GRADUATE SCHOOL GAMER

JUMP TO WORDPRESS

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:37:00 +0000

You can now find me at http://www.graduateschoolgamer.com

GSG 2009 - Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:11:00 +0000

Greetings loyal readers. As the winter solstice approaches and the new year is just around the corner, I find it necessary to make some changes. GSG has been an extremely helpful blog in not only assisting my interest in videogames but also bringing the existing community of fellow game enthusiasts to my attention.

I started out GSG to provide an outlet for my thoughts about gaming and game design. In the five months of this site's conception it has given me a great excuse to explore scholarly interests in a variety of games. But I believe I have yet to reach the potential of my investigations. So, why not improve this little blog with my participation from my readers?

As 2009 begins I want to experiment with a new blog format. Instead of having me stretch the month with blog posts about various games, I propose to choose one game every month and attempt to take its critical analysis to the limit. I will look into the theorical, communal, aesthetical, interactive, and economical aspects of said game and try to bring to light the more subconcious and nuianced elements to the surface.

So please, comment on this post with a list of games that you would like me to investigate upon and by the end of this month. I will choose one that I can play, analyze, and discuss with you. Thanks and have a great holiday season.

Orientalism, Occidentalism, and Umbrella Corp

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:24:00 +0000

I have been watching footage of Resident Evil 5 recently since the mass media blowout of the game. Having loved the previous iteration in the series, along with so many others, I look forward with both anticipation for the next title in the series and disappointment towards what little has seemingly change. Being unable to play the demo, as of yet, this article is merely speculation from my experiences with Resident Evil 1-4 and what I have seen so far of Resident Evil 5.

RE5 has become the centerpiece over the racism in games. N’Gai Croal wrote a very revealing article that was both acclaimed and lambasted by gamers, a typical response. One remark that does stick out to me is his comment, “There [African zombies] of being, in sort of post-modern parlance, they’re sort of ‘othered.’” I believe that he completely misses the mark on the issue of the Other and the deeper connotation within depictions of the Negro. The imagery in RE5 isn’t purely about racism.

If you look at RE4 the Spanish zombies are visually European horrors figures. It is the representation of the disfigured, unkempt, isolated European. N’Gai is on the mark when he states, “It’s a very strange thing, and it taps into sort of this very racist iconography.” But if you look at the environments, the deserted and failed industrialization in RE5 and the desolate villages of RE4, these are representations of post-colonialism. We see the failure of modernization from the failure of post-colonization. The issue of the Other in this context isn’t about race. It’s about Orientalism and the effects of post-colonizations.

When I am talking about Orientalism, it is in reference to Edward Said’s definition of the term. It is the view of the West in defining themselves oppositional to the Other: the East, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and so forth. But I must emphasize that Orientalism is not the study of prejudices and misrepresentations, it is the study of discourse. When we see the imagery of the Negro savage we should be taken aback. We should be offended. We should question the validity on how this imagery is presented. But what N’Gai does not take into account is that this game comes from the East, albeit a sort of Western Japan. But from this origin, the depictions of post-colonialism in RE5 become even more fascination to look at. Perhaps this is not inclusively an issue of Orientalism but an issue of Occidentalism.

It is a view of the Other in how it views the West. Which is unsurprising, as Occidentalism has become a prominent concern in 20th century Eastern culture. This completely makes sense in regards to the Resident Evil series. Looking back at the first game the stereotypes, the bad dialog, and even the Spanish zombies reveal a view of the West as an Other. If we take this path of thought, it makes complete sense that RE5 is a representation of Japan’s view of the West’s view of the Negro. What is interesting is whether this view has eclipsed and become the dominant view of the Other because of it. What is terrifying is how accepting this view has been for gamers, which was the original contention of N’Gai Croal.

Looking at RE5 is almost becomes the perfect depiction of Western’s terror towards the effects of colonization. Here is clean-cut, white alpha male Chris Redfield going into an environment where the Other is a zombie which is a result of Western intrusion. It is uncontainable, it is violent, and it is a burden by the fault of foreign hands. Isn’t it interesting that Sheva, his partner, is the focus of RE5 and her origins to the events of the game? Is she a globalized citizen educated abroad? Has she disassociated from realities of the continent? Will she be a three-dimensional female character? These are questions that make me antsy to see how the issues that I previously raised will pan out in the game.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if RE5 was not merely a commentary towards racism or post-colonialism, but rather a discourse on globalism? It is interesting to see the series turn its focus abroad—zombies infections are pandemic not epidemic, of course. In three months time we will see how the game turns out. Regardless of the Metacritic score I’m sure there will be an ample amount of worthwhile material to investigate and chew on. And I haven’t even got into the kind of discourse that will grow out from the game’s multiplayer.

Game Narrative - More lucid, less linear

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:32:00 +0000

I truly believe that the videogame medium has reached a point of maturity. In fact, it has matured extremely quickly comparatively if we look at other forms of media. But clearly, the narrative form in the realm of the gaming space has a long journey ahead of itself to gain the same sort of poignancy, emotional weight, political stance, or respectability with other forms of narrative media. I do not care what you say, the majority of the time if I want a good story from the game I will read a book. We invest a larger percentage in our experience with a game rather than trying to take away a thematic message. The concern with the player is moreso the input rather than the output towards the game. Of course, as I have posted previously there are various experimental games that do blur the line between these two authoric intensions and there are always exceptions to the claim.

But, even though I do not believe that videogames have reached a point of prominence in linear narrative design I wonder why the opposite approach has not been done instead. I am not referring to the kind of open world, choose your own adventure foray. But rather a more restrictive, autuer-esk apporach of revealing a story--if any. Given a game's set-piece, episodic nature of its design believe a more experimental design towards narrative structuring has immense potential in the game space. Why not offer a more "playful" and cerebral experience rather than forcing plot points and emotional benchmarks? I have discussed my appreciation of non-narrative games in the past and I have no doubt touched upon the difficulties of the narrative, in general, for games. But this is the first time I have discussed narrative experimentation. Where is my French New-Wave Godard, Lynch labyrinths, Van Sant fragmentations, or Linklater stream of conciousness?

Last year's Odin Sphere has a particularly unique narrative design that I wish more games would take advantage of. The game had an array of passages integrated into a story book structure where the player would take the role of multiple characters in numerous but an overarcing storyline. Way of the Samurai was another game that required multiple playthroughs with various endings (seven if I remember) each unique depending on the faction you chose and who you allowed to live. The black sheep of Zelda games, Majora's Mask, is one of the most unique, enthralling and experiemental games in the series from it's assumption that the player knows the ropes of the game mechanics to the time-limit sensitive narrative. It may be telling that both these games are Japanese titles and both of them are moderately successful comparatively to the normal blockbuster.

But as the gaming industry continues to grow into an oligopoly of studios, I hope that smaller development houses will fracture off and create more experimental narratives in games. Or at least, a sub-studio within a developer will have the balls to take the risk along with a business model to be wise enough to develop and market the game. The problem is that non-linear narrative itself is a risk, a gamble to the mass audience. Games are already confusing enough as players attempt to learn the controls and the mechanics of the gameplay. It makes sense that one would believe that streamlining a narrative to create a sense of cohesiveness and attachment to the game is necessary. But like any narrative or media, these are just excuses to not take risks and attempt something different. Which is a problem with our gaming industry in general. A risk is not successful unless it is either a Metacritic success or a sales success. I will not go into the problems with reviews and the response toward them because I am sure they have been discussed elsewhere ad nauseum. It is a mindset that had been criticized upon for years if not decades.

I did not come here to talk about the specificialities of risk. I came to talk about experimentation. And we need more experimentation, not only in design but also narrative. And what better way to open up new ideas for game design than not experimental narratives? They say to always take baby steps and the game industry has. Whether is it the occasional intextual game interface in the Metal Gear Series, the dream sequences in Max Payne or even the fear of death in Dreamfall. Experimentation is a good thing and we need create a community where developers are allowed to make mistakes and still survive in the business. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as consumers and embrace ourselves as enthusiasts.

