January 2008 Archives
Since my last portfolio entry, our class has been focusing on creating an in depth piece revolving around video games. Our assignments have been a series of well focused writings that require not only major research, but in depth analysis of scholarly articles. These assignments were all designed to help prepare us for the goal of writing our final paper.
The first major assignment designed to prepare us was Ex. 4, a peer reviewed article. I chose to review an article called "Gaming (Ad)diction: Discourse, Identity, Time and Play in the Production of the Gamer Addiction Myth by Rob Cover. The article argued that gaming addiction was being viewed and discussed in the same manner as drugs and other serious addictions. The review was a good assignment because it allowed me to get a taste of the type of research that would need to be conducted for our final paper.
The next assignment was Ex. 5, the Presubmission Report. This assignment required us to find sources that would help us with our final paper and to make a kind of outline for our paper. By listing sources and summarizing them, the presubmission report helped me organize my thoughts and ideas concerning the final paper. We were supposed to come up with our own thesis after performing research and my thesis that was to be used for my final paper as well is, "Video games are a form of modern mythology."
Ex. 6 was an Annotated Bibliography. The annotated bibliography was a good source to use while writing the paper because it organized my research in a manner that allowed me to find the article I was looking for based on the summary and source listed. The annotated bibliography was a listing of around 10 sources with a summary and a description as to why the article is important to my thesis.
The final assignment we did prior to writing our final paper was to create an Online Presentation. The presentation was a chance to work out our thesis through a presentation and to also provide illustrations and other articles to back up our thesis. The use of outside sources within the presentation allowed us to use outside sources.
Throughout this process, it was important for all of us to help provide ideas and review each other's works through the blogging site. I interacted with my classmates in a number of ways presented through the following list of entries.
Darrell Kuntz Class Presentation
This class opened my eyes to a new field of study that has me looking at video games with a new found perspective. I have learned a lot about what games may portray to others and where games have come from. The class will affect my future gaming habits and games that I choose to play.
Video games have become an increasingly influential medium over the past 25 years. Young people have especially taken to this new medium for numerous reasons. Video games appeal to all types of people because there is a vast array of genres to choose from. Some games may strictly be puzzle games and others can involve deep story lines with character development. In rare cases, video game characters can develop into more than just active characters within a video game. These characters capture the imaginations of gamers and become pop cultural icons; icons that can transcend their own medium and enter into other arenas to add on to the story or mythology of the character.
One character that truly has taken on his own life is Mario. I'm sure we are all familiar with Mario and his gang of pals, including his arch nemesis Bowser. Mario is such an icon that not only has he appeared in over 100 games, but he has had a television series and a movie about him. If you have ever played a video game before, chances are, you know who Mario is and what to expect from his games. In 1990, Mario was more recognizable to children than Mickey Mouse. He is a prime example of a modern cultural icon and can be looked upon as a mythical being that many of us have all interacted with at some time or another.
Another, more modern pop culture icon that I feel is truly an example of modern mythology is from the "Halo" series named "Master Chief". Master Chief has not only been the main character in three of the most popular games in history, but he even has his own flavor of Mountain Dew. Furthermore, Master Chief has been the subject of an underground web show called, "Red vs. Blue". Halo has also created a series of books to go along with the Halo game series and there have been numerous rumors on and off about the possibility of a Halo game. Master Chief embodies all the attributes of a classic hero. Much like the classic greek myth of Heracles, Chief is extremely strong and has a short, violent temper. In the games, one sees the world through Chief's eyes and feels strength in acting through his mythical body. Instead of just hearing about the stories of Heracles, one gets to experience the story of Master Chief, and help him finish his task as a super soldier.
There are other games that illustrate the power of video games as playing an influential role in pop culture. Mortal Kombat is a game that has inspired two movies with a possible third movie. A similar game series, Street Fighter, also produced a movie and numerous games. Although the movies that were inspired by the games may not totally represent the gameplay of the games, they are good examples of how video game characters become mythology. These movies use the back story of the games to create a film with added plots and action. This is similar to Heracles because Heracles has been used in countless other stories besides the original tales. To become mythology, a character must show flexibility in his/her appearances. People need to be able to add on to the character in order to bring the character to life.
One example of a game character that went on to become a pop culture icon that was in successful films is Lara Croft of the "Tomb Raider" series. Tomb Raider itself went on to have many successful games, but once the movies were made, her status as a pop culture icon became undeniable. The movies also added on to the story of Lara and she has since created more games and been in Pepsi commercials.
