This year, I got the opportunity to go to Eurogamer in London Excel. I always enjoy going to conventions of any kind, because I get to see a lot of differing genres, styles and cultures. Although I don't play video games a lot, I still think it's important to get as much information on them as possible. Eurogamer always has a vast array of different games, some of which are new, which gives me an idea of what games are evolving into.
Although I'm not familiar with many mainstream games, I enjoy seeing them in action. I find it amazing how some games can bring people together, and how others are purely for one purpose. Horror games are made with the intention to bring people fright and excitement, which is exactly what some of the VR games could do. Other games, like Pokémon Sword and Shield (which had a demo at Eurogamer), are made to be fun and competitive.
Naturally, all games have to be fun, engaging and entertaining to be considered a game, but it's still fun to consider the other purposes games have been created and the emotions they stir.
The part of the Eurogamer convention I always check out first is the Indie Gaming section. Indie Games are some of my favourite games. Because of their simplicity, they read easier than large mainstream games to me.
I love the art styles in Indie Games as well, especially the cover art for 'Forgotten Sea'. I took pictures of all the posters, since I knew I wouldn't have to time play all the games at the convention. The one I'd be most likely to play would be 'Cultivate: before time', which is about a small village in a prehistoric setting, where people are trying to adapt to their surroundings. I'm intrigued by the story and would love to find out how the game progresses.
I also like the look of 'Murder at Malone Manor', as it's a murder mystery game. I also love the cover art, as it's all grey scale apart from the text, which makes it stand out compared to the other posters around it.
Also in the Indie Game section was another intriguing poster, which caught my attention right away. The 'Shady Part of Me' poster was eye catching enough to make me stop and watch how the game played. Using something natural (like shadows) and then giving them unnatural powers or abilities is one of my favourite game design elements to play around with, as it can give a character or ability more stability or make it understandable to a player.
'Shady Part of Me' seems to be a puzzle game, in which a little girl uses her shadow to solve puzzles. I think the game is very bold because of the lack of colour, meaning everything had to be clear cut. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to play it, but I can imagine getting completely enveloped in the story and emotion of the game if I did.
The next poster I came across caught me off guard, as I had been looking into the game previously. When I first saw a trailer of 'CrisTales', I fell in love with the art style instantly. It's simple, cute and full of colour. The game intrigued me as well, since the player has the ability to effect things in the past, present and future.
I had a blast playing the demo of 'CrisTales', and it keep me engaged the whole time. I liked the turn-based battle system, quirky characters and the impact the player could have on the surrounding area by doing things differently. I will look forward to seeing more of 'CrisTales' when the game is released in 2020.
I also saw the poster for the game Trine 4, which I had seen trailers for as well. I liked the art style and the interactive nature of the game, however I didn't get a chance to play the demo either.
Pokemon is one of the few games series that I like that I've actually played. I love the idea of a world were fantastical monsters are living in harmony with humans, and how it affects people around these worlds in different ways. One of my favourite thing in any Pokemon game is the story and goal of beating an evil organization, as it adds conflict into the game.
At Eurogamer they were demoing Pokemon: Sword and Shield, which are the newest games in the series. The new region, Galar, is based off landscapes of the United Kingdom, which I'm curious to see when the game comes out!
Another game being demoed there was Luigi's Mansion 3, which, like Sword and Shield, is the newest installment in the series. Because it's a two player game, I didn't demo it. But the two player gimick is a great idea, as from what I saw in the trailers and demos, it's easy to switch between one and two players without going back through multiple menus.
Another thing I always look for in any convention I go to is something throwback or retro, be it old anime movie merch at Comic Con or a game I used to play as a kid. The retro section is my second favourite place in all of Eurogamer because I get an insight on what games used to be about, and how they've changed.
It made me feel really old to find 'Lego Star Wars' in the retro games section, as I played it all the time with my friends as kid. Of course, it was one of the first Lego video games created, so naturally now it can safely be considered a retro game.
However, not all retro games were in that section. The popular game, 'Tetris', has been made anew, and with the help of modern technology, it can be viewed by many people like a sport. I watched as people cheered for a person playing Tetris on a giant screen, and wondered why no one's started Esports tornaments of it. It's addictive to watch, and competitive enough to keep anyone playing for a while.
This is the second Eurogamer I've been to, and I hope to go to the next. It gives my ideas for creations and concepts that I keep in the back of my mind. Game art styles have been changing as well, as I saw a lot more stylised, cartoony games than realistic styled games this year. This could just be a coincidence, but I think it's great that new games are coming up with creative ways to make a game visually pleasing.
My goal over the next year before the next Eurogamer is to keep an eye out for any games that might pop up, and also to play more video games, as I'd like to try my hand at something more mainstream.
Another thing I'll be keeping an eye on is the art styles of upcoming games, and seeing if it would have an impact on the games if they had a different style. If 'CrisTales', the game I demoed, was not 2D, and instead had an art style similar to a Persona game, then I would've been less compelled to play it because it would give the impression that the game has similar mechanics to that of Persona.
I've taken away a lot of good knowledge that I can use later and put to the test in my College and personal projects. I can safely say that I enjoyed Eurogamer and cannot wait for the next.