What defines a game, and why do I care?

I'm afraid this post will take on a bit of a "stream of consciousness" vibe, as I'm currently trying to piece together the answers to the above questions for my own benefit. Be warned: you will be exposed to a bit of my mental processing, which studies have shown can result in giggling, insanity, and in rare cases, a craving for cookie-dough ice cream.

Let's start with what I know: 1. Anthropy defines a game as an experience with a set of rules, 2. When I read those lines, I had an overwhelming sense of "this is wrong," 3. For some reason, her definition really really bothers me.

Let me first address 1 and 2. The reason why I think her definition is flawed is pretty straight forward: it's too broad. This is something she recognizes, but takes no pains to rectify. As she says, one could call filling out a tax sheet a game using her rules. Or, Caillois forbid, working at a job could be called a game.

After playing Dys4ia, Anthropy's game on Newgrounds, the reason for her broad definition is clear: she wants these guided digital experiences to share in the validation that comes with being called a game. But why? I would encourage her to find validation for these experiences as a whole new form apart from games. They are certainly worthwhile, and not lacking in merit. I believe they can justify their existence without being labeled a game.

But here's the part where I run against a wall: why do I care? What is it to me if Dys4ia is called a game or not. For some reason this bothers me, but I can't honestly articulate why. Is it because the definition of what a game is is changing? So what? Genres, labels, and conventions are challenged and redefined all the time. Am I worried that the industry will change as a result? Maybe. Studios that aren't good game designers might feel justified in selling glorified cutscenes disguised as a game (lookin' at you, Square Enix of the past decade). But it's not like demand for games with challenge and possibilities will go away, and where there's a demand, there'll be a supply. Perhaps it's as Anthropy suggests, and I simply feel my white male engineer dominance being threatened. I'd really like to think that's not it.

So here we are, six paragraphs deep and I still can't say for sure why Anthropy's definition bothers me. Maybe it's a combination of the above. I don't know. I'd be very interested in hearing your opinions.

Chiptunes

I ended up enjoying Reformat the Planet far more than I expected. The only chiptune I'm really familiar with is Anamanaguchi's stuff, which I first encountered in the Scott Pilgrim game. After the screening I really wanted to check out some of the less "marketable" artists, so I've been slowly working my way through a gigantic Grooveshark playlist of chiptune songs. While I enjoy a good majority of the tracks, I'm inclined to agree with the argument someone made in class today regarding the possible limitations of such music. The sounds produced by these modified consoles aren't necessarily deficient in terms of tone or the number of possible arrangements, but in variety. Artists such as Anamanaguchi combine more conventional & familiar instruments with pure chiptune to allow for a greater variety of sounds, and that's one reason they are more marketable to someone unfamiliar with the genre than, say, Bit Shifter or Bubblyfish. Of course, whether that's a good thing or not is a matter of personal preference and level of hipsterness (damn, I feel so mainstream).

On another note, it kind of bummed me out to hear that the scene essentially died in New York. At least it looks like the Blip Festival was still held this year, so at least a few people are still active in that area. I'm sure there will always be someone out there putting on chiptune shows. 

8-bit music and Dubstep

I have to say I really enjoyed the movie yesterday. It's really interesting to see all the new ways people can incorporate older software into everyday use. Most people see an old gameboy and pretty much see it as useless, but these people have taken these outdated systems and turned them into a musical phenomenon. But as I was saying in class, the music reminded me a lot of dubstep. I realize that the whole idea behind the 8-bit music is that it is very raw, unpolished, and not overly produced and dubstep is highly over produced, but the concept is still the same. The "DJs" still do the same thing. They press a bunch of buttons and make really cool sounds. I'm sure a lot of people cringe at my description of this, and I know there's a little more thought put in then just pressing a button, but in their simplest form, that's exactly what the musical producers are doing. But despite all of this, I thought what the people in the movie were doing was extremely cool, and a really good use of old gameboys! I still don't 100% understand how it all works, all this technology stuff is way over my head. I thought it was especially cool when that guy made the thing in the CD case, where it had different knobs for the left and right headphones and you could press a button to go to the next track. I really have no idea what the purpose of that contraption was, but I was really impressed. Oh and here's the video of those people doing Skrillex if anyone is interested! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuunY8BTqNs 

