Next Gen 05/06/16 Contract Types and Differences

In the Gaming, Animation and VFX industry people work in different ways. One of these are through contracts. When someone is employed for a certain purpose for a certain amount of time and gets the payment at the end date.

Freelancing: This is a self-employing contract for a client. These contracts however are not given out to the same person by the same client. A freelancer can usually have multiple contracts at the same time. These contracts mean that you are responsible for your own taxes and national insurance, but the client is still responsible for your health and safety. They mainly work at home or off the organisations property. They are usually paid when the contract is for-filled so that they do not cut any corners for the client. Freelancing contracts also have clauses to make sure that the client does not use them for free labour by pulling the plug on the operation before paying the freelancer.

Permanent: This the most common contract to be used in the current industry. This contract is when an employer highers you, until they no longer require your services, this can last for as long as both sides of the contract agree with the terms. This can be seen as a trade contract, were the employer gives the employee wages and the employee works full-time working for the employer. This also has the benefit of the employer giving the employee over-time (such as raises and connections in the industry). The employee is entitled to certain arrangements such as sick leave pay, holiday leave and set pay rates and pay day's. At the end of your legal working years, you are obligated to a pension. You are payed at certain times for the amount of hours you put into your job.

Internships: These contract agreements are about having some form of training. It is optional if the contract has payment or not, it depends on what the employer and what the  wants. This contract is for a set period of time.The people who normally take these contracts are students or rookies in the industry who want an understanding of how certain aspects of the jobs that they want work. A main difference between internships and employment is that internships focus on training for a role rather than doing the role itself. These can be both long or short term (both having benefits for the employer, either having free labour or showing off how good the the quality of their business is to others).  There is also a unique contract for last-year students, known as research internships it is for certain research in one company.

Voluntary: This is work that someone volunteered for without any type of payment, the only "reward" that the volunteer will get was the experience on their personal CV. These can be considered not contracts, because they not considered actually employed. In turn they are also not give the same rights. The rights are not required to be followed during the agreement. Usually, these people will do work for charity corporations. Since this might not be a lawful agreement both parties can pull out of the agreement whenever it suits them. In the Games, Animation and VFX industry and example of voluntary work could be "Game Jams".

Contractual: This is a self-employing contract for clients. These contracts are given out by recruitment agencies for fixed-term time sections. A contracting contract is usually only done one at a time. These contracts mean that you are responsible for your own taxes and national insurance, but the client is still responsible for your health and safety. These contracts can be both about recruiting or about providing labour to get to the end goal of the client. These contracts also specialise in reality rather than digital media.

Part-Time: This is a contract that has less hours for work than a full-time contract, unlike a full-time worker who does 15-30 hours per week. The advantages of part-time is that it can balance out with your real-life, it also could matter if you trying to re-arranging your work patterns. Some disadvantages however, are that you are looked down upon by full-time workers. In this contract you need to show the, National Insurance Contributions, Statuary Sick Pay, have employer's liability insurance and have to provide a working and safe environment. The employee will be paid the same amount of full-time contracts (ratio to the amount of hours that they work).

Full-Time: This is a contract that has a set amount of hours that the client wants you to do. This contract allows some leniency in the time constraints, such as sick leaves, and health insurance. You will be payed more than part-time contracts but are required to have more regular hours. In this contract you need to show the, National Insurance Contributions, Statuary Sick Pay, have employer's liability insurance and have to provide a working and safe environment. These contracts are paid over certain mount of time until the final amount is filled.

Next Gen 01/06/16 Legal, Regulatory and Ethical Issues in Games, Animation and VFX

Cyber security was created to defend the worlds computers, networks, data and programs from digital attacks and unauthorized access. Multiple parties are required to keep the security up to date from new forms of cyber-attacks. Some of them are Network security, Information Security, Application Security and End-user education. This system helps stop these attacks but needs to keep evolving to protect the internet, an example is of DEDOS attacks.

Censorship is the suppression of speech and online communication that can be considered sensitive, offensive, harmful or politically correct. It can be carried out by the government as well as some private pressure groups. However it is mostly considered unconstitutional and foolish by the groups that enforce it.

Child protection on the internet can be interpreted as any form of protection that is for children for finding any explicit, violent and offensive content. Features such as a child lock on your computer and parental control software. Websites for the UK Safer Internet Centre have encouraged to protect and limit their kids on what they could go on the internet, teaching how to use systems such as monitors, locks timed access and content filters.