Dude looks like a lady - Adventures of a female avatar

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:50:00 +0000

With the recent release of the Playstation Home beta--a release I believe was too soon--I decided to test the waters. I created the typical avatar that resembled my likeness and proceeded to walk around and just load all the areas in the service. Of course, there was dancing, a few people playing games, the awful Twilight trailer and music video, and some chatting going around. A was pretty boring experience in Home which has yet to implement enough content to keep my interest. So I figured to try a gender-bending gamble and create a female avatar.

I decided to go with a fairly attractive female avatar. Give her some gloves for attitude and maybe some earphones. There isn't much you can do in the clothing and accessories department in Home right now. So I finished making my girl and went out on the town for a stroll. Already I see her move her hips as she walks. Nice play Sony, I look pretty sexy. Immediately the experience seems quite different. It is not a stretch to claim that Home is pretty much a sausagefest. There are a couple girl avatars but it is predominantly made up of guys and a few creative avatar characters here and there. I clearly stick out like a thumb and I get the strange feeling that I am being watched all the time.

As I pass people I realize how much I stand out as a girl in the game space and wonder if people are following me or the conversation pop-ups that appear are directed at me. It is extremely revealing and oppressive that privacy begins to dissolve and suddenly I become the center of attention. I quickly run toward a group of girls that are dancing as if it were an oasis. They dutifully ignore me. Girls, just as guys, are as afraid of creating online relationships. There is no reason to believe that just because I am the same sex automatically makes us friends.

I decide to go to the bowling alley. I have had the nudging impression that I am the center of attention so I decide to embrace it. I sit down on the floor in front of a television in the game space that is playing a video loop of Playstation games and peripherals. A male avatar decides to sit down next to me. Is he hitting on me? Suddenly, a small group begins to for around me. Someone greets, "What's up niggers?" I reply, "Racism." He quickly leaves. It comes to attention of my male companion that I am ignoring him. He gets up and begins to dance with thrusts as his virtual crotch rams into my virtual face. I appear to be giving him a blow job. Quickly, I perform a thumbs down with my avatar and leave. I assume the guy feels bad as he begins to follow me. Seriously? He just raped me in the face and now he wants to be friends. I am immediately reminded of President Laura Roslin from the show Battlestar Galactica. Errands force me to leave so I turn off my console.

Later that day I finally get a minute to turn on my PS3. What do you know, I friend request from my male abuser. I do a quick search of the screen name on Google and I learn that kid is in high school. Do I continue our doomed relationship and string him along? No. I actually have a heart and more important things to do with my time. Request rejected. Come back for my next blog post as I see how a more "homely" female avatar lives in this Second Life clone.

It's just bad business

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:24:00 +0000

"War. War never changes." - Fallout 3

"War. War has changed." - Metal Gear Solid 4

These quotes demonstrate the schizophrenic nature of the games industry. The past year analysts have been announcing remarkable growth in the industry, yet many studios are laying off workers and announcing disappointing sales numbers. We have just come off the fourth quarter avalanche of games and the outlook is tepid. SCEA can announced a number of jobs lost and Electronic Arts has just laid-off 6% of its employees with more projected to come. Disappointment in sales for Mirror's Edge, Rock Band 2, Boom Blox, and Little Big Planet have been surfacing, the Need for Speed franchise has been placed on hiatus, and it has been a disappointing year in EA Sports. Not to mention the numerous game studios that have gone into bankruptcy.

Now, this can merely be a testament to the current failing economy and the claims of massive growth in the videogame market can be contested as speculation. But the videogame industry cannot continue functioning in this manner for very long. Nintendo has changed the market of videogamers just as the Xbox had done for the PC gaming market. No, this is not a crisis but the way business is done today will not be able to sustain itself. Studios releasing over a hundred of titles and compression the majority of its AAA product in the fourth quarter will no longer last. There are too many games coming out simultaneously and too many overly invested games.

The videogame industry in America is controlled by a handful of studios: Activision, Electronic Arts, 2K, and Ubisoft. I have left out the hardwared business because what I'm discussing primarily concerns development houses. Reiteration after reiteration of the franchise will fail, we already see that today with the dipping sale of sports games and many gamers have been screaming fatigue this year. The gamble Electronic Arts took with new franchises has amounted in stock drops in the company. The problem is these studios are placing business models that overestimate sales from franchises to new IP. They are also overestimating the maturity of its sales to previous generation videogames. This entire market has changed with the introduction of Wii and the failing economy. The studios can't continue churning out these blockbuster games and expect to gain a fair return on all of these titles. There are just too many titles competing with the same financial backing and quality taking up the shelf.

In ten years the videogame industry as it is today will be unrecognizable. The current way games are released and produced will become unsustainable for these high profile development houses. We have seen the PC market drastically change with fewer AAA titles, scalable system specs, and a multitude of smaller games coming out at a steadier rate. We already see the companies like Capcom put out smaller titles on virtual console and few AAAs in retail or Atlus releasing a moderate number of AAA titles steadily throughout the year. Some of these are new titles, some reinvisioned, and some reiteration.

Make no mistake, the videogame industry is growing and maturing. But the way business is done from production to marketing is changing. Hardcore games are approaching maturity in the market and casual games have just emerged into the mainstream. As casual games become the big elephant in the room the dynamics of games development and finance will change. We can't assume that Madden or Halo will find market growth the same way as Wii(blank). The effects of this console cycle will undoubtedly effect the way games are developed and as the industry continues to grow and more competition enters we enter an evolving landscape on the number of games released, the quality it produces, and the way it will be sold to the consumer.

"Were you aware of it?"

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Thank-you John Hodgman for allowing me to borrow your phrase despite the fact that I did not obtain any permission to do so. If you can't tell this is another filler post, but there are a couple of links I would like to share between the short spurts of free time I currently have at the moment.

The Unfinished Swan
This demo was shared to me by a fellow classmate. Why the hell has this game not been developed for the Wii?! It is a great navigational game where you user attempts to paint a blank canvas to traverse through the game world. Designer Ian Dallas has created a very intriguing little game that has the potential to be something much more than this flash demo. While searching Google Images this little photo came up and brought a grin to my face.

Braid Designer Lecture
Taken from the game's blog:

"This lecture was given by Jonathan Blow (introduction by Jason Della Rocca) on November 19th, 2008 at the Montreal International Game Summit. This lecture focuses on the story-centric paradigm that we use to design a large number of games, and why I think it is problematic. Both pre-authored and dynamic story are discussed. It’s a heavily-revised version of this lecture given a few months ago in Brighton; This new version is probably better."

I suggest everyone to give this a listen as it is always great to hear from a designer talk not only passionately about his game but about the interactive medium.

Little Big Planet Level
Here is a wonderful level created by Richard Teller designed around the "Improvisation" series from Expressionist painter Wassily Kandinsky. If you trek over to his blog he deeply goes into his philosophy in designing the level around the aesthetics of the painting rather than merely forming a recreation of the work. It is a great little read that I believe designers, artists, and anyone that has Little Big Planet should read. Already, I am tempted to purchase the game just to play more levels from this designer.

Grim Fandango Design Documents
A month ago was the 10th Anniversary of the release of Grim Fandango. Criminally I did not blog about it when I had the chance. The game had a profound impression on me and it is the reason I stayed interested in video games long after I had sworn off playing and buying games for years. It was the game that solidified my love for the Adventure Game and no doubt its intimate association with the "end" of the genre prompted me to stop playing games during the immediate period after. Tim Schafer has a wonderful post about the anniversary on the Double Fine website and best of all Schafer has released the design documents for Grim Fandango revealing concept art, various scripting scenarios, and his own reflections on the game today. It's a great present for those that still adore the game to this day.

Automaton Grinding

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:49:00 +0000

With Persona 4 right around the corner, I found myself visiting the world of Persona 3 FES. This will mean that I am currently immersed in two a RPGs: the CRPG Fallout 3 and the JRPG Persona 3. Gah! This will probably mean that I will have to unplug both my console and my computer if I intend to get any work done these final weeks. But one aspect in particular with these RPGs is the addictiveness of the grind. This, of course, occurs in all games of length and it is my largest detractor of the medium.

