Slender Man

Slenderman has become part of the super flat character database and through use of fan-created mythos has been able to traverse various forms of media including youtube videos, independent games and wiki pages. There are a few characteristics necessary for a character, whether protagonist or antagonist to be  "Slender Man" all accepted as truth by the fan-constructed community an mythos. In order to insight fear, shock or alarm by the outside party be it the gamer, viewer or reader; the slender man must tower over humans, be overtly inconspicuous and equally mysterious. His face should be unidentifiable, however extremities may vary. The fan-created mythos would not be possible prior to the emergence of Jenkin's Convergence Culture- connecting mediums of media to one another creating continuity between many appearances of Slender Man, a character evidenced by Murikami's "Earth at my Window" and the idea of a super flat character within a database that can be implemented in many forms of art, driving the narrative rather than being guided by a specific "grand narrative" 

Isaac: Superflattened by Existentialism

The binding of Isaac has elements found in both the superflat theory as explained by murikami's "Earth at my Window" and Existentialism theory as outlined by "A selection from existentialism and human emotions" by jean paul sarte.

In the trial/start of the game the player plays as Isaac after a narrated scene unfolds explaining the situation you (as protagonist) are in. Isaac in fear of being killed by his mother falls down a trapdoor and the game begins. The maps are randomly generated as are monsters and items. Even bosses! This represents the idea of a "character database" im which the protagonist decides the narrative rather than some ominous outside writer of the "grand narrative" this is a concept of superflat evident in the game as there are many possible paths to take, secrets to unlock, items to imbue in your head, and bosses to face off. It all depends on randomly generated sequences and character choice. Which brings me to the next point- the game is very existentialist in nature, relying on the individual's actions and end-meaning of their existence within the game's realm. Where you end up is entirely up to you and there is no way to follow another journey because it remains a unique experience that one person/one character must endure. 

But Thou Must be Time Fcuked!

Video games originating from Japan are notorious for using the trope "But Thou Must" to make it appear as if the game is offering the player choices, although they all lead down the same narrative path. This is evident in many Western games including "Time Fcuk"wherein the beginning you are told by a future version of the main character played, to "get in the box". Immediately I was skeptical and wanted to explore the in-game environment; however was rendered unable to do so when I was pushed into 'the box' without even a dialogue tree or choices which forced me to be able to decide. The creators of the game implied there was a choice then didn't allow for any exploration of options and used a duplicate image of my own character to push me inside! Bastards.
 At any rate, this is a useful technique to drive the narrative and continue push the player through a linear narrative. This is great for specific types of games and should be used by all gaming cultures, however, retaining the core values a culture was founded on is extremely important to the culture and the gamers who have grown up experiencing games a certain way. Time Fcuk is super flat  in that it has no depth to it. The deepest we go is further down 'the box' we must complete each level, listening to our 'future self' without actually knowing if it truly is ourselves or if we are being fooled. Our character doesn't scream in any of the subsequent rooms however, does grow a friend that is foreshadowed by the future self. The super flat concept has moved to the west as all things are in our day and age through technological advances and the internet database. The database of which super flat characters are pulled is not a physical one but one located within the grand database available to all cultures and continents. Therefore, yes, super flat has spread to the west; however what's to say narratives allowing player choice or ones that follow a grand narrative won't spread to the east or already have not begun to re-emerge?

~Andrew A.
~Gallant Gamer

Politics & Pop

The parody and opinions of politics has seeped down through mainstream culture and into the technological infrastructure. Shows such as 'the apprentince' use the well-known mainstream concept of being fired from a job; where conscious groups use the show to relate to the impeachment of the president for a job not well done. The ability for the people to discuss, parody and poke fun at politics has given us the power of voice.

