Making it into the MOMA

For this final blog of ours, I kept thinking what would be the best game to be considered to be put into the MOMA. Of course I to go through the games I have played ever since I was a little kid. The game I finally came across was FromSoftware’s  “Dark Souls”. Those not familiar with the game may ultimately see the game as usual hack and slash which is pretty much a game that has your character kill enemies, while allowing more emphasis on the combat aspect. Those who have played the game know of how famous it is for its grueling difficulty as a game. The game itself though is more than a usual hack and slash as it creates in itself a genre of games that rely on skill rather than button mashing. The game itself is a spiritual successor to a previous game called Demon’s souls but has made itself a name that many gamers have come to know. My reason for choosing Dark Souls rather than its spiritual predecessor, successor, or even sequel is due to the game’s world. The game itself seems dependent on describing what makes your character human which in itself speaks volumes by how we choose to play the game. Though I could talk more about this I will leave it at that and continue to describe it within the behavior of the game. Its narrative alone would be able to give insight into the behavior of the game which John Maeda would agree on. I’ll explain the story in the next part.

What is Dark Souls?

To understand how this game belongs in the MOMA we must first know what the game is. The game has been found to have a sort of minimalistic plot which does drag the game down at all due to the hidden lore you find within playing the game. Basically, your character is part of a group of people who are undead but eventually try to follow a story in which every npc has been known to have heard. The story is that as the chosen undead you have to rekindle the first flame to continue the “Age of gods.” Along the way you will come across plenty of unique enemies along with npc’s who appear to be on some sort of quest similar to yours. As you progress through the game, you begin to learn more and more about the people you have met along with your goal. Eventually you will come to a final decision within the game which will be to sacrifice yourself to continue the age of gods which you have come to known as being grueling world that has people suffering or begin the dark age. The dark age which you come to know by the end of the game as the “age of humans.”

Co-op gameplay

The definition of a good game is therefore “one that teaches everything it has to offer before the player stops playing.”-Raph Koster

The Game’s Behavior

Unlike most hack and slash games, this game requires a more subtle approach when playing. If one were to run into an enemy in dark souls and just start mashing the attack buttons you learn to understand that you are wasting stamina for each hit. If you ever seen gameplays of the game you would note that the game requires specific timing to attack rather than wasting all of your stamina. Once your stamina is depleted your character suffers from penalties that allow movement and actions requiring stamina to really leave you wide open to incoming attacks. Basically it’s best to run the game being more cautious than ever as enemies have varieties of attacks that range from magic to poison. Also where games that utilize a more damage dealing approach, it is sometimes best to stick with weapons that are instead lighter and fast so that dodging or blocking can be used to shield yourself from damage. The way the play plays the game is b all means there own choice but tactics must be change on the fly when playing dark souls. A way they allow you to do this is through the use of switching your stance when fighting. You could hold a shield and weapon or two weapons in each hand, but with a simple press of one of the buttons you put your offhand weapon away in favor of using your primary hands weapon with 2 hands. Now you might ask yourself, how and why is this important? Allowing to be able to switch two hand would work similar to how it would seem in real life. Two hands means more force can be applied making damage stronger but losing the opportunity to use your off hand for any other purpose. What also is pretty unique about the game’s behavior is how they deal with multiplayer. Essentially, multiplayer in this game has pvp and cooperative elements. For those who are unaware of the term “pvp”, it refers to the mode of players competing with other players and in this case it is by invading their world. Invasions tend to happen anywhere but some place are more likely to have it happen do to the areas intended purpose. This is odd as invasions allow for the play to invade any person’s world in the similar area to battle them to obtain humanity as well as rewards. Humanity is needed to utilize any multiplayer elements within the game. This can happen at anytime though and may come up as an ambush of sorts. Cooperative play works in a similar manner but requires the player to set up a marker asking for help so that a play could join you. The person of course who joins you is random and most likely will not be a friend of yours. This is purposefully made just to resemble an aspect of life in some way. The game itself has ups and downs with the player succeeding eventually similar to how in life the only way to get through would be to play it smart or learn from our mistakes. Raph Koster himself would agree with these words on how it makes it a game and a great one at that. The random cooperative players that join you as well as ambush you show an aspect of life with the people you meet. Some might be knowledgeable about the area while others are as lost as you. Those who ambush you want something from and in their actions forsaken their humanity(which you actually need to have in-game) to bring you down a peg. One last important thing about behavior is how the game teaches you about your decisions. Of course how we play the game is what I am getting at. Besides the way we fight, there are decisions that we can choose to do when meeting up with npc’s. When we meet them we could attack them but that eventually lead to consequences making us think before we act. For example there is a character within the game who tempts you to free him and in doing so will help you in a boss fight. Of course this sounds great but you begin to learn that he wishes to harm innocents. He eventually kills a very helpful npc without you knowing. The game like many others has decisions and way to go about the game giving it more freedom than most but forces us to be cautious when making these decisions.      

