Bibliography

Beyond Fantasy (2002) Squaresoft [DVD]

Lankoski, Peter. (2005) Building and Reconstructing Character. A Case Study of Silent Hill 3. Digra.org Available from:

<http://www.digra.org/dl/db/06278.03293.pdf>

(Accessed 03/05/2011)

Michael, Nitsche. (2005) Games, Montage, and the First Person Point of View. Digra.or.g Available from:

< http://www.digra.org/dl/db/06276.11074.pdf >

(Accessed 03/05/2011)

Nitsche, M. (2009) Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, And Structure in 3D Worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Final Fantasy 10 gameplay image. Available from:

< http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/8/8c/Stadium_in_dream_zanarkand.jpg  >

(accessed 7/05/2011)

Mirrors Edge gameplay image. Available from:

< http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/24/364009-1217249342846_super.jpg>

(accessed 02/05/2011)

Assassins Creed gameplay image. Available from:

http://nukoda.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/assassins_creed_2.jpg
(accessed 02/05/2011)

Final Fantasy 10 (Squaresoft, 2002)

Questionnaires

To gauge some thoughts on the topic of character representations, I got several people to answer a questionnaire I had constructed. These are some of the responses:

Questionnaire 1:

Questionnaire 2:

Questionnaire 3:

Questionnaire 4:

Questionnaire 5:

(Plus another answer I got via online messenger which is a little more detailed:)

Gender (Circle choice)           

Male      Female

Which videogame genre do you prefer? (Circle choice)

Action/Adventure          Fighting        First Person Shooter    

Puzzle           RPG       Simulation        Strategy        (Miscellaneous:  Sometimes, it also depends on the specific gameplay, regardless of general genre; any game can be well-made if done "right". )

How important is the way that your player character acts in game to you?

It may or may not be very important; In the end, it depends on the game itself. Is the main character someone the player creates themself, or is it one/several specific character/s? I personally love creating characters, but if they are too shallow, it kills some of the fun as well if the game focuses on the storyline. On the other hand, if the main characters are set from the beginning, it can be enjoyable in another aspect than with one you "design" yourself; they have a story, a past and a personality, and a logical way to interact with other characters. We need both types of games.

Has there been any particular game where a main character has irritated you or been hard to relate to? If so why was this?

I can recall a couple of games like those. One common example would be the Pokemon-characters. Even though they are set from the beginning, they don't speak, and are shallow in any other way than when they throw their Pokemon into the fight. This has both pros and cons; It's sad that they are shallow when you cannot form them yourself, while at the same time it's "stupid" to name a character freely if they have a set story. Mario could be one of those characters. Even though there are many games about him, there are no games where he speaks for himself, other than "Wahoo!" and "Mamma mia..", or a few times maybe an "Imma Mario!". Link would be one of those characters as well.

Basically this would mean that any shallow character that has a story, is a little frustrating. Even if they would talk, if the voice acting or their story was simple, like for instance many shoujo mangas or cheap shoujo animes, it's very frustrating. Actually even more if they have an interesting character design, where you'd love to know more about him/her.

Furthermore, does a terrible character design (both literal and personality-wise) have more of an overall negative effect sometimes than other key gaming elements executed badly (ie: bad gameplay, bad camera control, bad storyline, etc.)?

If comparing what is worse, a bad character design or a bad gameplay, obviously if you cannot play the game while the story and character is good, you can't play the game. You simply cannot enjoy even the most delicious cookies in a foul-reeking room, or if you've burnt your thongue just beforehand. It leaves a trace of dissappointment. Also the characters would most likely not be very good personality-wise if the storyline is bad; a character's personality does form the story more or less, after all.

Therefore, I'd say that bad gameplay would be the worst element. Myself, I prefer intuitive games where you learn the basics first and eventually gradually have new elements introduced to you. But still, if I were to fall in love with a character's design and/or personality, the chances of me to play that game would increase.

Good controls/gameplay is however still a fundament whether I would be able to play and enjoy the game or not. Much walking between places with nothing else happening and no nice scenery to watch and explore meanwhile? Boring, but tolerable if the storyline just makes you urge to the next location. Hard to fight enemies because the most vital buttons you have to press are placed in a way making it hard to use them around the same time? Simply frustrating. A storyline that makes you wonder why you even bought the game? Would maybe work for a good laugh with some friends. A short story? Works for me, if the gameplay was so amazing that I still would spend time playing the game inbetween the story itself.

In contrast, what has been your favourite character to play as? Do you think there is a particular reason for this (character design, storyline, personality, etc.)?

Hmmm. Tales of Symphonia was simply enjoyable, though I always enjoyed it the most while playing it with my sister. Tales of Symphonia 2, however, I enjoyed more to play alone, due to the difference in the characters you could play as (where you have 8 to choose from in ToS, you only had 2 characters that would stick with you all the time in ToS2). Here, the most enjoyable was both how the characters interacted, not the least all the skits/dialogues between them, for both of the games.

Other games I enjoyed, or have a fond memory of, is first Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The graphics and music were so astounding, and the character designs and classes so unique, I fell in love at once. Sadly, I was bad at playing it alone, and you needed two GBAs to play, so when my sister's GBA broke, that's also when we stopped playing the game. One of my hugest wishes, would be a remake of this amazing game, though it seems noone ever realized its potential. But enough about that.

Another game I love, is Avalon Code, due to the whole system; you have four summons, which you can interact with (you can even get together with them as boyfriend and girlfriend but nevermind that; though it was a sweet option, though sadly not very giving when it was achieved), and you can make your own weapons. You can either play as a boy or a girl, they don't talk, but are still integrated so deeply into the story, they fit in perfectly. The designs are very nice, and there are many small things to do all the time, like exploring (though you had to press the attack button to explore, so hearing them shout all the time while exploring could become tiring). Here, the storyline was so wonderful, you didn't get time to question your personality, also as well as you were able to answer in two different ways in some cases, giving you a more personal feeling of their personality. This affected, only slightly, the affection of others towards you.

