RIPU - Research

This week I mainly looked at documentaries that could help give me a better insight into mental health - specifically anxiety and depression. But I also looked at other documentaries regarding other mental health issues. 

Though I looked at more, these are the main ones I looked at:

BBC The Secret Life of The Manic Depressive: Part 1  Part 2

Social Anxiety Documentary: Afraid of People: Link To Video

The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: Ten Years On: Link to Video

ASU1 - Weekly Update

This week, I started to model miscellaneous items for the scene - I'm actually surprised that I got several assets fully modeled (With high and low poly models), UV mapped, baked and textures really quickly. Texturing is becoming a quicker process as I've already made base textures within Substance Designer. So all I had to do was import them into Substance Painter and add more details (like dirt for example). I did also have to remodel some assets, as I was given feedback saying that I needed to add more geometry to them (as they were too low poly) - results seen below. 

I also managed to finish the high poly model for oven asset and clean the asset up. I unwapped it too and exported all bits of the asset out into Substance Designer to start baking - to which I have started and will finish next week - give or take no more than a day to do *if my computer doesn't crash. 

In addition to this, I done some more research seeing what other miscellaneous items I could add to the scene. Mood board from research found below 

I also finally put all of the oven research I done from the previous weeks into mood boards in one, lovely and convenient place.

Also this week, I looked at lighting, as lighting will change the look of quality for my level. Making a bland level in to a good looking one. I found some photographs I liked the lighting of and figured out where the light source would be and where the lighting would go/surfaces the light would bounced off. Also colour picked the photos and made gradients for the photos and then proceeded to overlay them over a block out to see which lighting gradient looks best to be then used as a LUT. My favorite one is the third one from practice.

Also from feedback given to me, I made a block out of the scene with current oven asset with block outs of miscellaneous objects I want to place into the scene

RIPU - Research

This week, I looked at how games have explored mental health and how already existing games have helped.

GameSpot have two videos on this matter (found through re-watching the Low Batteries series by Eurogamer via recommendations bar)

Links to the GameSpot Videos:
How Video Games Explore Mental Illness
Video Games Vs. Depression

Video Games Vs. Depression:
This video explores at how gamers views on how games have helped them through their mental health problems or not.
As mentioned in this video, the relationship between depression and video games are complex. Some use it as a crutch to get through the day (in a healthy way) but others can escape into gaming so much, that it can make their depression worse or getting addicted to the video games themselves.

The article talked about in the video:
Definition Of Insanity: Games & The Stigma Of Depression

When talking about the article, it talks about the negative impact of gaming on depression, a point though I thought about and looked about briefly, I haven't taken into account properly. I looked at the negative portrayal of depression within games and video game addiction, but I never thought about HOW games can impact depression and could make it worse.

One of the major aspects I took away from the video is the community aspect and gaining friend via  online gaming and helping them though the bad times. One of the players, due to health problems (not the depression but did cause the depression) couldn't go out but made friends online and manage to socialize.

Personal takeaway from this video: After watching this video, I was in awe on hearing how games have helped their lives and hearing their own stories. Though I've done essays on this subject before, but it always manage to touch my heart on hearing people's own experiences and hearing their stories - it gives a more human face to the research. This always reinforce my beliefs on games being a form of therapy, drives my passion for this concept and drives my passion more to help people, like these with my greatest hobby. 

How Video Games Explore Mental Illness: 

This video helped me finding games that explore mental health. But one game that stood to me within this video was The Town of Light; a game based on a controversy within a mental hospital during the 1930's. 

Link to the steam page for The Town of Light: The Town of Light

One concept I never thought about before is using games to educate people on how the mental health system use to be and how that system use to be. This also give light on how vital it is to keep mental health trust funded as if our current system keeps getting budget cuts, the system could end up being as flawed as it once was. I also didn't think of using horror games to explore metal health issues and thought it would be counterproductive (it was counterproductive trying to help anxiety by cause anxiety) so I did rule the genre out completely. However, The Town of Light have made me reconsider this stance.  

