Sherlock Holmes-The Game

  I think that the style of gameplay that has been selected for this particular game tends to represent the personality of Holmes and Watson by giving it a stereotypical Sherlock Holmes theme: "Just as in the stories, you and your friend will investigate crimes, sift through evidence and solve mysteries".  The game is created to be a two-player game so that one person can play the character of Watson and a close friend can play as Holmes (or vice versa).  The game consists of eight chapters that must be played in a consecutive order that can takes up to roughly half an hour to complete if played straight, or it can also be played at intervals without affecting any data.  This allows the game to fit around the consumer's life and not the other way around, making the game more appealing and user-friendly due to its flexibility.  Each chapter's aim leads up to the opening scene of the new Sherlock Holmes movie.  I think that the purpose in doing this gives the consumer a taster of what the film could be like and through playing the game, it will make them want to see the film to find out whether it links in with any of the other aspects of the film.  It could also provide some jouissance to the consumer whilst watching the film.

  The game makes links with the messages that are concealed within the trailer and poster, using a sense of mystery to shadow the secrets that are to be revealed.  In the poster Holmes is shown in dark clothing, with a slightly cheeky expression on his face.  This makes it seem as if there is more behind the heavy clothing which is yet to be shown.  The facial expressions connote mischief which make the consumer think about what it is that Holmes has done that would make him express this audacious emotion.  Watson is shown as quite a typical Victorian gentleman, using costume to portray this.  This shows that he is a very respectable companion to Holmes and therefore can be depended on by him.  This ties in with the game's aspects: "Holmes relies on him for many things."  The fog around the base of the characters conveys a smoke-screen that connotes that a hidden meaning could lie beneath this facade.
  The trailer represents Holmes as an adventurous character.  It also displays him as very odd, witty and forward planning in his actions.  This gives him the attributes needed to be a detective and therefore the game reiterates this through its focus of being a detective game.  In the trailer it shows Watson helping Holmes which is reflected in the game when deciding who to be: "...one cannot succeed without the other."


  The game is played using Facebook which is a internationally known social networking site.  With over three hundred and fifty million active users, of which at least fifty percent log in every day, it is easy to pass information of new activities around to friends.  With the average of every person having around one hundred and thirty friends on the site, with each of them shown an update on new activities, it allows  the game to easily be able to show other users about the game.  The game fits around the users' life and not the other way around, this contrasts with most other Facebook games making the game unique.