In Week 03 of Advanced 3D Computer Animation, Professor Nigel Mairs explained about shaping the final research direction for the Final Major Project. I explored several possible areas across animation, games, and character design before narrowing my focus. I examined how world view themes such as cultural heritage, representation, gender equality, ethics, and social issues connect with creative themes like narrative construction, character performance, and emerging technologies.
I reviewed tutor guidance on research viability. I broke my topic into smaller questions to keep it focused and manageable. I checked whether enough academic sources exist and whether the topic holds long-term interest for me. I also considered purpose, clarity, and structure before final selection.
Step 1: Choosing the Research Topic
At the start, I explored multiple ideas such as realism versus stylization in animation, cultural representation, propaganda in visual media, gender performance, environmental storytelling, and digital authorship in AI animation. After comparing these, I selected my final topic: Player-Created Avatars and Digital Ownership.
I want to examine how players design characters in games but legal ownership remains with companies. I also want to study copyright rules, originality, trademarks, and cultural ownership in digital spaces. I plan to question whether current laws support creativity or restrict user freedom.
This week helped me shape a clear research question, refine my focus, and understand how visual storytelling supports my future thesis direction.