Video games sans the game

Since I'm still getting in the swing of blogging, I thought I would continue with another general idea that I wanted to express. Many gamers who are already into indie gaming are already aware of what I'm gonna be explaining, which is more or less about redefining video games. Just a few short years ago, the gaming industry made a definite push towards making games more cinematic , which is something I can of course get behind. One of my favorite elements about games is the immersion factor, and with mainstream games taking this direction, particular conventions will need to be reconfigured. I mean, if games are truly destined to become the next great universal medium (which is inevitable in my opinion), then there are some basic alterations that need to be made to the rudimentary concept of game theory.

What does the term "game" imply? Well, back during the dawn of games, when technology was very limited, it usually meant obtaining a high score so you could compete with other players. Think classic Pong arcade cabinets with people standing around all sides of the machine, cheering at the two players; or y'know, that scene in the original Tron where Flynn was playing Space Paranoids as onlookers cheered. It was a social experience centered around competition, which is very much the base definition of gaming.

Then fellows like these came along.

They gave games a personality. The player's avatar (as well as the antagonist) now had a face and a relatable goal to identify with. So began a natural evolution of the medium towards more narrative based games with characters and stories that would soon begin to rival movies and television. In summing up the last decade or so, I find the industry to be at an interesting level of development. Like most forms of mass media that are designed to entertain us in exchange for our monnies, most gaming companies by and large have stuck to predictable formats for games. We see the same basic and well understood mechanics, and that's all well and good for many genres, but rarely (especially for American companies) have we seen games that took risks with what qualifies as a video game.

Basically what it comes down to is that in order for games to make sense to a wide audience, they need to be identifiable as games, in that they must possess objectives and game mechanics that enable the player to achieve those objectives. There have been several examples of mainstream games that have attempted to re-evaluate the idea of "game mechanics" and "playability", typically with the underlining goal being to put more emphasis on the presentation or narrative of the game. Some examples would be Shenmue (one of my all time favorites), Heavy Rain, and Indigo Prophecy. Despite the cult success and at times ridiculous budgets (Shenmue being the current biggest budget for any game), these games weren't very commercially successful, typically because mainstream American audiences still aren't prepared for games that don't resemble the cultural idea of a video game. Usually these games have been lacking in some area or another, maybe it was a wonky control scheme or pacing issues, I'm not going to lie and say these games were anywhere near perfect. But I see them as wonderfully flawed in their own right, stepping stones towards the next evolution in game genre. Though, we also have to understand, the majority of American audiences prefer to be entertained over anything else, and there isn't anything wrong with wanting that every so often (I know I'm guilty). These types of games however, asked more from the player than the standard fare, in that more emotional involvement is needed to immerse oneself in the worlds created. Commercial fiction is called that because it is indeed commercial, and submits to the expectations of what's in demand; and while I wish standards were somewhat different, I'm not really anyone to make sweeping judgements... or maybe I'm just saving those for another entry... but I digress.

These narrative heavy and immersion based games are really beginning to push the boundaries of what we can call a game, and I'm okay with that; I mean, we're always going to have games that do what they've always been doing, and I love them all too. But with the advances of technology and the exponentially growing indie culture, I can't wait to see more interactive narrative type games. If we go into the past, we can actually see how this somewhat awkward genre has had strong roots that go back to the arcade. I'm sure we all remember Dragon's Lair right? That game was hardly a game at all, but hell was it entertaining, and quite the coin muncher at that. I'm also pretty sure that most old school gamers still have a favorite point and click adventure or even a text based game, which are both genres I think of as being grandfathers of current gen interactive narratives.

All in all, what I'm getting at is that this genre (if you can call it that) has been around, has an audience, and is definitely progressing. With the thriving culture of indie game developers and awesome mainstream support systems like the Xbox Live Arcade, I think we will see game-less games really flourish. In turn, I believe that this genre will truly bring games into the hands of everyone. Once the challenge, competition, and play mechanics have been reduced and simultaneously perfected for the genre, then we will be left with a medium that is accessible for anyone. Which in turn may bring about it's own brand of overly commercialized and predictable banality, but will ultimately pave the way for more revolutions in interactive art and storytelling; endless possibilities will be in store.

