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 1st 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.