Abstract

                Protagonists in video games represented as ‘blank-slate’ characters allow for games to appeal to larger audiences by offering a flat, hero character that enters new realms, completes quests driven by a narrative that loosely follows the structure of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. These characters become heroes and have a quest or quests to complete before the game ends.  Two popular examples would be The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon games series; they each feature a protagonist who has no definite features from game to game, doesn’t speak at all, and can be named by the player. The character’s personal narratives seem to be driven by the story to become heroes and there is nearly the same amount of deviation possible for both protagonist characters within the quest and the characters story and what the gamer can or can’t do. Everything is pre-scripted for play, and (in these examples) driven by well-written narrative in creative environments, where the player gets to ‘fill-in the blanks’ left by the developers in creation of the characters. A hero tale that is ambiguous is a relatable one.







Edit 12:07AM This is a rough draft. I did not recieve an e-mail with information regarding this assignment. Just wanted to turn something in by 12, that basically encompasses what I plan to research.

Story Value and Male Beauty

Beauty (Re)Discovers the Male Body by Susan Bordo: http://wendtenglish201f10.wikispaces.com/file/view/Wendt.Beauty+(Re)discovers+the+Male+Body1.pdf

Bordo addresses how advertisements in all forms of media not only effect fashion trends, but psychological thought processes regarding the roles of gender, race and culture. These ads not only express a certain perspective on the roles various categories should play, but perpetuate already in place stereotypes. One very interesting reality Bordo highlited was the role within clothing advertisements genders play: "Men act and women appear" (Bordo 191) Men act as they are unconscious of a camera because they are actively engaging in various 'manly' tasks; whereas, women appear on display, enthused by the obvious stares of men and women visible in the commercial or at home watching from their sofas.

“No Redeeming Value” by Extra Credits: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/no-redeeming-value

To begin with, I have never played the God of War series other than a demo of the first game. With that being said, the Extra Credits team presented very valid points that not only concern the series but the whole of video games as works of art. Where the game succeeds in characterizing the protagonist without dialogue, inner thought or backstory; it fails to provide a story with  themes that relate and foreshadow to other themese present in the narrative. If games are to be held in high esteem with the 'fine arts' of literature and theatre, they must have strong narratives that provoke the audience of gamers to think. Art is mereley expression until it is interpreted, and with nothing to express other than rage, hate, and angst with no base; the art never comes to fruition.

Articles to Research

Some articles to use as a starting point, reference and citation for my research paper on the game "Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker"

Monomyth of zelda, link and the hero's journey
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-monomyth-of-zelda-link-and-the-heros-journey-part-1-long-good-read.187200254/

How does link's journey relate to the monomyth? How does it stray? How is it different in that Link has a blank slate as a character in each release of "The Legend of Zelda?"

Shinto Perspectives in Miyazaki's Anime Film 'Spirited Away'
http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol8No2/boydShinto.htm

Unusual or "superior" manifestations of this generative, vital power, called kami, can be experienced as possessing an awesome presence and potency.
However, to experience the kami presence of any one of these aspects of nature requires an aesthetically pure and cheerful heart/mind (kokoro), an emotional, mental and volitional condition that is not easily attained.

Characters in Computer Games: Toward Understanding Interpretation and Design

http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05087.10012.pdf

Understanding the use of characters in game design to shape the gaming experience.

Oilagarchy

The game "oilagarchy" effectively places the character in the roll of oil company manager; overseeing producution, extraction, and lobbying. This was an effective commentary showin how government (foreign and domestic), procedures, indigenous interactions etc. very clearly highlites the world and the provlems we face with unprogressive energy.

Double Fine! Adventure: No hint book included.