Yet another game is Lux-Pain. The characters are interesting, and the whole story revolves around them. It's a very sad but attaching story, which you have to complete twice or so in order to collect all extra skits and other bonus material. The only sad thing about this game, is how the dialogue was messed up, where the voice acting sometimes gave different meanings to things than the written dialogue. It became tiring at times to try listening to "both versions of the story" even when getting used to it.

I could name a couple more games, though that would probably take too much time; Though one last game would probably be The first Pokemon game for GameCube, Pokemon Collosseum, I think the name was. The main character was so loveable, while the storyline was original and interesting, as well as darker as in most Pokemon-games. I would had probably loves it even more if it was even darker compared to the others, but being an awesome game with many interesting places, it's forgiven. Pokemon XD was allright as well, but it never game me the same feeling as Pokemon Collosseum.

Seeing it like this, there are many ways to enjoy a character, depending on the setting and integration of the story and character. Shallowness is the gamer's (mine at least) worst enemy.

Do you prefer playing as a character in first person or third person? And why is this?

Depending on the game, I'm more or less comfortable with a first person view. In most games I prefer the third person view, due to the feeling of being able to move and see where you are and what you're looking at and where you're headed to. Many first person views I've seen, can be confusing at several times, but I've also seen uncomfortable third person views, that were unpleasant due to being unable to adjust how zoomed-in you would be. Being too close to the character can create a block for your sight instead than the feeling of controlling the character.

If it's a shooting game, however, or a very dynamic combat game, first person view it is though. I've played and enjoyed two of those games, both being online games; S4 and Fantasy Earth Zero. Even though the second game was a third person view-game, it was integrated with the first person view aiming "circle" (I don't know the word right now, crossfire?). At least, you could choose between this integrated version and a normal third person view. It worked amazingly, and was fantastic. My only lack in the end, in S4, was players to play against, because it's often more fun to fight against people you know. In Fantasy Earth Zero you at least could meet somewhere, in a town etc and join a Guild (Corp in FEZ), giving you people to fight with and against.

In many games however, I enjoy the third person view solely due to the opportunity to watch your character, especially if the design is very pretty or you can change their equipment and with that their look. And watchign the enviroment; That's when the option to rotate the camera up and down and around and zooming in and out is simply the best.

Do you prefer games that offer a deeply customisable avatar with little backstory or a definitive “Protagonist” character with a deep backstory?

Like mentioned earlier, I prefer both. Being able to play both games with definite characters and games with highly customizable characters, are both enjoyable in their own way. If it's games like online games or with a different approach to storyline than most RPGs, I prefer having many customizable choices. Other times, you just want to dive into pre-made characters's back story and choices, where they are in charge, not you. Depends solely on the game and how it's handled.

Do you prefer characters that speak through recorded voice acting or textboxes/ sound effects? Why do you think this is?

I love when they speak with voice acting as well as with text boxes. However, the best thing I like is having both subtitles/text boxes along with them talking. The voice acting has to be good though. If it's half-assed voice acting, the game's often better off without the whole voice acting thing. If I know there's gonna be voice acting in a game, especially for DS, it tends to make me even more excited than without.

I think it's because voice acting also emphazises the mood of the characters, and makes them more alive. It's often also easier to really get the whole what-do-I-have-to-do concept and the general mood within the story, reading the character's mood and so on. Even if games without voice acting can be good, I just think they would be even more enjoyable with. The normal limitation has often only been the lack of space for additional voices/material on the game disc, from what I've heard.

Thank you for your time!

There is too much there to go truely in depth about now but what I found interesting was how seriously the answers were taken for some characters (clearly the issues or opinions were strong and that in itself is an interesting point).

Case Study of the opening 5 minutes of RPG Final Fantasy 10

Final fantasy 10 begins with a close up of a selection of objects on top of a hill before cutting to a group of characters gathered around a campfire. As the camera pans around the characters, one stands up. He places one hand on a female characters shoulder as he walks past her. They share a glance before he slowly climbs up a hill. When he reaches the top an inner monologue cuts in. From this the player can already establish that this character is going to be their player character for the rest of the game because he uses a key phrase “Listen to my Story…”

The camera then fades to the title screen. When it returns a child is walking across a boat to join a growing crowd. The crowd begin cheering and the player character emerges from another craft opposite to them. From this the player knows that the Player character is well liked amongst the community (maybe even to the point of stardom – considering that his costume is mirrored by many small children holding balls) It’s at this point that the player gains “control” over the player character, and can navigate within the game world. While no specific goal is outlined, to further the story can the player must converse with the crowd, and from this those previous assumptions are proven to be a fact when the characters in the crowd ask for autographs. It is at this point that the player can name the player character. From the default name, the player character is known as Tidus, but this can be changed to whatever the player deems fit. Already the player can grow closer or detached to the character by the name they give to Tidus (it may be their own or something odd as a joke (hence detached is mentioned (although in some instances this might unconventionally create attachment to the character)).

Within moments of playing the game, through the reaction of other NPC (non-playable characters) the character has an idea of a few elements about the character “Tidus”.

-From the cheering crowd (and even the presence of a crowd), Tidus is a celebrity in his world.

-Since many small children are wearing his outfit and are carrying sporting like balls, Tidus is a sports star and his costume is in actuality the uniform of his sporting team

- From the conversations with a small group of female NPC’s it is clear that Tidus is both a Crowd Pleaser and has an outgoing personality (“If I score a goal, I’ll do this ...and It means it’s for you…”). Whether his outgoing personality is restricted simply to being a ‘Ladies Man’ is yet to be seen in the opening moments but yet his conversations with the younger members of the crowd suggest that he is generally outgoing.

- The sombre atmosphere and presence of characters not yet revealed (and a much more desolate locale) shows that the character Tidus has experienced much off screen before he reminisces.

- The way the female character looked at Tidus in the cinematic sequence was much different to that of other characters, and maybe indicated to the player that their relationship might be deeper than it seems.

