Order – Definition
1. The arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method.
2. An authoritative command or instruction.
Chaos – definition
1. Complete disorder and confusion.
After researching the words order and chaos I found that the words are complete polar opposites to each other, this leaves a great deal of interpretation to be made around the theme in terms of what you could apply the meanings to. For example you can easily see the theme of order and chaos being applied to the modern day judicial system in the sense that the police, judges and court systems represent a form of order where as criminals and their activities are the personification of disorder and chaos. I also found that the definitions are relatively vague so they can be applied to many different contexts allowing me lots of room within the theme to create game ideas. for example you can just as well apply the theme to a prison setting with guards representing order and inmates are chaos or even a more biblical approach of angles vs demons as they are pillars of order and chaos. After researching the definitions I have given myself some direction of what kind of game I would like to look into creating based around this theme.
Word Association
Order & Chaos
- Order & Chaos
- Opposites
- Yin & Yang
- Good & Evil
- Light & Dark
- Right & Wrong
- Heaven & Hell
- Restrictive & Random
- Medieval
- Knights
- Demons
- Angels
- Anarchy
- Mayhem
- Disorder
- Bedlam
- Formation
- Authority
- Organisation
- Structure
Whilst playing word association starting with “Order & Chaos” which I then slowly pulled away from as I kept adding words which link back to the original I realised that order and chaos can be expanded on quite broadly to encompass so much more. This has given me some really good ideas to pitch a game idea around as the deviations from the original word have helped broadened the the theme, for example a kind of city management game could easily be erected from the words I have used here focusing around the idea of building order out f chaos because just as with Yin & Yang there is a dualism with order and chaos as one could not be present without the other. I will continue to reflect back on this work as I come to create ideas for games as the variations on “Order & Chaos” have really shown me how much could be encompassed by this theme.
I created this mind map to further expand on the theme of “Order & Chaos” and what I have here are objects, places, games and movies which all link back to the original theme and just like the word association this has really helped me see the theme in a new light. I really like the idea of looking into knights which are famous for there honor and keeping law and order across kingdoms whilst on the flip side there are demons born of sin and designed to insight chaos. I think the idea of these two opposing forces creates a good basis for a game. I also think a game based around this would fit perfectly into the action rpg genre which would give me a really good opportunity to get to grips with and create mechanics such as top down movement, ability casting and resource management. I really like the Overall this mind map will really come in handy for generating ideas for games as well as themes to research for order & chaos.
Moodboards
This is a moodboard built around the heaven thematic, I have researched this as heaven is generally considered a place of good and order which links back into the main theme. I think the idea of including a heaven thematic within a game could be interesting as it can be easily recognised as a pillar of order. I really like the colour schemes surrounding most of these images being whites, golds and blues, all of these colours could be associated with good and order which is another reason why I feel it could be a good setting as the conduit for order. I will reflect back on this research when I come to generate some ideas to create games around ass I think this will be really useful as inspiration.
Following on from the heaven moodboard I created this one in the opposing view of hell. I looked for research around hell as it is considered the polar opposite to heaven and is considered to be a place of chaos and sin. the general colour schemes used here are blacks, reds and oranges which can be associated with chaos as they convey the emotions of anger or themes of evil, I really like this colour scheme for these very reasons and I think from a development standpoint I could create a game within the mmo/action rpg genre as the theme of demons and hell is a common fantasy theme. I really like the idea of hell being used as a representation of chaos as that can be easily be turned into enemies within a game or even just the aesthetic alone could be used to give the player the feel that they have entered a place of chaos. Just as with the heaven moodboard I think this will be very helpful for generating ideas for games but also as design research for the potential aesthetic I could include within those games.
I wanted to create a moodboard and gather research around knights as they are known as keepers of the peace and order and this makes them almost an ideal candidate for a player character, enemy or even an npc within a game. I really like the look specifically of the Templar knights with the more rigid box shaped helmet because its quite unique and gives the knight a more commanding presence, though the slightly more fantasy focused design also have there own merits in uniqueness as a player character of sorts as they tend to have more extravagant armor with much brighter and more visible colouration’s making them standout from the crowd, if I was to use a knight as the player character I think I would lean more into this fantasy design aspect. I feel as though the biblical design of the knights would fit well within a order and chaos themed game as they are part of an order themselves and to have them face of against enemies of a demonic nature would fit thematically. This researched has helped me narrow my field of view into a potential game I would like to create so I think I will be looking back at this in the future to help conceptualise those ideas.
This moodboard is a collection of images of kingdoms and great citys/ civilizations. There are ranging images of vast open kingdoms and huge cities and this is because during my previous research I found a link between “Order & Chaos” and “Kingdoms” and this link lies in the fact that civilizations are order built out of chaos and are a balance of the two, a kind of in between. I really like the aesthetic some of these kingdoms have, mostly being painted in bright and warm colours showing they are places of good and order. I believe using a city as a setting for a game idea could work really well given what they represent as well as how vast they could be. In terms of mechanics it would allow the player a great deal of range to explore. I think an interesting game concept could be built around this in the form of managing a city or kingdom trying to find that balance between rigid order and random chaos.
I did some research into dungeons, this was because they are a place that chaos can manifest itself and then be conquered by order. I really like the setting of a dungeon for a game as it has a lot of room for interpretation in design as you can see from the images no one image is quite they same. The dungeons have the same principle of being dark places with danger however the scope of there design is endless leaving a lot of room for my own creative vision. I like how some of these designs are derelict in nature with broken brick work and floor tiles. I really like the designs that include reds and oranges as I thin these really help covey the themes of evil and anger which are associated with chaos. Overall I think the setting of a dungeon could be really good for a game based around order and chaos as there are fantasy elements there with games like Diablo leaning into this so I think I will be looking back on this research when generating some ideas and potential when designing game levels.
Book Research
This is an image from “The Art Of Diablo 3” and it is a concept art image of an angel from the game. I am a huge fan of the colour scheme and design employed on the angels in this game as they have stuck with colours that are commonly associated with heaven and angels with the whites, golds and blues whilst also employing their own design influences by dressing the angel up as a kind of knight or warrior. This design could easily be employed in the use of a main character in a game and for an action rpg such as Diablo you could easily create thematic abilities based around this characters thematic. Another thing I like about this design is how it strays from a more traditional representation of angels for an approach that makes them feel like they are active combatants for the side of order and good. I will reflect on this research when coming up with my initial ideas as it has given me some good inspiration for game ideas.
This picture is from “The Art Of Blizzard Entertainment” and it is a image of the Hoard (on the left) and the Alliance (on the right). I think this image perfectly depicts the struggle between order and chaos with the Alliance wearing blues representing order, even the weapons are better constructed with all the edges being smooth but on the flip side the Hoard are draped in reds and oranges which are the opposite to the blues of the Alliance and can be associated with evil and just like how the weapons of the Alliance are smooth in construction the Hoards weapons are covered in sharp jagged edges. I really like how the two sides are shown as polar opposites as it allows you to easily identify the differences between the two factions. This research will be really helpful going forward as from a design stand point I will be able to reflect on how they created the characters with the deliberate identifiable differences and apply it to my work.
Level3GamesDevelopmentYear2LukeWadey 