zerosammi_project3_final

=From Mario to Master Chief: A Look at Gaming Franchises=

RATIONALE
Continuing from where I left off from project 2, I decided to slightly alter my route for the final assignment for this course. In regards to infographics, I went along with a historical timeline, which would also include factual/quantitative data, which would also include an exploration of visual spacing in regards to that particular timeline. In essence, this project would explore the history of popular video game franchises within the past two decades. It would highlight the specific titles released in a particular gaming franchise (such as, the //Super Mario// series, or the //Legend of Zelda// series, etc.) on a timeline, and it would also highlight the "success" of that particular game title (with an indicated score) in comparison with other games during a specific gaming "era." The infographic also seeks to explore the franchises' evolution in the gaming world, in regards to platforms, gameplay, visuals, as well as the technological aspects. I will explore games across a wide range of genres, such as adventure, action, first-person shooters (FPS), etc. as well as comparing various games on different platforms from different gaming generations.

CONCEPT
The interactive infographic will be a historical timeline of 15 specific game franchises in the industry. The franchises will be arrayed as "bars" which are extensions of a specific time period of when a title was released and when the franchise's next title was released. A few options will be available for the user, as they will be able to reorganize the games based on "best" games to "worst" games. They can also reorganize the games chronologically, or alphabetically, etc. etc. Users can also click on a specific game and see miscellaneous visual/textual information about that particular game.

TIMELINE EXAMPLES
Just some timelines I found inspirational.
 * [|British History Timeline]
 * [|Kalendarium - sociology timeline]
 * [|Computer languages through the ages]

VIDEO EXAMPLES
These are just some general video montages about technological/gaming history which generally capture the gyst of my timeline concept.

media type="youtube" key="Q0k7jLK6t5A&hl=en" height="355" width="425" Evolution of the Mac OS startup sounds.

media type="youtube" key="MYnenUhD8Qg&hl=en" height="355" width="425" Evolution of Nintendo's gaming consoles, from the NES to the Wii.

media type="youtube" key="2M5z-G3b2Js&hl=en" height="355" width="425" Montage of Oscar winners from the past 79 years, a clip from the 80th Oscar awards from this year. One can notice the evolution of film, particularly in the visuals, style, and technique as time passes to the present day.

ONLINE GAME MAGAZINES (sources)
The following is a list of three of the online game sources where I intend to retrieve specific research information (user/game critic reviews) for the quantitative aspect and historical aspect of the list of game franchise titles I wish to include in the infographic.

[|MobyGames] - an essential video game source for the essential gamer, include both MobyGame user reviews, as well as average scores from professional gaming magazine sources.

[|1UP] - professional gaming online gaming magazine, average scores use a letter grade system (A+, B+, C-, etc.)

[|ign.com] - yet another professional gaming online magazine source, which includes game critic reviews by professional gamers, and "game scores."

GAME FRANCHISES
The following is a list of 15 video game franchises I have selected to use for the timeline. They are most notable for being quite popular, as well as having a legion of fans that have followed them for generations.

//- [|Donkey Kong] - [|Doom] - [|Final Fantasy] - [|Half-Life] - [|Halo] - [|Killer Instinct] - [|Zelda, The Legend of] - [|Metal Gear] - [|Metroid] - [|Ratchet & Clank] - [|Resident Evil] - [|Sonic] - [|Super Mario] - [|Tomb Raider] - [|Warcraft]//

SUBMITTED PROCESS
Pre-digital:

Technical:

FINAL
A screenshot of the interaction.