After the character speaks to two members of the crowd, a non-interactive scene begins where three NPC begin to ask Tidus if he can teach them how to “Blitz” (which again from the previous two conversations, the player can deduce that this is the colloquial for “Blitzball” the sport that Tidus plays.). Tidus promises the kids that he will tomorrow but the boy from opening of the scene abruptly says that he cannot. Tidus turns and looks at the kid before saying “maybe …the day after”. The broken promise to the kids is another hint that the player character just wants to please others, while the awkward relationship between the strange boy and Tidus is somewhat foreboding.

When the scene changes, Tidus is seen to be rushing along a long walkway. As he stops, he looks up at a building where there is an older man on a television screen.  Tidus pouts and grunts disapprovingly before turning away. This is where player regains control. From that reaction the player discovers that the character does not like the mysterious figure on screen (that the resulting non diegetic radio commentary suggests is called “Jecht”). The player can then navigate down the long walkway – talking with various characters but cannot go back the way Tidus came (impossible action indicating that the player characters goal is something important).  When the player has passed the walkway, a predefined viewing frame activates.

The predefined viewing frame highlights a large amount of crowd that blocks Tidus. The player must push through the crowd (with Tidus occasionally saying “Hey get out of the way!” “I’ve got a game to play!”  -displaying a small amount of annoyance at the situation).  After the player gets through a cut scene activates. From the facial visuals, a clear Asian influence can be seen on Tidus’s design, and from the actions of the character in the “blitzball arena” shows a slight arrogance in the way he acts (he slams a player out of the water sphere, with a sly smile on his face) but the athleticism is shown in his leap from the sphere and almost overhead kick. At this point the appearance of a large creature that attacks makes him lose both his concentration and his arrogance. He panics as he grasps onto a thin platform before falling off screaming. When the cutscene concludes Tidus is seen climbing out of rubble. The camera cuts to a pre-defined viewing frame, and Tidus looks up and sees a man in red clothing leaning up against rubble (he too appeared in the cutscene). He cries out to the figure “Auron” (which the player can assume is that character’s name). At this point the player regains control.

Already the player has learnt quite a lot about the personality, physical state and the game world’s view on the character of Tidus. As play continues, so does the players understanding of Tidus (a little after that mysterious figure Jecht is revealed as Tidus’s “old man” and also Tidus’s inexperience with a weapon also comes to the forefront when he is presented with a sword off Auron “from Jecht”.

Several audio visual techniques are crucial to the success of those representations. Firstly the signifiers created by the crowd cheering indicate the worlds view on tidus. The dialogue and inner monologue play an important part also in revealing what Tidus is like to the NPC’s in his world (outgoing, a little arrogant, willing to please). The character design, placement of that design on others all attribute to the players early understanding of Tidus’s profession while his facial animations reveal a little of what he thinks.

Plus the use of the Sjuzet in Final Fantasy 10’s opening scene has been beneficial to setting the scene. Placing the player immediately in a scene quite removed from the opening (and they have no idea where) before returning to the start gives the story and the actions of Tidus urgency. Also as the player completes the “Zanarkand” segment of the game, already they are moving through “the Hero’s Journey” (as explained in Video Game Spaces). The ordinary world (fame, friendships and success), the immergence of a mentor (Auron) and the destruction of Zanarkand (and thus the ordinary world) -They all are steps on the Hero’s journey.

"Beyond Fantasy" Quotes for essay

These were just a few quotes from the amazing Beyond Fantasy DVD that I think are perfectly fitting of tmy topic:

Motomu Toriyama (Director) –event –

“…For me finding a way to imbue as much as possible the games characters with the realistic qualities of the actors was the main goal.”

Kazushige Noijima

Scenario

“I worked on the scenario for FF VII and VIII, and the relationship between the main character and the player. “Tidus and The Player” is what I’ve always been concerned about. I’ve wanted to transform that relationship into something new. In VII, the character was reserved so I tried to find ways for the player to imagine what was going through his mind. The hero of VIII was also reticent, but I tried to get the player to feel more attached to him by having him disclose his feelings, although the other characters couldn’t hear his thoughts. This time, by having the character reflect on the past, we have two facets to him: a character who moves through the game as well as a character who reflects on the past. And then we have the player who is in a completely different world. I wanted to do something contrary to what I’d been trying to do before, where I tried to bring the player and the character closer.”

Tetsuya Nomura

Character Designer

“When the world was first set there was an overall Asian flavour to it and there were many elements that were inspired by Thailand and the South Pacific. These elements reflected the location of the southern islands, and the Asian flavour was prevalent throughout. Since japan also exists within Asia, I wanted to incorporate Japanese touches as well.”

Fumi Nakashima

Sub-character Chief

The aspect I concentrated on most was giving characters from different regions and cultures distinctive styles of clothing. For example, the Al Bhed are people who function in a machine oriented society, so I wanted to make them stand out from other citizens of Spira. I purposely had them wear goggles and masks in order to make them appear strange and eccentric.

The Ronso are a warrior tribe so I gave them features  that would allow them to engage in battle easily.”

Koji Sugimoto

Main Programmer

-Character-

(On the Playstation 2) “It’s been said that the PS2 is a very complicated piece of hardware and that development is complex. That’s indeed true and it’s taken a long time to master it. But the harder you try to push the hardware, the more rewarding the results. This is where the machine shows its true potential, and it’s fascinating. For example the detail on Yuna’s long sleeves and Tidus’s hood, specular shine and shadows – elements which were difficult to program before can be rendered more realistically, I think.”

Assassins creed design quotes (essay reference materials)

Just a few interesting quotes about the design of Altair from Ubisofts "Assassins Creed" (sourced from the Limited Edition Artbook).  These will be good quotes to reference in my essay as it mentions the conceptual stages of design aswell as Focus group sessions.