Age ratings (BBFC and PEGI) are the rating systems that are used for age resisting certain groups because of certain types of content. Some of this content can include: violence, gambling, sexually explicit, elements of horror and foul language. Both rating systems work together to show the buyer what type of game/DVD/Cartridge/Blu-Ray they are getting. This is applicable in the UK and Europe, in other locations however they use different systems (such as the ESRB in America). 

Environmental policies are statements by organisations for their intentions and principles in relation to the overall performance. This provides a framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and targets. They are used to show a organisations commitment to improving its environmental performance, to communicate the motivation of the organisation, its beliefs and views and finally provide a framework for guiding organisations environmental improvements efforts.

Pixel gypsy is a website that was created with the purpose of helping the average internet user who has popular programs such as Photoshop and Microsoft Word, who need help understanding the program and what not to do should they have a virus in the system. This can also expand into other pieces of hardware, such as scanners and cameras. Other functions can include setting up a DVD of your photos, making a scrapbook and creating stickers.

Government subsidies can be seen as benefits given by the governments. These are usually in the form of money or a tax reduction. The subsidy is usually given to remove some type burden to an individual and are usually considered to be in the interest of the public. Politics can play a large part in the offering of a subsidy.

Fixed bid contracts are set contracts for the purpose of a set amount of work more a fixed amount of money. If you are more efficient at doing the work, you can make more money per hour of work done and less if you make mistakes or take to long.

Next Gen 20/05/16 Evolution of Game Design and Target Audience

Over the last four decades, gaming has dramatically evolved from its beginnings. This is to compare a few games from different generations and platforms. How they evolved with the time, technology and how the audiences that they targeted evolved and changed.

Pong was one of the original home console games, released on the generation 1 consoles (such as the Magnov Odyssey and the Nintendo Colour Television, released in the early to late 1970s). It was advertised as fun for the family, considering that the game is extremely simple the developers should advertise this to the family because they are very simple to understand how to control (compared to today's consoles when you are required to learn around 16 different controls and multiple mechanics). The only mechanics in this game are that the ball deflects off of the paddles and that the score increases every time a point is gained.  The only other games to compare it to would be Space War and Tennis for Two, they had the same primitive look, however what really got Pong going was that it could be played at home on a small console rather that a bulky computer (which could have taken up a full room at the time).  Another point is that since this was one of the very few ideas of games at the time it was almost required to target the largest profitable audience, to get the product going.


Candy Crush is one of the most popular mobile games ever made. It was created because of the growing market of mobile games, not just on phones and ipads but on social media sites too. The target audience was for everyone that has one of these devices or accounts. The reason for this is that is because it is a puzzle game with a simple mechanic, of matching the same coloured icons to score points. What makes this game popular (aside from the trendiness of it) is that it is filled with "Juice" (game designer jargon), this means that the imagery is nice to look at the, music and sound effects are catchy and the game is "addictive". The game is also seen as a time waste while you are on the go. There have been multiple puzzle games before it, however the design of the games has not changed that much. The reason is because it is meant to be accessible to everyone without it causing frustration and that is does not need to go much further if it is to be accessible to all ages. Apart of the trendiness of the game, the marketing for this was colourful and had variations of people using the game (showing that everyone could use the game if they wish). It also implied a more excitable reality than the bland one we have. The main thing that is comparable to these games before mobile games (which only got popularity in the last half a decade) would be classic atari 2600 games and accessory computer games (like minesweeper), the formula for these games has always remained the same. The only changes are the sound effects and the look.


Super Mario Bros was one of the most well received games made on the NES. By this time (the late 1980s) most of the games being made were advertised to children and young teenagers. The two main audiences for this were the European and America audience and the Japanese audience. The western audience marketing was made to show how popular the icon of Mario was and showing the major audience, asking if you want to part of the popularity of the game.
While the Eastern advert was to show the style and additions of the game. Showing how "cool" the game will be but also show the challenge for the game. The game follows the classic Mario Bros style of a 2D platformer, with power up's  and world stages, it also was the first Mario game to have an world map screen.  Each stage also had a gimmick with some unique enemies and mechanics. Another point is that the game was also difficult to complete, the reason was because children couldn't constantly buy games (unlike teens and adults today) so the harder the game was the longer playtime children would have with it. Super Mario Bros games today are much easier (New Super Mario Bros 2 is proof of that). The game is colourful, has delightful music and sound effects and is packed with content (it even has a copy of the original Super Mario Bros arcade and different co-op modes). It also had new mechanics for 2D plaformers at the time.


