Responded to tutor improvements

1. Research
Rebecca Edwards

2. Existing Product
Tiny Bird Garden
Tiny Bird Garden is a PC and mobile game (making it more
accessible to its target audience, most likely aimed at a similar
audience to my own, predominantly pre-teen females) that
centers around caring for/interacting with different types of
cartoon birds over a real world period of time. The bright colour
scheme used throughout the game helps to demonstrate its
childlike positivity and create a joyful gaming atmosphere, possibly
also relieving stress, unlike popular RPG fighting games. The
characters themselves also offer a pleasant addition to the game
due to comedic or more real world bio's that make them more
relatable to the audience and give off a more approachable nature.
With this game in particular, I am most interested in a certain area
of their style as well as the game mechanic they've implemented.
The game mechanic (focusing more on the mobile version of the
game) does seem to extend for an indefinite amount of time, given
the lack of/vague end goal for the game as well as the purchasable
area of the game, where buying more items provides more
interaction, possibly attaching the audience to the game more. The
way these game designers have also created a few spooky themed
characters and environments of the game also (seen in the bottom
left image) but also making sure these features are still as "cute"
and approachable to the audience is something I hope to draw
from when creating my own game. The amount of text used
furthermore demonstrates the attraction to the target audience as
there is not a copious amount of text nor is there a complex story
to be told, giving the audience more freedom to play the game or
focus more on the characters and environments.

3. Existing Product
Undertale
Undertale is a multi platform pixel game mainly aimed at a
teenager+ audience that, although may first give off the
initial appearance of fighting monsters, also allows the player
to interact with the monsters and does give many of them a
friendly demeanour and attitude towards the player, allowing
them more than one form of gameplay, something that I hope
to achieve with my own game. The main audience appeal of
this game is connected to the present day humour used
throughout the game combined with the nostalgic art style
that some audience members may be familiar with during the
first emergence of games into mainstream access. The distinct
character design also help to intrigue the audience as they
help to reflect the character presented, sometimes in a
deceiving way. A good example of this would be the character
of Flowey, whose design turns from the one on the front of the
box art to the bottom image once his nefarious intentions have
been revealed later on in the game. The game can also be
appreciated for its simple yet dark colour scheme which, while
may be interpreted as a sign of danger or uneasiness, does
also help to highlight the unnaturalness of the environment as
well as to draw more attention to the beauty of most of the
areas. I also am interested in the different types of monster
designs used in the game, some conventional monsters such as
skeletons or ghosts whereas many take on a different
appearance such as anthropomorphic animals, plants or
objects such as hearts or playing card symbols.

4. Existing Product
Sally Face
Sally Face is a 2D PC game centred around paranormal
happenings in an isolated apartment complex, mainly
exploring the apartment and finding out more information
about the tenants that live there. I have chosen to look at
this game not only for the monster component mixed into
the narrative, but for the diversity of the apartments shown
as well as the characters that live there. The target
audience of this game will play the game as it contains
many aspects associated with the horror genre as well as
mixing it in with the mundanity of everyday life. The colour
scheme used throughout the game could also help to hint at
this merger as it is mainly an off coloured green (used to
present a connection with ghosts and the supernatural but
giving it a lesser effect on the surroundings) as well as
dimming the rest of the colours to give them a less jovial
effect (unlike some of the previous games colour schemes).
Additionally, the apartments shown in th screensots do also
help to convey the selected characters personalities as well
as key factors concerning them e.g. If the characters are
alive or not, their age range etc. Using this informaion, I
think that by planning out my background designs, I wll be
ale to successfully mimic this version of mis-en-scene when
connecting a selected apartment to the tenants.

5. Existing Product
Immure
Immure is a 2D PC horror game, one member of the dev
company being the same person who is currently working
on Sally Face, with the exploration being limited to the one
building complex as well as much heavier themes of horror,
gore and the supernatural. This game mainly appeals to the
audience by conveying many attributes relevant to the
horror genre, such as the exceedingly dark colour scheme,
even in rooms with a noticeable light source. Occult
symbols both throughout the game and the main
promotional material and the clear appearance of
supernatural beings throughout the screenshots seen in the
game. Additionally, the game does also convey a sense of
confusion and mystery, which seems that it will intrigue the
audience and also create a stronger connection between
the protagonist and the audience as they both have no
knowledge of what precisely is going to happen throughout
the game. I have chosen to research this game, not only
because of its connection to Sally Face, but to also see how
exactly I could incorporate these supernatural appearances
and motifs into an otherwise relatively normal setting, such
as the apartment complex I'm planning as well as learning
more about how I could expand the dialogue between
character to a point (keeping in mind I am making a mobile
game with dialogue briefness mirroring Tiny Bird Garden
but interactivity with the NPC's still being crucial to game
flow and progression)