Reformat the Planet

First I'd like to say how I enjoyed watching Reformat the Planet. It was a really interesting way of showing what people are doing with the videogame media and turning it into something else that is just as unique and productive. Each artist had their own way of manipulating their video game console in order to create their songs. Some of the audience members were a bit eccentric but that made it part of the fun. It was refreshing to see artists who play their music because they love it, not because they get paid. At the festival none of the artists were getting paid, yet most of them played because it was good exposure and because they just enjoyed playing. I actually liked some of the songs, but others were a little too video game sounding for my taste (not that there's anything wrong with video game music.)

          Without even realizing it, I have a song on my ipod that incorporates 8-bit music. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH8Wg_3NOJQ) Warning it's a little offensive and profane, but it's a song by Ke$sha. Whenever I would hear it I was always reminded of the music from my gameboy color, but now that I know what type of music it is and that music can be made from game consoles I realize that that's what it probably was. This just shows how 8-bit music has made its way into "mainstream" music as well.

The Art of Video Games

I personally enjoyed  Reformat the Planet, the movie we watched in class today, and I thought it did a good job of showing how people effectively and creatively can use video game devices to create music. Even though a lot of the people in the video seemed weird and we all laughed at them (I personally think weird = awesome) I believe that their passion and unity for the thing that they love really set them apart from other artists. However, there was one comment in the movie that I disagreed with. I cannot remember which person stated it, but he said that chiptune music wasn’t for “reliving your childhood” and that it was “its own art form.” I personally believe it can be both, and having both qualities is what makes the music interesting. For example, 8 Bit Weapon, one of my favorite chiptune bands, released a song entitled “Mario 2,” obviously based off of the Mario games.  Clearly it must invoke some sort of “reliving of the childhood” especially since in the video description here (www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPEqxuQAAY ) the uploading user states the opinion that it “reminds me of my gameboy!”  I do think that 8 Bit Weapon was probably influenced by their own pasts and playing the game.  Even though they were influenced by the game, the music is still their own art form; they are the ones who created it, and all musicians have influences anyways. 

On a side note, 8 Bit Weapon created most of the music for the Smithsonian’s exhibit “The Art of Video Games”  (http://www.si.edu/exhibitions/details/The-Art-of-Video-Games-840). The exhibit seems really cool and seems like it has a lot to do with what we are learning in class. The exhibit is touring and will be at the Boca Raton Museum of Art from October to January and if anyone lives there I would definitely say to go to it, I’m definitely going to try and make it!

I am the S%!t King!

I decided to try and get all ten achievements in Don't Shit Your Pants this afternoon and succeeded (sort of)! It was incredibly difficult to get numbers 5, 6, and 7 in particular, and I wouldn't have gotten them if my roommates hadn't googled the solutions and given me hints. It's crazy how such a simple game can cause so much frustration! I must have played for a good 10 minutes before asking my roommates to help me out, and then it took me another 10 minutes with the hints they gave me to finally unlock the last achievements (I know, I have way too much free time). I think this game is hilarious and the achievements make it pretty fun too. The amount of possibilities available to the player are almost infinite, making it pretty challenging to find the correct commands to beat the game or to get the achievements. It really takes some thinking outside the box to beat the timer and delay the inevitable.

Video Games and Music

The movie, Reformat the Planet, provided a great look into how people are taking the gaming consoles they love and using them to create a unique style of chiptune. This style of music helps contribute to the argument that gamers are producers as well as consumers. For example, Anamanaguchi, a band mentioned in the film, uses a hacked NES along with real instruments to create a sound that appeals to both gamers and non-gamers. This video, from the College Humor series Bleep Bloop, delves into their process of creating a song: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/5402565/bleep-bloop-8-bit-rock-band.

In the movie, the crowd was mostly made up of gamers, as the music festival was just in its beginning phase and not yet known to the general population. In this video, one can see that the band shows how others can also love the style. They sample their version of Weezer’s “Buddy Holly,” which shows how the music doesn’t even have to be about video games. For Anamanaguchi, it is the unique sound of the console, not just the content of the games played on them, that help form their identity as a rock band.