Double Fine Adventure! // Ron Gilbert's Words of Wisdom to Tim Schafer [FULL 35 MINUTES]
Based on comments found in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=re_LWmRJK-g

The use of a ‘hint book’ is detrimental to the gaming experience because once we get stuck we resort to a hint book to get us through a puzzle or on to the next location. As Tim Schaefer said in the kick starter video, while speaking on the “Indiana Jones” series; the use of the red page to divulge hints to help solve puzzles turns the games’ once well-thought out obstacles into tedious tasks. Gamers in the internet era have easy, free access to the internet where they can find out how to get past anything within any game at any time. Not only does the use of hint books take away from the enjoyment of the game, it also boils the purpose of games down to completion. Rather than a ‘gaming experience’ the player now sees the game as a challenge, searching the internet for answers to the game as an online school student would search for answers to a test.

Respect My Authority!: Authorship and Video Games

 

                According to Roland Barthes’s “The Death of the Author”, video games are created by an author, in that the author is the field in which all paths within the work are unified. Whereas the player is on the other end of the spectrum playing through the game with no knowledge of the many options to choose, how to reach the goal of the game, or what messages are intended by the author; they are simply deciding what choices to make within the parameters of the author.

                For a staff to be considered the author of a game, they must have complete control and influence over the meaning derived from the game; as such, must control the gamer to sit in front of their TV for endless hours at the will of the team of ‘authors’ who gave birth to the product. Whether a gamer has fun or not, they have purchased the product and (unless they quit the game) are at the will of the authors throughout the play experience.

                However, games like ‘LittleBigPlanet’ can be defined as not being an authored work; because the gamer has the ability to choose environment, protagonist, antagonist, tangible objects, what to create etc. The game’s message, meaning, and goals are not inlaid within the game’s structure by an author; on the contrary, they are juxtaposed within the gamer for the individual or group of individuals to determine and derive their own comprehension of the game as text. The only authoritative power within these games are the limitations of their mechanics, the rest is up to us, the gamers.

One play games and the fun mechanic

Final Draft
(Revised)

The One Play games were quite aggravating to play, because my right directional key goot stuck during my playthrough of 'You Only Live Once' causig me to run into two enemies, in which case I hit refresh and upon loading, moved to a cutscene of my death as the maain character.Then I opened the game in a new browser and it loaded at the start, however my framerate was somewhere arround 1fps and I was unable to play. With that being said, I considered the One Chance game not 'fun' but engaging and challenging, as well as thought-provoking and decision-based. I enjoyed trying various methods to save the world but was unsuccessful. The 'art' game came off as a pretentious, cynical game with no options, no chance for fun, dull setting and drab death everywhere. The only 'art' in this game was the graphic design which was half-ass at best. The dynamic of fun in video games has been essential to my purchases as a consumer and until reading the article 'Fun is a Four Letter Word' I had not considered the length to which games can and should be extended too and explored within a realm as well as within the gamer themself. If the gaming market opened up to dynamic, multi-faceted games through inlaced messages and mechanics we would see more diversity not only in games but their audience members as well. 

Video Games: The Ultimate Combination of 'High Art'

Games are multi-faceted works of art, which include literature, sketches, cinematic elements, and musical compositions. Many of the components necessary to comprise a video game are considered, on their own, 'high art'.

What does this say about video games?

They are an interactive form of art that goes beyond the scope of any classic poem, film or painting. The experience, like other works of art differs between audience members; however, the presence of many forms of art within video games grants the gamer the ability to fully immerse themselves in a world outside their own, while still learning about themselves. The gamer is at a position where he is physically on earth but mentally immersed within a work of art; growing along with the characters as reader would whilst reading a novel, interpreting the art present in the background as viewer examining a painting, cut scenes enhancing the narrative and creating exposition similar to a film through various camera angles, dialogue, and direction, as well as music setting the mood for a boss battle, victory, defeat, even subtle sounds as footsteps to foreshadow oncoming enemies are all vital to the artistic value of video games.

Andrew A.
Charmayne K.
Lauren M.

