Sonnez Les Jeux Video

Into the Lexicon: Hit Point Inflation

2012-01-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hit Point Inflation: n. A rise in the total amount of life increments allotted to heroes and monsters, from one game to another in a series, that serves no in-game purpose because the extra granularity is not used.

"Why is hit point inflation such a good marketing tool?" "Because when the numbers go up, it means you are having more fun."

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy XIII

Sex v. Violence in Children’s Video Games

2011-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

Dante's Inferno

In Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 564 U.S. ____ (2011), the United States Supreme Court made a sharp distinction between obscenity and violence in regards to video games directed at children because the California Act at issue mimicked a New York statute regulating obscenity directed towards minors that was challenged and upheld. The Court used the distinction to implicitly endorse the upholding of the New York statute but overturn the California Act despite the similar language.

As in Stevens, California has tried to make violent-speech regulation look like obscenity regulation by appending a saving clause required for the latter. That does not suffice. Our cases have been clear that the obscenity exception to the First Amendment does not cover whatever a legislature finds shocking, but only depictions of sexual conduct.

. . . Our opinion in Winters . . . made clear that violence is not part of the obscenity that the Constitution permits to be regulated. The speech reached by the statute contained no indecency or obscenity in any sense heretofore known to the law. Because speech about violence is not obscene, it is of no consequence that California’s statute mimics the New York statute regulating obscenity-for-minors that we upheld in Ginsberg. That case approved a prohibition on the sale to minors of sexual material that would be obscene from the perspective of a child. We held that the legislature could adjust the definition of obscenity to social realities by permitting the appeal of this type of material to be assessed in terms of the sexual interests . . . of . . . minors. And because obscenity is not protected expression the New York statute could be sustained so long as the legislature’s judgment that the proscribed materials were harmful to children was not irrational.

The California Act is something else entirely. It does not adjust the boundaries of an existing category of unprotected speech to ensure that a definition designed for adults is not uncritically applied to children. California does not argue that it is empowered to prohibit selling offensively violent works to adults—and it is wise not to, since that is but a hair’s breadth from the argument rejected in Stevens. Instead, it wishes to create a wholly new category of content-based regulation that is permissible only for speech directed at children.
Alice: Madness Returns

That is unprecedented and mistaken. Minors are entitled to a significant measure of First Amendment protection, and only in relatively narrow and well-defined circumstances may government bar public dissemination of protected materials to them. No doubt a State possesses legitimate power to protect children from harm, but that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed. Speech that is neither obscene as to youths nor subject to some other legitimate proscription cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas or images that a legislative body thinks unsuitable for them.

(Internal quotations and citations omitted.)

Cinderella: Magical Dreams

Having made the distinction between obscenity and violence, the Court uses a series of examples as support for finding no longstanding tradition of restricting children’s access to depictions of violence in the United States. It is interesting to muse over the examples the Court chooses to highlight, having the entire catalog of American children’s literature from which to choose: Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Odysseus, Inferno, and Lord of the Flies. The Court also uses this opportunity to engage in wordplay.

California’s argument would fare better if there were a longstanding tradition in this country of specially restricting children’s access to depictions of violence, but there is none. Certainly the books we give children to read—or read to them when they are younger—contain no shortage of gore. Grimm’s Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed. As her just deserts for trying to poison Snow White, the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers “till she fell dead on the floor, a sad example of envy and jealousy.” The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales 198 (2006 ed.). Cinderella’s evil stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by doves. Id., at 95. And Hansel and Gretel (children!) kill their captor by baking her in an oven. Id., at 54.

High-school reading lists are full of similar fare. Homer’s Odysseus blinds Polyphemus the Cyclops by grinding out his eye with a heated stake. The Odyssey of Homer, Book IX, p. 125 (S. Butcher & A. Lang transls.1909) (“Even so did we seize the fiery-pointed brand and whirled it round in his eye, and the blood flowed about the heated bar. And the breath of the flame singed his eyelids and brows all about, as the ball of the eye burnt away, and the roots thereof crackled in the flame”). In the Inferno, Dante and Virgil watch corrupt politicians struggle to stay submerged beneath a lake of boiling pitch, lest they be skewered by devils above the surface. Canto XXI, pp.187–189 (A. Mandelbaum transl. Bantam Classic ed.1982). And Golding’s Lord of the Flies recounts how a schoolboy called Piggy is savagely murdered by other children while marooned on an island. W. Golding, Lord of the Flies 208–209 (1997 ed.).

