Semester 1: Body of Work

The hand-in for semester 1 is but a few hours away and I've just finished up the last bit of practical work I want to submit for this term. Below I will detail my body of work: that is my Learning Agreement, my Essays and my Practical Work. All research-based work is spread throughout the posts I've made to this blog along more detailed insight to my development work.

Learning Agreement

Name	Stephanie Russell
MA Course Title	Games Design
Status (F/T or P/T)	F/T
Date	21/11/2017
Version No.:	1.1
Brief explanation/ outline of project
The late 80’s through to the early 2000’s saw the vast popularity of the platforming mascot; the trend faded into obscurity for a while but has had a small resurgence in the last couple of years. In my Masters project, I aim to explore what qualities make a mascot character subjectively “good”, memorable and globally marketable.
Context / Rationale
For nearly two decades, the video game industry was abundant with mascot characters, primarily starring in platform games. A mascot is a character that represents a company or an intellectual property; they put a face to the values held by the creators, they are often forefront of marketing and advertising, and are much-loved icons globally. Knowing the global fondness of gaming mascots (ie. Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario etc.) I would like to explore their lasting appeal for a variety of cultures and age groups. I would also like to question why platform games became less abundant for a while before gaining more popularity over the last few years. Characters like Luigi (being an alternate palette of Mario without much of his own personality) are perhaps not very good, yet as consumers, we are forced to accept his presence in Nintendo’s marketing. Why be safe and stick to a tried and tested design formula? Is the idea of a secondary protagonist in a mascot-based game flawed in itself? What about other secondary protagonists, like Tails to Sonic, is he not only “accepted” but also a “good” character in his own right? What about the ‘family’ of a mascot character (you don’t have Mario on his own, he is recognised along with Princess Peach, Luigi, Bowser etc.) – what does this kind of growth mean to a mascot? Mickey Mouse, as an earlier example, was originally a mischievous character but as he became the forefront of Disney’s marketing, he lost a lot of his personality – why? Is it not “acceptable” for mascot characters to have a personality that isn’t just happy-go-lucky? What about Sonic? He initially had a backstory of being in a rock band and having a human girlfriend. This was stripped back in favour of the simple plot of saving animals from an evil scientist. His personality was centred on impatience, his early games were about speed and collecting Rings – over the years his character and the franchise have become more complex. Were these to the detriment of Sonic as a mascot character?
Key areas of Research / Key Activities
Review and analyse previous examples of successful mascots, both within the games industry and outside of it. Gather opinions of people’s preferences for mascot characters. Research the psychology behind what, fundamentally, makes a “good” mascot. Research cultural differences between the East and West in terms of the types of characters that appeal to them – influences, design choices and marketing techniques. Play and review games featuring mascot characters (or those with the potential to become mascots), both good and bad as well as older and more recent examples. Research advertisement methods and trends in different parts of the world.
Intended outcomes of project tended outcomes of project
I would like to: Figure out fundamentals/common characteristics among pre-existing mascots; use this to create character concepts of my own. Place character in the context of a gaming environment. Explore promotional materials related to mascots

Essays

Abstract

This essay discusses the importance of the video game mascot and the mascot platform game, an archetype that has been prominent in the industry for nearly three decades. It will detail the essential elements of creating and marketing a gaming mascot globally as well as commenting on the cyclical popularity of mascot platformers. The second part of the essay will contextualise the theory by comparing two games: one from the earlier years of the mascot platformer and a more recent example of the same genre.

Literature review

Introduction

I have researched the fundamentals of what makes a mascot character memorable and marketable for a global audience within the gaming medium. In addition, I will be discussing the cyclic popularity of mascot-based platform games.

Discussion

To begin, a gaming mascot character is not just a character from a video game, or a character who is easy to remember, but an icon that represents the values of a company, intellectual property or brand. A mascot is also a character who has had a huge cultural impact globally. The following quote from the Sonic the Hedgehog 25^th Anniversary Art Book supports this definition: “a well-known character with an instantly recognisable shape doesn't always add up to iconic status. Sonic truly stands as a symbol of the incredible story of video games, as well as a beloved mascot in a brand capacity.” Sonic has remained a strong competitor in the games industry since the 90’s, based primarily on his character design.