“We had different concepts: we had maybe three, four different phrases for the main character. The first one that was maybe more classical: the Sands of Time  team worked on the concept, so maybe it was too close to Sands of Times character design, it was maybe more romantic, more …Arabian Nights? Then it went more and more edgy and stylised, so …the character had first maybe too much fabric, was too round and then it became more edgy, more stylised…I think thinner also. We made parallel with the bird of prey.

So first it was more like a knight, then after, we used a very specific for him, made the parallel between the bird of prey, jumping on his prey. The reference to the eagle and main character is one of the coolest aspects. You have the beak of the eagle, you see it in the hood. In the cape, you can also find, in some animations, the stylization of the wings, and these subtle elements.”

Raphael Lacoste (Art Director)

“We did some focus group testing early on with the character. We knew already that Altair would look the way he does now. I knew assassins at the time wore white, and they had red on them, and they had cloaks and everything, so I gave my direction to the art guys and this was the first draft, and when we put it in 3-D, that’s where we did some iteration, but we went to focus group with that dude, and people already said “Yeah, I want to play that character.” So we knew we had something.

But since we wanted to create the brand we asked, is the 12^th century enough? Is it really a strong idea just to play assassin during the crusade? Maybe it’s better to have a way that we could tell the entire assassins story, or history, multiple different assassins and that’s where the present came in. I’m really into justifying elements of a game. I don’t like video game stuff put on the top of the main action just to say it’s a video game. You need a health bar, and an inventory and stuff like that, I like to justify why. “

Patrice Desilets (Creative Director)               

"Building and Reconstructing Character - A Case Study of Silent Hill 3" Essay analysis

Given that my research project is centred on the “protagonist character”, and what representations are used by development teams in the construction of said characters, Petri Lankoski’s “Building and Reconstructing Character. A Case Study of Silent Hill 3” seemed like an excellent place to look for an in depth account of a character.

Lankoski begins the paper by stating the importance of the player character and the fact that they (if successful) could leave a good lasting impression about the game. This point is evident when you consider the culture of Cosplay that has flourished over the last few years, where people worldwide will spend a great amount of time constructing costumes to be able to take the “persona” of their favourite video game or anime character. Clearly from these examples the characters constructed in games have influenced the player, instead of the conventional opposite.

But Lankoski even as early as the introduction, mentions the argument that constructing a game personality for the player character is particularly problematic.  

“However, there are multiple methods used in games to inform a player about the nature of a player character: pre defined functions, goals, possible and impossible actions, and more traditional audiovisual means.”

It is these means that he explores in his essay, through a thorough case study of the Silent Hill 3 protagonist (and player character), Heather. To categorize how the personality of the player is perceived, Lankoski defines them as follows:

-          The goal and sub- goals of a player character (goals limit plausible actions for a player if s/he wants to progress in a game).

-          Possible and impossible actions (what a player/ character can and cannot do, and which are hard to do in the game)

-          Predefined functions of a player character (e.g. cutscenes, pre-designed dialogue, movement style, gestures and facial expressions)

In addition games use traditional audiovisual methods to reveal a player character like the external features of a characters (body,face,voice), proper and titular names, how other characters react to the player character, how the character is described by other characters or in game material and pre-existing knowledge about the character.

Already these categorizations form a useful guide at examining a video game character, but his subsequent look into Heather is quite insightful due to the analytical method and detail. From the essay I highlighted some of the crucial areas he looked at:

“Silent hill 3 starts to feed information about the player character in the user guide.”

“ Heathers goal: survival”

“...possible and impossible actions are used in this game to highlight how Heather really is quite an ordinary girl: the player needs to activate a special mode by pressing and holding down a button in order to get Heather ready to fight...”

“The dialogue (a player can hear and read only Heathers part of it)”

“Heather refuses to discuss with Douglas and escapes to the ladies room, which ends the cutscene. If the player tries to return to the hallway where Douglas is, Heather will refuse (possible and impossible actions and predefined function), written monologue.”

“The information revealed in pre-defined functions sets up the theme of the game; a journey to Heathers forgotten childhood. It also seems that a player mostly learns Heathers past at the same phase as Heather remembers details”.

Already a pattern begins to immerge about some of the techniques used by a developer to get Heathers personality across to the player. By limiting their actions with reasons (i.e.: Heathers an ordinary girl and as such struggles to fight shown by the fact a special mode has to be activated to fight, if she does not want to do something she will tell the player, etc). Furthermore by limiting the players “vision” into the game world (only hearing Heathers side of the phone call, only learning about Heathers past when she does, etc) it can maximise the opportunity for the player to “bond” with the character of Heather through shared receiving of particular information. The player can sympathise with her reactions this way much more than knowing the whole story and watching her “catch on”. This is really a method of the developer of controlling the Sjuzet of the story aswell, as via dream sequences, surreal moments out of the games chronological order, etc the player is both experiencing the twists of the narrative – in addition to the earlier point of bonding with the character. It’s interesting because it shows how closely linked the creation of a character is with all other aspects of the game.

The essay continues to go into the other parts of the early stages of play, identifying areas that bring up the classifications used by the author Lankoski, but it has already proven invaluable as it has opened my eyes to the broad spectrum of elements that are important to a “good” protagonist character – well a better phase would be complete protagonist.

I also looked at the essay: Games, Montage and the First Person Point of View (Michael Nitsche) but it simply covered a volume of the points brought up in this book: Video game spaces, which was a little disappointing – but the essay talked about an interesting topic of the switch between camera angles. Is it a montage? And if so what does it mean? Unfortunately though this isn’t really relative to my essay topic so I won’t be referencing it.

Topic for research

Over the last few weeks I have struggled to find a specific point in which I want to look at in my research but yesterday I finally focused and found a suitable question to ask myself:

How do representations create and aid a video-game character in achieving a completely immersive video game space?

Now, from that it may seem a little vague and confusing as the wording is not perfect, so I’m going to bullet point some of the key points I want to explore (both for you as the reader and for my own reference):

What is a representation that could be applied to a character for an effect? (Clothing, dialogue, backstory, personality, gender, ethnicity)

How does a developer approach character design to ensure complete immersion into the narrative space via a character?