The first Resident Evil was one of the first console Horror games ever made. As well as that it was one of the earliest franchises that was made exclusively for adults. Since this game was a 3D game during console generation 5, it had some limitations that the game designers actually worked to their advantage. In this game you couldn't control the camera (they were at fixed angles at certain points), the way this worked well was because it added to the games suspense, it was difficult to properly move and the enemies could easily kill you if they closed the distance, you had to act fast to survive. One more point is that the Consoles at the time could only render a short distance, they worked this to make the unrendered locations appear to be fog. This added to the atmosphere of the game (not knowing if enemies were in arms reach of you made every decision you make critical). Since most games are now so advanced, they rely on suspenseful jump scares (an exception to this was the more recent P.T, even though it still used some jump scares).
The marketing for this was very different for western and eastern audiences. The western marketing made it seem more of an action game than a survival horror game. The reason for this was because the marketers were not sure of what the public and the target audience would make of this genre. Other games before this that were seen as horror games were like the 2D Castlevania series, they focused more on intense action, atmosphere and challenge, rather than actual scares. The only games before this that were targeted at adults were quite rare, normally they would go for older teens (Mortal Kombat Series).  The Eastern advertisements (that refer to the game as "Bio-Hazard") show more an emphasis on the atmosphere rather than action and show of the 3D perspective, however the trailer has a rather joyful song as it is played. I can't tell if it is for contrast or to fool the audience.


Total War Rome 2, is part of the Total War strategy franchise. This game franchise was advertised as one of the best strategy franchises ever made. The game was made specifically for PC because consoles at the current time (7th generation/turning 8th generation) couldn't handle the performance that the game requires to work well. The adverts for this game had one thing in common, the tagline, How far will you go for Rome. All trailers had an ambience of what made the Total War series shine (the benefits, threats and strategies for running and conquering human empires, through war, assassination and diplomacy). Considering that it uses these themes and is a strategy game with complex mechanics, the target audience for this was adults and older teens who understand these issues or have played previous instalments.

Batman Arkham City is a 3D fighting action game that was made in 2011 during the 7th generation. It was made as a sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum. Even though the game was a 15 rating, it was targeted to mostly teenagers and comic book fans. It is also acclaimed as one of the best games of the year and best Arkham game. The game design was improved mainly in two aspects, the environment and the combat. While the previous game was very compact and only had very minimal space to traverse the asylum, Arkham city made it into a much larger area, where you are free to glide around the map as much as you wanted. The combat was also improved by adding more moves and gadgets without the combinations feeling too complex. The trailers for this game were mostly about the location (Arkham City) and the plot (about Hugo Strange knowing Batman's identity). The idea of the advertising was to get the teenage audience with the improvements and gameplay and to get the comic book audience with the variety of characters that people could see in the other trailers. It was a combination of both gameplay elements from the previous game put together. If this game was released in generation 4 (during the Sega Genesis and the Super NES) the game would have been marketed towards children (like other Batman titles at the time, such as the games based on the Tim Burton movies), however this shows how much the industry has changed in a few decades and how it has improved. Compare this game to the game "Batman" on the NES and see how much more evolved this is (a 2D side-scroller combined with upbeat music and stylish graphics). Previous fighting games (such as Final Fight 3) were mostly based on the beat em up style of gameplay rather than other aspects, such as story and characters. It was also marketed and sold to all platforms to increase sales and awareness. The developers knew that they did not need to advertise the game to much because of the success of the previous game. Even the name of the game "Batman" would easily sell the game.

Next Gen 28/05/16 Legal Entities in Games, Animation and VFX

Sole Trader
You run your own business as an individual. You can keep all your business's profits after you've paid tax on them.
You can employ staff. Sole trader means you're responsible for the business, not that you have to work alone.
For tax they must: send a self assessment tax return every year, pay income tax on the profits you make and pay national insurance (also register VAT if you expect £83,000 a year).
If this is your wanted idea, you must: keep records of the expenses and profits, your own business debts, bills for anything you buy, and paying the full income tax

Limited partnership and liability partner
Your liability or business debt differs depending on whether you're a limited partnership or liability partnership. You share all of the profits between partners. Each partner pays tax on the share of profits.

Limited Partnership: The liability for debts that cant be paid in a limited partnership is split between partners.
General partners can be personally liable for all partnership debts, limited partners are only liable up to the amount they initially invest in the business

Limited Liability Partner: These partners are not personally liable for debts the business that they cannot pay., they are limited by the amount of money they invest in the business. The responsibilities and profits are set out in a agreement. Some have extra responsibilities if it is required by the agreements. As well as having two members to get the company started, you will need a registered address and made a LLP agreement of how the business is run.

