Primary
research is the idea of creating a method that can help you gather data, so
that it can be used as information by others. Primary research is the research
done by oneself without any help, or beforehand information. Information is we
raw data is used towards an idea, therefore it becomes information. For
example, if I wanted to know how to beat a game without asking anyone and
without looking on the internet, I would have to play the game myself and
figure it out for myself. This way, everything I learn, is only raw data
because no one has explained it to me, and I gathered this data by myself. For
this data to be used as information, it must be explained on a graph of some
sorts. This information will then be secondary to any second hand person (to
anyone but you).
Some
would argue that this doesn’t/wouldn’t count for primary research because it
involved using something that someone else has created which is the game.
Therefore everything you have gathered is secondary research.
Primary
research is very important in the media industry because it has proven to have
huge impacts into many media products. Most media couldn’t or wouldn’t even
exist if not for in depth research study of the subject. This is because Ideas
can only be generated through other ideals and other people’s ambitions, such
as inspiration. For example, Magazine paparazzi must do research into models,
and movie stars in order to catch people’s attention and make it interesting.
Otherwise, if not true, people will not read your product. In this case,
research is needed as for proof and to back up writer theories that you read in
gossip magazines. Primary research is always used in this sort of business, as
they wouldn’t find what they know anywhere else, meaning they must create the
research themselves. In that case, using recordings and pictures would be data
to provide support for their theories and gossip.
Another
example of an industry that needs research in order to work, Is the Games
industry. Games couldn’t/wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for in depth children
research. With Games, Primary research is done differently; it doesn’t
involve needing proof for anything. The simply need to gather data on what they
require or desire to make. If they wanted to create a first person shooter,
then they would have to do research into other first person shooters that have
already been made, but learn from them at the same time. That way, they can see
where the other companies went prong/how they could improve, and the only way
to know this would be by asking the very players themselves.
Although,
there is a first time everything, meaning there was a time when most Game Genres
that you know of today, did not exist. Some would argue that it would be almost
impossible to create a game without other designs that we have today, except,
we already have done so. Before there were any genres or any Games at all,
Designer’s had to come up with games from scratch, in forms of Arcade play
boxes. This proves that we were able to create games without any inspiration,
or does it?
If we go back to Pack Man, a classic
arcade game that brought joy to many, besides its simplicity. This game was
definitely made in time of which there weren’t a lot of games around, but, that
doesn’t mean that it was made without any inspiration at all, because there was
inspiration behind Pack Man. Toru Iwatani, the designer of Pack Man, is the man
then was inspired to make Pack man because he ate pizza. He came up with the
idea of Pack Man by eating pizza. Yet with such little ideas, he created an
almost perfect game. How is that possible when now days that we cannot create a
game without looking into other games and all the versions of them? Well its
simple, the game is simple.
Now
days Games have reached complex levels of design, sound, animation, story, and
especially in mechanics. Of which, it’s inly understandable that most companies
need other games for research material as they always. Back in the Pac Man
days, it was easy to make a perfect game, because people did not know what a
perfect game would feel like. There weren’t enough games for people to see how
perfect or how flawed a game was, that why such games became so powerfully
popular and became must plays and very addictive games amongst kids. Primary
research must have been done back then, as there weren’t any other examples of
great games, meaning they got ideas from their target audience. They’re Primary
must of consisted of kid enjoyments and what makes things so addictive to the
human mind. Such research would easily reach a level of game design in a way
that makes their game seem perfect, as it only appeals to kids/people that find
it so.
That
is why research, Primary research is needed; because it helps designers find a
target to aim for and hope to reach using what they can find. For example,
before battlefield came out, there was only one main first person shooter that
was known worldwide, known as Call of Duty. Call of Duty was/started as a
warfare style game, based on what actually happens behind the scenes of war,
and how they actually end up being dealt with. War was shown in COD (Call of
Duty) by using the campaign of the game in order to express the lives of
military soldiers in the US. It mostly focuses it one main character and how
hard I is for him to endure through the struggle of war; Hence the name, Call
of Duty, as he is being called for his duty towards the country. As Sledge Hammer continued with this series,
(with 2, 3, etc.), It was only a matter of time until another company decides
to create a very similar game, in order to appeal to others that have problems
with Call of Duty. These issues consisted of no accessible vehicles, MLG style
gameplay and much more…. Therefore there was gap in the market. And so, came
along Battlefield. Battlefield is an al out literal “Battle Field” Game, as it
has almost every aspect
of an actual battle ground, from the action, right down to the player death
animation. It contains over 30 in game war vehicles. It was literally
everything that Call of duty was missing from an actual battle field, hence the
name. It also got rid of all the MLG style weaponry and player modifications,
which must have satisfied a lot of player fans out there that hated that sort
of gameplay. It kept some weapons that call of duty has, but that’s only
because it’s also about the American military. http://www.tweaktown.com/news/40798/battlefield-5-may-be-pushed-back-to-2016-to-prevent-brand-fatigue/index.html
Along
with the weapons, it has the same game types such as Domination, Team death
match, Free for all, and many more……… Battle Field seems to be one of the best
examples of a very successful innovative game.
This
possibility could’ve only been done through intense Primary Research, to which
they asked many Call of Duty fans that have massive problems. These problems
must’ve been addressed and so they implemented these issues by creating a same
type of environment as Call of Duty while at the same time tackling those
missing ideas. The research could’ve been carried out like that or it could
have been done by playing the game itself by them. This way, it would make the
research as true personal Primary Research.
As
a conclusion, Primary Research can be very important, as it’s personally more
reliable, and more understanding. But, some forms of Primary research are
simply a matter of opinion, such as the idea of playing a game, which is a type
of research, but, not Primary.
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