It is the moment when the immersion and charm of the game wears off and the player is left merely going through the motions of playing not enjoying or even experiencing the game. They are left mindlessly playing. I have reached that point in both Fallout 3 and Persona 3 where I often find myself becoming extremely disinterested in the story and focused on leveling up my character for the sake of it. It's what I suspect most MMO players do when they aren't performing raids. It is the shutting off of the brain where the interactive becomes more attune to the passive.

The question eventually arises: Am I enjoying this? How can you tell? It is similar to when a fan watches a television series after it has jumped the shark. They are more attached to the routine of watching the show than actually enjoying its content. It is a problem with many long playthrough games and with length becoming an unwarranted desire of consumers I only see this problem extending onward. The grind of an RPG is just as bad as artificial length in other games such as the fetch quest. More often games with extended length detract from a greater shorter experience that could have been.

But maybe I am being too hard on the grind. One can say that the sense of routine and boredom can be related to the sense of dailiness one finds when they play an RPG. This is especially apt with games like Fallout 3 or Persona 3 when the course of a day and the passage of time is almost imperative and necessary for the game's narrative and experience. There is almost a bit a genius in how the grind in integrated in these games where you would do the same tasks repeatedly in a game the same way it would occur in actual daily life.

Still, the automaton grinding can be infuriating to no end both as a player and a critical theorist. It is the dumbing down of what one would think the main attraction of the interactive media to be. You become less of a participate and more of a witness. Looking at the monotony of RPGs and MMOs one wonders why this has not been a major criticism as it has in other game genres. Perhaps it is the sense of rewards such as experience or loot. Or perhaps it is something we except from the genre. Regardless, I know I will be killing (#) ____ once again when I enter the game world and "loving" every second of it.

Nonsensical briefing

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:06:00 +0000

So I'm going to be off for a couple of days as I visit a friend for American Thanksgiving. I feel like I should head over to an animal sanctuary to feed a couple of turkeys. But I felt the need to at least post a little something before I head out onto the road in this terrible Los Angeles traffic. So here are some brief comments I have on the games I've played the past month.

Far Cry 2 on an unsupported graphics card makes all the textures look like solid colors used with led pencil. The frame rate is horrific and the action is god awful to play through. I'm loving it.

Fallout 3 I have made it through have way and the only quest I've truly loved is the Bladerunner nod to the Replicated Man. I'm about half way through and though I am enjoying it I've come to the point where I am just mindlessly going through routine. It's a good game but it's definitely not Fallout.

Mega Man 9 is wonderful though I still can't beat Wiley's Castle. It took me three months to finally beat Croncrete Man's stage--that was embarrassing. My advice, start playing the game during the A.M. hours and you'll surprisingly do much better than playing at reasonable hours of the day. Now...where's my Game Genie?

Dead Space was beaten in a day and I felt ultimately unsatisfied at the end. It is the equivalent of of Hollywood Oscar fodder. It's good, but everything about that game is too easy from its design to the style. The game definitely has the auro of a researched, marketed product which is a shame because the developers seemed very passionate about creating something new and original.

Mirror's Edge is great but still full of flaws. I read an article from Keith Stuart about how reviewers don't appreciate innovation. That is statement is absurd. If you don't intend for to make an FPS, don't place those elements in the game. If you want to create something new and original, don't pander to some imaginative demographic that you probably won't get just for a few more sales numbers. I'm hoping they refine everything about Mirror's Edge in their next outing. Oh yes, less Quick-Time-Events please.

Super Street Fighter Turbo HD Remix is the first game that I successfully got my roommate to play. Thank goodness for this neo-retro movement as maybe I can finally get some two player action going in this non-gaming house I am in.

Left4Dead is amazing fun.

Occasionally playing Civilization 4, Peggle, World of Goo, Company of Heroes, Audiosurf, Burnout Paradise, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Hotel Dusk, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Space Invaders Extreme, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and numerous flash games in between.

I'll be back in three days to panic about the three terms papers I have yet to complete for the semester. So have a happy turkey day, watch some football, and play some games. GSG Out.

Avant gaming - interactive art

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:15:00 +0000

The twitter has been a flutter with Esquire's recent feature article on Jason Rohrer's 2007 game The Passage. Straddling between the line of interactive art and video games, Rohrer's experiment comes from the same intellectual aspirations as games such as The Path and You Have to Burn the Rope. These are extremely short, linear "games" that propose to invoke emotional responses towards the player. I will not claim that repeated playthroughs will inevitably reveal the mystery of the designer's intentions. One of the greatest debates concerning digital media is the question of ownership and this include both the player's experience as well as the digital "property." But I do encourage everyone to play through the game more than once. In the case of The Path you may even achieve different results upon the game's conclusion.

By now you're wondering why I haven't provided a description for each game. The reason is the less you know the better the experience will undoubtedly be. I have talked about transcendental-art games the likes of Pixel Junk Eden, Everyday Shooter, and Rez in a previous post. But these games are much different. In fact, that have more in common with fl0w than the previous games I mentioned. There is no official objective, no pressing danger, or even a challenge per say. It is a the kind of avant-garde gaming that separates it from categorization in the interactive game and the puzzle game.

I have recently become enamored with digital art whether it is pixel art or the various works to come out of the demoscene. But arts from these subcultures lay upon a foundation of our previous understandings of art (i.e. photography, music, painting, etc.) There is a standard where we can refer to our critique of the work. But games like You Have to Burn the Rope are more attune to game culture not only in its dynamic-ism with player interaction but in reference to what we view as a contemporary video game. We can go on about the definition of the video game verses interactive media--which many have done with fl0w--but ultimately I must hark back to the colloquial expression: "I know it when I see it."

What we have here is a game as well as interactive art. I will not lie, I did not achieve an emotional response playing any of these games. But I did become intellectually stimulated. Art can do either and it can do both. Of course, these are mainstream games in the slightest sense. They have more in common with experimental film. And that is perfectly fine. These are games that reside on the fringes of the Internet allowing players to discover it for themselves. In certain facets these games achieve much more than Jonathan Blow's Braid in its simplicity of design and its immediacy in creating an affect towards the player. And I hope that these games do create a subculture of experimental gaming. You can already see its influence in recent blockbusters such as Fallout 3 and Alone in the Dark where the player is constrained to merely interact by speaking in simple infant speech or blinking.

On the flip-side of these arguably high brow games we have these pop-art games which I believe are just as compelling. Don't Shoot the Puppy is a great experiment in player tolerance that I would defend as an a form of interactive art just as much as the game previously stated. It is not surprising the experimentation in interactive art grows out of the same atmosphere of the lowly flash developers. These are starved programmers in the same vein as starved artists. Why should it be of any surprise?

And this is all great because as videogames grow as a medium they become not only defined by its industry but of it's subcultures. I ave become extremely pleased with this kind of punk-rock approach of the indie developer where a programmer will design the foundational structure of a game and go on a message board calling for artists to help tighten and ad assets. I love that XNA, PSN, and WiiWare are attempting to assist these indie-developers. I love that the Internet has brought a Renascence in independent flash games that eventually make it to these previously stated outlets. I love that the medium has garnered artists to explore and experiment in interactive art without the priorities of monetary reciprocity. As more as these game design assets are released such as Kongregate.com's flash tutorial, Little Big Planet, and the multitudes of engine mods that continues to release on the PC I hope that the ease and creativity from the independent scene that has now taken to the forefront will continue to excite and inspire the new generation of games that we have yet to see.

Egads! Return from hiatus!

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:22:00 +0000

As the last few weeks of the semester ramp up and finals plus term papers are just around the corner, things have been pretty slow on the site. Sorry my few but loyal readers. I have not been good to you. But I shall return! In the mean times here is a little presentation I wrote up for class to wet your pallet.

