Building Alliances Week 1

 Building Alliances

For this module, we were given a set of three briefs to choose from

-The impact of global warming on future Nottingham:

This includes thinking about the effect global warming would have on Nottingham anywhere from 10 to 500 years in the future. In this brief we'd be required to look into ideas such as the effect of global warming on humans, the animals, water levels and human architecture. 

This brief gives a lot of scope for what kind of game we could make out of it, it could end up being anything from a survival sandbox to a story driven RPG. Taking on this brief would include thinking about the different direction the world could go in depending on human decisions, for example, Nottingham could still be standing and global warming could be an issue of the past, or, Nottingham could have been abandoned and left to ecological succession, which is the idea of an ecosystem reclaiming man made structures. 

-The impact of microplastics on the human foodchain:

This brief will include researching what effects microplastics have on the human body and how micro plastics even get into the body. The idea of combating microplastics is also something that could be looked into with this brief as it will give a decent idea of which direction to go in with a game based off of it

With this brief, it give a little less scope as to what sort of game we'd be able to make as there would be a clear established threat in either the microplastics, or the methods of combating the micro plastics. There would also be somewhat of a clear theme for the game as it'd need to be looking at either how microplastics make it into food and drink or it actually making its way into the human body.

-The greening of the Sahara:

The final brief is looking at the greening of the Sahara. The idea of this brief is looking at the effects of desertification on different environment, and how it can be reversed in order to make land that was previously desert, back into something habitable and even farmable. 

Initially, I feel like this idea gives a lot of scope for more survival/ sandbox based games, as the idea of reclaiming land by making it habitable is something that would work quite well with those sorts of games. The idea could also be covered as an RPG style game, with different chapters of the game covering different stages of the greening process. 

Chosen brief:

Having discussed all three briefs with my group, we have decided to look more into the microplastics brief as we initially as a group had a lot more ideas for what sort of game we'd be able to make if we go in this direction. 
In order to achieve the best results possible, we allocated lead roles to each member of the group. For this I have been allocated the role of lead researcher. This means I'll be telling everyone which areas I want them to research and also chase people up on what they have found so far.

Initially, the areas of research that I will be allocating to each of the group are, Where Microplastics come from, how microplastics effect the human body when consumed, ways microplastics can be combatted/ prevented and finally different types of microplastics

Contractual obligations

As a games development studio, we'd be required to sign contracts such as an NDA and Environmental Statement.
As a group, we were asked to create examples of both of these documents, as though we're a real games studio. In order to do this, we also need to know what an NDA is required to cover, and what it means to sign one. An NDA or Non Disclosure Agreement "protects your business information and trade secrets from vendors, eployees and third parties". This for people working in a games studio, they're not to go talking to people outside of the company, or even their group in the studio, about what they're working on, what the game is going to include or even something as small as the title. This largely, protects games studios from information leaks, although this doesn't work all of the time, especially with larger games companies, it becomes harder to track down where leaks have come from, if it's an employee or a third party that has leaked information.

For our NDA we have covered the basic ideas of anything to do with the project being protected unless consent is given to reveal specific information to certain people. We also included the date until which the NDA remains in effect, this being the project deadline of 26/01/2025, usually in the industry, this would be until the game is finished, or for games that recieve updates after their initial release, any information to do with what was in the game at initial launch.

The environmental statement is a document that covers how a company/ studio is trying their best to either lower their effect on the environment, or to actively fight against climate change. Different ways this can be tackled in an environment such as a games studio is using cleaner energy sources, implementing better waste disposal systems, only using the electricity that they need to (turning off lights, computers and any other electrical appliance that isn't currently in use). This can also be tackled by remote working, this is something that has become a lot more present in companies over the past few years, as this reduces carbon emission from people travelling to work, it also lessens the need for an office space, meaning less electricity will be used in the average working day due to there being less people in an office.

Finally, we were asked to discuss a contract of engagement, this is made in order to make sure everyone keeps up with their work, even if they're not able to attend in person, it makes sure they are still doing their work and communicating with the rest of the team online to make sure they're still on track for each deadline along the way.

References

Anon, 2024. 4 things you should know about non-disclosure agreements [online] Thomson Reuters: Thomson Reuters. Available at: https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/insights/articles/4-things-to-know-about-non-disclosure-agreements#:~:text=An%20NDA%20is%20a%20legal,protecting%20valuable%2C%20sensitive%20business%20information. Accessed: [24/01/2025]



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