But y'know, talking about these particular elements in games as if it's just one genre is doing a disservice to the many other beautiful works of art that mastered fluidity and simplicity while focusing on the emotion of the game. But these particular titles deserve their own entries, and I'm definitely looking forward to giving them all the individual attention they deserve.

So here's to games and all those that dare not to be.



Never stop exploring digital rabbit holes.

"You don't like any of your games."

The quote in the title was from my fiance, who uttered it after putting up with hours of me complaining about some particular games. At the time I found it subtly hilarious, but now feel that it's increasingly poignant... in a dark, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

These past couple weeks since the semester ended, I've decided it would be good to finish playing through all the games in my collection in which I have yet to finish. Actually, calling the games I own a "collection" is absurd, because I feel that the term implies that there must be some sort of cohesive theme. When really, a surprising percentage of the games I own seem to have been purchased sporadically with little rhyme or reason. This has lead me to into numerous situations in which I began playing through a game, found no incentive to finish, and thus said game ends up gathering dust on my shelf for years. Typically the lack of incentive came from how often these randomly selected games ended up being completely uninspiring wastes of time (i.e., big slices of fecal surprise). These past weeks have only been a reminder of that, as my patience has been tested every time I've picked up a controller.

I thought this was worth sharing, because it has reminded me of what I can and can't stand about less than perfect games. And as we shall see, many of the games I love the most are far from perfect. It's been interesting to see how many flawed mechanics or half-baked ideas I can suffer before my reason for playing a game becomes lost or desperate, and also, it's been somewhat educational to find how much less of said bullshit I can tolerate as I've gotten older. I guess it's always good to go back and review, problem is now I'm a bit intimidated about going back and playing many of the obscure games that I've claimed as some of my all time favorites.

Perhaps it's time to dust off the beloved ones and get ready to dash away the good (albeit cloudy) memories. Should be interesting.

The digital shadow under the proverbial umbrella.

Okay, now it's time for me to pony up an explanation and definition of how I'm going to be evaluating the supposed art of these supposed vidya games. But first, allow me to remind you now (in hopes of never having to in the future) that these are all purely my opinions. Which by nature, are not actually affronts to your opinions if they should happen to contradict. Obviously this blog is purely of an editorial nature for most entries, but there will be many situations in which I will forsake my own bias to invoke a proposed "higher purpose".

Next, in this pre-ass-covering preface, I will admit that YES, video games are art... every single one of them. Just as every movie, song, or thing ever written down anywhere is also art... But only in certain perspectives! We can go back and forth about the ultimate nature of art, but as of this moment, I am far from qualified at even attempting to do so. That said, while I will acknowledge this perspective that all human (or animal for that matter) creations qualify as art, I will not adhere to it. So, like countless reviewers and critiquers before me, I will make an easy answer all the more complex while simultaneously imposing my opinion on the work of another. Fair enough?

Clearly as far as a definition is concerned, I will be using a loose, colloquial representation of the word "art". But really, what I will be focusing on are revolutionary, creative, and otherwise unique ideas implemented in games. This will relate largely, but not limited to such elements as: style, story, immersion factor, music, atmosphere, game mechanics and so on...

Some people might be thinking to themselves: "Well, if you're so concerned with art, why don't you look at a painting, or read a book... hell you could even watch a movie." Which is a response that I imagine to be held by non-gamers and only small percentage of the actual gaming community. But to which I reply: The inherent nature of games is one that puts the player literally into the shoes of the protagonist of the game. The character's goals become our goals, and thus a level of immersion is reached that is far more literal and deliberate than any other vehicle of media. The nostalgia and emotional reactions that I've had from certain games is completely unmatched by any other movie or novel that I might also have great affection for. And it's because of that, that I feel this medium is truly worthy of the same deep analysis that we would give to any other classic storytelling format. I know I'm certainly not the only one who must feel this way.