… “a narrative replaces the act of physically getting you from point A to point B. A narrative that you, the player, gets to drive and live through until it’s game over. This is where videogames become an art-like act of “personal imagination.”-John Maeda

The Game’s Aesthetic

The game’s looks and feel can both be described as eerie and unique in away for a fantasy genre placed in the dark ages. The areas that the character visit all have different themes that create different challenges. As you explore, many of the places are dimly lit to give a sense of caution and confusion that one slip can result to a sudden death to force you to restart . Places that you find in the game look old and decaying giving a notion that this place existed for possible hundreds of years while its survivors are slowly losing their insanity one by one. That these places were once ruled by great rulers who once settled within these lands but then left to dust. Little is known about the place you come across, no narration or sign to tell you anything about where you are in the game. Many of the enemies look like they’re straight out of a nightmare,like mimics in the game. In many fantasy genre games chest contains an assortment of loot and gear to progress, but sometimes a chest can be placed in the weirdest areas and players don’t think twice about opening them. Mimics are monsters disguised as chest but simply opening them can end to a quick death. Mimics in this game are unique compared to other games similar to this genre. Instead of the generic mimic that is just a chest that just hops around and has a giant mouth inside. Mimic in this game have long slender bodies that pop out of the chest and elongated tongues when provoked. Npc’s in the game also create the feel for the game through various dialogues. Many of the characters that your character interacts with have a sense of hopelessness. A npc named the

A mimic in Darksouls

“Crestfallen Warrior” is met when making to Lordran which if it hasn’t been said yet, is the setting of the world. Even in his name it is obvious to see that this npc is already in despair. In this world he is clearly one of many people who have an outlook into the world which adds to that feeling of despair. Though their is one outcast amongst the sorrowful undead his name is “Solaire of Astora”. This particular character is not affected by the state of the world he’s in and is the most iconic character in the game.

The Game’s Space

Within the world of Dark Souls, space is a big part of the game. As the game doesn’t throw the story on you, it allows for the player to go about the world in search of the story. Exploration within this game is key as it allows for better loot while also having an understanding of how the world in which your character is in. Along with this is how every dungeon is built. Most places are built in a way that causes it to be dangerous slowing the pace of the game. Sometimes purposely place items tricky into believing that without hesitation its simple to retrieve an item yet there is always another way. Besides the exploration there is also the combat aspect in which space is useful. When battling a monster space allows the player to be aware of his surroundings and without knowledge of that space one may find a trap or enemy hidden away in a corner. It also allows for battle to be fought more or less favorably. For example, a small alleyway would hinder you due to the lack of movement capable within the area allowing enemies to encircle you or keep you away from an enemy’s weak spot. While a big open area allows for more movement and more options for attack.

Conclusion

It is due to these aspects that I believe Dark souls has a chance of getting into the MOMA. The game itself has also led to many inspiration within the gaming world such as Bungie’s Destiny, Lords of the Fallen, as well as the game Shovel Knight. The MOMA might see violence as something they must clearly go against, but similar to how Paola Antonelli describes why a beretta could fit into the MOMA and Dark Souls in its own way is a critique about life and its struggles.

“>“So when you see a gun, it’s an instrument for killing in the design collection. If it’s in the art collection, it might be a critique of the killing instrument.”-Paola Antonelli

 

References

John Maeda. (2012). “Videogames Do Belong in the Museum of Modern Art.” Wired Online.December 4. [http://www.wired.com/2012/12/why-videogames-do-belong-in-the-museum-of-modern-art/]

Koster, Raph. Theory Of Fun for Game Design 2ed. New york: O’reilly, 2013. Print.

Paola Antonelli. (2013). “Why I Brought Pac-Man to MoMA.” TEDSalon NY2013. [https://http://www.ted.com/talks/paola_antonelli_why_i_brought_pacman_to_moma?language=en]

 

 

Walking Dead and Art

The game that I decided to play for this blog is Telltale’s “The Walking Dead”. The game only consisted of the first season so the second season will not be explained at all. The game itself is a interactive drama where choices within the game are made but essentially lead to a point in the story that by all means is inevitable. The game is put into episodes where it is grouped even further by seasons. The game so far is up to Season 2 and each season consists of 5 episodes. The game also includes a side story called “400 days“ which explains side characters within the universe. The first season consists of the main character named Lee Everett who is a professor that has been arrested for murder. He then is thrust into the world full of zombies where he meets a young girl by the name of Clementine. Lee decides of take care of her as he comes to the conclusion that her parents are dead. They then meet up with several people who join or hamper there progress with choices made along the way leading to either a characters death or survival. The game also includes elements that require input suggest shooting zombies and puzzles which are reminiscent of a point and click game.

