Contextual Studies Task one

Caillios's Classification of games

	Agon	Alea	Ilinx	Mimicry
Last of Us	X	X		X
Destiny	X	X		X
Skyrim				X
Red Dead Redemption	X	X		X
Uncharted; Drakes deception	X	X		X

Why?

Last of Us- I put an X in the Agon box due to the fact that this game has a competitive online aspect. I choose Alea for this game too due to the fact that there is a set narrative that cant be changed, a ‘destiny’. I also ticked Mimicry due to the fact that you role-play in the game as Joel and Ellie seeing this fictional post apocalyptic world through their eyes.

Destiny- This game also has an online competitive multiplayer scene like the others but is more heavily emphasised than the rest. This like the others also has a predetermined narrative that can’t be changed but it also has a chance system when it comes to loot. You collect loot in the game, unlike the others it is by chance if you get good gear over bad. Also like the others this game puts you in a fictional world but unlike the others you play as a character of your choosing not a predetermined avatar like that of Joel and Ellie.

Skyrim- For this game i could only put it into the Mimicry box due to the fact that you can make decisions for yourself that alters the future narrative. This game however does put a massive emphasis on the Mimicry due to the fact that the developers Bethesda Softworks wants to immerse the gamer into a fictional reality focusing heavily on the details. 

Red Dead Redemption- This game also supports an online multiplayer. I put this game also into the Alea section due to the fact that this too does have a set narrative but it does support decision making but on small scale. I.e. if you were to kill someone this would trigger a bounty but there would be no long time affect in the story. This game is set in a fictional cowboy time period and emphasis heavily on the small details to immerse the gamer i.e. playing poker.

Uncharted; Drakes Deception- Like the previous NaughtyDog title this game has a multiplayer attached putting it in the Agon box. This game is known for its narrative set pieces and is why its been put into the Alea box due to the fact that there is no decision making done by the player. Like all my games this game has been put into Mimicry due to the fact that you play as Nathan Drake the protagonist in the story and you follow him and see the world through his eyes.