The reason that video game characters can become forms of mythology is the fact that gamers get to experience the tales for themselves through the characters. By actually experiencing the events a player gets a sense of the character's strengths and weaknesses and even a sense of the character's personality. This type of experience allows gamers to add on to the myth of each character because they already seem to know what the character is all about. The argument for games being a form of modern mythology also stems from the fact that so many children are exposed to video games every day. A majority of children in the United States play video games or are exposed to video games making more children aware to the existence of such characters. 50 years from now, people will still remember the stories of characters like Mario, Lara Croft and Master Chief and quite possibly there will be even more added to the stories of these characters. The characters take on a life of their own through the gaming experience and additions to their stories thus creating modern mythology.
Works Cited
Fromme, Johannes. "Computer Games as Part of Children's Culture." Game Studies Vol. 3, Issue 1May, 2003 January 17, 2008 <http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/fromme/>.
Summary: Fromme’s work studies the intricacies of video games as a part of culture amongst children. Fromme studies numerous aspects of video game culture including how many children play, what types of games, how often, and how long that children interact with gaming. His study involved taking a sample of 1,111 children and giving them a survey. The survey addressed all of the prior issues. Fromme realized the importance of studying gaming due to its prevalence as a form of new media. The study found that the majority of children game players were males and that female use dropped as the child grew older.
Importance: This work provides my paper with the information needed to prove the widespread use of video games throughout society. It is important to address this issue to discuss how many people will be exposed to the characters and stories within the games. This piece will prove to be a valuable source for my paper.
"Heracles." Greek Mythology. 2005. Greek Mythology. 19 Jan 2008 <http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Heracles/heracles.html>.
Summary: This article describes who “Heracles” was, in Greek mythology. Heracles was a strong god, son of Zeuss but born of a mortal woman. After death he then became a god himself. Heracles was had immeasurable strength but a low intelligence and bad temper. However, when calm, Heracles was always very critical of his actions and served penance to redeem himself, along the way often times helping others.
Importance: Heracles is an important figure in my paper because he will be compared to modern game characters. Heracles shares many characteristics with many popular game characters. It is important for me to compare the icons of past and present in order to make a conclusion as to game characters becoming modern folk tales or mythology.
Jarvinen, Aki. "Halo and the Anatomy of the FPS." Game Studies Vol. 2, Issue 1July 2002 January 17, 2008 <http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/jarvinen/>.
Summary: Jarvinen addresses the game aspects of Halo as a perfect mixture of elements from other games. The game is not a revolutionary game as far as being original, but it is a great improvement on the genre. Halo is described as containing the best elements from the entire FPS genre.
Importance: This article is important to my paper because of my use of Halo’s main character, “Master Chief” as an example. “Master Chief” is a prime example of a pop culture icon. Jarvinen’s article helps answer the question as to why Master Chief is such a popular character.
Juul, Jesper. "Games Telling Stories?!." Game Studies Vol.1, Issue 1July 2001 January 17, 2008 <http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-gts/ >.
Summary: Juul addresses the question of whether or not video games can be considered a medium for telling stories. Juul discusses the difficulties with considering it a medium for storytelling because of the individual player experience. However, the linear workings of video games do allow players to experience stories. Juul also discusses the poor ability for games to transfer into movies.
Importance: This work provides some opposing opinions for my argument of video games as a form of modern folk tales. It also raises some ideas about the experiences each person has while playing video games. Juul gives me some ammunition to use against the argument of video games having an individual experience that drastically differs from every other gaming experience. By realizing that each game might have a slightly different outcome, the story that is truly told through video games is the gaming experience. By playing the game, one may experience a new world or the world of the main character. This experience is where the true story is experienced.
Konijn, Elly, Bijvank, Marije, and Bushman, Brad. "I Wish I Were a Warrior: The Role of Wishful Identification in the Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Adolescent Boys. ." Developmental Psychology Vol. 43(2007):
Summary: This article examines the relationship young boys experience with their favorite video game characters. It makes points concerning violence in gaming and why young boys choose to relate to such characters. The article provides readers with a psychological analysis of child behavior and how it relates to playing video games.
Importance: This article is important to my paper because it addresses the player-character relationship. The article provides me with information as to why certain characters become popular. It will allow me to compare video game icons with other cultural icons.
"Lara Croft Goes Wild for Pepsi." Advertising Age Vol. 72(2001):
Summary: This article addresses the use of Lara Croft in the Pepsi ad campaign. Lara has become such an icon that her image can be used as an advertising tool. The article describes the ad as Lara fighting her way to keep her Pepsi.
Importance: This article is important because it gives a specific example of a video game character transcending into another media. Lara Croft is a popular character that has become much more than a game icon. Croft is now the main character of two movies and numerous games and even, a television commercial. She is in fact a pop culture icon.
"Mario." Wikipedia. 19 Jan 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario#In_popular_culture>.