That said, on frequent occasion expect that I will deviate from the pure spectrum of "art in video games" and will delve into other topics as well. Things like: social issues raised in games, how culture has impacted games and vice versa, gaming culture, how elements of games relate to other media, and so on and so on.

Oh yeah, also be prepared for a heavy horror theme here and there... it's kinda mah thing.

1P

At the radical age of 3, my parents purchased for me my very own Nintendo Entertainment System. As the legend goes, I was apparently playing arcade games and a family member's NES from the moment I developed basic motor skills; or so say my parents, but that would account for early fleeting memories of Donkey Kong, Rampage, Smash TV, and various other titles that I can only vaguely recall the graphics for. Throughout that first decade of life, I was passively exposed to other hobbies and sports, but either due to lack of interest or talent, I never had any desire or motivation to continue doing any other thing besides gaming. So, for the most part I was raised by Nintendo (and Sega to a lesser extent), early 90's Nickelodeon, and the remnants of 80's culture that my older cousins had instilled in me. And in those years of being an only-child, locked away in my bedroom for long afternoons, I somehow developed a thing called imagination. Maybe it was all those simple pixel-sprites, or maybe it was all the ridiculous action figures and cartoons that were iconic for the time, but whatever it was, it established a recurring theme of bizarre creativity that would follow me for the rest of my life. I truly believe that if I hadn't led the childhood that I did, I might never have discovered a love for storytelling that has existed in me for as long as I can remember.

Growing up, I began to nurture the idea that when I became an adult, my career would center around video games and writing. Which I'm sure that's true for most young gamers, I mean, haven't we all wanted to come up with the ideas for our own games? Once I got a little bit older, I began reading gaming magazines; Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, and Expert Gamer to be particular. I would read those magazines front to cover, and they really helped to establish a critical reviewer mentality, which again, I think is typical for young gamers of our generation. So really, at a very young age I was confident in my future profession. If I never had the opportunity to develop games, then I could always pursue writing about games instead. These were ideas that I clung to for years to come, and obviously, I still have delusions of the latter.

Then came my teenage years... Like many the young angster, I became easily distracted by the bullshit that is high school socializing. In middle school and before, it was easy to just be another nerd, but from early on in my teenage years, I discovered that I could tweak my identity into something else, and thus I realized (sooner than most, I would say) that being creative and nerdy didn't mean I had to succumb to stereotypes. So while I wasted many of my best years trying to discover myself (nyuck), I simultaneously began discovering other things. What had been missing in my younger days?

Simple: movies, music and literature.

My love for imagination quickly became transfixed upon these classic and omnipresent mediums that I mostly ignored from the early ages, which I think, is the best time to introduce young children to the classics. As a kid, the only movies I enjoyed were The Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and whatever heavily commercialized crap was being pushed on family households. My taste in music was by far narrower, in that I primarily enjoyed 8-bit chiptunes (as well as later 16-bit tunes), "Hey Sandy" by Polaris, and little else. But that childhood love and fascination for creativity was yearning to discover more of what the world had to offer by the time I was a preteen.

I believe I can cite a viewing of A Clockwork Orange at the age of 14 or 15 to be the earliest catalyst for a rapidly growing obsession with cult films. This easily translated itself into an interest in obscure music as well. All throughout that time of discovery and the excesses of expanded nerdom, I never stopped gaming. However, I was maturing. My tastes and interests were growing, and no longer was I content to spend my imagination points fantasizing about cool game plots. Now, I was writing comics in my spare time, outlining novels and screenplays for short films and the like. Games still took up a lot of my time, but being a part of gaming community and culture took a backseat.