“The form Games take when conceptualized, created, and experienced within the art world differs from what most game players and game developers realize.(Sharp, 4)”.

As a Game

For this blog, we look at the game from two view points which are as art and as a game. First, let try looking at the art as a game. From the viewpoint of a gamer, we see that the game itself might not be normal of many games as it has less freedom than most games played. This may be different but it is still a game as it has rules, outcomes, and especially and emotional attachment to the choices made. This is similar in the way Jesper Juul considers a game to be considered a game. Juul states that “A game is a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are negotiable”(Juul,36).

As Art

From another point of view, this game can be considered art. John Sharp explains his version of what game art as “the appropriation of tools of the game industry for artistic purpose.” (Sharp,23) The game itself may not be directly what game art is meant to be, but considering that the game is more of a involvement of a story rather than being big on game play it allows for a more close connection to art. The game itself is primarily story driven and is not totally at all reliant on the users input, making it somewhat an outcast in the video games of today but more like a movie or show that gets you enthralled into watching rather than playing it. Along with this is the aesthetics of the game which in itself is unique as it creates characters and stories that are pleasing and entertaining.

The game itself can be considered art or a game, though it primarily involves information we already know on the matter thus it is subjective. Games essentially are similar to art in a sense as they are extravagant and force emotions that we must feel such as art. Now not all games can be considered art just like how not every drawing is considered art. It’s important though that we go in blind when understanding games and art. In my opinion, the Walking Dead is both a game and art.

John Sharp. (2015). “Game Art.” In Works of Game.pg 23

Jesper Juul. (2005). “Video Games and the Classic Game Model” in Half-Real: Video Gamesbetween Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge: MIT Press: pp. 36

Who’s Doing the Shoveling?

The independent video game studio who created Shovel Knight

The game for this blog is one that I had recently played in the past week called “Shovel Knight” on the Wii U. The game itself is a side-scrolling adventure where you, as the knight wielding the shovel try to defeat a group of evil knights known as the “Order of no Quarter” to rescue his beloved “Shield Knight.” The game primarily allows the player to traverse different areas where along the way they visit stores and places for items and loot. The game itself follows mechanics from other games such as duck tales where the shovel is used in place of a cane but can also be used as a sword. The game also features unique variations depending on what version the game is played on. If you play on a  Nintendo system such as a 3DS or the Wii U, you have the ability to play with a touch screen along with obtaining multiplayer modes and challenge stages. Other consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox one, have a unique boss with their own unique stage. The game has many other platforms to play on allowing anyone to play on a system of their choice.

Gameplay within Shovel Knight

 The game itself was created by the people at Yacht Club Games who are independent developers that essentially succeeded in crowdfunding this project. Which bring us into the whole idea of who really owns the authorship of this game. The creators Yacht Club Games would be considered the ones who came up with the game but without help of the crowdfunding backers there game would not even have life. Not to mention the composers such as Jake Kaufman and Manami Matsumae who are freelancers known throughout the gaming world that helped in creating the music found within the game. This brings me to my belief on who possibly owns this game authorship. Like the theorist Howard Becker, I see the authorship of the game being placed in the hands of all who developed it. Becker would explain it that those who didn’t have the ability to create the game as “less rare, less characteristic of art, less necessary to the work’s success, less worthy of respect“(Art Worlds and Collective Activity,1982). The quote itself shows that those who did not directly work on the game affected one of its people in a unique way are still part of what they game became. The big thing is that people who gave made this game include smaller people who gave up something to make sure this game came out, whether its money or time in supporting the studios work. The credit sequence within the game mentions many people as well outside of the initial groups mentioned as to show that without them they would not have been able to create the game. Most games do this as they clearly know that one person did not create the game without some outside help or influence by another person. Yacht Club games even go far as to have a level dedicated to the backers of the game who really believe in them and gave more money of course to the crowdfunding.

“Shovel Knight vs God of War’s Kratos”

The framework of the game was created by Yacht Club studios, while the game itself would not be created without the many backers, influences( such as “duck tales”), composers, and support from the families of the company. Personally, I believe create something that becomes a huge success as Shovel knight requires many people as a whole.