            Another chiptune band that shows how gamers are also producers is I Fight Dragons. Though they are not mentioned in the film, I think they are a good example of the fusion of music and video game sounds. They use regular instruments, such as guitars and drums, and mix them with a Game Boy, Power Pad, and other devices. However, they add another dimension to the music by creating lyrics with video game and comic book themes. Their love of video games has enabled them to create original content about them. Here is a video for their song “Kaboom!”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQxDd93HRKI.

            On a different note, another band I think worth mentioning is The Protomen. They are not considered chiptune band, but a rock band based on their take of the Mega Man video games. This band is a prime example of how gamers can take video game content and reinterpret the content in a totally different, and musical, way. Here’s a video for their song “The Will of One“: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAysZ92B6aI&feature=relmfu (The sound quality isn’t too great, but the animation is wonderful).

            All three of these bands show how gamers are not just consumers, but also producers. The content of video games, such as music, sounds, and storylines, can inspire players to create their own pieces of art that range from just sampling sounds to creating something completely original.

QWOP game

When I first heard the name “QWOP” in class I honestly had no idea what to expect. It confused me why Sam, who normally is one of the first people to volunteer, had no desire to undertake this game. But as soon as Preston began to play it all started to make sense: it is almost impossible to move the runner.

            After watching someone with a lot of experience playing videogames struggle on a game with such few rules and commands, I decided I wanted to try (without the pressure of the entire class watching). I watched a Youtube video to kind of get the process down before I began to see if it would help. However, even with knowing the order to press the keys in, the timing of the game is extremely difficult to get right. The farthest I made it was 6.8 m but I was unable to time it right again and eventually gave up on the idea to duplicate my score. Instead, I began to just try to make the runner completely flip over after he fell (which took a while but eventually it did happen once).  While the game only resulted in failure after failure, I found it was hard to stop playing (either by the real rules or my own).

            What I find the most interesting about the game QWOP is that it creates a whole game based on the one thing everyone takes for granted when playing almost all other games- the ability to run, or to just move in general. For example, in Super Mario Bros., the first thing the player does when they begin the game is run to the right in the experimental space provided. Most controllers or keyboards allow the player to run by simply hitting the left, right, up, or down keys, but not in QWOP. QWOP forces the player to think how legs actually work and use that knowledge to create the rhythm that your thighs and calves use in real-life running. The fact that a game can be so memorizing and difficult with the only rules being, “use the QWOP keys to move your legs,” amazes me.  

Talk about kairos!  Critical Path is a series of short interviews with large range of game designers like Ken Levine and Hideo Kojima, as well as scholars such as Ian Bogost.  The interviews try to engage the significance of gaming by discussing a bunch of different concepts at work in the medium.  I think this could be an awesome and helpful resource for drumming up ideas to write about in your final paper!

Culture shock

                So I do not know if anyone else has noticed a fundamental difference in shooter games that are popular in Japan and shooter games that are popular in America, mainly in that when a game in the  shooter genre is released it is popular either Japan or America but not both. This may be due to a fundamental cultural difference and the way the culture perceives the object and symbol of a gun.

                If one looks at the games that are successful in this genre in Japan such as Metroid, Mega Man, or countless a number of “Mech” warfare games they will see a common denominator, the gun is almost an extension on the protagonists body. If one looks at shooter games that are popular in America such as Halo or Call of Duty, the guns are disposable and replaceable and therefore only a tool of the protagonist.

                So why is there an emphasis on the union of weapon and body in Japanese games? The reason is linked to Japanese samurai’s code of honor Bushido. This code of honor emphasizes that the sword is part of the warrior’s spirit and body, and the samurai treated their swords as if they were part of their bodies. Therefore in Japanese culture for a hero to be considered heroic, he or she must also follow Bushido to an extent.

                Conversely in American culture guns have always been tools of liberation, one only needs to look to history to see that Americans used guns to obtain their freedom in the Revolutionary War. This idea of a gun as a tool of liberation has been romanticized in American culture ever since and is evident in American shooter games.

                For more on this you can check out Extra- Credits episode that goes into way more depth:

http://extra-credits.net/episodes/the-myth-of-the-gun/