Summary: This web site has information all things Mario. It illustrates how much of an icon Mario has become over the years. His image has been used in over 100 games and is the mascot for one of the largest video game companies in the world. The article covers everything from the history of Mario, to the cultural significance of Mario in different countries
Importance: This article is important to my paper because it provides me with information as to the history of Mario. Although I am very familiar with Mario, I was not aware as to the vast use of this character. Mario is the most influential video game character of all time and is instantly associated with the Nintendo company. For people of my generation, it is hard not to think of Mario when the topic of video games is brought up.
Ex. 5 Term Paper Presubmission
By Darrell Kuntz
Dr. Jerz
Video Games and Culture
Thesis paragraph:
Video games play a major role in the advancement of new technologies in modern society. In America, almost every child has the option of participating in this new media by playing video games. This fast growing form of new media will be a major influence on the future generations of our society. This powerful form of media will expose large amounts of children to certain video game characters that will become so popular that the characters will be transformed into something larger than simply a video game character. These characters will become so widely recognized and loved that their stories will become a form of interactive, modern folk tale.
Quotations to Support Thesis:
· “It is also an oft-repeated but problematic point that game sessions are experienced linearly, just like narratives.” (Juul, 2001)
· “Interactive video and computer games belong to the new multimedia culture that is based on the digital computer technology. These games have become increasingly popular in the past 20 to 25 years, especially among young people.” (Fromme, 2003 )
· “starting and playing electronic games has become easier in the past two decades. You don't need need specific computer knowledge to use a Game Boy or a television-linked console - it is just plug and play.” (Fromme, 2003)
· Patricia M. Greenfield addressed new media as cultural artifacts. (Fromme, 2003)
· “Only 2.2 percent of our 1,111 sample never played any video or computer game. The sample was comprised of children.” (Fromme, 2003)
· “The interactive features of video games encourage players to identify with violent characters. TV and film viewers simply watch violent characters. Video game players, however, must take the perspective of the violent character to play the game.” (Konijn, Bijvank, and Bushman, 2007 )
· “Contemporary media fare offers a large variety of role models to imitate. Adolescents might select models that possess qualities they already have (i.e., similar models) or models that possess qualities they do not have but wish they had—“real heroes” they can look up to.” (Konijn, Bijvank, and Bushman, 2007)
· “Of the two types of models, we believe that adolescents are most attracted to the “real heroes” with power and charisma in the media. For male adolescents, such “real heroes” are often tough, aggressive men with guts and glory. Identifying with these “real heroes” may also help boys feel more independent and mature.” (Konijn, Bijvank, and Bushman, 2007 )
· “PepsiCo's Pepsi-Cola Co. launches its summer Wild Cherry Pepsi promotion, with a 30-second ``Tomb Raider''-themed spot.” (Lara Croft Goes Wild for Pepsi)
· “The commercial was shot on the movie set and shows video-game character Lara Croft battling demons to recapture her Wild Cherry Pepsi.” (Lara Croft Goes Wild for Pepsi)
Quotations to Refute Thesis:
· “this idea ignores the player's experience of being an active participant - this experience is so strong that most people will involuntarily change bodily position when encountering interactivity, from the lean backward position of narratives to the lean forward position of games.” (Juul, 2001)
· “If we look at the Mortal Kombat (Midway games 1993) game, it is a fighting game (beat'em'up) where different opponents (humans or computer players) battle in an arena. It is thus a dynamic system that allows many different people to interact with many different outcomes. The Mortal Kombat movie (Anderson 1995) is not a dynamic system, but a story with a specific set of characters entering a Mortal Kombat game and playing through with specific outcomes. The fairly non-descript game characters and open player positions become more detailed movie characters; the simulation is converted into specific events.” (Juul, 2001)
· “Boys play more often and more regularly than girls do. This indicates different media use styles, and to some extent different leisure preferences of boys and girls.” (Fromme, 2003)
· “While movies and theatre do not have a grammatical tense to indicate the temporal relations, they still carry a basic sense that even though the viewer is watching a movie, now, or even though the players are on stage performing, the events told are not happening now.” (Juul, 2001)
Other Ideas that Support Thesis:
· Game characters have become media icons with the ability to transcend the video game medium.
· Games have inspired films, books, future games and even artistic game simulations that tell additional stories of the character. (i.e. Red vs. Blue)
· Characters not only become icons within their medium, but they also become pop culture icons.
Other Ideas that Refute Thesis:
· Many games do not provide characters that gamers actually like or care about.
· Many popular games do not have any real characters to speak of.
· Movies based on video games are often poor interpretations of the games.