Howard Becker, “Art Worlds and Collective Activity.” pp. 17.

Sword, Sorcery, and Art

“Super Brothers: Sword and Sorcery EP” is a a game that came out in 2011 by the  groups “Superbrothers” and “Capybara Games”. This game also happens to be the game I had chosen to play for this week. The game is one that relies on a “point-and click” type of method to interact with the game. The method being very reminiscent of older games that came out way before on the PC. Now the game itself is an indie game, and cliche as it may sound it is very different from mainstream games. The game differentiates itself heavily through it’s unique style of art and music. Similar to rhythm games, it in some way has the music become a heartbeat throughout the games fighting segments but differs in its utilization of music even while traversing the world. Its graphics are not awe inspiring compared to today’s video game standards but are somewhat retro in its design choice, being similar to 8-bit games due to the simplicity of the squares throughout the visuals of the game. The game though looking entirely simple, has various references to media among the internet culture and also is considered a landmark game by the company Apple.

               “The Narrator”

The story of the game is in no way lengthy but still manages to make it work within the games structure.The game centers around a female protagonist who wielding a sword and shield, tries to obtain a book known as the “Mega tome”. After it’s obtainment, some ghostly figure is released into the game world which the play must defeat. Alongside the protagonist are the people that live in the area specifically a woodsman and his dog named “logfella” and “dogfella”, respectively. There also is a girl, her name being not of much relevance throughout the story. As the protagonist deals with events throughout the “sessions” she ventures into other worlds while the world itself changes through the moon phases seen within the sky while a narrator of sorts explains the story. Eventually, she defeats the main antagonist though not without making a heroic sacrifice to ensure its defeat with the rest of the cast somberly weeping due to her demise.Now considering this, we go over to view if this game is art. Among the many definitions of art there are many variations and views which must be considered, though dependent amongst the viewer. When narrowing it down to the theorists mentioned in class, I feel as though Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Howard Becker, make some important point on what art should be. Winckelmann describes art as something akin to Greek sculptures explaining how objective it can be along with the simplicity that accompanies it being the defining aspects of art. Though possibly lacking the whole Greek vibe, the game offers simplicity through its controls and visuals. No keys really need to be pressed and the visuals primarily being squares are enough to explain what it is you can do and what you are looking at. Alongside Winckelmann’s beliefs of art, their is Becker who explains art “Art worlds produce works and also give them aesthetic value”.(2008 ,pg.39) In this sense it is very much true, the games visuals are accompanied by music by music composer Jim Guthrie. His music allows for an experience like no other, which allows for one to fully immerse themselves into the game and its environment. The battle segments are also very reliant on music. Visually one can tell when to block or attack but with the music it feels as though we should be apart of the game rather than playing it. By that I mean, it practically paces the story and in my opinion fits very well.

         “The bridge to the Megatome”

I believe by all means the game is art. It is more modern in its aesthetics especially in its use of music but would be possibly similar to pop art as it has become an iconic game by itself alone. I myself enjoyed the game though was at first confused by the lack of info in the beginning. Though that lack of info allowed me to understand the game by interacting with it similar to an art piece that requires one to understand the image through meditation or reflection. For those interested in cool music and very minimal stress inducing game, I suggest getting this game.

Becker, Howard Saul. Art Worlds. 25th Anniversary ed. Berkeley, Calif.: U of California, 2008. 39. Print.

What makes a Game?

 The blog for this week ask us if what we are playing is a game. The game I chose for this week was Molleindustria’s  “McDonald’s Video game.” The company of this game being well known for its satire and advocacy against culture in society. Now the reason behind me choosing this game was that it seemed a bit different than the others in it’s own way, being about a company that we all know well about in America. The game itself has the player being a person who manages the business of McDonald’s by keeping an eye on the four aspects of the company: the Agriculture section, feedlot section, fast food section and the headquarters section. Each section plays a part in the business of McDonald’s where the agriculture is where grain and cattle are grown, the feedlot is where animals are injected with hormones and are slaughtered, the fast food section is primarily the source of income and where food is served. The headquarters section is where you keep an eye on your profits and manipulate children and adults into believing their food is healthy. Now the site including the game is made to believe that this was from the actual company of McDonald’s which hopefully anyone who has played knows it is not. The game does not last too long and has errors where most of the words like “per” are cut off showing only an “er”. Though the game has its flaws it seems to force the player to realize they cannot really win. The game for me was always going to end on an expected “You’re fired” type of popup. The question to ask now is it really a game?