Does the Fabula and Sjuzet have some bearing over how a character is represented to the player?

The use of ‘Avatars’ over a set character? What effect does this have?

The player’s placement in the world? Does that govern how a character is represented to them personally? (Camera Angle (does an Third Person viewpoint carry just as much affect as a first, etc.)



Does the viewpoint effect your relation with a character?



Does soundscape have any overall effect also?

For research into this I do have a few areas to explore:

Primary: Game Playing and asking gamers questions relative to one/ all of these questions

Secondary: Journals of Virtual Game Research, and documentaries of video games (Beyond Fantasy, Mass Effect, Etc. (for the developer’s viewpoint))

Last post I discussed looking at a book centred on gender but from my understanding on the book from another that has read it, it seems like it is irrelevant – instead focusing on the placement of gender within the industry (a perfectly viable topic but still) – not in games. This is disappointing because there is a lot to the placement of a female character (especially protagonists) within a game and what that causes. Still it is an area I shall have to explore without the aid of that book it seems.

(Bibliography: http://nukoda.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/assassins_creed_2.jpg

http://mirrorsedge.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/wallpaper_mirrors_edge_02_1600.jpg

(accessed 02/05/2011)

Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds

The idea of ‘Space’ as a topic for both discussion and research in relation to video games seemed somewhat vague (a little daunting also), so I decided to begin reading Video Game Spaces: Image, Play and Structure in 3D Worlds (Nitshe, Micheal) for a better understanding of what ‘Space’ could possibly cover. The book itself explores many theories and one such definition piqued my interest. This was 5 Analytical Planes. These five planes cover the different ‘Spaces’ which appear whenever a player participates in a game. They are:

Rule Based Space - probably the most prominent yet non disclosed space which the player will participate in or at least create in the act of gaming. This is because Rule Based Space is defined by mathematical rules that construct elements of play such as AI, Physics, Sounds and game level architecture.

Mediated Space - conversely the most obvious to the player as it is the space dictated to by the cinematic use of images.

Fictional Space - constructed during play, and is generated by the imagination of the player in relation to their understanding of Mediated and Rule Based Space.

Play Space - formed by the physical area of the player, the hardware itself and even the area of social space.

Social Space -created when elements of the video game transitions to other players and is formed from their game spaces.

From these 5 planes, it gives me an interesting perspective on the act of gaming and just how it can generate spaces of multiple varieties. These spaces are the norm for seasoned gamers and are often overlooked but now that they have been revealed, I can personally identify them in my own play experiences throughout the years. For example, in playing Saint’s Row 2 on the Xbox 360, I will be unwittingly constructing and navigating most if not all of these planes. Just by playing the game, Rule Based and Mediated Spaces are being utilised by me as the player. The character that is controlled will have to unwittingly abide to the 1^st plane, while I watch, interpret and react to the presentation delivered in the Mediated Space. While this is occurring, my mind might be constructing possible play scenarios and outcomes – all of which would be orchestrated in the Fictional Space. Again like 1 and 2, Play Space, plane 4, will have been physically formed by me and the Xbox 360 just by contemplating the act of playing before loading up the game save. Social Space would have been created when I transitioned from my own world to a friend’s over the internet play service ‘Xbox Live’ as no doubt my actions would affect their world and in turn the social space.

Narrative layers of video game spaces.

Other unique terminology which was explained in the early section of the book included a duo of words utilised by Russian Formalists when discussing narrative. These were fabula and sjuzet. Fabula describes the events as they happen one by one (often equated with the ‘story’ of a narrative) while sjuzet designates the order and manner of their presentation (conversely equated with the ‘Plot’). The text links these two terms quite well with video games, for example by using the video game Myst as an anchor:

 “… In other words the fabula in video games consists of events as they happen during the run time, not as they should happen as provided by the work provided by the work, The fabula of the video game Myst (Miller and Miller 1993) for example is not the underlying background story of a conflict between two brothers and their father, but the players uncovering of it. Any development of the fabula is positioned within the responsibility of the users interaction that is itself informed by the evocative narrative elements of the title.”

The key difference between Fabula in literary means and video games is definitely apparent. In the reading of a book, the audience will clearly absorb most if not all of the plot depending on reading style. This is imperative to the success of the story.  However many games offer side quests and elements of story that are not at all related to the overarching plot. Players could miss these segments and their understanding of said plot would not be affected. However each player’s Fabula can be altered by how much or little of the story they take in, the order in which they uncover events, etc. The narrative space is controlled entirely by the player in that it has been programed or written – but yet the understanding and exploration of the narrative elements is entirely up to them. But what of Sjuzet? Well again Nitsche uses a good example to explain the term:

“The Sjuzet is present in 3D video game spaces through the work of the presentation. For current 3D spaces, the presentation of events in the game space mainly happens through audio-visual as well as limited tactile output. The sjuzet of Max Payne can structure, for example, flashbacks, replays, or dream interludes.”

So while Fabula shapes the uncovering of a gaming experience, Sjuzet organises the elements of a story – be they dream interludes like that in Prince of Persia or Final Fantasy 8 or flashbacks like those in Uncharted 2 – a game which moves strangely through its chronological order by first presenting the player with the mid-point of the chronological narrative, before pushing them 3 months before the introductory incident.