We have arrived to a point where interactive media as we know it is over 60 years old and the video game as we know it is over 30 years old. Only now the gaming culture has not only embraced a return to retrogames—and by that I mean the sense of revere gamers have for products in the vein of systems like the Commodore 64, the Atari 2600, and classic arcade games—but also the emergence of these kinds of neo-retro games. Examples today are Pac-Man Championship Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Arcanoid DS, or Space Invaders Extreme. These are games that take the foundational programming of the original series and update it with modern design techniques or graphical improvements or both. It is a reintroduction of a classical game with the sensibilities of modern audience expectations. This is opposed to the retro which is merely a re-release of a classic series as it was produced back during its time.

Mega Man 9 which was released this past September is peculiar in that it resides somewhere in-between the retro and neo-retro. Here we have a game that continues not only the aesthetic of Mega Man which was released in 1987, both in its graphical technology but in its design as well. The game also lacks many of the design evolutions of subsequent games in the series. This includes certain moves in Mega Man’s repertoire such as the “Charge-shot” or “Power-slide.” But it also diverts from the recent neo-retro trend of the series as indicated by Mega Man: Powered UP! which is a remake of the original Mega Man with a graphical overhaul and also the purely retro trend indicated by the release of Mega Man: Anniversary Collection.

But what is really strange, is the limitations that Mega Man creator Kenji Infune, placed upon the game’s conception. Returning to the 8-bit graphics the game maintains the limitations of a classic Famicom/Ninendo game. In an interview with producer Hironobu Takeshita, he reflects on the development of the game where Ifune had butt heads with the staff whom was making not only the graphics but the level design of the game too complex. But even more jarring, is inclusion of Legacy mode. Legacy mode is automatically turned on when the game is first loaded, and what it does is it turns on many of the graphical bugs in the game such as map slowdown or sprite flickering. But what it also does is open up many of the most well publicized glitches apparent in previous Mega Man games. Some of these glitches will not appear unless sought out and some may accidently appear because of the limitations of the game.

It is here that I want to that I want to draw the connection of Mega Man 9 within interactive media into the realm of film theory. And to justify this connection I want to touch upon the subject of remediation. David Bolter has written on the subject of New Media as a remediation of the old. When we look at products that not only come out of the realm of computer games or web 2.0 we directly relate these with familiar media sources of the past. In the case of video games, the focus lies on reproducing a cinema experience. But why should this merely rest upon subjects of reception, response, and immersion? And this is why I propose to integrate the theoretical approach of psychoanalysis towards the medium.

Interactive media differs towards cinema in a very distinct manner in that the media itself is “reactionary.” Chris Crawford’s published book The Art of Computer Game Design discusses this aspect where he contracts two forms of interactive media: the game and the puzzle. Whereas the puzzle remains static, the game by contrast changes with the player’s actions. The notion of the puzzle relates to cinema as a static product where the interaction remains much more internal for the audience in regards to the film compared to a more external interaction between the game and the player. But I would still argue that this variance in game reaction is superficial in that it is illusionary just as cinema. And therefore, as we may discuss cinema as attuned to a sort of dream, so can we do the same forvideo games as well.

This is where I would like to introduce the concept of secondary revision in terms of the game. Following Ian Bogost’s inspection in Persuasive Games, video games are considered as compact reflections of our interactions in society. We create internal games in how we function in everyday life and video games compact certain types of interactions in each game. This can also relate to the duo relationship of the subject with the unconscious when we dream while we find ourselves dreaming. Christian Metz points out that a film spectator is less invested in the image than the dreamer because the real images presented are “perceived” less real in a film. The actual perceptible object is the film itself. While watching a movie, secondary revision continuously functions on an unconscious level becoming intimately invested in the image on screen but maintaining a divisional gulf for the separation of the viewer’s status as a subject, the eye, to the object, the film. Secondary revision occurs, of course, when we realize we are aware of the object as a film similar to when we realize when we are in the act of dreaming.

The same mentality occurs if we divulge into interactive media. Even though the player becomes more of an active participate in the realm of the game, the premise remains the same. So looking at the model of secondary revision let us investigate more. The dreamer dreams while the Other maintains the realism of the dream and censors the content protecting the dreamer from ever becoming aware of his unconscious. Once the dream becomes too intense or confronts the dreamer he realizes he is in a dream and either awakes or begins lucid dreaming. It is here the process of secondary revision reveals itself as the subject attempts to recuperate the contents of the unconscious into plausible coherency. Film as an impression of reality suggests this kind of liveliness even though it is a recorded archive. This also applies towards the video game as its existence as a product is more or less identical.

In the case of Mega Man 9, if you look at it as a sort of live progression of re-designing and redistribution of the same content you see a kind of secondary revision. As games progress, the developer not only improves the design of the game, but closes out many of the glitches inherent in the programming that break the immersion of the game. These not only include graphical deficiencies but also technical ones as well. As with any sort of programming, bugs in the system break the function of the program. You would expect if you install a program it becomes invisible and functions on its terms. When there is a glitch or a bug it breaks the impression of the product’s purpose. If you look at the evolution of Mega Man it follows the same path as any other gaming franchises progressing in both technical and graphical improvement.

At this point I discuss secondary revision as form of editing the text in relation to the concept of the glitch. If a glitch becomes integrated into the text of the game, it becomes part of the programming and therefore preserves the impression of the game. This has happened before in fighting games such as Street Fighter where the glitch created attack combos for players to implement into their fighting technique. This glitch of stringing combos has become the corner-stone for fighting games since. This same concept applies in secondary revision, particularly in lucid dreaming where the trauma within the dream can allow the dreamer to maintain dreaming and therefore incorporate the awareness of dreaming within the dream.

But Mega Man 9’s bugs do not fit into this model as they for one are not integral components of the gameplay, but were previously fixed in the series and then reintroduced in this instance. So what we have is an Other, in this context Ifune, subverting the normalcy of secondary revision by purposefully allowing the disruption of immersion while not integrating it into the gameplay. But I want to emphasize that these glitches not forced upon the player but open to confrontation by the player. And therefore, the discovery of the glitch becomes a shared desire of both the Other and the player. This is the direction I want to approach my answer to this conundrum which relates back to Lacan which is the desire of the desire of the Other.

UPDATE!

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:27:00 +0000

As I have been bogged down with papers hopefully I can squeeze in a post sometime before the weekend it out. But I urge everyone to read this blog post from a designer on the Spore team on the importance of the secondary-hand market. He touches upon a wonderful factor on used games as it places monetary value for the consumer as well as his own take on DLC. http://www.designer-notes.com/?p=111

Enough with the camp

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:27:00 +0000

In continuing my diatribe against Gears of War 2--I'm actually joking--I have read a lot of reviews singling out the narrative elements in the game. Particularly that it is an improvement over the first game, but still fails to surpass the kinds of narrative we see in games today. A lot of people have mentioned the B-movie quality of the dialog and the story, that somehow this is acceptable in games. Are you serious? Do we not have enough B-movie schlock in games today to wet our pallet? This is not some trash media tour deforce the likes of John Waters, this is just crappy story.

Personally, I believe video games have ample amounts of games producing half-hazard passable narratives in games. We don't need more B-movie material. This was a huge problem I had with Uncharted: Drakes Fortune at it is clearly attempting to invoke this sort of B-movie rip-off of the film Romancing the Stone. Sure it is acceptable material and the production values are clearly there, but I don't think because games have set the bar so low in narrative that we must surrender to such material. And to be honest, the bar is not that low. We already have numerous examples of games that offer great stories and memorable stories like Grim Fandango, Silent Hill 2, Shadow of the Colossus, System Shock 2, Planetscape, KOTOR, Fallout, Beyond Good and Evil, Bioshock, and the list goes on. We do not need to succumb to accepting this continuous shovel of trite game plots in our medium.

It is a feat of the medium that gameplay, mechanics, and design can be considered the core experience that can make-up for a lacking narrative. But as video games and cinema continue to merge we should expect more as it becomes a mesh of the two. This a major problem I see with the gaming community as that they were willing to overlook this major deficiency their medium. Video games is a rare medium where developers can take ideas from one another whether it is design, mechanics, or even aesthetic. Though it is looked down upon, many people still view it as a sort of technological progression. If something works why not incorporate that same innovation into your product as well. It is accepted for the same of progression and user convenience. But creatively and narrative-ly, the video game industry has speedily evolved to the level of the film industry in that it is creatively bankrupt. What we get is the same product but in a different context from the majority of material released to the public.

