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Naughty Dog case study

a) Structure

Naughty Dog is a subsidiary company to it's parent, Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company is based in santa Monica, California.The company was founded on the 27th of September in 1984 by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin as an independent developer. They have been making games for 34 years.

The different parts of the studio are: Programmers, actors, designers, testers, sound effects, animators, assistant producer, audio engineer, game designers, artists. Different teams work on different games.

b) Platform Technology

Naughty Dog currently makes games for Sony consoles.

These consoles were previously PS1, PS2, PSP.

Now Naughty dog releases games for PS3 PS vita, PS4 and PS4 pro.

However Naughty dog previously use to make games for Apple 2, Artari ST and Sega Genesis.

c) Game types

The games that naughty dog makes are usually third person action/adventure games. Two examples of this is are Uncharted: The lost Legacy and The Last Of Us. However, Naughty Dog also makes other type of games. For example, Crash Bandicoot is a Platform game.

d) Games on multi platforms

3 games that Naughty Dog made that were on multi platforms is Crash bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. They all originally came out on Playstation 1 however were later releases as PS1 classics for Playstation 3 and PSP.

Another game that was on multi platforms, is The Last of Us. This came out in 2013 for PS3, and was later remastered for PS4 on the 29th of July 2014.

e) regulatory bodies

There are two regulatory bodies in the gaming industry, they are Pegi and ESRB. Pegi is a european age rating system which determine what age the game is suitable. It rates the games depending on,violence, regional views of sexuality or religion and could also be affected by geopolitics. The order it rates games is 3, 7, 12, 16, 18. For example, the game The Last of Us is rated an 18+ by Pegi due to the violence and language.

f) developmental software

Naughty dog uses a third party development software called Havok, it is a physics engine for the games. The graphics were powered by Naughty Dog's own engine. The actual modelling of the game is made in the programme Maya.

History

The company was founded on the 27th of September in 1984 by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin as an independent developer. They have been making games for 34 years.

Location

The company is based in santa Monica, California.

Business

Naughty Dog is a subsidiary company to it's parent, Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Properties

The studio's most successful games are "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" and "The Last of Us"


Naughty Dog has the rights to "Crash Bandicoot" which they created. Crash Bandicoot became the mascot of Playstation.

Reputation

The studio is linked to the "Uncharted" series , "Crash Bandicoot" series and the "Jak and Daxter" series.

Products

Jak and Daxter - 2001

Uncharted series

The Last Of Us - 2013

Crash Bandicoot series.

Market position

Naughty Dog makes AAA titles that people expect frequently.

The Last of Us became one of the best-selling games on the PlayStation 3, selling over 1.3 million units in its first week and over eight million units within fourteen months.
Uncharted: A Thief's End' Sold 8.7 Million Copies In 2016.

Competitors

Bethesda Game Studios


Rockstar Games


EA

Disadvantage - Doesn't have as much financial backing as other companies.

Advantage - Smaller team so people work better together and work well

























































When I played the the classic games, it became clear that they are a lot harder than current games. Also, the classic games have no real story what so ever, which compared to todays games, is the complete opposite. I played the batman game the most, like the rest of the games it was very hard, however had a slight story, but still nothing compared to today's games.











This is my video game experience throughout the years. Over time I have spent a lot of time on pretty much every console that has came out other than the xbox 360. I like getting the new consoles to see how more advanced they are compared to previous consoles and to see new features that companies come up with.



4 different types of gamers




1. killers - Establish dominance by killing other players.

2. Achievers - Play for in game goals, for example, to get the highest score.

3. Explorers - Goal is to explore and find things in the game that other people wont find.

4. Socialisers - Play to socialise with the gaming community.























Jesper Juul, Half real.


Rule based system - You have to have rules to structure the game, for example in MMA you cannot hit the opposition in the groin as that would be too easy for someone to win.






Variable and quantifiable outcomes - More than one outcome in a game. For example, in MMA you can either win by knockout, submission or by the judge's decision.






Different outcomes are assigned different values - Outcomes are values differently. For example, in a video game, if someone killed 50 people, they would receive more points than, someone who killed 20 people.






Outcomes are influenced by player effort - Players have to exert effort into the game to win. For example, if both fighters in MMA try their hardest there may not be a knockout.






Emotional attachment to the outcome - Players feel happy when they win, or sad if they loose.






Consequences of the activity are negotiable - Peoples decision change how the game play. For example in MMA its the fighters choice how they want to win.






The Last Of Us


When I was watching other people play the game, I was almost as focused on it as much as when i played it. I think that I was so focused on it due to the fact the game plays out similar to a movie, as there is a structure to the game which balances the story and violence just right. Also i was focused when watching it due to the fact that the game plays out in a way that makes you understand and feel for the characters, wether they are good or bad.






When i was playing the game i felt even more focused on it that when i watched it due to the fact as well as watching it play out, your physically involved with it too.