Games as a system.

After the contextual studies talk that was given, I have decided to use Final Fantasy VIII as the game to break down into the three different individual systems that form the greater whole of the game.

Formal System

• Objects: The character/avatar being Squall himself during exploration of the greater world, and all the different characters that he leads as a group that can be controlled by the player. Also the various vehicles he/ the group use to traverse certain parts of the world as the story progresses and the world in which you control the avatars.
• Attributes: The character is moved with the playstation controller but is obviously restricted to what has been programmed. Menus and objects are all triggered by the players involvement and command. Game moves pretty much at the players pace for most of the game, moving as the player decides to commence.
• Internal relationships: The player can freely talk to friendly NPC's and is free to move as they please. battle is triggered by moving on "unsafe" areas which will randomly trigger battles the player must win to keep progressing throughout the game.
• Environment: The way the world is created players have some freedom to explore, but the story is on a linear path and requires the player to follow the set play of rules to progress deeper into the world and find newer locations.

Experiential System

• The players are confined to using Squall as the main character, but are forced to use Laguna (Squall's dream world equivalent) and other members of Squall's party, when the games story requires you to. For the main body of the game, Squall is the main avatar and story character. Note that this immerses the player into thinking they are Squall and builds a great bond with the character, making the set decisions and actions Squall is required to make, feel like the player is in charge. 
• Attributes: The basic character models don't change unless the story requires you, but other than that look is predetermined and the player has no say in it other than a few different weapon looks. State of the game is in two different areas, where the player is free to explore or carry on the story to find newer areas and progress the story.
• Internal relationships: The player makes various decisions, although always confined to the same outcome, the choice at the time makes the player feel involved and adds certain elements of urgency and the feeling of victory when successful. The game focuses on alot of emotion between characters to build a sense camaraderie between the player and the playable characters he is battling with. The story also focuses on elements of emotion i.e betrayal, hate, love, anger, comedy. All of these keep the player entertained and feeling like they are the Squall character, a tiny person in a big world.
• Environment: The game requires the player to be using a pc, or have a playstation console and the equipment required to play i.e controllers, memory card etc. Game is from a line of unrelated games under the same titles, so the player knows the basis of what the games going to involve, as the core mechanics are always pretty similar. Players need to both physically play the game via the gamepad or keyboard, and think as they go ahead on what to do next. 

Cultural System

• Objects: The game is part of a series of games, unrelated in story from the same developer now known as Square Enix (Time of FF8 it was Squaresoft). The game is hugely popular across the world, but is huge in Japan where it is developed and created. Western culture play alot into the game, where characters and lifestyle take a more western world approach and look.
• Attributes: Game was made in Japan by Squaresoft. Originally developed for the Playstation 1 in 1999. Made to carry on the series of games for the mass public.
• Internal relationships: The game was hugely successful amongst the japanese RPG type games that came out of Japan, and played by other cultures. The game is on open insight to how eastern culture perceives the western world, and how it would feel like if elements from both cultures met. It also gives references to other worldly culture and how the developers choose to take these different elements and apply them to the world they are creating. There is also the classic good vs evil. Squall being the good and his enemies the evil, but they still manage to change how the player would view the evil characters with acts of kindness or reasons for the evil doing, making the player take their own view on good vs evil.