Raph Koster-The definition of a good game is therefore ” one that teaches everything it has to offer before the player stops playing.”

What we define as a game is different in many aspects seeing as different people have different tastes. This also includes people who are well versed in the gaming world such as Jesper Juul or Huizinga  who all have different takes on what defines a video game. A video game according to Koster is something that teaches “you how aspects of reality work, how to understand yourself, how to understand the actions of others, and how to imagine.”(Koster,2004,p.71) Well if we break down the game we understand that whoever made this game requires us to understand the business of McDonald’s. By failing and trying again and again we expect to do better every time as we progress throughout the game. We also learn that their are somewhat hidden message against McDonald’s such as the constant popups of activism within the game, alongside the somewhat hypnotic spell of the subliminal messaging within starting the game. This makes us ask, does it follow Koster’s criteria for a game. The answer would be “yes,” though by his standards it would not be totally a great game as it does not do too much to keep the player constantly entertained/learning with its similar mechanics. Overall it could be mastered fairly easy, or cause boredom through the amounts of failure at managing.

“Getting Fired”

While playing this game I noticed the satire was extremely overwhelming but enough to understand the message it was trying to convey. The game in my opinion was very interesting but honestly not fun at all. It was simply too short and in some aspects more of a chore. Overall, for anyone interested in playing it I say, be ready for a learning experience on McDonald’s.

Ref:

Koster,R(2004) Theory of Fun for Game Design

http://www.molleindustria.org/blog/about/

http://www.mcvideogame.com/game-eng.html

“Meat-ing” Super Meat Boy

Among the chosen games we had for this week, I chose Super Meat Boy  by Team Meat. The game itself is an indie game that I heard from time to time but never really got to play it. So when I noticed it was one of our games I decided to give it a try. From the moment you begin the game you notice a “meat boy” (which also happens to be also his name,) with a smile on his face giving no indication of what the game may be. You are then treated to some back story to the game which has meat boy going to save his girlfriend, “Bandage Girl” from the evil Dr.Fetus with a few game references here and there, (such as the street fighter one in the beginning).

The game goes through a series of challenges that require the player to get to his damsel in distress without dying. Some other little gimmicks thrown into the game play are collectibles in the form of bandages, times that have to be beaten to get an “A+” rating, and warp zones. The bandages allow for the player to unlock certain characters who otherwise are unlocked through warp zones. My experience with the game was at first challenging and to some extent stressful. I managed to complete two world zones in one play through. The stress from this game came from my own flaw of trying to perfect each level with the best rating and the all collectibles. Eventually, I stopped that perfectionist mid set I had and instead decided to go play the game to its full extent.

After playing through the whole ordeal, I did not lose interest in the game but decided to continue another day lest to lose any more of my sanity. The game is challenging at best which made me think of the work of Raph Koster. He essentially saw games more as a learning tool that affected our entire life. He also saw how we instinctively play whatever game is given to us and understand what the game is trying to make us do. Essentially, Super Meat Boy was very much a learning experience. Unlike the other games that I could have played, their visuals were somewhat aged yet comprehensible enough for us to know what the game designer was trying to portray. Super Meat Boy has visuals that also convey danger though unlike “Space Invaders” which has the threat being aliens, Super Meat Boy has dangers like saw blades and needles which cause Meat Boy to die just by touching them. The portrayal of danger is both the same in each game with the difference being the portrayal in Super Meat Boy was allowed due to its lack of restrictions that Space Invaders had.

The reason for explaining its visuals is that I wanted to explain how the learning process to understand what has to be done is the same, as both games just throw you into the scenario and allow the player to learn through their own faults. The formula older games had still works in a sense today. The flow of how Super Meat Boy teaches the play tricks to beat each level is interesting with some characters having their own little level for the player to learn how to play as. The flow requires a mastery of some skill such as timing your jumps, controlling your speed, and understanding how each obstacle works. The game does not force upon the player a difficult challenge immediately but allows the player to understand each level to where the mastery of said level shows. The game is sort of like patterns as each new threat has to be avoided a certain way. Raph Koster connects these patterns to how we learn as they get connected to pieces in our mind. These patterns to avoid danger in Super Meat Boy made me sort of hardwired to the game with every action I do being on the spot and with the best decision in mind, like a computer of sorts allowing me to grok the game. Koster’s definition of what “fun” is, can very much be seen in this game, though other players may hate the game for its difficulty, its challenge is what brings other players back. Super Meat Boy is very much a game that has captured my interest simply by its visuals along with its challenging learning curve.