What is basically comes down to is admiration for the production design over the substance. What is the value of these narrative interactive experiences when the narrative does not deliver in quality? There is an admiration for special effects, costume design, set design, acting, and all the production values in films but if the story sucks the movie won't be worth the time. Why? Because there are plenty of other movies to take its place that offer the same high level of production. We have come to a point in the games industry, especially now, where we have a multitude of games offering similar experiences and monopolizing our time. While design is of vast importance it is no longer enough. If a game's major selling point entails its narrative it should be placed to the high standards that have already been released in the medium.

It is vexing how accepting the gaming community is willing to overlook this issue. There is an impression that the bar is so low when in fact, once the bar is raised it is ignored. Gamers should be more vocal and critical on wanting not only a memorable interactive experience, but also a narrative experience in their narrative games. While games are excelling in the communal, social, and even artificial experience of games there is a huge lack in the singular experience. It is not surprising that players have become their own authors in their experience when it comes to sandbox gaming and open world gaming. So I implore you, whenever someone accepts below average narrative in their games call them out on it. This should no longer be accepted in the game space and we should push our developers to create memorable narrative experiences for us instead of providing the typical B-movie.

Greed is good.

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:45:00 +0000

Please note the ironic title. I have not been the biggest fan of Epic Games in the past few years. I played Gears of War a year after its release and realized I was in the minority of the crowd that was displease and unimpressed with the title. I have disagreed with numerous comments made by Cliff Bleszinski. And like many PC gamers I know, there is an unwarranted begrudging feud with Epic's output and perceived abandonment of the PC marketplace. With all the commotion for Gears of War 2 I can't help but feel hesitant to pick up the game--especially when many reviewers claim that if you disliked the first game this will do little to change your stance. But I have grown increasingly critical of the company's business model.

Epic boss Mike Capps commented in an interview from videogaming247.com about the company's stance on second-hand retail sales and its effect on the game market.

“The secondary market is a huge issue in the United States. Our primary retailer makes the majority of its money off of secondary sales, and so you’re starting to see games taking proactive steps toward that... I’ve talked to some developers who are saying ‘If you want to fight the final boss you go online and pay USD 20, but if you bought the retail version you got it for free’. We don’t make any money when someone rents it, and we don’t make any money when someone buys it used.”

For those that do now know, Gears of War 2 ships with exclusive DLC in the form of weapons for purchasers of the game. This is absolutely fine, but the exaggeration that Capps makes is a frightening future. Personally, I am surprised by the stance the enthusiast press has taken upon second-hand gaming. More often than not, I have come into contact with journalists supporting developers that "force" gamers to purchase games and deter them from renting or buying used games. While they are the most vocal advocates are games as art, they have no issues with this blatant attempt at taken advantage of the user. It may not be to the scale of Activision boss Bob Koteck's reliance on game franchises, but it is a similar philosophical sentiment.

It is confusing when the games industry is the fastest growing business market today, yet there is this perceived crisis of the second-hand market threatening games. The truth is, developers are getting greedy. This is a large factor in why Epic and many other PC developers have moved into the console space because it is widely more profitable for them. But they're stuck in a triple "A" business model that will eventually implode on itself--this is what happened to the music industry. When games take $300 million to make there is definitely something obscene for the amount of money to make a game. This will eventually become a fiscal nightmare for studios that want to remain in the blockbuster marketplace without the finance--Midway's gamble on Mortal Kombat vs. DC is the most recent example that comes to mind. Which is why second-hand gaming has grown to be such a large issue for developers that rely on million selling titles.

But my biggest issue with the current business model is that it is sacrificing content and convenience for the gamer in favor of the share holder, and it is doing it in a nontransparent fashion. Studios are stuck in this number of units shipped mentality that treats gamers as a statistic. And it is a relationship that I no longer want to be a part of. If you look today at the PC games market which has a mix of both the utmost hardcore players along with the largest number of casual players, companies are following different means of remaining a viable. Valve, Blizzard, Stardock, and PopCap have all created business models that not only provide quality content, but have a much more intimate relationship with its user base. Apart from continuous updates, user/developer interaction, transparent software, and arguable reasonable pricing for content, these developers have a better understanding of answering the demands of its users.

Currently, game studios have a tenuous relationship with its users. And that is a problem when the needs of its retailers and shareholder overshadow its customer base. We've seen this with EA's handling of Madden DLC and Activision's handling of Guitar Hero DLC. Criterion's handling of its DLC and Harmonix's approach to Rock Band song transfers are a step in the right direction. If you look at Phil Harrison's recent tenure at Atari I believe a lot of interesting approaches for game distribution will be immerging from that company. Technology breeds a mentality of convenience and percieved rights in regards to content. And we have learned from the music industry that if a business is unwilling to adapt they will reach a crisis--which is happening now with second-hand games. Gamers have survived decades with used and rented games and this demand will no disappear. And if studios continue to combat user demand they will eventually become left behind and forgotten for good reason.

The defining edge

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:05:00 +0000

While on my regular podcast runabout, I was listening to the Player One Podcast where CJ Johnston relayed a criticism about the Mirror’s Edge demo with the criticism, “It is a glorified series of Quick-Time-Events.” CJ was inclined to agree, but he was unable to elaborate a bit more about the comment.

I have previously discussed my own disdain for the QTE, both loving and loathing the simplicity of the mechanic. Omari Akil at Eat|Think|Game has informed me of his own manifesto for the QTE which includes: sparse usage, minimal button sequences, no game over on failure, never use it to end a boss battle, and use only when least suspected. These are all fair requests, though I do believe the QTE becomes confined into the horror-game arena under this itinerary.

It is not surprising that the QTE seems to work so well in horror-games because they can easily fit into this list. My major gripe with the QTE are in action games where it is much more difficult to integrate the mechanic into the genre because the player is already performing visually superior and rewarding actions. Which is why I became interested in this criticism for Mirror's Edge as it is promoted as less of a traditional action game and more of a platformer.

Of course I have only played the demo and both CJ and the commenter have only played the demo as well. There is the chance that this may merely be over analyzing the play mechanics because a jump button is a jump button and so forth. But there is clearly something different and special about Mirror’s Edge that has prompted players to question the presentation and execution of the game’s control scheme.

By describing Mirror’s Edge as a glorified QTE I have begun to ponder to what the QTE actually is. One game that had blurred the line for definition is Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones where a flicker would appear on enemies indicating the player to press a button to time a correct attack. A similar technique was used again by Ubisoft in the battle mechanic for Assassin’s Creed. The only difference is that it does not integrate the “Simon Says:” repeat the button sequence mechanic, but still follows the importance of timing to complete the desired event.

If we a following semantics, this rhythm gameplay is basically a QTE. There really is no discernible difference except one visual is replaced for another. The largest difference is one may visually be within the game while the other gives off the impression of an in-game cinematic. So what makes Mirror’s Edge a QTE instead of a platformer? I believe it is because the visual action of sliding, jumping, rolling, and landing presents the same animation every time it is executed in the first-person perspective. And though the environments may be varied, the animations are singular. From what I have seen of the game, the protagonist Faith does not seem to have a diverse repertoire animations to prove my suspicions otherwise.

So is Mirror’s Edge a glorified QTE or merely the control and visual aesthetic of the game? Heck, even Fallout 3’s V.A.T.S. can be considered a loose QTE. I don’t think the problem with Mirror’s Edge is that it is a glorified QTE, but that the definition of QTE can be misleading, because every aspect of control mechanic can be a QTE to some extent. Perhaps we should rename it an SIP: Sequence Input Progression. If anything, the parkour elements of Mirror's Edge can be equated to the QTE as purely a gimmick. Which, is what I believe, to be the largest criticism towards the QTE. Whether it will have the design and intelligence of last year's Portal has yet to be seen, but luckily we do not have too long of a wait to find out.