While remaining on the topic of narrative elements, one interesting part of narrative structure that was looked as was a ‘monomyth’ model entitled “Hero’s Journey.” The model itself is often used as a guide for many authors and film-makers to provide a framework and guide to a plot. “Hero’s Journey” is as follows:

This structure is the theme to many texts, including Lord of the Rings and Star Wars but that does not necessarily mean it has not been a guideline for many modern games. For instance in the game ‘Dragon Age origins’ the character begins in ‘the ordinary world’ and by this I mean a constructed sense of equilibrium that fits a particular ‘race’. For example if I chose the Human I begin in a castle being introduced to family members, potential enemy’s, love interests and my own status as a Prince. This is the ‘ordinary world’ for the avatar the player chooses. Within moments of play you are introduced to the mentor but cannot accept a call to arms. However, due to circumstances beyond the players control you are forced to ‘cross the threshold’ and lose the ‘ordinary life’ – even if it had only been introduced to you a short while ago (due to betrayal in the castle and the death of ‘family members’). After this you are hurled into the: ‘test, allies, enemies’ stage of the game. In this part you pass various trials both with and without the Mentor character (eventually becoming a grey warden in the process) and gather various team members. Finally when you gather enough experience and resources (all player governed) you face your supreme ordeal and reap your reward. Dragon Age’s branching storyline nature means that you may not reach the ‘road back’ and return to ordinary life, but it still remains a possible option. While this does not necessarily affect the ‘space’ of the game, it still tracks the ways that character archetypes are being presented to the player – another focus of my research. The Protagonist, antagonist, tests, allies, enemies and all that comes with it – all of these are representations that have been shaped in some way, shape or form by the creativity, technology or culture of the games creator. Even the representation of a particular story by its narrative has also been shaped by these elements.

However moving away from this topic of narrative for but a moment, the book proceeds to examine the use of 3D worlds and spaces in other mediums and careers – including the use of virtual spaces in Architecture. This is fast becoming habit in the industry due to the ability to convey a perfect recreation of the space before a building is even completely constructed. It’s an interesting area and one I didn’t consider due to the lack of immediate link between architecture and video games.

Still this is but one application of the growing technology in 3D world building, and that the technology remains fast improving leads to another growing argument when it comes not only to game spaces – but also the way in which the player might perceive the world that is presented to them.

Take, for example, a game such as space invaders or pong. For its time and even now  a player or observer knows from the basic graphics on the screen that you are controlling one table tennis paddle vs. another, between which a ball is bouncing – or conversely that you are a turret charged with defending the human race from descending alien invaders. But why does the player know this – especially from the basic graphics conveyed on screen? They draw upon semiotics in that they read symbols in an engineered manner through cultural or indicated information. Earlier games relied on this heavily. But now with advancements in mediated space and cinematic presentation, players no longer expect to work as hard to revel in their respective gaming worlds – instead they expect the graphics, special effects, etc. all to work in unison to convey a representation to them – be it the alien artefact ‘Halo’ in Halo: Combat Evolved or a dense, lively Japan in Yakuza 3. But due to this often now, some argue that a narrative might too revolve around these style elements such as graphics and special effects. In Video Game Spaces, Nitcshe mentions an argument by Mactivish that follows such ethos: (on game narrative, ‘that a game narrative is’ :) “…about special effects and our astonishment over new developments in special effects technology “(2002).

Of course with advancements in games there will always be the attraction of spectacular graphical technology to the modern gamer, but yet whether they entirely play a game for said aesthetic reasons or not is debatable – as Nitsche draws attention upon, with this quote from Ndalionis:  “The spectator in other words should recognise the way science has been placed at the service or artistic skill.”(2004)

By this quote, it really means that some players must look upon a game world and understand how the technology has been bent and crafted in such a way to serve the ultimate creative goal of a design team. In some ways I think both arguments are reflective of perhaps the way the modern gamer might read the texts they are presented with, some preferring the presence of style over substance and others appreciating the way that they both work off each other. And with growing interest in the design process, many games offer a chance to look at said production structure with elements such as Making of Documentaries. But in addition to that, some developers work to truly immerse the player in the experience of the game by including these design features as a part of the mediated space – separate from the plot. The example that is mentioned by Nitcshe is the Luca Sphere Theatre, which allows a player to purchase and watch/ listen to movie sequences or the soundtrack. But a more recent example that outdates the book is the downloadable content ‘Insomniac Moon’ for Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time. The moon is an area in the game that can be visited once downloaded and acts as a development museum for Insomniac development studios. Players can wander the halls, looking at conceptual artworks and even levels in the game which were not included due to ‘game bugs’ or just general game management reasons. It is elements like this that not only build a space for the player to explore that is both removed from the plot but also deconstructs the actual space making process itself – almost in an oxymoronic existence.

Of course this is but looking at particulars or the spaces that developers are creating. Graphics, special effects and areas both far removed for the narrative space but are immersed in it also – all of these would be impossible to navigate were it not for in game cameras, the next topic in Video Game Spaces.

Now use of camera in film and photography is crucial, but in addition the use and actions of a camera is every bit as crucial in video games as those other more conventional media forms. Early games developers knew this, and thus many games offered a mediated space as large as one set camera would allow. For instance the cult classic ‘Pac Man’ used one set camera that covered the entire labyrinth. This meant that camera change wasn’t needed in any way shape or form. Of course this causes certain design constraints and in many cases creates ‘Impossible Spaces’. Impossible Space is the paradoxical space that runs in certain instances – one such case being again with Pac Man. The Pac Man labyrinth has two tunnels that run out into an area beyond the framing of the game. When a player moves through one tunnel they appear in the opposite one moving in the opposite direction. In doing so, the player unwittingly moves through an ‘impossible space’ that exists between the two off screen. The inclusion of said spaces was a necessity in early games but it evolved with the in game cameras. By the time that camera panning side scroller’s were a cultural phenomenon, mostly impossible spaces were being used for bonuses and ‘cheeky’ Easter eggs – as was the case in Super Mario. In Super Mario, the player at certain instances could cleverly move off the screen and run on top of the ceiling, which lead to secret areas. At points like this impossible spaces began revealing their true potential and since then many games have used hidden off screen places to hide secrets – although in 3D spaces this is much more difficult.