Preliminary Conclusion:
The ability of popular video game characters illustrates their power within pop culture to influence other media. The power of video games and their audience can carry over into other, more established media. When this happens, the character is no longer just a video game character, but a pop culture icon. The exposure that children have to these characters creates a general knowledge of their existence and what the characters are known for, much like folk tales or mythology in past cultures. The characters that were held in Greek mythology were known by all that lived in Greece. If video games continue to advance, it is not unfair to say that the knowledge and popularity of games and their characters can reach a similar status amongst American society. When the children of today become elderly, the stories of the Mario brothers will still be known, as will that of Master Chief and numerous other characters. Through interaction with the characters in video games, their stories are experienced by the gamers and remembered thus making the characters into more than just animated representations. Video game characters represent ideas and a form of entertainment that society, thus becoming part of society.
Works Cited
Fromme, Johannes. "Computer Games as Part of Children's Culture." Game Studies Vol. 3, Issue 1May, 2003 January 17, 2008 <http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/fromme/>.
Juul, Jesper. "Games Telling Stories?!." Game Studies Vol.1, Issue 1July 2001 January 17, 2008 <http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-gts/ >.
Konijn, Elly, Bijvank, Marije, and Bushman, Brad. "I Wish I Were a Warrior: The Role of Wishful Identification in the Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Adolescent Boys. ." Developmental Psychology Vol. 43(2007):
"Lara Croft Goes Wild for Pepsi." Advertising Age Vol. 72(2001):
1. Peer reviewed academic article:
· Gaming (Ad)diction: Discourse, Identity, Time and Play in the Production of the Gamer Addiction Myth by Rob Cover
2. Author’s thesis
· The social myth of gamer addiction has come from the same rhetoric used to describe drug addiction and both addictions are looked at as dangerous because the addicted person is spending too much time in an untrue reality.
3. Evidence the author uses to support the main idea.
· Cover, “if the study of gaming is to go beyond the celebration or close analysis of games and further continue the examination of gaming sociality, then one of the political points of engagement centres on the question of gaming addiction, rather than ignoring or denouncing this unfortunate stereotype.”
· Cover suggests that new technology has been given a stigma of addiction much like that of gambling, pornography and sexual compulsion because they exhibit repetitiveness.
· Cover, “any concept of addiction involves a notion of behaviour change and a desire for or experience of repetition.”
· Lart, “Addiction is sometimes presented as an experience of moral disorder, a physical failing, a social failing, or as an infectious disease that must be contained or monitored for fear of spreading addiction from one body to another.” (Lart, 1998).
· Cover discusses that specific games are not necessarily viewed as addictive, but the choice to play video games is viewed as addictive because it involves interacting with a virtual world that is a work of fantasy, much like a drug addict escapes reality.
· Cover, “there is no evidence to suggest that gameplay involves the shirking off of a self-aware subjectivity and a complete immersion in a narrated character that is violent. Nevertheless, the stereotype persists, and it is this sterotype that supports a continuing assertion of gameplay as addictive on the basis of a spurious connection between the stereotype of the drug addict as a violent menace and the understanding of gaming as a "release" from the constraints of identity into some sort of primal, violent mode.”
· Cover, “This "excessive" loss of time is often used to justify the addiction claim-the idea that too many people are spending too much time with a games machine, much as one presumes a drug addict spends too much time "on drugs," as it were. This is to continue the misreading of immersion or interactivity as addiction (p.46).”
· Cover, “Whatever the personal or social value in gameplay, it remains that in the discourses of moral panic passion is re-written as addiction, supported by the witness of a player’s time and dedication. It is of course ironic to note that a passion for career, a sporting activity or even legitimate politics is seen as "healthy," whereas passion for that which is in digital form is represented as dangerous or addictive-a reaction to the continued novelty of games as opposed to other, more essentially "physical" or "localised" activities.”
· Cover, “Where the television is thus thoroughly marked by cycles of clock-time, gaming is marked by unstructured time, and it is that which causes anxiety enough for those who would in conservative terms see time as responsibly measured (by work, family) that they look to the analogy with drugs and drug rhetoric, as well as the concept that lengthy periods of play are an indication of addiction.”
· Cover, “Gaming is understood as addictive not because games are compulsively used, but because in representing their conceptual universe as "unreal" they are likened to drugs, and thereby become subjected to a discourse of drug addiction.”
4. Alternative and Opposing Ideas
· Cover quotes numerous authors with this statement, “Frequently, the addicted gamers are seen as low-class, proto-violent addicted and dangerous kids (Beavis, 1998), learning to express repressed anger and aggression (Young, 1998), sociopathically isolated (Thompson, 2002), and potentially capable of perpetrating another Columbine High school shoot-out (King & Borland, 2003).”