Over that period, games were making their arduous climb into a larger mainstream appreciation. It seemed like everyone was a gamer now, and I thought that was all well and fine. But the snob inside me realized that as games became more and more commercial, the more games would adhere to mainstream tastes and predictability. I'm gonna be honest here, I know games have always been heavily commercialized. From the Atari bust, to the NES gaming resurrection, all the way through the mascot-saturated 90's. But as a youngster, I wasn't aware of it then as much as I would become aware of it as a teen. So, it seemed in the early-mid 2000's, mainstream gaming and I were growing apart. Games like Halo and Call of Duty were beginning to dominate sells (much as they are now), and while I enjoyed them, I was never particularly fond of FPS'ers as a genre. At this point, it was easier to renounce myself as a gamer, stick to a handful of games a year, and ignore the wide-scope of the gaming community. Throughout this time, I pretty much stuck with horror themed games, various RPG's, and any big title game that had a damn good story or some kind of nostalgia factor.

And that's where I was until a few months ago...

To know one's self is important if one desires a life of creativity, and to forget the impact that video games have had on me would be a fallacy. That said, I know video games and I have more in common than I've been letting myself realize, and so I aim to not just rekindle that relationship, but instead probe the complexities and semantics of gaming and how it relates to my love for various forms of art.


So anyway, I thought it was important to give a brief summary of my relationship to games throughout my life; I mean, if we're going to be discussing games, it just makes sense. And maybe because if it ever seems like I'm asking too much from games, it's good to look back and see where it all started. If my opinions ever seem to deviate from standard gamer fare, know that I began as a gamer and will always be one at heart. For the most part, I've avoided mentioning any particular games that I especially care about because I didn't want to establish any bias too soon (in fact, I hope this blog will provide a personal exercise in looking past bias); and when the time comes to mention my favorites, you can beat I will, as well as any other important gaming milestones that have established my particular version of a gamer's mindset. As I mentioned before, horror (not just survival horror), RPG's, and retro games have been some of my preferred genres, but ultimately what I seek most in games (as in other media) are interesting and revolutionary ideas. So here's to a bright future for art in the gaming industry... well maybe sans the industry... I couldn't be happier to be a gamer in a time when so much potential is at our hands and our thumbs.

Start is left unpressed, and the demo repeats...

I should say, it's been a long time coming.

First and foremost, I would like to begin with a preface. A brief moment to orient myself in a return to blogging. 'Cause you know and I know and now you know that I know, that nothing said here will be anything new. I'm just another voice in the static of the cultural nether, talkin' about some shit or somethin'. So, the first thing you must understand is that my aim is to avoid all things ostentatious in favor of honesty, and though I may or may not be wearing a powdered wig at the time of this entry, know that any accusation of pretension will be met with doe-eyed confusion. Ya feel me? Excellent, me neither.

So check this out, this blog is all about video games, or to you lay persons: "vidya games". But not just video games in general, but rather the art of video games... or the lack thereof.

Now now... before you get out your beatin' sticks, allow me to explain that this only appears to be a dead horse. For you see, I believe that for this medium to be as valid as it deserves to be, then video games must too succumb to the same scrutiny as great literature, film and music. As you can imagine, I, being a man of great opinions, have a lot to say about this topic; so for the most part, I plan to conform each entry to a particular idea. An element, if you will (and yes, you will), of various aspects that will relate to the overall theme of gaming and art and their little arty game babies. Throw in a few odd game reviews, things that generally relate to creativity, along with the natural evolution of projects like this, and that's pretty much what you can expect from this blog.

All that said, I don't know shit about programming, nor have I ever had any extensive, formal study of art critique. I'm just a chap who loves thinking, analysis, and the beauty that is human imagination. So, I'm really hoping that I can get some good discussions going on here, so feel free to share your opinions. Here's to hoping they will be as thoughtful as I imagine they will be, cheers!

I'm sure some of you are wondering where the title "8-bit Baroque" came from, and if you weren't, then you really should have been (you really, really should have been, ya turkey). So allow me to explain myself: aside from the fact that Baroque is just one of my favorite words and my favorite era of classical music (real rock stars play harpsichord), I couldn't help but enjoy the contradiction between all that is 8-bit and all that is Baroque. The beautiful simplicity of necessity juxtaposed with overt and superfluous extravagance...

...Aesthetics, can you dig it?