the player choose where to go and in what order to act.

5. 5

   What is a game engine?

   Model answer

   A game engine is the software framework handling rendering, physics, sound and input. Studios reuse an engine across titles to cut development cost.

6. 6

   Why is genre useful in the marketing of a video game?

   Model answer

   A genre label tells a buyer what the play will feel like before they try it. Action-adventure, first-person shooter and role-playing each promise a different experience.

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