Still, returning back onto the topic of camera after the introduction to panning camera to create the genre known as the side scroller, with the creation of 3D worlds the importance of camera movement became incredible because without some tangible means to navigate and understand the 3D world, the player would lose interest and become frustrated. The camera is the means to do this and four types of camera became prominent in use:

Following Camera – A third person perspective that follows the player’s avatar (examples: Tomb Raider, Super Mario 64, Uncharted 2, etc.)

Overhead View – an overhead view on a game world - hugely popular for real time strategy games  although often they incorporate different angles of viewing (examples: Command and Conquer, The Sims, Total War, Metal Gear Solid, etc.)

First Person – a view that would be considered similar to that of ‘real life’ in that you view through the avatars viewpoint. Largely used in in shooter genre although has begun to spread (examples:  Call of Duty, Portal, Elder Scrolls, Mirrors Edge, etc.)

Predefined viewing frames – a selection of set camera angles that activate via player proximity or particular programmed events (Final Fantasy 7 – 9, Resident Evil, Project Zero, etc.)

Except for predefined viewing frames which have become a little less popular with the evolution of video games, all of these Camera types are active in new releases today and this is unlikely to change in the near future at least. One of the biggest issues or grievances a player might have will be with the camera of a game – often ruining a game with potentially a good gameplay. I think this highlights how important it is to the player that their mediated space is perfectly manageable because an unsuitable camera damages the overall experience of the game. It is the equivalent of a book constantly shutting or blowing in the wind while the audience attempts to read. It doesn’t negatively affect the plot or character, even the overall presentation of the book – but instead directly angers the reader, to the point that many would put the book down and stop reading.

The book continues on beyond the above points covered in detail, covering elements such as music, narrative space and more in depth about architecture (can constructed game buildings be considered architecture?). Still for the sake of understanding how such a vague term as space fits into the world of gaming, Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds has more than educated me in this aspect. It taught me not only to look at literal spaces created in games but how they are navigated, what overarching components make the space and also how the player fits into the metaphorical ‘puzzle’ that is Space. Not only that but the insights into narrative structure and how those above space-making techniques are engineered to fit the required representations have been invaluable in beginning to scratch the other overarching topic of the design brief: Representation.

I haven’t mapped my next port of call when it comes to research, but I feel that Beyond Mortal Kombat and Barbie: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming might be another starting point as it promises to investigate representations and gender within gaming (how they intertwine, etc.) – an important and large subject area.

Gaming Observation

While looking around a local game store today I was somewhat alarmed at the lack of games centred for young gamers - which weren't licensed to a particular film or of a specialist type (i.e.: Imagine fashion designer). I looked at the games in the 'top 20' for the Xbox and there was a huge lack of games which weren't of 15-18 age rating.
It was interesting and somewhat sad to discover but it gives me something I can possibly investigate: Has the evolution of technology meant that games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro are a dying/ if not completely dead breed - and if so what does this mean for the representation of the video games for the younger gamer. Are they restricted to games of a specialist nature or licensed games such as the Lego Star Wars/ Batman? Or does this mean that they will more likely play games such as Gears of War or Call of Duty at a hugely premature stage - purely due to such a one sided presence of such games in the market?

These are just observations now, but it is an interesting area to look at when you consider the issues in relation to the research topic

Prezi Presentation Link

Representation and Spaces on Prezi

For the group presentation, I used the online presentation software 'Prezi' to create it. The presentation is split into each topic with several images/ videos to back up the notes from myself and other team members.

Contextual Studies Project 3: Representation and Space Intro tasks

Contextual Studies Project 3:

Representation and Space

For the next 8 weeks I shall be researching, discussing and summarising the following:

The audio/ visual representation of digital games

How representations have evolved from the conception of gaming to modern video games.

In doing this I will focus on other critical areas such as technology, creativity and culture in relation to their impact on the above. Other crucial points to my research will be Gender, Ethnicity and cultural difference. Furthermore with space being an element to the topic, I will be approaching or addressing the construction and subsequent development of game-worlds and environments.

 The introduction to the topic was a lecture by Marie Claire, which looked at the definitions of both Space and Representations using a number of dictionary answers before setting a quick group research task to be carried out.

The dictionary answers shown at the lecture were surprisingly intriguing and threw up some interesting definitions:

“Representation

1 the action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being

so represented : asylum-seekers should be guaranteed good legal advice and representation.

2 the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way or

as being of a certain nature : the representation of women in newspapers.

• the depiction of someone or something in a picture or other work of art :

Picasso is striving for some absolute representation of reality.

• a thing, esp. a picture or model, that depicts a likeness or reproduction of

someone or something : a striking representation of a vase of flowers.

• (in some theories of perception) a mental state or concept regarded as

corresponding to a thing perceived.

3 ( representations) formal statements made to a higher authority, esp. so as

to communicate an opinion or register a protest : certain church groups are making

strong representations to our government.

• a statement or allegation : any buyer was relying on a representation that the tapes

were genuine.

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [image, likeness] ): from Old French

representation or Latin repraesentatio(n-), from repraesentare ‘bring

before, exhibit’ (see represent ). “

(Marie Claire, Year 1 Representations and Spaces (2011))

At the time I wondered how some of these might fit a video game context, so decided to briefly look through the Representation definitions to see which would fit:

1: Seemingly relative to law (to represent someone) but at the same time could be related to games (a video game representing ideas/ a fictional universe/ current technological advancements/ cultures/ etc.)

2: More of a judgemental definition (representing someone as …). Again games translated well into this (i.e.: the representation of a particular faction/culture/ gender/ etc. in a game universe). Some games have even received severe criticism for particular representations given in games (i.e.: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s infamous ‘airport’ level)

3: This definition is more relative to the artistic side of games development (i.e. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm has succeeded in creating a representation of the Anime art style in the game world which bridges the two mediums, etc.)

4: Could be interlinked with definition 3 as they both refer to the representation of an object/ element in relative to another but personally I think this is targeting less artistic representations. For example perhaps movements, or play style? (i.e.: FIFA 11 has created a somewhat flawless representation of the play style of a particular football team/ football in general, etc.)