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
All the products researched are stylised on a 2D format in order to either be more accessible on different platforms or simply for
style choices (such as Undertale having the pixelated style) as well as displaying interactivity both with the characters and
environment as a key element of gameplay to either progress the narrative or to learn more about that specific NPC. Furthermore,
each different character (including the protagonist if they are visible) does seem to have a very distinct design, making them
clearly identifiable from the rest of the characters in the game as well as conveying aspects of their personality (particularly in Tiny
Bird Garden, where the bird's design may give away information such as where they live, their interests etc.). Additionally, each
game seems to take place in a (whilst extensive) enclosed building or world environment, allowing for the use of a more
consistent colour scheme that better mirror the type of environment without having to change with the environment throughout
the game. Further expanding on this, the colour schemes also help to better reflect the contents of gameplay as well as each
games overall theme and target audience (Tiny Bird Garden being aimed at younger audiences whereas games like Immure being
aimed at an older audience with a keen interest in horror games)
• What aspects of the research will you include within your own production
work?
From these products, I hope to include the same kind of distinct styles used in order to identify key aspects of each of my
characters e.g. what kind of monster they are, what kinds of gifts would they want etc. I also plan to include a very identifiable
colour scheme for each of the apartment rooms as well as the outer areas of the apartment as well, to better hint at how much
monsters have an effect on the surroundings. Additionally, I will also attempt to add more interactivity and customisation to the
protagonist in order to better connect them with the player/audience. I intend to also take inspiration from the many different
monster types and styles as well as designs for characters I've looked up previously in order to create the NPC characters. I will
also make sure to take lots of inspiration from the many existing mobile games that mirror mechanics of Tiny Bird Garden in order
to get a better idea of features like purchasable content prices, how real time is implemented into games in order to earn in game
currency or unlock other features of the game and how navigation is used either in gameplay or in pause screens.

7. Audience Research

8. Secondary Audience research

9. Secondary Audience Research
Game Fact File
- Game Name: Tiny Bird Garden
- Age: Preteens (11-14 years)
- Platform: Mobile and PC
- Genres: Simulation, Virtual Pet, Space Management
- Ratings: App Store = 4.8 Stars
Steam = Positive

10. Secondary Audience Research
• Observation:
The target audience for this game seems to be in the child-teen range due to the lack of violence and
more positive themed imagery seen throughout. Additionally, it may also be aimed towards a more
female audience due to the use of imagery such as flowers, rainbows etc. as well as including more
female characters to interact with aside from the main mechanic of the game.
• What this says about my audience:
This shows that my audience is more attracted to stereotypical, female imagery in mobile games like
this as well as giving off a more positive atmosphere, making the game more enjoyable to play.
Furthermore, my audience may also appreciate diversity in my designs and characters, due to both the
birds and the humans varying styles.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
My product will also have an appealing and non-threataning design so to make the monsters more
approachable and friendly looking as well as making some of the female characters more prodominant
in the game. I can also appeal to the audience by taking into account the more minute details such as
navigation screens, different kinds of purchasable content, what currency is available in the game etc.
Overall, this audience research can be seen as partially reliable, m ainly due to the fact that there is little
infrmation to be found about this game mainly due to the fact that there is little information to be found about
this game, such as the amount of downloads, but this lack of information can be backed up by the reliable
sources the information came from, such as the developers website, Steam store page etc.

