Learning Agreement Update & Wrapping Up Semester 2

As Semester 2 is drawing to a close and I have spoken with the tutors about the progress I've made this semester, I decided to reflect on my Learning Agreement. I have stuck fairly closely to what I proposed initially but I did make some minor alterations to the document based on feedback I have received. 

Name	Stephanie Russell
MA Course Title	Games Design
Status (F/T or P/T)	F/T
Date	11/05/2018
Version No.:	2
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 – specifically in the context of video games.
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 as well as the resurgence in popularity for the platform game genre. 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. (Semester 1) Explore the ‘family’ of my mascot as well as key items and mannerisms associated with it. (Semester 2) Explore promotional materials related to mascots. (Semester 2 / 3) Place character in the context of a gaming environment. (Semester 3) Take on the role of an art director, guiding people of other disciplines (eg. Level design, animation) through my vision for my character/s and game concept & prove the theories I have learned through my own practice and research. (Semester 3)

Above I have highlighted the sections that I have changed in the document - as you can see there isn't actually a lot of things that have changed in terms of my original game plan.

Most notably, the role I will play in Semester 3 has changed drastically. I originally planned to draw, animate and even possibly delve into level design and mechanics to produce a vertical slice concept for Russi - upon reflection, this would have been a lot of work, especially with things like animation which are time-consuming and I've never been taught how to do that. To combat this, it has been suggested that I allow other people to do those things that I struggle with, but under my direction. I think I will end up story-boarding and giving clear instruction of how I want things to look and feel; I have the vision for the characters, environments etc. so this is the most effective way to produce what I have in mind. I would also like to work on promotional stuff like posters/game inserts.

I initially felt like this could have been considered cheating in a way, or that I'm not producing enough, but I have been assured that proving my theories work by teaching others is just as valid, and probably more relevant, since my project was never about my ability to animate or put together mechanics for a game. I feel better that I'm focusing on how Russi will shine in her game because that vision could have been lost if I was working solo - having all of that work on one person could have meant for a sloppy job due to time constraints. 

As for the remainder of this semester, I'm making solid progress on my antagonist design, I'll be wrapping that up and creating a promotional poster as my final piece for the semester. In semester 3 I'll be looking more closely into promotion but this will be like a practice exercise as well as helping to round up the things I have been working on. The last thing I'm aiming to do this semester is to design some key items for Russi, like how Mario has mushrooms, coins and power stars; Crash Bandicoot has gems and wumpa fruit, Sonic has rings and the chaos emeralds. I feel like these kinds of items help form an identity for the character in the context of games so I'll be exploring that briefly too.