The Art of Video Games

The very existence of Robert Ebert's article, "Video Games Can Never Be Art" verifies the art within video games. In his article, Ebert critiques games and tells why they are not art and won't be in our lifetimes, yet the very examination of these games is not unlike the lens used to critique 'art'. The reactions he has to the 3 games Kelee Santiago defends as being characteristic of art; are what makes mere creation into art. Humans have the power to create; it is our closest link to the divine, whether using a brush to paint a picture, pen to write novel, camera to capture film or computers to develop a video game; these things are created but do not become art until reaching an AUDIENCE. Creation becomes art during the event in which an audience (viewer, reader, critic, gamer) interacts with the work of the creator. Through this transactional experience the audience member can learn about themselves, characters, settings and humanity as a whole or become inspired to create something of a different medium, or articulate thought based on experience within a medium of art.

So let's be clear here, video games are created through sketches, animation, coding, developing, sound tracking, and writing lore; many of these components considered to be 'high art' on their own merit.

Therefore, video games (upon being played and interacting with an audience) are, at the very least a form of art and may very well be considered the most viable, engaging form of art in modern times.

Panopticism & The Stanley Parable

Michael Foucault's "Panopticism" delves deep into the practices of discipline and its uses in many different cultures and time periods; whereas The Stanley Parable applies the ideas presented in “Panopticism” to one specific building and scenario, controlling the individual by isolation, control of emotions and work ethic through machinery. This is a more literal interpretation of the architecture which was inherently created without use of actual machinery to control but rather control by a director able to see each and every move made by the bottom-dwellers. The game was very interesting in that only when there was no command, no director to control the machinery of the operation, nor other individuals to be controlled that Stanley does emerge from his room seeking more. Thus emphasizing the point that the system of discipline must be continually enforced or the 'disciplined' will seek escape and freedom (after elementary school, middle school, high school, then college = control until brain stops growth).

 

 The play through of the game can be closely tied with existentialism and the game by Brizzi, Before the Law, one thing that I noticed about the direction given by the gatekeeper in Before the Law and the narrator of The Stanley Parable was that the dialogue in-game lead you to believe there was only one option you must follow, however, players were not confined to a single option; providing elements of existentialism in the game. My first play through I did not listen when the narrator said Stanley chose the door on the left, instead I chose the door on the right to investigate my play space before circling back and entering through the left. However, similar to Before the Law, once you make the decision to not follow the rules you shatter them. In Before the Law breaking the rules and making your own choice lead to an alternate ending more rewarding to the player whereas The Stanley Parable presented the opposite. If you did not follow the on-screen instructions you were sentenced to death and the text differed making the player feel guilty and mistaken for his choice in direction, while following the in-game text lead the character to ultimate liberation and completion of the game; Before the Law was the opposite, choosing to listen to the gatekeeper in which this decision (or indecision rather) to stop and abide by the rules of the game creator/gatekeeper gets the player nowhere. Both games relate to the exercise of power within society forced upon the individual with an end-meaning that asserts the absence of one true law or code, and the realization that one must live by their own decisions, which compose the individual’s essence and identity.

~Andrew Arias

Before the Law

Andrew Arias

Aug 27, 2012 - Public

Just read Kafka's Short Story "Before the Law" and the game adaption by Brizzi. Interesting how the story version creates an event occurring between the author and the audience (reader) rather than an event concerning the choice of the audience (gamer) leading to either death without successful completion of mission or gallantry leading the player-controlled character to "the law". The game allows ...

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Just read Kafka's Short Story "Before the Law" and the game adaption by Brizzi. Interesting how the story version creates an event occurring between the author and the audience (reader) rather than an event concerning the choice of the audience (gamer) leading to either death without successful completion of mission or gallantry leading the player-controlled character to "the law". The game allows for less of an open-ended narrative, with the opportunity for the player to choose to enter the gate or not, where the player (upon entering) finds "the law" blank and with "no answers". This appeared to be a metaphor for life and the absence of a true manual to live our lives by as human beings. All of our codes, laws and rules we live by are entirely up to us. No one can truly stop you, there is no supreme law.