11. Secondary Audience Research

12. Secondary Audience Research
Game Fact File
- Game Name: Undertale
- Age: Young Adults (16-30 years)
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
- Genres: Role-playing, Survival, Battling
- Ratings: Steam = Overwhelmingly Positive

13. Secondary Audience Research
• Observation:
The target audience for this game does seem to be slightly older than the audience I'm trying to aim my
product at, but the style does seem to mirror something I hope to achieve when designing the monster NPC's.
The target audience of this game will also be big fans of the pixel game era, as the game does closly mirror that
style as well as inserting parts of that original, blunt comedy throughout the game.
• What this says about the audience:
This shows that the target audience of this game will most likely be older as well as gender androgenous,
mainly due to the type of combat systen implemented into the game, letting the player choose a regular
fighting approach or letting the player compliment and spare the enemies. The audience will also be fans of the
type of humour used throughout the game, predominantly blunt jokes and puns.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
My product will not nessesarily appeal to this audience (due to the demographic being too broad and the
games not being closly associated), but I will mainly attempt to take inspiration from this product in order to
better attract my own target audience, such as the approachable monster designs that make the world of
undertale so appealing, but also not threataning (for the majority of exploration gameplay, rather than
combat). I will also briefly focus on the different character sets and personalities, using these as possible
inspiration for my own characters, in turn giving me more ideas for room design, gift ideas etc.
Overall, this research is very reliable due to the multiple amount of sources and information about this game,
most of these being well known review sites as well as popular gaming sites and informers. However, some of
these select sites may be accessible to public editing (such as Wikipedia) and thus, may contain false facts or
exaggerated information.

14. Secondary Audience Research

15. Secondary Audience Research
• Observation:
Females play more sandbox games than males, with the main age rage being 35-45. Girls also on average spend
up to 12 hours gaming, 8 hours on a mobile device and 4 hours on a console. British women also spend the
equivalent of four weeks gaming per year.
• What this says about my audience:
Women tend to spend less time gaming than men, and so turn to more mobile app games as they are easier to
join/leave over time rather than completing a full console/PC games, as well as being able to put more hours
into an interactive mobile game. Females also enjoy more creativity based activities in a video game rather
than other game styles such as combat, shooting etc.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
My product will mainly be a mobile game, increasing its availability and appealing to this chosen demographic.
Some aspects of my game may also revolve around creativity such as the playable character customisation and
the players apartment customisation. Furthurmore, my game is a game meant to be played over a real world
period of time and so can be left for sustained periods before continuing (in order to replenish currency
without making any in app purchases)
Overall, this information could be seen as slightly unreliable due to the unknown origin of both of the graph
images, meaning there is a possibility that they may have both been fabricated, however the infographic may
be seen as more reliable than this due to the notation of the source seen on the image as well as an overall
more professional look and feel to it.

16. Secondary Audience Research

17. Secondary Audience Research
• Observation:
The majority of money made from games in the current day and age comes from mobile games/
free mobile apps rather than console or PC games
• What this says about my audience:
This shows that my audience in particular will be more oriented towards free mobile games as
they are more accessible than console games, which require significantly larger purchases as well
as usually more complex gameplay in many of the games advertised
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
My product will be designed to be a free mobile gaming app available for the younger female pre-
teen age I hope to aim my product at as well as displaying conventions similar to popular gaming
apps that will still generate a profit e.g. purchasable content that unlocks extra features of the
game.
Overall, thee pieces of research can be seen as very reliable as they have a clear origin name and
logo placed somewhere in the images to essentially convey who conducted the initial research,
most likely reliable well known companies, but falters in that the exact point of origin for this
informative images is vague.

18. Primary Audience Research

19. Primary Audience Research

20. Primary Audience Research

21. Primary Audience Research
• Observation:
I had made a short interview about my game ideas and their execution and chose to interveiw my little
sister, as she met the demographic I hoped to target with my game. This member of my target audience
is interested in light-hearted free mobile games, as well as more stereotypical feminine themes such as
shopping, genres associated with bright colours etc. They are more interested in free mobile games with
minimal purchase options but also contain a reward system for reaching a certain objective of the game.
Additionally, they are also fond of a more realistic animation style incorporating a 3D format.
• What this says about my audience:
This says that, as well as the above information, my audience are more likely interested in this
stereotypical themes of my target audience, such as shopping etc. And so choose to look at games that
incorporate these themes.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
My product will still encapsulate all the previous themes that apply to this research, such as being a free
mobile game and the customisable options (which will either be shown in the animation or as an option
on the menu screen) as well as drawing from some of the suggestions and preferences, such as the
rewards section of the game, which will either be shown in the animation as receiving the achievement
and/or as a section on the menu listing the achievements received and yet to be unlocked.
In terms of this research, it can mainly be seen as quite reliable and accurate due to the research being
conducted by myself, validating the information, sources etc. As well as coming from a genuine
audience source, conveying their opinion on these ideas in more depth. The main issue with this
research being that it only comes from one audience member, so there is less likelihood of these
specific opinions encapsulating the entire audiences views.