· Rob Cover shows an example of opposing ideas with an excerpt from a Melbourne, Australia newspaper called “The Age”. The article was titled, “Why Computer Games Should Worry Parents” which listed three negatives of children playing video games those being: a) games usurp the creativity involved in playing with legos, b) games along with DVD’s and TV distract from reading and c) games are compulsive and addictive.
· Young, “five to ten percent of internet users are addicted-she concludes that therefore five million Internet users are addicts on the basis of alcohol/ gambling use/ addiction differentiation estimates.”
· Young, “In my survey 97 percent of all respondents reported that they found themselves spending longer periods of time-on-line than they intended" (Young, 1998, p.36).” In Young’s opinion, the loss of time correlates to addiction.
5. Evidence sources that work against the author’s thesis.
· From the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification, “A player’s exposure to these [violent] aspects of the game is not fleeting. A proficient player could take up to an hour to complete each of the 24 levels. The length of time it takes to complete the game, and the necessity to repeat the killings in ever more gory fashion on each level if one does not complete that level at first attempt, increases exposure to material that initially disturbs, but which must be accommodated to complete the game…. To succeed in this game, a player must learn over an extended period of time to acquiesce in, tolerate, or even enjoy, the violence he or she inflicts. (2003).
· Senator Kay Hutchison who points to some statistics on television violence but goes on to suggest that "if a child is playing video games, that number is multiplied and the violence is at his own hands. He pulls the trigger, he likes it, he has fun, and his score goes up" (Kent, 2001, p.547).
· Davis, “After use of the Internet, Jeanne "began sharing her most personal thoughts and intimate details of her life" with online friends ("not her husband or real-life friends") and soon began exchanging erotic messages and enjoying cybersex. Likewise, players of MUD Interactive Games (Davis, 2001) are seen by Young as ignoring their real families who "are in the next room singing and laughing with holiday merriment" (1998, p.89), and Young does indeed bewail the fact that we no longer "know the names of the people next door" and that families "hardly ever eat together"
6. How does this academic article differ from traditional game reviews and new games journalism?
· This article is very certainly not an example of a traditional game review for numerous reasons. First of all, this game is not focused on one game or even one genre of games; it is focused on a subject relating to video games as a medium. Traditional game reviews perform a service to game consumer so that they don’t end up buying a game that they will not enjoy. This article is also certainly not an example of new games journalism much for the same reason, this article doesn’t relate to the analysis of one game. Rob Cover’s article on gaming addiction relates to the public perception of video games as a whole. He discusses the similar public views of video games to drugs and violence and is not at all interested in discussing any one game. Nor is Cover looking in depth at the design of a game, he is attempting to start a conversation with the goal of advancing the study of video games.
Works Cited
Cover, Rob. "Gaming (Ad)diction: Discourse, Identity, Time and Play in the Production of the Gamer Addiction Myth." Game Studies Vol. 6, Issue 1Dec. 2006 January 16, 2008 <http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/cover>.
This volume of my Participation Portfolio is much more specific than the previous entry. Volume 2 is intended to be a more in depth example of my work in the class. These entries are examples of some of my more in depth and insightful pieces of work within this class. These works are prime examples of my individual observations relating to video games as a cultural medium.
The first entry within my portfolio is Utopian Entrepreneur. This piece shows my ability to understand the assigned readings through summarization and analysis. In this piece, I discuss Laurel's attempt and relative success in reaching young women through the medium of video games. This work also discusses the responsibility of game designers to create games that deliver messages of morals, thereby affecting change within society.
My next entry is Gender in Video Games. My work in this piece demonstrates my understanding of the representation of gender in video games, specifically the charachter "Laura Croft". This work discusses Laura's positive influences in video games for female. Laura Croft is a character that actually represents female empowerment and should not be viewed as a negative influence on young women. Laura is a strong character that takes charge and only acts in her own will.
My third example of in depth analysis is Fat World. My analysis of Fat World is a prime example of my ability to look at video games from a unique perspective. I was able to analyze the game from many angles and discover the subtle messages within the game. Fat World is a disappointing game that had potential to send a clear message to young children in a manner that could affect social change.
Finally, my last entry that details my in depth analystic abilities is Game Analysis 2. In this entry, I have illustrated my ability to observe games at a level beyond face value. This entry makes the statement that the classic puzzle game, "Tetris", is actually a metaphor for life. Tetris contains many aspects that represent the general experience of every person on this planet. The game has subtle representations of a person's perspective of time and also illustrate the mortality of men. This is probably my finest example of insightful observations within this class.
In the next group of examples, I will illustrate my interaction with my classmates through blogging. Blogs are a great tool for class participation. Students can easily discuss numerous issues through the use of blogs. I have had some insightful discussions with my classmates through blogging. Here are my examples of classroom interaction.