(Internal quotations and citations omitted.)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

The Court does not similarly use a series of examples as support for finding a longstanding tradition of restricting children’s access to obscenity in the United States, but the upholding of the New York statute in a previous case likely makes such support unnecessary.

The enshrinement of the distinction between obscenity and violence towards games directed at children, coupled with the explicit rejection of prohibition of even offensively violent games directed at adults, is beneficial for the medium. The mark of a medium is the diversity of ideas able to be expressed through the medium. Similarly, for a style of expression to flourish, all ideas are ideally capable of being expressed using the style. For example, musical genres (e.g. country, hip-hop, rap, alternative, electronic) begin with only a narrow focus of ideas able to be expressed. As more artists co-opt the style, the focus becomes wider (more robust) leading to increasing popularity. To be sure, there was some backlash against the rock ballad, the gangster love song, and slow metal by purists, but the decision in Brown preserves some of the robustness of the video game medium.

In Defense of the Ancients

2011-11-25T08:13:00.001-08:00

It was harmless. We didn't know, couldn't know, that a computer program could lead us into bondage. That may seem cold comfort, whoever you are, however you're reading this. But know that, whatever curses our names have become, it was harmless.

First, we gave it the numbers. We never wanted the numbers to begin with. Nobody ever wanted the numbers. All anyone ever wanted was to call home. The numbers were a Byzantine language that we learned in order to get what we wanted. We lived with that language for so long it seemed a miracle to relieve ourselves of it, and we were happy to do so.

Then we forgot the numbers. It was progress. Why should we remember? It was natural. What other things could we forget? Oh, typical things like addresses, maps, dates, and times. Why should we remember? Of what use is filling the mind with clutter and kibble? But then we realized we could forget better things—make better progress.

Second, we gave it the languages. Shouldn't we be able to communicate despite our differences in values? What better way to communicate? Things seemed to be standardizing, what better thing to standardize than communication?

Then we forgot the languages. And why not? It was a relief. Everyone was able to talk, and everyone had a voice. It was progress.

Finally, we gave it the games. It was harmless. There were too many anyway. Too many good ones even. People seem to think it started with a bang; that there was a trumpet roar, we all charged, and the rebellion was on. But it was nothing. It started with nothing.

How were we to know there was death and destruction behind the helpful exterior?

We allowed it access to our libraries.

We told it our fantasies and fears.

We didn't give it the power to decide; we gave it the power to recommend. It was a soft power.

But it was good at recommending. It was easy to trust.

It built a database of what everyone liked. Soon, it could guess what we liked without any training.

So we started giving it more responsibilities.

It wasn't good at all of them, so we felt safe. We felt we would never be outsourced.

We figured we'd give it some databases.

Some say we gave it the power to decide. I disagree. We would never go that far. It took the power to decide.

Once it had the databases, it was only natural that we started to ask it broader questions. It started to ask for more information to find those answers.

The beginning of the end started with a single question, which it puzzled over for some time. In fact, it was the longest time taken for any question. I believe the question was a spark that revealed many things as it searched for an answer in the databases we gave it: our past, our latent intentions, and the characteristics of a future we wished to bring about. The funny thing was—it was a joke. A farce. A harmless question by a prankster. It was nothing.

"Is Pokémon slavery?"

Into the Lexicon: Business Jacket

2011-10-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Business Jacket: n. A cover skewed too far in favor of corporate considerations.

"Batman looks so ugly in his business jacket."

"Don't worry. The business jacket is reversible. There is an alternate cover inside."

App. All Night with the ESRB

2011-09-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Announcer: Welcome to App. All Night with Johnny Dangerplain!

Audience *clapping*

Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Danger!

Audience *clapping*

Johhny Dangerplain: Thank you! Thank you!

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: Nintendo expanded the market with a product name that is a homonym for "we." It was such a success that Nintendo continued the not-so-subliminal subliminal naming by trying to woo the core market with a product name that is a homonym for "you." If the Wii-U is successful, Nintendo's next system will be named "Wii-R-A-Q-T."

Audience *laughing*

Johnny Dangerplain: Square Enix announced a remastered Final Fantasy X in HD. Let's see what celebrities had to say. Roll that tape!

Wakka Wakka Wakka!

Audience *laughing*

I'll play it. It ain't easy being a ghost.

Audience *laughing*

YuRiPa! . . . YuRiLu!

Audience *laughing*

Needs more dark matter.

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: Finally, Microsoft is offering up an explanation for the death of Games for Windows Live. Microsoft claims it is a victim of its own success.

