Sunday, 3 April 2016

Further case study research: The Last of Us no.3

The Last of Us

 This writing will later on be tweaked and improved (since its already set on the criteria from the literature reviews previously.)

 Scene Deconstruction
 In order to sustain the functionality of a scene, breaking down the element within the scene ensures that it can convey the story to the audiences. The set design of this game amplifies characters’ emotion due to physical activities or surrounding environment these protagonists are situated in. Also, costumes these characters wear, the way they act or the lighting in particular scene can be depicted depending on the situations these characters in. The apocalyptic style that defines The Last of Us allows characters to wear worn-out clothes to blend in with the immediate atmosphere, for example the use of low-key lighting in dark environment, which enhances the understanding of the story and its background.

 Realism
Whenever audiences experience certain plays, encountering a surrealistic moment will eventually happen. However, due to its realistic environment and the experience a player has been provided from a game and a real world, they will accept these terms that it can exist even in unnatural parts. In The Last of Us, the visual environment setting changes, not just in architectural side but due to its time-lapse. The beginning of the outbreak which started around summer and player will experience the movement of time when the weather changes significantly to cold, snowy setting. Chosen setting in this video game already exist in outer world, allowing audiences to understand the game easier and faster to adapt into different situations.

 Elements of art
Formal elements of art are undoubtedly essential in any part of art genre but it depends on how artists use this feature to give immersive feeling. In The Last of Us, artists went along with more diverse colours, textures and shapes of every aesthetic element within the game. The shape and textures of antagonists had to have its fungus features around their body to present that these creatures are easily identifiable to be known as enemies or the colour palette of buildings and its surrounding environment were not focused on typical post-apocalyptic theme, mostly darker shades of primary colours but it includes lighter qualities and bring out full potential of what post-apocalyptic landscape would be. Realistic game such as The Last of Us requires more than shapes, textures or colours, the tone or the quantity of light was also have huge impacts. Tone helps almost every aspect of the game and able to convince audiences to feel realistic gaming experience, particularly more towards to dark themed games such as The Last of Us.

 Composition
 As the composition exists in painting and moving images, it can also be applied in video games as well. Composition is a summarisation of placement of visual elements or putting individual ingredients of art piece together. In The Last of Us, each scene is compacted with significance with the assist of individual characters and the surrounding environment. These influences will have impact with the use of specific elements, such as the differences in texture of characters or the use of proficient colour. The fact that the composition has to compact each elements within the scene is in order to enhance the visual effect. If the composition of an image is lacking in elements such as colour or shape of either character or an environment, this would have negative effect its ability to express the meaning to audiences and fundamentally, the image itself would look incomplete.

 Summary

 As a conclusion, by using these criteria in methodology, there were more crossovers than expected within these elements which were being examined. All of these elements had its effects in The Last of Us, and each of these aspects have been affected in various levels in visual narrative. Video games can be deconstructed into individual image as it have mentioned earlier in the analysis of the case study, The Last of Us. However, concerns of using these criteria still remain if it has not been used properly. As an overall result of visual narrative in The Last of Us can be considered successful since its use of elements in each part of development were satisfied and been praised by the audiences and critics.

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