Ashley F, Household Decorating
Derek, Fatworld-Interesting Game?!
The point of this portfolio is to illustrate my participation within the class. I strongly feel that the ideas that are portrayed within these entries prove my interest and active participation within the class. Furthermore, this portfolio is a prime example of my ability to make insightful observations that reach beyond the general view of video games.
This class has been an interesting one thus far. Video games have always been a part of my life and I identify myself as a gamer. This class has allowed me to expand my perception of video games beyond the face value of each game. Now I know that there is a lot more to video games than just cool graphics and exciting gameplay, although those aspects are still important. I have learned about the history of video games and also the influence games can have on society. Games are a new form of art in today's culture, and much like art of the past, video games can influence the attitudes held by a society. It is important to understand the potential influence of this medium because its powers can be used in a positive way or a negative way.
Blog Entries
There are some pieces within this blog that involved more deep thought than others. For example, in my Game Analysis 2 I searched very in depth to analyze the game of Tetris. With this piece, I feel that I illustrated a great deal of in depth observations that help make sense of the traditional puzzle game. My Comparative Analysis is also a prime example of my ability to tell the difference between traditional game reviews and new games journalistic reviews. Finally, my entry on Gender in Games I feel helps bring some new insights into the character of Laura Croft as a positive female character in video games, especially compared to others in the market.
In addition to creating blog entries, I have also interacted with my peers on their blog sites as well. Here are the links for my comments on other blogs and the comments others have placed on my blogs.
Interaction/Xenoblogging
Brandon Gnesda, History of Video Games
Derek, What are Ergodic Video Games
This portfolio has illustrated my class participation through different means of work. Some of that work is responding to articles and literature. Other work is reacting to other people and their interpretations of the readings or games. This shows my the effort I have put forth to interact with my classmates and with the material.
My attitude about video games has always been positive and without them I would have never discovered the joy one can have from totally owning a friend in NHL and berating him with insults. Video games are a part of who I am. I am a gamer, through and through and I expect to play them for the rest of my life.
My lense is that I am a white male undergraduate studying history. My environment changes because I am from Pittsburgh and visit it frequently but I also live in Greensburg, a more rural area. I also play baseball at Seton Hill and that greatly influences my lense. My competitive nature from baseball also finds a need for another outlet which is one of the reasons I love playing video games.
Review of Halo 3
Prior to its release, Halo 3 was one of the most highly anticipated video games ever made. The Halo series has one of the most devoted fan base seen in video games, comparable to the “Dead Heads” that follow the Grateful Dead on tour. With such anticipation for a game three years in the making, it may be hard to believe that Halo 3 would live up to its billing. Start believing. Halo 3 not only looks better with the improved Xbox 360 console but the additions to the game make it a complete mix of the previous Halo games delivering the same adrenaline rush the loyal gamers of Halo expect.
Halo 3 has a long campaign mode that can be replayed again and again on different difficulties providing new challenges to the gamer. Although, there are some negatives to the game, for example the A.I. in campaign at times is mediocre at best. Allowing computer controlled teammates to drive vehicles is a bad decision, the computer will often times drive in circles without approaching enemies, making using the .50 cal machine gun almost impossible unless in co-op mode. Another negative to campaign mode involves the A.I. of the “difficult” enemies known as “brutes”. Game developers promised gamers that the brutes would be more difficult to kill because of the improved A.I. but this development may have been fudged by developers just a little. It is still easy to kill brutes in close combat because of their wild melee attacks that can trap brutes into corners. These negatives are strongly outweighed by the positives in campaign mode. The story of Halo 3 is very cinematic with large landscape shots and amazing graphics of explosions. The game also provides a full warfare experience, incorporating not only shooting, but the use of vehicles and aircraft. Most importantly, the campaign mode gives the gamer an ending to the saga of Master Chief.
Although campaign mode is fun, the best part about Halo 3 is the online game play. The matchmaking for online games sorts gamers by rank and skill level and the system keeps a vast array of statistics that can be viewed on Xbox live or on the Bungie website. The online games have significantly less lag than Halo 2 experienced and matchmaking usually only takes about a minute. The online game play alone is worth paying the $60 plus the Xbox live fees.
The addition of new weapons such as the Spartan laser and the power drain and new online levels keeps the game fresh for loyal fans. After playing this game for the past three or four months without losing interest I would have to rate this game an -A. The only reason it is an -A and not an +A is because of the high expectation of improved A.I. that was advertised and not delivered in the game. Even with that considered, gamers are hard pressed to find a shooting game that delivers the excitement and replay ability of Halo 3.