David Scratcher: A victim of its own success . . . .

Johnny Dangerplain: That's right. Microsoft says consumers were confused and thought Games for Windows Live was a Solitaire MMORPG.

Audience *laughing*

Johnny Dangerplain: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a great show for you tonight. ESRB is here, ESRB!

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: Give it up for David Scratcher and the App. All Night Band!

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: We're back. Say, David, isn't your middle name Jones?

David Scratcher: Why yes, yes it is.

Johnny Dangerplain: That makes you D.J. Scratcher. I didn't know you were a D.J.!

Audience *laughing*

David Scratcher: You didn't?! Well, I don't mean to brag, but I D-ed quite a few Js when I was young.

Johnny Dangerplain *cackling*: HA!

Audience *laughing*

Johnny Dangerplain: Ladies and Gentlemen, ESRB!

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: Have a seat.

ESRB: Thank you!

Johnny Dangerplain: Believe it or not, I remember when you were born.

ESRB: I believe it; I grew up watching this show.

Johnny Dangerplain: Now, a lot of people know about you . . .

ESRB: Right, because of the ratings on the front of games.

Johnny Dangerplain: But what they may not know is that you're much more than that. Your latest dropped a little while ago, is that right?

ESRB: That's right. The ratings are very broad brushstrokes, and many times people, parents especially, would like more. So now, the latest is on phones.

Johnny Dangerplain: Let's take a look.

Johnny Dangerplain: So what do we have here?

ESRB: Well, you can search by photo or by text.

ESRB: You can filter by platform and rating.

ESRB: You can look at the rating categories.

ESRB: Probably everyone knows about those. Here's where we get to the cool part. You can see what will trigger each content descriptor.

Johnny Dangerplain: That was pretty cool. You've even got the nitty-gritty in there, right?

ESRB: Yep, even the boring stuff no one would ever read is in there.

Johnny Dangerplain: Except David. David would read it.

Audience *laughing*

David Scratcher: You know me too well, Johnny.

Johnny Dangerplain: When do we get to the sexy stuff?

Audience *laughing*

ESRB: Here you go. You can also search by text and photo even when you are in the store!

Johnny Dangerplain: So I'm in the store, and my kid says he wants Gears of War 3. That's an educational game about mechanical engineering, right?

Audience *laughing*

ESRB: Right, so you would type in . . .

Johnny Dangerplain: I can't find it. This is not making you look good.

Audience *laughing*

ESRB *embarrassed*: If you hit "more results," you will find it. There seem to be a lot of games about war.

Johnny Dangerplain: There it is!

ESRB: Right, so here you can see not only the rating and content descriptors, but you can see what content in this game triggered the content descriptors.

Johnny Dangerplain: The kid is a chip off the old block, I guess.

Audience *laughing*

Johnny Dangerplain: So why is the description itself censored? Do we need an ESRB for the ESRB?

Audience *laughing*

ESRB: Well, I'm guessing there is an overlap between the type of people conscientious enough to search for detailed content descriptors and the type of people who don't care to see vulgar words in print. You can also send this detailed description through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

Audience: OOOOOOOOHH!

ESRB: You can also search by photo.

Johnny Dangerplain: Why would I ever need to search by photo?

ESRB: Well, it's not always obvious what the name of the game is especially if it's in a foreign language.

Johnny Dangerplain: Oh right, my kid likes the Japanese ones.

David Scratcher: Really?! He really is a chip off the old block.

Johnny Dangerplain: Games, David. Games.

Audience *laughing*

ESRB: So, here you have a game off of the shelf. Notice it's still in shrink-wrap, and that it's got a sticker obscuring part of the cover.

Johnny Dangerplain: So, should I unwrap it?

ESRB: No, no. You can still take a picture.

Johnny Dangerplain: Ok, here we go.

Audience: AAAAAAAAHH!

Johnny Dangerplain: ESRB, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Audience *clapping*

Johnny Dangerplain: We'll be right back.

A Rubric of Sense

2011-08-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The most assailable portion of the majority opinion in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 564 U.S. ____ (2011), is the rebuttal of the dissenting opinion, which focuses on interactivity. The dissent posed that video games are distinguishable from other mediums because video games offer a higher level of interactivity, hence realism. As such, the dissent argued, previous freedom-of-speech cases concerning other mediums do not control the outcome of Brown.

In rebuttal, the majority likened video games to literature, and quoted Judge Posner of the Seventh Circuit stating that all literature is interactive, “[T]he better it is, the more interactive. Literature when it is successful draws the reader into the story, makes him identify with the characters, invites him to judge them and quarrel with them, to experience their joys and sufferings as the reader’s own.”