Good Grief

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:47:00 +0000

While having lunch with friend, we came upon the subject of "griefing" in videogames. He had mentioned an article he read in the Times about online griefers and Craigslist harassment spilling outside of the Internet space. In response, I bought up an old Computer Gaming World article I had read called "Confessions of a Online Hitman" (I believe that was the title) of a gamer who was hired, almost like a mercenary, to purposefully go online to games such as Halo or Counter-Strike to annoy a particular player whether it is closing in specifically from the opposing team or just hindering and irritating the player as a teammate. The extent that this gamer would follow the gamer from match to match is outrageous and frightening.

I'm sure we are all aware of the funeral raid in World of Warcraft from the clan Serenity Now. There is the humorous Team Fortress 2 videos from Team Roomba. And of course, VentertainMe whom Shawn Elliot had introduced to me takes Ventrillo harassment to genius levels. The best griefing comes from creative individuals that know the limits of their victims psyche and capitalize on their annoyance. These griefers think intensely outside the box and to their credit it can produce hilarious results. But there is also the presence of the psychotic in these individuals. They show little remorse and purposefully hinder the enjoyment of others. This is not Internet trolling. This is bullying. And yet the majority of gamers condone these actions. I myself am guilty of such an act. I make no qualms with the fact that I utterly enjoy these videos. It is strange how much entertainment we can partake in from another persons' suffering. Of course we can rationalize it believing that because this is merely a game the stakes are so low they become inconsequential. We also admire the thought and methodical nature that goes into how there griefers approach their prey.

Kieren Gillen had interviewed Team Roomba months ago in The Escapist. In the article, FLOOR_MASTER (aka Ryan) makes one of the most telling statements about griefing and our enjoyment of the practice.

"The move to griefing videos was prompted by the most dangerous of influences: plain boredom. 'You run out of things to do and start looking for unconventional ways to have fun with a game."

"Boredom" is probably one of the most telling facets in all media. I remember a discussion I had with one of my professors about the French New Wave and avante-garde. When it comes down to it, boredom is probably the most important element in creation of the new, the different, and groundbreaking. It can be the foundation for the divorce from everything in the previous movement. This sentiment of boredom can easily be found in games with its repetitive and rudimentary design to the routine of multiplayer matches. And that may be why we appreciate griefing of this kind so easily. It lets us view the game in a different light- at a different angle. I have recently come across commentators claiming that griefing is becoming an art-form. But we must tread lightly to how we respond whether it is enjoyment or disdain because the further we go down the rabbit hole we may not like who we see when we reach the end.

Push it to the limit

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:35:00 +0000

It has been almost five years since I have upgraded my PC. Sure I have replaced parts on occasion because I would need a new motherboard or CPU, but essentially I have been using the same PC for half a decade. My graphics card is nearly five years of age, an Nvidia GeForce 6600GT 128MB. And though I have pondered the idea of upgrading I keep convincing myself to wait until the next big thing is released whether it is a cheaper duo core, Intel motherboards, or even a Direct X 11 Graphics cards. Sure, I have come across comparable deals for $20 GeForce 8600 cards after MRI (Mail-in Rebate) but even deals that are a steal have me at hesitation. I am the PC gamer that refuses the upgrade until every part of his rig is obsolete.

Thankfully Dead Space ran like a dream on my PC, albeit with above average original Xbox graphics. But optimal graphics can be over-rated. Just like the Nintendo acolyte, I too believe that graphics are not the end all be all of this console generation or the next. Which explains my disappointment with the current growth of game design these last few years. For the past year, I have told myself that Fallout 3 will be the game that makes me purchase a new rig. Well, the release date has passed and still I am content with my current PC situation. I often joke that when Half-Life 3 arrives in 2014 it will the be year I finally upgrade.

But perhaps I am reaching my limit. Currently, I am playing two extremely graphics intensive games on an unsupported graphics card, Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3. Both can run the game fairly smoothly but of course everything is on low settings. All of the textures in Far Cry 2 are merely solid colors and whenever I am in the heat of battle the frame-rate drops exponentially and Fallout 3 crashes if I play more than an hour. Plus, the fog of war makes me feel like I am playing Turok for the N64. Often I will get shot at by invisible enemies until I walk close enough for the models to pop-up into my view. It is not the most convenient way to game nor is it what the developer intended the experience to be.

And though I do own the next-gen consoles (my first time owning a console in more than a decade) I am unwilling to move away from my PC loyalties. Playing Bioshock on the Xbox360 verified my suspicions that the console FPS just isn't for me and while playing Valve games on my PC online remains adequate, it does not convince me that I have any need to upgrade just yet. This is the diatribe of a stubborn gamer and also a good argument against PC gaming though I will fight you to the death if you claim such a farce.

The same argument can be said to those not playing games on an HDTV. In fact, the reason I have not upgraded my PC is because I am investing in an HDTV. Gaming's relationship with technology and entertainment is a fickle one. Unlike any other medium where technology is often combatant with music and film, games have blossomed under business models such as subscriptions and digital distribution. And the relationship between Nvidia, ATI, Intel, and AMD with the gaming world is fascination. But I digress as this is probably an entirely separate blog post in itself.

The fact of the matter is, perhaps I have finally reached my limit to hardcore PC gaming at the moment. Though I will attempt to trudge through Fallout 3 with my diplorable minimal settings and I am certain I will definitely be playing Left4Dead on my PC, I doubt that I can keep up with the majority of the PC games that are released an longer. But despite this fact, I sure as hell will try. The Witcher and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. were amazing two titles releases the past year and I am sure that many more PC games will be released in 2009 that I will definitely attempt to test out with this old PC. Unofficially supported be damned, I am a masochist gamer and PC fanboy. And though I am sure it would visually and optimally make sense to purchase multiplatform games on the console, old habits die hard. It is funny how much a platform of choice allows a gamer to rationalize and tolerate at obscene limits. And though my experiences with my inconsistent frame-rate, model popping, solid texture, limited field of vision, and game crashing will definitely hinder the intended enjoyment of these games, it is small potatoes compared to the ability to play on a machine that I built and love to play on--warts and all.

Reveling in the splatterfest

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Elephant in the room: Game violence. Since the arrival and passing of 1992's Mortal Kombat, game violence has become a notorious topic and often combated with immediate aversion from gamers. If some one brings up the issue they are instantly viewed as some sort of prude. Nowadays the hot topic is sex in games, but glorified violence is still ripe with discussion especially as games reach another milestone of graphical prowess approaching the uncanny valley.

I had just finished Dead Space and though I adore the entire absent HUD aesthetic of the game, I was taken aback by how pornographic the death scenes in the game are (my favorite clip is at 3:28). I would not go so far as to say that I was offended or disturbed by having the protagonist Isaac being ripped in half or eaten. But I do have to say that the gore in combination with the rag doll animation was strangely both bothersome and visceral. There is an extremely voyeuristic quality that goes along with the splatter film that is not only disturbing but compelling. Just as with a car accident on the road we a drawn to this unseemly horror in horror games as well. But Dead Space has the luxury of escaping this sort of violence in gaming argument. Instead the game can be categorized as violence in media because the violence confronts the player as a consequence as opposed to being conducted by the player.

This glorified violence is just as gruesome in other games as well. But the reception and connotation of violence takes on a different meaning when performed by the player. In Fallout 3 using the V.A.T.S. system to finish off enemies will change the camera angle to view to third person and then jump to the enemy in slow-motion to augment the violence. This is amplified even more if the player has the Bloody Mess perk which enhances the violence to satiric degrees with heads exploding and limbs flying. It is not wrong to assert that violence is the reward to the player for using V.A.T.S. in the game. Fallout has always been an ultra-violent series, but the violence in the previous game was itself confrontational whereas the violence in Fallout 3 becomes confrontational moreso because it purposefully highlighted rather than merely violent. Personally, I gain a huge sense of accomplishment when I shoot a nail-gun at a person's head only to have the particular anatomy nailed onto the wall behind the limp body that is feet away from the limb.