Comparative Analysis
The game I chose to compare reviews of was the game called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The traditional review was pretty much what I expected it to be, a general overview of some of the positive and negative aspects of the game. The author discussed things such as game play, graphics, audio, and then gave the game an overall rating. Luedkte gave examples of negatives within the game such as, “However, seldom as it was, there were times when gigantic enemies that were too large and skilled to spring over would surround the Prince and the camera would pop over to a very unfavorable angle, such as behind a pole or wall.” (Luedkte, 2003) When comparing this type of review with that of a work of new games journalism, this criticism of the game seems frivolous. Although this is important information for consumers, the technique of new games journalism tackles the game from a totally different perspective that analyzes the game from a deeper level other than saying “the graphics look good”.
The piece of NGJ that I chose was first published in Edge magazine in 2005 and approaches the game from an interesting angle. The author discusses how unique Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time really was from a design standpoint. The author touches on the expectations that most gamers have when they sit down to play a video game by saying, “But gamers have been trained for years to mistrust cut-scenes; what gamers trust is action. And so, once they gain control of the prince, the bedroom and the tale-telling is dismissed or forgotten. Shrugged off as a hackneyed narrative device for setting the game's fantastical scene.” (Edge, 2005) This insight alone shows a great deal of understanding and may even shine light into the eyes of game developers. But Prince of Persia comes back to surprise the gamer by making this opening cut scene more important than initially thought. Later in the game the gamer finds that all the action that has been performed over the past few weeks is actually something that has been erased by time and the opening scene is the tale of what the gamer actually experiences. The author of the article also expresses some sadness in the fact that games didn’t end up following the artistic trends that were set by this game. “By resuscitating a stagnant genre - the 3D platformer - it formed a blueprint for how to build a future for games on the very best foundations of the last 25 years, of how to streamline and modernise everything that's precious in gaming's heritage. And yet, now, time seems to have reset. Now, it seems unlikely to have the influence it deserves, and the proof of that is evident in its sequel, Warrior Within.” (Edge, 2005)
When comparing these two pieces, the difference between the two styles becomes crystal clear. While the traditional review serves a purpose to consumers it lacks the in depth analysis that the new games journalism pieces provide. I have never played Prince of Persia: The Sands of time, but after reading the article in Edge, I feel as though I have played the game. That fact in itself may be why reviews are done in the traditional sense because I now have no reason to play the game. I know what happens, I understand the plot on a deep level and no longer feel the need to spend time on it other than to see the graphics. But I truly appreciate the analysis provided in the Edge article, some may say it is an over-analysis but I tend to over-analyze many things including video games. Traditional reviews may be boring but they provide a service for consumers and new games journalism provides an insight into the real messages that games portray to the gamer.
Works Cited:
Luedkte, John. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Review." Gaming World X 2003 Jan. 4. 2008
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." Edge February, 2005 Jan. 4. 2008 <http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/2005/02/prince_of_persi.php>.
I feel that video games are extremely ergodic in their methods and the uses of games but games are not all formatted exactly the same. However, games do share aspects such as title screens, menu screens, save options (in modern games). These characteristics of games let the player know that they are playing a game and also allows players to play a vast array of video games without having to figure out which commands this program will understand. Games are created with this user friendly fashion for the reason of making it easier to use and therefore sell more video games.
Tetris
Tetris is the classic puzzle game in which different shaped blocks fall at a rising speed. The goal of the game is to prevent the blocks from reaching the top by filling in all of the spaces in a row to clear the blocks. Higher points are awarded for multiple row eliminations. On the surface this game may seem to be a simple puzzle game, but upon closer examination, Tetris can be perceived as a metaphor for life.
The lesson that Tetris teaches its loyal players is how to deal with the difficulties of life. At the beginning levels of the game, the blocks fall at a slow pace into a blank space. The blank space represents the clean slate that every child is at birth. The slow pace is representative of a child’s perspective on life. Because the child has only been alive for a brief period of time, each moment seems longer in comparison to someone that has lived for a longer period of time because the child has a shorter basis to make sense of how fast time passes. Life is also simple and easy for most children because they do not need to worry about basic needs, those are provided to the child by its parents. That is why the game is easy at the beginning of the game.
As the player continues to play the game and reach certain scores the game speeds up. The blocks begin to fall at a faster rate thus making it more difficult to find the best placement for each differently shaped block. Once again, the speeding up of time is representative of a human’s perspective of time. Since someone has lived longer, each second seems to be a shorter period of time because in the vast spectrum of time a second becomes a smaller fraction of overall time experienced by a person.