More videos on Mental Health and Games I looked at this week: 

Mental Health and gaming by GameByte: Mental Health and Gaming

Hellblade: A Groundbreaking Take on Mental Illness - Reboot Episode 12 by GameSpot: Hellblade: A Groundbreaking Take On Mental Illness - Reboot Episode 12

How Hellblade Nails Mental Health - Low Batteries by Eurogamer: How Hellblade nails mental health - Low Batteries 

Other videos I Looked at whilst researching: 

Why Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is More Important to Gaming Than You Think by GameSpot: Why Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Is More Important To Gaming Than You Think  - Note: This video is helpful for me if I want to release my game I want to create during MA

HellBlade Has Noble Ambitions But it Also Had Us Worried (Hands-on Impressions) by Eurogamer: Hellblade has noble ambitions but it also has us worried (Hands-on impressions)

Also this week I was sent an article that would be of interest by The Guardian Staying appy: mental health apps deliver mixed results 

Looking at this article has given me an idea of integrating an app into a game that may help people to do stuff outside of the main game - similar to Epic Win.
It's also interesting to see other apps designed to help people with mental health issues. Though it does point out a good point that (to quote the article) The mental health app marketplace is “very messy”. 
This has given me to an insight that I hadn't thought of before - there's a lot of apps for helping mental health but from what it seems from the article it's been over saturated. This article also points out that the best way to find the best apps is to see if they have had input with professionals. I need to keep all of this in account if I am to pursue this idea further 

ASU1 - Textures

This week, I continued to create textures for level (the substance project is now called Victorian textures, so if I do a Victorian project again in the future, I have already got the textures for it) 

In addition to this, I began to work on models. I managed to get the oven asset done (though no high poly model has been created yet nor have I cleaned up the mesh yet). I've also finished the wall, floor and step assets - due to the simplicity of the assets, I managed to get these done quickly (high poly models and cleaning the assets up). Due to finishing the wall, floor and step assets I managed to do texture tests. 

Weave Texture

Brick Texture

Render of Oven, Wall, Step and floor.

RIPU - Research

This week I done some more research and tried to plan what I wanted in my research report, what I need in my report, sections I could add etc. Also noted down what research I needed to do.

Whilst researching I found a series created by Eurogamer about games and mental health (found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzIFEUmVZ_Q&list=PLTZXfIDHhP2t-rZBhWS7VAH0dTR4cGW14)

This lead onto finding a TEDx Talks talk by Johnny Chiodini called 'Can a video Game Save A Life?'. This talk is about how games can impact people with mental health issues 

(Found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rLJaVohSRQ) 

Other videos on mental health and games created by Eurogamer: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTcxWTalPe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU7YLkTQuJU

ASU1 - Mood board and block out

Before I decided the Victorian period, I was debating to do something in the WW2 era. However, I finally decided to chose the former. 

I also created some block outs within Maya, however the layout for scene is too ambitious for the time frame for this project. So I've decided to focus on the stove section of the scene 

Sketches from trip: 

ASU1 - Texture Practices and Texture Research

Texture Practices: 

One of my biggest critiques for my last unit for BA GAD, was my textures. I spent more or less all of the summer practicing and now when I go in Substance Designer, I can create custom textures. These are some of the textures I created this week - not too happy with the concrete texture. Great if it was for outside environments, not great for inside environments. I've also done some mood boards, which will be on another post this week 

ASU1 - Texture research and texture practice

For ASU1, I've decided I wanted to do something in the Victorian era (later part 1870 onward). I usually stay away from eras I really love the aesthetic of, however this time as I have yet to do it properly for a project , I decided to let myself to do something within the Victorian era.

During this week, I wanted to do some texture practice and get some texture references for research - fortunately for me there was a trip to Cromer, which is a Victorian coastal town. We also went to Blickling hall, which was great for references. I also got great references for assets for this project and potential future projects.
Note: Will post texture practices on another post.