In an era where Gears of War curb stomping is acceptable and No More Heroes and Mad World can be considered the saving grace for the hardcore to the Nintendo Wii it is interesting how we intake our violence. But what is fascinating is how subjective we are in how it disturbs us in a case by case basis. David Ellis of Gamevideos.com has been particular vocal in how appalled he was with Fallout 3's violence. But he did not give a second thought to Gears of War whose dismemberment is just as glorified. That is not to say that he is wrong, but something in that game's depiction of that violence was disturbing particular to him. And maybe, that is one of the successes of Fallout. Developer Bethesda intended Fallout 3 to become a game with consequences, and by accentuating the violence it reveals itself as a consequences. The world of Fallout 3 is a detrimental dystopia to live in and there is an atmosphere of desperation, sadness, and loneliness that marries itself well with the game's explicit gore. This may be a cheap cop-out and giving Bethesda too much credit. But if a gamer can begin to confront violence as a consequence of his actions, it not only vindicates the philosphy of this game, but adds another element of player response that is underplayed and ignored in interactive media within the community.

A seasonal overload

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:19:00 +0000

Happy Halloween. Now that midterms are over I can finally get down to some hardcore gaming. Or so I thought as there is an array of other papers and articles write as well as research to do. Looking at my previous post I see that using the term “credible gamers” should actually be replaced with “enthusiast gamers.” It is a problem me and my fellow bloggers are facing today, which is finding the time not only to play video games but also keep up with games released—especially during the fourth quarter rush. Because I have missed a week of posting, this will be an especially longer post than usual so please bare with me.

The sentiment of many game journalists and commentators is that the developer means for the player not to rush through games. Games such as Fallout 3 or Fable 2 are meant to be digested in slow spurts. That is not to say that they discourage the opinions of reviewers and other gamers that go into marathon play sessions. But it is discerning that games seem to have such a short window of attention only lasting for a week or two if they are lucky.

Again, I must compare to different mediums as books and movies also require such slow digestion. For any kind of intellectual reflection there needs to be duration during and afterwards of the experience. I personally believe, that much of the appreciation for games comes post-gameplay rather than during. This allows for more in depth investigation and pondering of the product. A lot of what my fellow commentators seem to touch upon is the experience while playing the game and the criticism is that because of this October rush of games we are unable to give the time of day to examine a game before we must move on to the next one.

Of course, the average consumer does not care about looking at games in this manner. They just want the next blockbuster to take up their time. And of course, it is rare that reviews can review every game as their extensive backlog library indicates.

I believe we are asking too much. Looking at reviews and criticism in other media there is a vast division between the two. Comparing reviews of books, television, or film to criticisms months and years afterwards there is a multitude of difference in the approach and topics brought upon in reach. We should not expect the same from reviews and I believe it is unfair to expect as such. The criticism that developers mean for a game to be played a certain way is erroneous as a major aspect of interactive media is that the player gains control of the gameplay. Especially for such open world games, it is insane to believe game experience and personal play can be judged in a numerical ratings system.

Not having the luxury of time (and especially money) to play every game that is released the best we can do is savor what we have. My confession is that I have never owned a 3d graphics console until this current generation. I have since been retreading many of the PS2 gems that I had missed on my PS3 and my appreciation for design and artistry has me in awe in the past console generation compared to our current one. Surprisingly, little has changed which is one of the reasons I started this blog. Because there is so much more where interactive media can go from where it is now apart from the boom of social interaction games.

All great things come in retrospect. Though we may be or may not be blowing through the numerous AAA games that are coming out this season, it does not mean that they are no appreciated. I would argue that the best season for gamers is the summer drought allowing time to not only backtrack on games missed but also reflect and replay games that we had back in the Fall. And, of course, we become disassociated with the hype machine that often plagues games that we criticize and idolize.

So while you are trying to play and buy games during this period of global economic downturn, do not feel pressured to play every game this season. Because more often than not, the current discussion of the game is superficial and it is only months afterwards when we revisit out experience do we realize the impact and importance of these games. However, I do have to say that marathon gaming itself is a fascination topic of player experience. Just as watching a season of television at once rather than an entire year can put a series into perspective that we may not have experienced by watching a series in how it was “meant” to be seen. Intentions can be overrated and we must discover ourselves how much we value our time and the experience we want as opposed to what the developer wants.

Credible Gamers in the Blogosphere

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:20:00 +0000

So if you haven't noticed, it has been a week since I have posted. This is mainly because it is midterm season and I have not had the time to game nor blog. It is a popular sentiment that is being discussed about gaming in the blogosphere. Expect a post tomorrow on my own take on this topic and the obstacles of remaining a gamer as well as a graduate student.

Nondescript region of concern

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:23:00 +0000

Far Cry 2 looks absolutely gorgeous and I am tempted to upgrade my PC to take advantage of the visual orgasm. Now with that out of the way, I want to talk about the plot of the game. No, I won't delve into the specifics of its mercenary structure or parallelisms into Heart of Darkness. I want to address an issue that I believe a lot of war games have: the nondescript, nonspecific, undisclosed location of the game's setting. Far Cry 2 takes place in an unstable African state. That may suffice for a typical action game, but if the developer intended to place a greater effort into the story-which they have spoken that it was a major concern-then I don't believe having a nondescript location helps their efforts.

Now, a fair argument can be made that this just isn't necessary. Africa is simply enough. The player does not need any more specifics for an FPS "action game." But I believe, that this mentality hinders the genre to grow because it takes away from what could be a very mature narrative and the impression gamers have with playing this genre. What this mindset does do is boils it down to basically a dumb-action movie. But action movies can be very stimulating-look at the Terminator series or even the Bourne series. There is no reason that video games need to be dumbed-down to the player. I even find it slightly offensive that Africa can be considered a setting that is representational of all the regions in the continent. No one would set a game simply in Europe with a single environmental backdrop and expect it to represent the entire continent. It is absolutely ludicrous.

This is highly controversial in the case of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare where it is set in an unnamed Middle East country. What the hell is that? Now before I go further, I do want to give credit that the game does have an amazingly well constructed narrative and simply one of the most memorable gaming moments of last year. But I don't believe the game went far enough in its responsibility for depicting the consequences of modern warfare. For a game set in modern warfare, the reality of it is totally disassociated when players can bomb areas from a computer screen within the game. It is both beautiful and shocking in the amount of time, care, and detail Infinity Ward put into the game. And though I applaud COD4 as a great game, I wish they gave the player the benefit of the doubt that they can process their actions with a specific setting that purveys much more social and political intertext than simply placing it in the Middle East.

And now we come to the topic of censorship. I am sure if COD4 were to set it in a specific nation there would be huge uproar. But I believe that is a very ignorant sentiment from dissenters. By not placing the game more grounding into the current reality, players have an easier time to disconnect with it. If COD4 were set in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan (which it might as well be) I believe the narrative would become much stronger and have a larger impact on the player.

But do not confuse my intentions to have all games become overly serious. Video games are entertainment and they are an escape. Grand Theft Auto would not be what it is today if it didn't give the player the ability for free reign. Game narratives are not required to present the players with social conniptions or epiphanies. However, they should try to push the medium in some facet whether it is narrative, game play, design, or simply perfection of certain mechanics. All I am saying is it would be nice to know where the hell and who the hell I am taking head shots at.

How am I not myself?

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:07:00 +0000

It was bound to happen as my current graduate curriculum has converged into my blog. Luckily, it is a subject I am completely immersed in and intellectually stimulated with at this point in the semester. It is the notion of transference between the identity of the player and the identity of the avatar, where the two subjects do not collide but exist in tangent parallels to one another. I apologize to fellow students that are currently reading my blog, but it is the "Lacanian" sense of the internal gaze where one is aware himself as himself as the other peering at himself.

This idea was sparked by the most recent post by the Brainy Gamer, Michael Abbott, who references a link from Iroquois Pliskin's experience with the game Fallout. One particular passage caught my interest:

"You feel like you share an experience with your character, this experience of being thrust into a world you barely understand, one that is unpredictable and promising at once; and sharing an experience is the beginning of a relationship."