The different shapes represent the different obstacles that life throws at each person throughout their life. As the player gets further into the game it becomes more difficult to manage the blocks, much like the transitions each person goes through in life. There are times when things in life begin to pile up and each person matures. With that new found maturity there are more responsibilities for every individual.
Tetris is a metaphor for life because it incorporates life’s obstacles within the basic time frame of a human life. Also, much like life, Tetris is impossible to play forever. Eventually, the player will be unable to maintain control of all the elements of life and the game will be over. In other words, the player, much like people, is a mortal being, even in the game. Other games give players the opportunity to beat the game and never die. However, in Tetris, the most anyone can achieve is the high score which is left by the player’s initials or whatever tag they may leave behind. This is representative of life, because no one can live forever, but people can be remembered for what they achieved during life. In the future, we should all appreciate the subtle intricacies of this seemingly simple video game classic.
Madrid:
Madrid is a game that was made after the 3/11 attacks in Spain but the game is about how people around the world deal with terrorism. The game is a single screen shot of a candle light vigil in which all of the people have shirts on that say “I Love Paris” or “I Love New York”, etc. The object of the game is to click on all of the candles to make them as bright as possible. The candles represent the spirits of the people of these cities uniting to fix their cities and feel secure. However, the game is impossible to win because there are too many candles to continuously click before the lights begin to go out. The message this game delivers is that in times of crisis people unite, but once security is reestablished within society the sense of unity is lost. For example, in America after 9/11, it seemed as though everyone was overwhelmed with this unifying sense of patriotism, American flags were everywhere. But now, years later that sense of patriotism is long gone. The game is impossible to win because it is impossible to maintain unity within torn regions.
September 12, is an interesting game that has no ending and no overall objective, it is simply an expression of the designer’s opinion on the War on Terror. The game raises some interesting insights within the game play. As the player, you have two options, shoot or don’t shoot. And within the game there are two types of characters, civilians and terrorists. At the beginning of the game the civilians outnumber the terrorists about 7:1. The game illustrates the society of a Middle Eastern village with civilians and terrorists walking around aimlessly. During game play, one attempts to kill terrorists, feeling as though that would have to be the point of the game, but the player discovers the true point of the game after beginning the attack. First of all, it is difficult to kill the terrorists; they always seem to just get out of the way early in the game. Secondly, when a civilian is accidentally killed, other civilians come rushing over and cry over the loss of a life. Most interesting about this aspect of the game is that the civilians that mourn the deaths of others end up transforming into terrorists. So after playing the game for five minutes or so, the ratio of civilians to terrorists becomes overwhelmingly favorable to the terrorists. The game’s message is that our “War on Terrorism” actually creates more terrorism. September 12 is a well made, politically charged game that clearly illustrates its point.
Brandon Gnesda makes an interesting point about the need for rewards at the end of games. The more work, the greater reward at the end. I have to agree with this attitude about gaming because I played the "Photopia" game until I was able to beat the game. This was a long, frustrating process that was unrewarding at the end of the game. The game seemed to have all kinds of interesting twists that I hoped would tie together at the end, instead it was just a cheap ending about a girl reading a story. Needless to say, I was upset. The text games not only require work from the puzzle aspect of the games, but also from the imagination one needs to play these games. Reading text requires much more thought than does playing a visually charged games because the gamer must read closely and imagine what the game is describing. Text games may not be for me, but I do prefer to play games that are challenging. Whenever I play any game, my goal is to beat that game on its most difficult setting because the challenge is what is fun for me, the need to work and practice in order to become good enough to beat the game gives me pleasure.
The web address "http://blogs.setonhill.edu/FirstnameLastname" is where your most recent entries will appear. New entries will appear at the top of this page, and older entries will slide down the page and eventually move to an archive.
To create and edit entries on your site, go to blogs.setonhill.edu, and log in with your blog username and password. (You'll need to get that information from a blog administrator. Contact me, Dennis Jerz, for help.)
I have posted a welcome message on the New Media Journalism weblog, which has links to tutorials and troubleshooting guides.
Recent Comments
thesis paper on Video Games and Me: Wonderful article, thanks for
Dennis G. Jerz on Annotated Bibliography: Darrell, you found several goo
Brandon Gnesda on Class Presentation: Video Game Characters as Modern Mythology: Hey D, Great topic. I really e
Derek Tickle on Class Presentation: Video Game Characters as Modern Mythology: Hi Darrell! What a great topic
Dennis G. Jerz on Participation Portfolio 2: I was glad to see you sustaini
Darrell Kuntz on Ergodic Games: IF games were popular once? Ha
Brandon Gnesda on Participation Portfolio: Hey Darrell. I agree with Dere
Derek Tickle on Ergodic Games: I agree with you about video g
jonathon on Video Games and Me: the atari 2600 will always be