Police Vs Thief 2 - Game Theories and Game Design Evaluation - Case Study Example

Critical Evaluation of Game Name Institution Date Introduction The design of a mobile phone game is mainly dependent on the expectations of the users. Adequate information has to be collected to ensure that the needs of the users are met. The number of mobile games has been on the increase over the years (Carter, et al, 2014). In order to effectively come up with a proper design, critical evaluation skills is required. Games theories play a vital role in ensuring that a proper critical evaluation is carried out. The information obtained from the critical evaluation can be used for making future improvements (Venkatesh, et al, 2012). Theories deal with significant aspects of the game and the effects that it has on the users. Police Vs Thief 2 is one of the most popular mobile games. It is in the racing genre and millions of people across the world have downloaded the game. The paper is a critical review of Police Vs Thief 2 based on the game theories. Discussion About the game Police Vs Thief 2 is a mobile game based on popular movies involving the police car chase with the thieves and criminals. The background of the game is a large city with several neighborhoods, streets, pedestrians and a number of civilian cars. The player is required to chase the thief and destroy his car (Joga Loca games, 2015). Failure to destroy the thief’s car leads to his escape. The player is required to be a police and has an option of choosing 6 different police cars used in different countries. Each of the cars has different characteristics in terms of speed and control. The chase is supposed to last for a period of 1 minute and 30 seconds. The game ends when the police fails to catch the thief. It has 30 different levels which are characterized by increased difficulty. Figure1. Screenshot of at the start of the game The chase takes place in different terrains which increases its difficulty. To play the game, there two options for control which involves the use of the on screen buttons or tilting the phone. In case of a win, the player is ranked in terms of three stars with the third being the highest rank and best performance. A player looses the game instantly if they hit a pedestrian or civilian car. The win is characterized by the explosion of the thief’s car and the moment is captured automatically through a screenshot. The image is saved on the phone and the player can share it on twitter or Facebook. The game is compatible with Android phones with downloading and installation required. The game was designed and developed by Joga loca in 2015 (Joga Loca games, 2015). Evaluation and game theories The game mechanics theory deals with the aspects as well as mechanism of the mobile game (Iuppa & Borst, 2012). The mechanics of the game involves driving the police car at a high speed and ensuring effective control through the screen control or tilting the phone. The tilt mechanism in the game is not effective as it is much difficult to control the speeding car. This therefore makes it difficult for the player to win or enjoy the game. The screen controls for the car is also not effective when dealing with some of the police vehicles. They tend to be unresponsive when the car is at a high speed and hence impacting negatively on the quality of the game. According to the mechanics theory, the players may improve with time as they continue playing the game (Fernandez-Vera, 2015). This is applicable to the game as players achieve better control as they continue to play and move from one level to the other. Despite the challenges associated with the mechanics, the game is still interesting to play. Figure 2. Screenshot of the police car thief chase Game usability theory is concerned with the ease of interaction between the players and the game (Iuppa &Borst, 2012). The usability also determines the ease or difficulty involved in playing the game. The mobile game is relatively easy to play as the player is only required to accelerate and control the car. A mini-screen indicating the location of the thief as well as an arrow providing the direction of the thief is in place. This therefore ensures that the players are able to locate and follow the thief. Once the player is familiar with the controls, the game is relatively easy but at the same time challenging. This is mainly aimed at ensuring that the game is interesting. A game that is difficult to play may discourage the players making it difficult for them to continue playing it (Venkatesh, et al, 2012). As a result of the ease of usability, the plays may tend to be addictive to the game. Figure 3. Screenshot of a win in the game The game design patterns greatly influences the features as well as the quality of the mobile games (Carter, et al, 2014). The design patter of the mobile phone is greatly influenced by the features. The speed of the police car is much higher than that of the thief’s car. However, sudden turns are usually made by the thief making it difficult to reach them. The design is not effective in some aspects including at the start of the game. A lot of time is wasted while waiting for the game to start. The game cannot end immediately even if the players make a wrong turn during the chase. This is because the thief can only escape after reaching a certain point. A bar on the screen also indicates how the close it is for the thief to be caught after being hit several times. This plays an important role in guiding the players on the steps that they should take to ensure that the thief is caught. The design pattern of the game is thus effective and it improves on the quality of the game. Playability heuristics is an important model that can be used for the evaluation of the mobile game (Fernandez-Vera, 2015). It involves the aspects of game usability, mobility and game play. In terms of mobility, the game cannot be started quickly as a lot of time is wasted through several procedures. However, in term any interruption can be handled reasonably as the gamer remains in pause mode for a period of time. The game effectively accommodates with the surrounding which enhances the ability of the players to enjoy playing. An audio visual representation that supports the game is available and hence creating a sense of reality related to driving a car. The game has features that allow the players to choose whether they want to play with the music on or off. This means that the player can play on a silent mode when the music can interrupt other people. Figure 4. Screenshot of the screen layout and control buttons during the game The screen layout is good and it is efficient and visual for the players provided their phone is compatible. This has plays an important role in enhancing the ease associated with playing the game (Fernandez-Vera, 2015). The UI of the device as well as that of the game are mainly used for their own purpose. All the indicators are visible despite the problem associated with some of the controls. The terminologies used in the game are fairly easy to understand and hence, increased usability. This together with consistency in navigation makes the game interesting to play. The game however faces challenges in terms of control and flexibility when it comes to some of the police cars. This impacts negatively on the plays as it contributes to losing the game. The game does not require the player to memorize any procedures or aspects of the game due to its effectiveness. The game does not contain the help option which may impact negatively on the new players. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident from the evaluation that the game is meets most of the user needs and it is interesting to play. The design is effective and as most of the principles and standards has been observed. The game is easy to play and it is based on the police car chase which is usually witnessed from time to time. It is evident that the game has a few problems in terms of the control. The problem greatly affects the ability of the players to play the game. References Joga Loca games. (2015). Police Vs Thief 2. Retrieved on 8th February from, . Venkatesh, V. et al. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS quarterly, 36(1), 157-178. Iuppa, N. and Borst, T., 2012. Story and simulations for serious games: tales from the trenches. CRC Press. Fernandez-Vera, C. (2015). Introduction to Game Analysis. Routledge, New York. Carter, M., et al. (2014). Paradigms of games research in HCI: a review of 10 years of research at HCI: In proceedings of the first ACM SIGCHI annualsymposium on Computer-human interaction in play (pp.27-36). ACM. Read More