22. Primary Audience Research

23. Primary Audience Research

24. Primary Audience Research

25. Primary Audience Research

26. Primary Audience Research

27. Primary Audience Research

28. Primary Audience Research

29. Primary Audience Research
(Unlikely) (Likely)

30. Primary Audience Research

31. Primary Audience Research

32. Primary Audience Research
• Observation:
I made a short survey about game genres and characteristics that a few members of my target audience would
be able to take. This larger audience seem to play games once a week, would prefer to play a solo, free mobile
game centred more around a simulation gameplay concept (such as games like The Sims) and having a more
bright, colourful and realistic style. They usually use mobile apps all the time/on a daily basis, as well as having
a relatively neutral opinion on the gothic genre and on the likeliness of purchasing content for a mobile game
and preferring to play a game more centred around character interaction and the game in question being
playable over a continuous period of time, rather than finishing a set amount of levels and the game being
completed.
• What this says about my audience:
As well as the observation above, my audience does seem to be interested in assets closely associated with
their gender and age range as well as being keenly interested in the more mobile side of gaming.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
I have planned for my product to be a single player, free, simulation style mobile game that focuses heavily on
character interaction and continuous gameplay that can be played on and off over a long period of time, as well
as optional purchasable content, that will be made relatively cheap in order to be more audience accessible.
The style may be more cartoon like and have a slightly darker tone due to the design style being associated
with monsters, but the audience has shown to have a neutral stance on this genre, with some even having a
slight interest in it as well as most mobile games adopting a more cartoon style that this auidnece will most
likely play or have played.
Out of all my research, this research can probably be seen as the most reliable as it s primary research,
validating its authenticity, as well as taking information from my target audience of a larger demographic,
conveying more of my audiences opinions and making the information appear less biased to one particular
person or select opinions on matters such as game style, attributes and information concerning the audiences
gaming habits in general.

33. Subject Research

34. Subject Research

35. Subject Research

36. Subject Research
Indie Games
Indie games are games created by individuals or companies without the financial support of publishers
(Sony and Nintendo would be non-examples of this). Instead, these people receive this support in many
different ways such as Kickstarter (excluding the select few of games which as still funded by publishers
but are considered independent from the company). In recent years, indie games have risen in
popularity due to new forms of funding and distribution, with some even becoming more popular than
mainstream games. Some well known indie games are Undertale, Cuphead, What Remains of Edith
Finch and Gris. These certain indie games seen to have very distinct styles and gameplay mechanics, an
example being Cuphead mirroring the style of 1930's rubber hose animation and Undertale being a
classic pixel art game with similar fighting mechanics. These games seem to have an appeal to the
population of today, not only because of their style, but because of many other distinct factors such as
how they connect to the audience, either by narrative, like the mysterious story told throughout Edith
Finch or additional design, such as the humour seen throughout Undertale.
Links used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Remains_of_Edith_Finch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuphead
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undertale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gris_(video_game)

37. Subject Research

38. Subject Research
Mobile Games
Mobile games have also risen in popularity in this recent decade, due to the introduction of touch
screen phones and the production and widespread availability of mobile apps, such as Tetris, Angry
Birds, Candy Crush etc. This games usually have a very simplistic, sometimes cute style to accommodate
for the widespread audience who will now have access to a phone and the app store. They can also be
used as some form of purchasable items as mobile apps are now available to purchase as well as
features within the game to unlock items, pay for items, upgrade assets etc. Nowadays, mobile apps
have even progressed further than regular apps, to augmented/virtual reality simulators, compatible
with other purchasable content such as headsets and implemented into high grossing franchises e.g.
Pokémon Go. The most popular mobiles seem to carry the same trends, such as the base game being
free, purchasable content/in game currency being available, low age ratings and a very clear theme,
mainly exploration, puzzles or shooter games.
Links used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_game
https://uk.ign.com/articles/2018/11/22/the-best-mobile-games

39. Practical Research

40. Practical Research

41. Practical Research
Walk Cycle Animation
For this paticuler expirement, I decided I needed to look further into more detailed walk cycles, as
on reflection, any previous walk cycles I have created seem to look a bit janky or blocky and
therefore, more unprofessional or unrealistic. To do this, I referenced an example image I'd seen
previously in projects and attempted to copy it accordingly, using it as a reference tutorial
throughout the process (keeping in mind the non-precise scale and the blurriness of some parts of
the reference image), using new techniques such as changing the outline colour of specific limbs to
keep track of which limb is in front or the back of the character, creating a more realistic walk
cycle. I then went on to create the animation slides seen in previous animation projects to be able
to review the animation in stereo, enlarging the image size and saving t as a gif. From this
experiment, I plan to take some of the features used and use them to create a better looking walk
cycle for my playable character, mainly the use of more frames and using the colours to better
outline my character movement before adding in the more major details.