5: This definition is somewhat difficult as it refers to connotations from a perceived item (i.e.: if a vase of flowers was perceived, what would that unconsciously represent to the person).It is entirely possible to link this to games, but in a far more personal way which will differ to each player. (i.e.: Playing Spyro the Dragon unconsciously causes a representation of my childhood, etc.).

6: This possible ‘Representation’ is centred on expressing opinions to some group or audience. The definition can be applied to some games should they be making a particular point in the game (i.e.: -----------) or even out of it (i.e.: MineCraft making a strong representations to the games industry that the indie games sector has room for massive profit and innovation).

7: This is the only one which I found difficult to justifiably link to video games.

One of the tasks set was to find brief definitions of the terms: Technology, Creativity and Culture – due to their presence in the research criteria and then new meanings found in analysing just the definitions behind ‘Representation’, there was merit in finding those definitions.

Definitions:

Technology

–noun

1.

the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.

2.

the terminology of an art, science, etc.; technical nomenclature.

3.

a technological process, invention, method, or the like.

4.

The sum of the ways in which social groups provide themselves with the material objects of their civilization.

Creativity

noun

1.

The state or quality of being creative.

2.

The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

3.

the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity

Culture

1.

the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.

2.

that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.

3.

a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.

4.

development or improvement of the mind by education or training.

5.

the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.

6.

Anthropology . the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

7.

Biology .

a.

the cultivation of microorganisms, as bacteria, or of tissues, for scientific study, medicinal use, etc.

b.

the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.

8.

the act or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage.

9.

the raising of plants or animals, especially with a view to their improvement.

10.

the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.

–verb (used with object)

11.

to subject to culture; cultivate.

12.

Biology .

a.

to grow (microorganisms, tissues, etc.) in or on a controlled or defined medium.

b.

to introduce (living material) into a culture medium.

(Sourced directly from: http://dictionary.source.com (accessed 26^th March))

The final task set in the lecture was a research project based in groups around acquiring information on the following:

1 Low Pixel character

1HD Character

1 Silent/ Simple Sound Environment

1 Fully immersive 3D environment

These were the Notes which I took on the first two topics (as our group had split into two to maximise coverage.

Research Project:

(Group: Me, Ronnie Appleton, Dominic Beresford-Webb, Josh Allen, Jack Bennett and Robert barret sprot)

Representation – 1 Male and 1 Female (or 1 ‘’other’’ in either case)

Spyro the Dragon

Not really the expected choice given classics such as Mario, Pacman, etc. but he’s a good example of transition from low polygon to low pixel when you consider his GBA adventure/ crossover with Crash Bandicoot.

Technology (and Creativity)

These two headings move hand in hand when it comes to the Spyro character. As technology evolved, so did the character – moving from the low poly beginnings of the PlayStation, to the low pixel screen of the Gameboy advance and finally to standard ‘’next gen’’ consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In each of these platform leaps, the character began to change with each developer (Insomniac initially creating the series and continuing until the PlayStation 2 and GBA games). The final character – whilst retaining the trademark colour scheme and biology as the original, shares little with the insomniac Spyro.

As technology grew, Spyro became less of the innovation that it was on the PlayStation one, and became a standard (if not less than standard) quality next generation game – especially in terms of use of technology.

Culture

The Culture surrounding Gaming at the time of Spyro’s origin was very much on of bright colours and animal based protagonists to cater for a younger audience of gamers. This is obvious when you consider just some of the critical successes at the time (Banjo Kazooie, Gex, Croc, and Crash Bandicoot). In addition it was very much an era for the plat forming genre (to the point of which it gained ‘genre recognition’. In some ways this again is reflected in the choice of animal basis for Spyro (Wings – allow for gliding between platforms/ overall flying, Fire breath and Horns – some form of ‘attack’). Spyro became one of the forerunners for this stereotypical animal platformer and that convention still remains to some extent today (Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Banjo Kazooies recent revival, etc.).

2: HD character - Nathan Drake (Uncharted Series)

The Uncharted series is still very much seen as a benchmark for current gen games consoles and this is clear to see in the protagonist – Nathan Drake.

Technology:

"Our characters they typically have eighty thousand polygons in you know, one character, like the main character. In total- what we try to push through to the graphics chip at one point two million triangles that we try to draw every frame. We do a lot using the cell processor."

(Pal England – Lead Programmer, Naughty Dog (Information Sourced: http://uk.gamespot.com/forums/topic/27066622 accessed 23/03/2011)

While I can’t necessarily validate the source, judging by the 30,000 polygons used for Nathan Drake in Uncharted 1, it’s not entirely impossible to consider that being a valid statement. Of course, it refers to the single player, as multiplayer toned down massively. Still, the current gen technology was well utilised in Uncharted – allowing for extra superficial character detail such as wet clothing, blood stains, etc.

Creativity: The creativity largely lied not in actual character design but rather the mannerisms of the character. This was because Naughty Dog had chosen to create a character which was not a well-trained individual such as Marcus Fenix or Master Chief. The ‘everyman’ approach to Drake meant that creative muscles had to be flexed in approaching just how to create a personality which reflects what a player would be feeling like in the scenarios that Drake gets into. The worried grunts, panicked remarks and general animations all create a representation to the player that this character is constantly battling for his life.

Culture

There are several points in which culture firmly takes its place in the creation of Nathan Drake, and it is largely due to the influences behind the game. Naughty Dog conceptualised Uncharted as a game which would reflect the ‘treasure hunter’ philosophy which was created in critically successful texts such as Indiana Jones, National Treasure and the Mummy. It could be a safe bet that Brendan Fraser’s character ‘Rick’ in The Mummy played some kind of part to Nathan Drakes origin due to the stereotypical quips, constant life threatening positions, clothing and overall bravado behind both Characters.

Other influences (at least to how the character ‘’plays’’): Gears of War (cover system, weapon selection (pick- ups as well)) and Assassin’s Creed (Climbing Mechanics).