Ludology, Narratology, Criticism and the dissertation I should have written

Posted on | Friday, 26 November 2010 | No Comments

A friend of mine is currently writing a dissertation about - well, what I gather from the conversations we have - game design and aspects thereof. The particular discussion we had that triggered this post was about the ongoing discussion about how videogames should be analysed, and what 'units of meaning' and 'systems' might relate to in terms of that discussion.

As a student of English I feel pretty well versed in terms of narratological discussion though, when it came time for my dissertation, I chose the safe option and wrote about literature. While what I wrote was fine and in no way do I regret it, I regret my initial decision, especially in light of this discussion.

My initial idea was to discuss the first person perspective in videogames and how it contributes to and shapes the narrative and how, in particular, Bioshock builds on and subverts those very notions. At the very mention of Bioshock I still get a small tinge of regret about my decision...

The conversation in question, about what 'units of meaning' are, quickly descended into me talking about Bioshock and realising what should have been. Narrative in games can be, or at least should be, extremely diverse - even looking at the few games I've dedicated time to recently; Mass Effect 2, Planescape: Torment, Alpha Protocol et al, have extremely different devices to conveying plot to the player.

For what it's worth, and as is perhaps obvious at this stage, I would take Bioshock's approach over most others. It does a lot of things, a lot of things I won't talk about now - like the dramatic irony, the subversion of traditional game mechanics and the ultimate admission/failure of the game that these mechanics are, currently, inescapable.

What amazes me most about Bioshock, as has been noted on numerous occasions all across the internet, is the environment. It's not the astonishing art design, and I'm in no place to lend any kind of weight to that discussion, but the way in which the "units of meaning" contribute to the overall, for want of a better expression, "system" of the game. Every audio log, while optional, lends authenticity and a humanism to the plot, while every room is delicately designed so that every aspect of it contributes to a smaller narrative of the space in question - and this is the most remarkable aspect of the game.

Upon exploring a room it becomes painfully obvious what has occurred in each space - blood stained walls spell out slogans, abandoned new years decorations adorn the walls but, perhaps more subtly, it's these things in combination with your growing knowledge of rapture, the audio logs and some more striking visual pieces that inform your understanding of the plot, not just of Bioshock, but the entire narrative of rapture and its inhabitants.

It's difficult to talk about Bioshock without seeing it, in fact it's the type of game that could, in years to come, benefit from a re-release with a developer commentary or, should 'games criticism' find its own niche or adapt narratological discussions to its own ends, maybe this is the kind of thing we'll see.

I live in hope, however, that one day I'll commit something to paper/epaper about Bioshock in a serious, more structured manner - hopefully before Bioshock: Infinite drops and blows my mind.

Birthday wishes!

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It was my birthday yesterday and, as such, I celebrated in the only way I know how: by buying games in the steam sale. (I should also note that I went for coffee with a friend, nandos with a group of friends and then for drinks, but that's slightly off topic.)

It was a good sale though; I'm now the proud owner of Alpha Protocol - which, while having some issues, improves on a couple of the issues I had with both Mass Effect games, Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale - which is, so far, amazing, and a slew of other bits and pieces accumulated through bundles and "presents" from a friend of mine who thought it'd be hilarious to gift me the first two things he saw. Suffice to say the sega collection and Children of the Nile: Alexandria will probably remain uninstalled forever.

Another awful timesink, and what is keeping me from PS:T, is the start of the Ashes series in Australia which has been starting at midnight the past two nights.

I will get back to you though - give me time - but maybe expect something on Alpha Protocol first.

You see a heavy-set man with sharp features and a pained expression.

Posted on | Sunday, 21 November 2010 | No Comments

I've been playing Planescape: Torment for about an hour and in it's brief time with me I'm already impressed. For what is, at least now, a medium so set on the visual I don't think I've ever read so much in a game - and certainly not this volume in any capacity for quite a while.

Truncation, jump breaks and stupid google reader

Posted on | Saturday, 20 November 2010 | No Comments

One day this will work perfectly. One day I'll figure out the EXACT combination of options to make this work. One day I will know enough HTML to make it so google reader doesn't mess up my posts.

"It'll show the first 250 character OR the first paragraph - whatever is shorter." Google must have very stringent rules about paragraph lengths because I cannot for the life of me figure out how this works. "Jump breaks" only work on the main blog page, convenient for hiding spoilers, but not for truncating posts for feed readers.

Damn you technology - you win again.