42. Practical Research

43. Practical Research

44. Practical Research
Layer Mask Practice
Regarding this expirement, I knew that when I created my game poster for the promotional
material, it needed to be an improvement on my other work such as my original video game
project material, as it looked messy due to me not knowing the full extent of the Photoshop tools,
esspecially regarding how to ustalise layers successfully and to their full extent. To look furthur into
this I used a tutorial from YouTube (link in bibliography) and followed it accordingly, with some
slight alterations regarding the image and colours I used compared to the video. After using this, I
now believe I know how to create layer masks, use the marquee tools to create openings to other
layers and therefore, place different images and colours underneath the image so more than one
asset is visable at a time and how to erase parts of an image without the rest of a piece being
affected, as well as additional keyboard shortcuts to access some of the features used in the video.
From this expirement, due to its usefulness, I will take the majority of what I have learned in order
to implement parts of it into my project as production goes on, in places such as the design of my
game logo/app logo, poster etc. And take many examples of designs this tool can make and try and
implement parts into my own products.

45. Practical Research
(Due to the computer crashing whilst I tried to save
the file to my memory stick and being unable to
export the file as GIF, the animation has been lost)

46. Practical Research
Stationary Character Animation
When coming up with this experiment, I started to focus on more little details I could add into the
game (keeping in mind if I had allocated enough time to do so after showing the required main
gameplay and mechanics of the game), mainly little animations of the characters I could add in if
the character is/isn't being interacted with. So, with the slight movement animations from Sally
Face as my inspiration, I created a simple, generic character sitting down, and using a technique I
had used in my previous walk cycle experiment, created a short animation of a character kicking
their leg, supposedly in a background and provided they weren’t being interacted with by the
player. I then also used the Timeline to create the short 5 frame animation, looking at slight
improvements to each frame during the process. From this experiment, I will be able to take
multiple areas of inspiration for stationary movements of my NPC characters, as well as be able to
expand and improve on this experiment, possibly by making more concise animations e.g. an
animation with more frames to make the movement transitions smoother.

47. Practical Research

48. Practical Research
Rolling Background Practice
Finally, for this last expirement, I decided to look into a rolling background, a feature of animation
that may be important for my game as it allows the background to move without having to
animate any movement of the character themselves, so I move the background whilst animating
rather than the character. To achieve this, I create a background but chose to move it sideways in
order to add more space to the background and to give the illusion of environment change, a
feature commanly used in 2D games, such as Undertale and Sally Face. I then placed my previous
character walk cycle into the environment (keeping in mind that the computer seemed to crash if
I tried to change the image size, so I had to shrink down the walk cycle in a pixal format, which
may explain the blurry parts of the image). I then used the animation Timeline to create the walk
cycle as well as moving the room slightly to the left each time, to give the illusion of the character
moving throughout the environment. After reviewing this technique, I believe that I may use it in
my final production, provided it doesn't affect any stationary animation I may add or if I even
choose to add the still animations at all, as this may also add on to the amount of production
work I have to do, and may exceed the time I had allocated for my video game merchandise
production.

49. Bibliography

50. Bibliography
1. Edwards, Rebecca. (2019) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted
from 14th Apr 2019 to 17th Apr 2019)
2. Edwards, Laura. (2019) Target Audience Interview (conducted on 11th
Apr 2019)
3. Super Retro Duck (2019) Tiny Bird Garden
4. Toby Fox (2015) Undertale
5. Steve Gabry (2016) Sally Face
6. Wither Studios (2018) Immure
7. PHLEARN. (2016). How to Use Layer Masks in Photoshop. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5yW5hHjQrE&list=LLCYozHWv5bp
bUmshI4mgzNg&index=2&t=0s. Last accessed 9th Apr 2019.