When discussing mascot fundamentals, Takeshi Iizuka from Sonic Team suggested that during the 90’s, “most of them had this cute quality to them, a certain softness. When Sonic came out he stood out for being really fast, really cool, and for this really strong attitude, and this fundamentally put him apart from the rest.” While I agree with his statement, I also feel that Sonic conforms in many ways to the cute quality and softness that he mentions; Sonic’s classic design was short and rounded which was typical of mascots. However, the inclusion of an impatient attitude added a third dimension and a memorability to Sonic, since many other mascots were defined by their positive outlook. Sonic’s design aimed to represent SEGA as the ‘cool’ company of the era when compared to the family-friendly Nintendo.

A 1999 study used a variety of mascots designed for the Olympics to track the sub-conscious preferences people have for mascot characters. It was found that, in general, “subjects with a design background preferred connotative adjectives such as subject-related, creative, and symbolic; meanwhile subjects without a design background were concerned more with denotative adjectives such as attractive, artistic, and cute” and “ `design style' is more important than other factors to the mascot design.” A character may initially be judged in many ways, such as with simple adjectives or with subject-specific terminology; in the context of gaming mascots this may refer to abilities the character has or their dominant personality traits. The study discusses ‘design style’, this refers to line art complexity and details within the design. People may be naturally drawn to more detailed art but greater levels of detail are counter-intuitive to mascot character design; mascots should be easy to remember. With this in mind, they should be designed around simple shapes and patterns.

In ‘Better Game Characters by Design: A psychological approach’, Katherine Isbister states that a player character should direct the players’ emotions “to underscore desirable feelings (such as triumph or suspense) and to minimize undesirable ones (such as fear or frustration)”. This is imperative for a gaming mascot since they must be popular across borders and with a varied audience, through both their game and any other promotional materials; as such, they should be nonthreatening and likeable. A mascot is a flagship character; they should therefore reflect positive values rather than instilling negative emotions.

Many gaming characters that are globally successful and earn the ‘mascot’ title hail from Japan, with only the occasional character breaking that trend, such as Crash Bandicoot. In his study, ‘Culture in Video Game Characters’, Chris Pruett explains that “American developers do produce a large number of titles that vary in artistic style and execution, though they are generally aimed exclusively at a younger audience and often fail to impress reviewers”. The Western market, predominantly adult males, stereotypically favours ‘mature’ games with more lifelike graphics. In the West, bright or cute games that deal with basic themes tend to resonate with children, or adults that wish to return to memories of their childhood, resulting in a stigma for the core audience. However, in Japan, it is more socially acceptable to enjoy things of that nature regardless of age and gender. 

Western characters are often masculine and realistic; these traits don’t resonate well with a Japanese audience since it is harder to gauge emotion from characters that don’t have exaggerated features and movements. Japanese character design also relies heavily on symbolism, for example, a character with a long scarf is typically associated with traits like ‘justice’ and ‘mystery’. In Japan, there is also a recurring theme of animal-based characters, while Western characters tend to be human, with a few exceptions. Isbister discusses this point by making the following statement, “The impossibility of truly reflecting ethnic identities across multiple cultural groups may help to explain the prevalence of nonhuman characters in games that travel successfully across cultural borders.” I suggest that this is a reason that very few Western characters become successful in Japan.

Gaming mascots used to be a dominant part of the global market; do they still have a place there as it stands today? In his web article ‘What became of the cartoon video game mascot?’ Edward Smith proposes, even though mascots and their games will always have a presence, “if gaming as a whole needs a unifying challenge, the revival of the cartoon mascot is not it." I personally feel that trends within gaming are cyclical and there will always be a place for gaming mascots. They may dip in popularity but mascots are both greatly loved characters and an important tool for company marketing; they will therefore always be a significant part of the gaming industry.

Conclusion

In summation, mascots are an important facet of marketing since they are the face of a company and should therefore exert positive traits. Often simple adjectives like ‘cute’ or ‘happy’ are used to describe mascots, though some more successful mascots have a third dimension to their personality. Mascot designs should always be easy to remember and they often hail from Japan due to the cultural use of symbolism through design. Finally, although mascot games have waned in popularity, there will always be a place for them in the industry.  

Contextual review

Introduction

Many games released from the late 80’s to the mid 2000’s starred mascots: some were successful, and others were not. This review discusses two games: Sonic the Hedgehog, a flagship title released by SEGA in the prime time of the mascot platformer genre and Yooka-Laylee, a game that was created by independent studio Playtonic, comprised of developers that worked on renowned platform games such as Banjo-Kazooie in the 90’s.