What grabbed me was this shared instance with the character when the character actually is yourself. Essentially, when you a playing single-player games it is a very intimate, personal experience the player has with himself. This fits especially well with an RPG such as Fallout where the sense of loneliness is imperative to the gameplay experience. Another good example is Half-Life 2. I am, of course, ignoring the dialog that occurs between the player and the designer in this particular instance and I am sure if I were writing some sort of dissertation this element would most definitely be addressed.

But I find this aura of simultaneous separation and identification fascinating. It is the moment where the player thrusts himself onto the avatar, creating his own identity, yet remaining distant to the character in the game space unbeknown that that character is, in fact, himself. There is a kind of aloofness to the relationship someone has to an avatar that is extremely familiar and artificial, which I believe, Pliskin touches upon in her experience with the game.

So what does this all mean? Well, it is an experience that can be comparable to the idea audience identification within film. Where the viewer begins to not only fell empathy but identify himself as the character on screen. But, I believe, the division becomes even more blurred in video games because the player is shaping the character as himself or as whom he unconsciously wishes himself to be in the game space. While at the same time, this construction of pixels is inherently not himself and artificial. This is an experience that video games, in particular, provide almost exclusively. When this relationship becomes aware to the player, for example in a game cinematic, it disrupts the channel between the player, himself, his avatar, and the game. And that is why the video game cinematic has come under such recent contention.

I do not want to delve too deep into this dynamic relationship between the player and the avatar, but it is definitely an avenue of intellectual curiosity that I hope to revisit in the future.

"I chose something different. I chose the impossible."

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:48:00 +0000

If you haven't already heard, Bioshock 2 is being developed. And, since the recent leak of the extras for the PS3 version of the game there is a trailer that is making its way through the Internet. In the trailer below which shows a very adorable little, plush Big Daddy doll and a woman looking into the see, which many have speculated to be a grown up Little Sister. The tentative title for the sequel (though it still could be a prequel) is Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams. Thankfully, it does have the excellent song "Dream" by the Pied Pipers playing in the background.

Now, there have been a lot of message board and blog posts about the possibilities of this sequel's plot. Will the Little Sisters have to come back to Rapture? Will we see the consequences of Jack's actions on Rapture? What of its inhabitants? What is to become of the Big Daddies? So forth and so forth. Now, I won't bore you with my own suggestions of the sequel's narrative, but I do hope that the 2k Marin team does delve into one important aspect of the game, its themes.

Definitely, my favorite aspect of Bioshock was its integration of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. And if the 2k Marin team does not delve into this element of Bioshock it will be a massive failure of importance to the product in its status as a groundbreaking work of art in game narrative and maturity. It would be wonderful if who ever is helming the narrative looks further into how Andrew Ryan's philosophy has affected the inhabitants of Rapture and even integrate elements from Rand's Fountainhead as opposed to Atlas Shrugged.

In fact, to take it even further I would love to see the sequel of Bioshock to investigate the philosophies of Subjectivism and even Relativism as opposed to Rand's Objectivism. What if Fountaine was right to oppose Andrew Ryan? This is a sequel that is burdened with a legacy no one initially asked for. But on the plus side, it has a world that is alive with inspiration and possibilities. Though Ken Levine may only have a consulting role this time around, I know there are others in 2K just as talented and hopeful to creating something truly unique and worth while. Here is to keeping my figures crossed and looking out into the sea of possibilities.

Emotional (dis)content

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Film critic Roger Moore recently posted his review of the Max Payne film in the Orlando Sentinel. Surprise, surprise the movie is not garnering well-received reviews. But Moore does make a particular comment in his review concerning the emotional weight of a particular incident in the new film. Having not seen the movie, but played the games (spoiler alert!) I am sure it concerns the death of the female lead Mona Sax.

In his review, Moore writes: "But as good as a couple of its action beats are, Max still suffers from the heartlessness that makes games emotionally inferior to movies. Nobody ever shed a tear over a video-game character's death." Now, I don't particularly remember crying when Mona dies in Max Payne 2: the Fall of Max Payne--personally I believe Payne's family being brutally murdered in the first game had enough emotional weight and placing in a female love interest complete undercuts his original motivation in the first game--Moore is more or less correct.

Now, I am sure that there are millions of Final Fantasy fans spamming Moore's e-mail about Aeris's death. There are plenty of game characters where the player does feel empathy and regret towards like Agro in Shadow of Colossus, Dogmeat in Fallout, and even more recent games such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Half Life: Episode 2. I am not sure if at any time these people cried upon their passing. And why not? Games, especially RPGs, allow the player vast amounts of time to become attached to characters intimately through narrative and gameplay. Personally, I don't believe it is the fault of the narrative format but of writers unwilling to take changes in game narratives. There are plenty of moments where I believed if a character died I would honestly feel very emotional towards their death. Part of me hopes that Alex will die in Half Life: Episode 3 when it is released sometime around 2010--the emo-wuss in me hopes she doesn't.

The fault, I believe, primarily is attributed to the player and the sense of entitlement players expect from the developer. The trend today is for the player to make their own narrative while playing and it is doubtful that the player will want to be a sadomasochist and creative negative consequences for himself. A recent example is Fable 2 where if the player was attacked for extended periods of time it would cause irreconcilable damage and the avatar would become facially deformed. This was quickly taken out because many players did not want their avatar disfigured and would reload game to the previous save point. My apologies to Joseph Merrick.

Recently games have been receiving narrative acclaim for its simple use of interactivity in key points. Examples can be forcing the player to pull the trigger to kill The Boss in Metal Gear 3, watching To Kill A Mockingbird in The Darkness, and even blinking in Alone in the Dark. It's a step in the right direction. Mass Effect gave the player the ability the option to chose who sacrifices their life to save the crew. But I think developers should go a step further. Specifically, in Metal Gear it should be the illusion of choice forcing the player to live with decisions that are, in all purposes, out of his hands. Shedding a tear for a character is one thing, but shedding a tear because it is your fault is a wonderful emotional avenue that I hope games will explore as they continue to mature.

Feelin' Criminal

noreply@blogger.com (Graduate School Gamer) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:10:00 +0000

So I walk into Gamestop yesterday to cancel my pre-order of Little Big Planet. I have decided that I will not have the time to utilize the level creation in the game and would rather purchase it later than having the box, still in shrink wrap, collecting dusk on my shelf. Casually, I tell the clerk that I would like to cancel my pre-order and she tells her manager that another pre-order has been canceled. The Gamestop manager proceeds to insinuate that I had purchased it from the Mom & Pop video game store across the street, Gameplay. Apparently, said store had broken the release date and started selling the game.
Now, I am not the biggest Gamestop fan but I am not a dissenter of the store chain. My brother had worked at an EB Games before the merger and I too had once worked in retail. But I do not appreciate that the fact that I am treated as some sort of criminal for cancelling my pre-order. I almost considered cancelling my Fallout 3 pre-order on the spot. This poor customer service is probably the largest fault of Gamestop--other than their status is a faceless, retail abusive corporation. I have no problem with the used-game market as it is more power to the consumer, though I do disagree with Gamestop's policy on buying used games from customers.

The difference with the Mom & Pop store, Gameplay, is that the customer/retailer dynamic is much different. I can talk to a Gameplay employee for extended period of time without feeling compelled to purchase from the store that day. However, every employer at Gamestop feels like a salesman insisting me to pre-order a title, by some peripheral, getting a rewards card, or trying to sell a subscription to GamePro. It is a feeling of intrusiveness and dynamic where you seem more like commission number. And for the manager to relay a tone of accusation to an honest customer is down right insulting.

Though Gameplay is in the wrong for breaking the release date, it does not excuse this particular Gamestop to take out the frustration onto the customer. Though I still feel empathy for the lowly Gamestop employee that hates his manager and deplores the fact the he is required to push these ridiculous products and deals onto an unwanted customer, Gamestop can seriously f*ck off in the future.