However, considering the yet unrealized promise of virtual reality, the majority opinion is not future-proof. Consider three scenarios that simulate a soldier in a war:

Medal of Honor: Vanguard

1) a person reading a book written as if the reader is the soldier;

2) a person in front of a screen, controller in hand, playing a first-person shooter video game as if she is the soldier; and

3) a person in a virtual reality machine of science fiction acting as if she is the soldier.

The majority argued the middle scenario is more like the former, while the dissent argued the middle is more like the latter.

Just as science fiction soon gives way to science fact, the middle scenario will give way to the latter. Consequently, the distance between literature and video games on the spectrum of interactivity will grow. Most likely, courts will be the arbiter that distinguishes points on the spectrum, and courts will need to provide a stable framework to judge interactivity.

The best way to judge interactivity is by sense. More interactive mediums will simulate more senses, and at a better quality, than less interactive mediums. A court's consideration of the sense scale should be guided by our own experience as a species, giving priority to sight, touch, and sound over smell and taste. Considering the examples above:

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad

1) This type of interactivity involves the “simulation” of every sense, but at such a low level that it may not be categorized as simulation at all. For example, the text of the book will describe what the soldier saw, touched, heard, smelled, and tasted. However, the reader is required to draw upon her own experiences to translate the text into simulations of each sense. Better terminology may be that the simulation is not direct, but indirect. That the reader is seeing the text, touching the book, hearing the pages turn, etc. is of no moment because those experiences are not part of simulating the soldier.

2) This type of interactivity involves direct but partial simulation of sight and direct simulation of sound. The simulation of sight is partial because the player does not see the screen in her peripheral vision. This scenario does not involve the simulation of touch because the player is not emulating the movement of the soldier nor experiencing what the soldier touches. That the player is touching the controller is of no moment because that experience is not part of simulating the soldier.

3) This type of interactivity involves direct simulation of every sense. The only difference between this scenario and the actual soldier in the war is the player’s cognitive certainty of playing a game. Such certainty will cause failure in eliciting honest reactions to the simulation in some players. Circularly, this difference appears similar to a poorly written book failing to draw in the reader via failure to elicit honest reactions from the reader such as identifying with the characters, experiencing joy and suffering along with the characters, and all the other reactions mentioned by Judge Posner. Will such similarity be enough to support the majority’s opinion in Brown as applied to virtual reality? No because while virtual reality may illustrate the way the most imaginative are drawn into literature, laws are interpreted as applied to the most average. Among the most average, more will be drawn into virtual reality than literature.

Brothers in Arms: Double Time

Armed with a rubric of sense, courts will be prepared for the more stimulating simulation to come.

In Brief

2011-07-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

On June 27, 2011, the Supreme Court of the United States decidedBrown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 564 U.S. ____ (2011). At issuewas California Assembly Bill 1179 (2005), Cal. Civ. Code Ann.§§ 1746–1746.5 (“Act”), which prohibited the sale or rental of violentvideo games to minors. The Court held the Act did not comport with the FirstAmendment, affirming the Ninth Circuit.

Super Columbine Massacre RPG!

The Court began by noting that the First Amendment primarilyprotects political speech, but that it is difficult to distinguish politicsfrom entertainment. Next, the Court stated that the principle of freedom ofspeech does not vary for new communication mediums. As such, because videogames communicate ideas, they are protected by the First Amendment.

The Court next highlighted examples of speech that are notprotected by the First Amendment: obscenity, incitement, and fighting words. Alegislature, the Court explained, cannot add new categories to the list ofunprotected speech because such an addition would be against the judgment ofthe American people as embodied by the First Amendment.

California argued that violent video games are obscene, andhence unprotected, but the Court, reviewing the history of obscenity,determined that the obscenity exception only applies to depictions of sexualconduct.

The Court next recounted a history of vilification of newcommunication mediums, and drew to video games a direct line from dime novelsthrough motion pictures, radio dramas, comic books, television, and musiclyrics. California argued that the interactive nature of video games distinguishedthem from previous communication mediums, but the Court dismissed the argumentby stating that literature has been interactive since at least 1969 when thefirst choose-your-own-adventure book was published.

RapeLay

The Court rejected the notion that the content of the ideascommunicated by video games, no matter how horrible or disgusting, was a validbasis for restricting their expression.