Discussion

A player’s first impression of a mascot platformer is the character’s design, it is therefore necessary that the design is memorable. Generally, a successful mascot design follows these fundamentals: animal character, simple shapes, bright colours, limited palette and a short body with large, animate eyes. The characters in both games I’m discussing conform with this basic ruleset.

In ‘Sonic: Birth of an Icon’, Madeline Schroeder said the following regarding Sonic’s design: “Sonic was appealing for a number of different reasons... a gorgeous set of colours... But secondly he really communicated the power of the game, just by looking at him… And then the attitude at the end was just kind of the perfect topping.”.

Yooka and Laylee, being a duo, were given vastly different palettes and designs so that they stand out from one another. Yooka sports green and Laylee is mainly purple, they both have red accents to their colour palettes that tie the two of them together. Banjo-Kazooie, the game’s predecessor, inspires Yooka-Laylee in many ways, including the pair dynamic. I feel that, as a result, there is something missing from the two characters and that their designs are too simple.

Games aren’t purely cosmetic; a mascot platformer must be able to demonstrate good gameplay alongside their playable character. Sonic the Hedgehog, at the time, was a unique concept that revolved around completing levels quickly. Sonic himself was designed to imply his in-game abilities, like rounded quills to show that he can curl into a ball and running shoes to show that he is fast.


Yooka and Laylee were also designed specifically around gameplay mechanics. In an interview with YouTube creator Beta64, Gavin Price stated, “It was all about the abilities and the gameplay opportunities that they'd create. We knew we wanted to put more thought into it this time around, as much as we love Banjo... He didn't do anything which demonstrated typical bear traits.”.

To keep a player interested in a mascot and their game, they must exhibit a likable personality. In ‘The Voice Behind The Mouse’, Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse, discussed the longevity of mascots: “There's an approval factor, from the characters to the public. The characters aren't judging you and they never will, they're just gonna love you.”. The same is true with gaming mascots; they often have a justified motive and are generally kind in their behaviours.

Sonic was well-known for breaking the trend of happy-go-lucky mascots back in the 90’s – he represented SEGA who wanted to be seen as ‘cool’ and he was therefore full of attitude, but he was still kind and justified at heart. His personality was evident through promotional art as well as the use of idle animations in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Yooka is kind and a little dim-witted, while Laylee is sarcastic and always has something to say. The characters Banjo and Kazooie were a template for the dynamic; as such, their personalities were unsurprising. However, Yooka and Laylee are a solid representation of Playtonic, whose company name comes from the words ‘play’ and ‘platonic’, due to their fun personalities and a script written in a charming British dialect.

The final point to consider is marketing, many successful franchises took big risks when it came to marketing. An example of this is Crash Bandicoot, which ran an advertisement that insulted Nintendo’s Super Mario and actively claimed it was better, before it had even released.

SEGA of America also took a gamble when it came to Sonic the Hedgehog’s marketing. They packaged the game with SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive consoles; it was unheard of in the early 90’s to package the best software but this ensured market dominance at the time. As such, Sonic became a huge success. Peter Moore, former COO of SEGA of America, stated that this kind of marketing “kind of broke the mould.”.

Yooka-Laylee had a much different marketing approach: Playtonic began life as a Twitter account under the name ‘Mingy Jongo’ which teased a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. After a year or so, this account ceased to exist, despite a rally of fan support. The account returned, rebranded to Playtonic, with a Kickstarter campaign for fans to contribute to. It promised to be a revival of the platforming genre and it was hugely successful. In an interview Mark Stevenson expressed his belief that “3D platformers have just been away for a bit too long”; the support on Kickstarter proved the demand for the genre.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that both Sonic the Hedgehog and Yooka-Laylee are good games with a rich and interesting history, but are they both good mascots? Sonic has proven repeatedly that he is a good mascot, even with many bad games to his name; he has transcended the gaming medium and successfully represents the values of a whole company. Yooka and Laylee, while a thoughtful love letter to the platforming genre and to gaming mascots, are not so iconic. Yooka-Laylee always set out to be a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, therefore it was always going to be cast under that game’s shadow.

* Bibliographies are in the actual essay document *

Practical Work

Within my practical work I'll also include developmental work, but I'll highlight the final work right at the end.

Part 1: Initial character concepts - see this post and this post for more details.

Part 2: Secondary concepts - see this post and this post for more. 

Part 3: Chosen character development - see these blog posts for more: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Below are my final pieces for the semester. They are a reference sheet and an art piece of my mascot character: Russi, the conceptual protagonist of a 2D platform game.