In other news I've decided to do a diary of my Planescape: Torment playthrough. It should be fun, if a little infuriating as isometric "old school" RPGs frustrate me to no end with some pretty archaic design - specifically relating to UI. I'm told by reliable sources that it's one of the finest RPGs ever.

We shall see.

My mass has just been effected

Posted on | Thursday, 18 November 2010 | No Comments

It's done. Finished. Shepard's final encounter with the Reapers was a success.

The DLC Chronicles

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I discovered that I had some free DLC for Mass Effect 2; tucked away behind many layers of codes, sign-ups and downloads. Five pieces in total: some armour, some weapons, and some more story related pieces which are, unfortunately, dampening my enjoyment of this final stretch of the game.

Perhaps had I approached the game and DLC as a package and spread the content out I wouldn't be facing this dilemma, as it stands I've faced some pretty plain content and, outside of the more poignant 'Normandy Crash Site' which could have been a little more powerful given a little more content, some very forgettable content.

Even so, I'm soldiering on. With one one DLC quest line remaining, and one final main story quest before what seems to be the point of no return, I'm still close. I just hope that if I choose to buy the rest of the DLC it's not quite as bland as this set; it's pushing me towards my Mass Effect limit.

Mass Effect 2

Posted on | Tuesday, 16 November 2010 | No Comments

Shepard's journey is coming to an end. I have vanquished pirate colonies, stalked politicians through nightclubs, slept with innumerable alien women and am fast approaching the point of no return. Outside of one or two "help this party member resolve their past" quests, we're almost there.

I wonder....

Posted on | Wednesday, 10 November 2010 | No Comments

If I've found a little purpose for my mental ramblings. Following discussions with a friend about the kinds of decisions that game design (seems) to hinge upon, I thought; "Why not? How hard can it be?"

I suppose from this point on it'll be a journey into 'how wrong could you possibly be' on my part as I toil with both ideas and technical issues in programmes I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand.

I will, I hope, have something to show for my efforts - whether it be a youtube video, a downloadable 'mod' or a whole lot of post-portem discussion about everything that I'm bound to do wrong.

More importantly I think recent thoughts mark a diversion or, perhaps, a new direction for my thoughts about games more generally; I'll start writing about things that I was, after all, taught to think about: narrative and authorial intent being the most prominent.

Mass Effect 2 will still be the first game I write about - and probably fairly shortly having put a decent amount of time into it - before I start writing more philosophically about broader issues and concerns.

Steam....

Posted on | Friday, 5 November 2010 | No Comments

At first I thought multiplayer was the enemy; using up all of my time, being highly repetitive and giving me nothing but a headache from shouting at faceless internet users. I've come to realise, however, that Steam is the real enemy. Buying games; the true evil.

104 games is, according to the post below, the amount of games I own on Steam. Never in my ENTIRE life will I finish all of them, some will probably never even get installed.

"You have too many games," noted Vera and, in all honesty, it's hard to disagree.

I will, by the end of tomorrow, own 105, what with Mass Effect 2 currently installing, and then, with the internet as my witness, I shall buy no more until I have reached a target. An agreed upon figure of games I must complete. 8 games on my currently installed list, not including Mass Effect 2, are crying out to be completed. It's no small feat - I'm notorious for leaving mammoth role-playing games in a backlog, hoping that, one day, I will muster the courage, the commitment and the time to complete them.

Many games I own I will never complete, a depressing thought, though in reality many simply aren't worth the time. I have to find those which are and priorotise those over both buying games, an endless rush, and playing multiplayer games.

I had better be quick though..... Steam Christmas sales will be on me before I know it.

Multiplayer and Me.

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Steam has ruined me. Not so much in a monetary way, though it goes without saying that I've spent for too much money on those 104 games over the past few years. Having so many games, so readily available I find myself regularly staring at a list of installed games... wondering, instead of playing them. When I do, finally, choose it tends to be one of a few games; all of which are multiplayer.

It's ironic though; these thoughts are hardly new. Every time I look at my Steam list, including the titled 'Single Player Games To Complete' section, I get like this. It's with that in mind, of course, that I double-click Team Fortress 2 and spend two hours playing with my friends, achieving very little other than bragging rights.

That's changing though; as this was being written I bought Mass Effect 2. I recently played and completed the first and was, despite its many issues, compelled from start to finish. That'll be the first game I write about on here as I try to get through a selection of games on my 'To Do' list. I should, I hope, have other contributors to talk about similar things or, if they get their own way, Minecraft.