Reality plays an important role in video game development. By incorporating aspects of everyday life into games, they feel more organic and less like a cold series of 1’s and 0’s. The other day while letting our imaginations get the better of us, Mikey of Bit-Speak and myself were discussing how weather is used in different video games and ways this system may be improved with today’s technology.
When it comes to past titles, possibly most notable in terms of innovation and integration is Konami’s Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand. This GameBoy Advance title featured a solar sensor built into the game cartridge which had a direct impact on your abilities in the game; playing outside on a sunny day ironically being the optimal condition. What twisted genius was behind such a title you ask? None other than Hideo Kojima.
Pokémon Gold would be my first memory of weather both impacting play and immersion. I remember walking around in the rain at night in the game while training. I could almost feel the rain and darkness pressing down on me — my bicycle and pokémon my only tether to safety. Different pokémon could be found in different weather: a simple and elementary mechanic but it succeeded in providing a more rich experience.
Another fond memory comes from Animal Crossing, which utilized the Gamecube’s internal clock and calendar to cause the seasons to change in-game, which also affected weather and events. Nothing was better than finding an igloo one of my residents constructed containing the most appetizing bowl of steaming hot corn chowder. I could smell the rich broth and imagine hot steam against my face. The numerous seasonal events felt special since they only came around only once a year.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 used a weather and calendar system. Weather was predetermined as it coincided with the game’s story and effected what the player could or could not do, having an impact on daily life. Fog was linked to especially pivotal times in the game, which served to build tension. While discussing Persona 4, Mikey mentioned that the song which played in-game when the fog set in haunted him in real life whenever he saw fog.
The above mentioned champions of weather systems in games have two things in common: the weather affects both atmosphere and game-play. I believe that this is the combination necessary to successfully incorporate weather into a title to the ultimate benefit of the game. Modern titles are losing this connection.
Final Fantasy XIII’s incorporated a weather system in which the player could choose to cause a rainstorm effecting the enemies on the map and conversely the difficulty. When I say “the map” I literally mean one map. The system was used once and sadly never again, which was too bad — I can imagine that with a bit of polish this could have been a unique feature in the game.
Don’t get used to seeing these in Final Fantasy XIII
Sandbox games or open-world games usually feature day and night cycles. In the rare case of Fallout 3, the player can even see the date and year:
Despite it being August in the above image, it would look exactly the same as a day in July: clear brown skies devoid of precipitation. You can either chock this up to the game’s post-apocalyptic setting or laziness on the part of the developers.
Implementing weather graphically is said to be a challenge to developers and can also be taxing on a console. However there are a number of recent titles that are successfully incorporating weather, proving that this hurdle may be an issue of the past. Most notable is this month’s highly-anticipated western, Red Dead Redemption. This Rockstar title five years in the making features full weather patterns including snow and rain, as well as puddles that dry in the sun and clouds that cast shadows. If taken a step further to influence the environment and the player’s interaction with the world this combination could be groundbreaking: imagine if your gun misfired in the rain or your horse was slower in the snow.
Other technological advances which seem to lend themselves to innovative weather systems in games include the Wii’s Weather Channel, which is devoted to pulling up local weather for the user. Could this system be incorporated into a game? Likewise the iPhone can find weather based on city, which could easily be tied into its GPS feature. Is a weather based iPhone game a possibility? Seems very likely to me.
Recent generations of games are either omitting weather entirely or failing to make it feel real by having it effect the player and/or gameplay. Choosing to ignore such a recognizable aspect of reality is a mistake which will cause games to be less immersive and ultimately not as memorable. Coupled with today’s technology, innovative weather systems have the potential to pioneer a new type of gaming experience creating a lasting impact in players.
Let’s Get Serious: Video Games and Weather
Reality plays an important role in video game development. By incorporating aspects of everyday life into games, they feel more organic and less like a cold series of 1’s and 0’s. The other day while letting our imaginations get the better of us, Mikey of Bit-Speak and myself were discussing how weather is used in different video games and ways this system may be improved with today’s technology.
When it comes to past titles, possibly most notable in terms of innovation and integration is Konami’s Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand. This GameBoy Advance title featured a solar sensor built into the game cartridge which had a direct impact on your abilities in the game; playing outside on a sunny day ironically being the optimal condition. What twisted genius was behind such a title you ask? None other than Hideo Kojima.
Pokémon Gold would be my first memory of weather both impacting play and immersion. I remember walking around in the rain at night in the game while training. I could almost feel the rain and darkness pressing down on me — my bicycle and pokémon my only tether to safety. Different pokémon could be found in different weather: a simple and elementary mechanic but it succeeded in providing a more rich experience.
Another fond memory comes from Animal Crossing, which utilized the Gamecube’s internal clock and calendar to cause the seasons to change in-game, which also affected weather and events. Nothing was better than finding an igloo one of my residents constructed containing the most appetizing bowl of steaming hot corn chowder. I could smell the rich broth and imagine hot steam against my face. The numerous seasonal events felt special since they only came around only once a year.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 used a weather and calendar system. Weather was predetermined as it coincided with the game’s story and effected what the player could or could not do, having an impact on daily life. Fog was linked to especially pivotal times in the game, which served to build tension. While discussing Persona 4, Mikey mentioned that the song which played in-game when the fog set in haunted him in real life whenever he saw fog.
The above mentioned champions of weather systems in games have two things in common: the weather affects both atmosphere and game-play. I believe that this is the combination necessary to successfully incorporate weather into a title to the ultimate benefit of the game. Modern titles are losing this connection.
Final Fantasy XIII’s incorporated a weather system in which the player could choose to cause a rainstorm effecting the enemies on the map and conversely the difficulty. When I say “the map” I literally mean one map. The system was used once and sadly never again, which was too bad — I can imagine that with a bit of polish this could have been a unique feature in the game.
Don’t get used to seeing these in Final Fantasy XIII
Sandbox games or open-world games usually feature day and night cycles. In the rare case of Fallout 3, the player can even see the date and year:
Despite it being August in the above image, it would look exactly the same as a day in July: clear brown skies devoid of precipitation. You can either chock this up to the game’s post-apocalyptic setting or laziness on the part of the developers.
Implementing weather graphically is said to be a challenge to developers and can also be taxing on a console. However there are a number of recent titles that are successfully incorporating weather, proving that this hurdle may be an issue of the past. Most notable is this month’s highly-anticipated western, Red Dead Redemption. This Rockstar title five years in the making features full weather patterns including snow and rain, as well as puddles that dry in the sun and clouds that cast shadows. If taken a step further to influence the environment and the player’s interaction with the world this combination could be groundbreaking: imagine if your gun misfired in the rain or your horse was slower in the snow.
Other technological advances which seem to lend themselves to innovative weather systems in games include the Wii’s Weather Channel, which is devoted to pulling up local weather for the user. Could this system be incorporated into a game? Likewise the iPhone can find weather based on city, which could easily be tied into its GPS feature. Is a weather based iPhone game a possibility? Seems very likely to me.
Recent generations of games are either omitting weather entirely or failing to make it feel real by having it effect the player and/or gameplay. Choosing to ignore such a recognizable aspect of reality is a mistake which will cause games to be less immersive and ultimately not as memorable. Coupled with today’s technology, innovative weather systems have the potential to pioneer a new type of gaming experience creating a lasting impact in players.
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