Every year, the partnership must send a partnership self assessment tax return to HMRC.
for tax they must: send a self assessment tax return every year, pay income tax on their share of the partnership's profits and pay national insurance(also register VAT if you expect £83,000 a year).

Unincorporated association

An unincorporated association is an organisation set up through an agreement between a group of people who come together for a reason other than to make a profit.

You don’t need to register an unincorporated association, and it doesn't cost anything to set one up.

Individual members are personally responsible for any debts and contractual obligations.

If the association does start trading and makes a profit, you’ll need to pay Corporation Tax and file a Company Tax Return in the same way as a limited company.

Ordinary business partnership

In this you share the responsibility with your business partners. You share all profits and pay tax on all profits.
You are responsible for the losses your business makes and bill for things that your business, like stick or equipment
A partner does not have to be a person. A limited company can count and can be a partner in a partnership. You must also choose a name for your partnership and register it with the HMRC.

The nominated partner must send a partnership Self Assessment tax return every year.
All partners must: send a Self Assessment tax return every year, pay income tax on the share of the profits and pay national insurance. A VAT will be required if you except more than £83,000.

Limited Liability Company

Incorporating means registering a limited company or LLP at Companies House: it’s a move that will lend credibility to the business. It may also make it easier to borrow money when the time comes. But do look carefully at your motives: being the managing director of a limited company may bring status, but you may regret the move when struggling with the year-end accounts.

Most private limited companies are owned by their shareholders and are limited by shares. This means that the face value of their share in the business is the most they can be called on to pay if things go wrong.

The tax regime is more favourable to a registered company than to a sole trader. Limited companies pay corporation tax on their profits and their company directors are taxed as employees in the same way as other people who work for the company. The UK small profits corporation tax rate, applied up to £300,000, is 20% for the corporation tax year beginning 1 April 2014 and 21% above this (different rates apply to different financial years). But in a limited company profit there is also a firewall between profit and your income: you will have to pay income tax on the salary the business pays you.

Once you are trading, you will be required to submit full statutory accounts and a company tax return to HMRC each year, as well as making monthly or quarterly payments of employees’ income tax (PAYE) and NICs.

Public Limited Company

A PLC is a standard legal designation of a company which has offers of shares to the general public with limited liability. The stock can be acquired by anyone and the holders are only limited to the lose the amount paid for the shares. It is more commonly used in the UK. However, two or more people are required to form such a company. These companies can also appear on Stock Exchange boards and will have PLC on their ticker symbol.

Ways that Businesses are Funded

Tax Reliefs
This means that either the business pays less tax to take into account the money that you spend, such as business expenses (if your self employed), or get tax back or repaid like in a pension. All forms of tax relief are only apply if they are applied for. 
Sales
This is when consumers buy the finished product, all of money that does not go to other parties and services is profit for the business.
Crowd Funding
This is when you create a project that is funded by a community of people giving donations adding  up to a set goal. Websites such as Kickstarter and Indie Go Go were made to create crowd funding. 
Creative England
This is a business that was created to get small projects from indie developers going. They do both independent films and game productions.  However, they do have some limitations and rules (having the production below £500,000 and having deadlines on the production) and they can only handle a new project a few times a year to get everything ready. 
Grants
A grant is a set amount of money that is given by government, unlike loans you are not required to repay it over the years. The only catch is that you are required to give updates on your project somewhat regularly.
Early Access
This is a recent system that has been created to help more indie game designers. This is when a designer has uploaded a pre alpha version of the game, in this version it allows a bunch of people to test the game and give feedback to the developer; this service however does cost the tester. The extra money the developer makes can allow the game to be finished. 
Loans and Credit Cards
This is when you take a deposit of money from the government within a certain limit. Over time they are paid back with the profits of the organization. 
Business Angels
These are individuals who invest in certain businesses and projects so that they get a profitable return on their investment. The term can last for the entire time the business exists.  The result of this has been around 27% in the US and 22% in the UK. Their investments can be anywhere between £5,000 and £250,000. 
Advertising and Sponsoring
Sponsorship is when you ask to be associated with a certain company. This in turn you you pay this party for a service and you get a return in the form of advertisements, getting your name out into the eyes of the public increases the chance of sales (Example, if a company funds your project, you will be obligated to have advertisements for what the business wants).
FIG
This is a service to get both indie developers in the industry tending and larger companies to get leftover projects going. FIG has been able to fund projects such as Outer Wilds and Psychonauts 2. FIG provides a variation of advertisements, crowd funding and processes to get the project going and to gain attention.