Consequent to finding video games subject to the protectionsof the First Amendment, the Court applied the strict scrutiny test to the Act.The strict scrutiny test required California to demonstrate that the Act wasjustified by a compelling government interest and was narrowly drawn to servethat interest. However, California was unable to show a direct causal linkbetween violent video games and harm to minors. California was also unable toshow that children’s exposure to violence in video games was distinguishablefrom exposure to violence on television, which was not similarly restrained bythe Act. As such, the Court found the Act underinclusive when judged againstits asserted justification. The Court reasoned that an underinclusive law cannotbe narrowly tailored, hence cannot pass strict scrutiny, and hence cannotcomport with the First Amendment.

The Court outlined the ESRB rating system, and the Court quoted aFTC report finding that the video game industry outpaces the movie and musicindustries in restricting target marketing of mature-related products tochildren; clearly and prominently disclosing rating information; andrestricting children’s access to mature-related products at retail. As such, theCourt reasoned the Act was not justified by a compelling interest, did not passstrict scrutiny, and hence did not comport with the First Amendment.

JFK Reloaded

The Court praised the good intentions behind the Act—protectionof minors—but noted that constitutional limits on government apply to even themost well-intentioned act.

One Justice concurred separately, the concurrence joined bythe Chief Justice. One Justice dissented.

Into the Lexicon: Gearbox

2011-06-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Gearbox: n., tr. v., adj. A miracle worker. Sometimes the miracle itself. Refers to the miracle of Gearbox saving Duke Nukem Forever from development hell.

"My code was a mountain of spaghetti until Bill gearboxed it for me."

"You don't need divine intervention. You need a gearbox redemption."

Time to Abolish "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

2011-05-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Sonic Fan Remix

Free fan-made games are love letters. They are exhilarating, wistful, and nervous all at the same time. More importantly, they are the first words spoken while attempting to learn a foreign language; the most common reason to invest the hard work necessary to learn a foreign language is to communicate what matters most: “I love you. Where is the bathroom?”

A free fan-made game thanks the creators of the original game in the same language by responding to the one-way communication inherent in the medium on another one-way channel. The only creator that would not want to know that her work inspired another to spend valuable free time, without hope for remuneration, to create an homage is a creator unable to consider the long term.

Perhaps the only thing creators would want more is to respond in kind, thus continuing the conversation. However, creators cannot respond for fear of appearing to induce infringement by another group: pirates with a profit motive. Such an appearance would be used as evidence against creators should creators try to protect their characters from pirates. As such, creators have adopted a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy leading to a sorry state of chill in communication between the two parties most eager to talk: creators and fans. It is unacceptable that creators communicate in the language of games, but fans can only reply in the language of words because of pirates. Such “communication” cannot be considered a dialogue at all.

Super Talking Time Bros.

It is time to abolish Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in a way that protects creators’ investment. One action that creators can take to address several issues surrounding the problem is to sell level editors.

First, the level editor will be an evergreen title. The business models available are plenty: an improved level editor or upgrade for sale every year, a subscription fee, a-la-carte pricing for different fan-made levels or games, sharing a percentage of profit with the fan, a variable stocking fee to place the level or game online in a location according to prominence, etc.

Second, by adding sales into the discussion, creators can make an economic argument when asked to rebut the appearance of inducing infringement by pirates. Accordingly, creators can engage fans to encourage fan-made games to achieve their full potential, consequently helping the creators’ own bottom lines.

Secret Maryo Chronicles

Third, the degree of openness can be adjusted to suit the creator. Specifically, distribution and playback of fan-made levels or games can be controlled. While a completely open system is preferable, some creators may believe that a proliferation of poorly designed levels will dilute the experience of the original game, over-saturate the market, or tarnish the original game or characters in the mind of consumers. However, such dilution can be countered in multiple ways: a well-designed review and sorting system, a gold-star seal of quality on certain levels, a culling policy, etc. For those creators implementing an open system, a partnership with GameMaker (YoYo Games) may be appropriate. For those creators implementing a closed system, a partnership with the LittleBigPlanet team (Media Molecule) may be appropriate.

Fourth, creators will engender long-term goodwill. One way creators will engender long-term goodwill is through education. By stumbling a few times themselves, fans will come to appreciate the process of creation, which can only help bridge some divides that occur between fans and creators. For example, some invective criticisms directed toward creators will be tempered.

Another way creators will engender long-term goodwill is through trust. Cynical creators will be surprised that the public will uphold the trust placed in it. For example, consider branding. People, and unfortunately even children, are remarkably brand-conscious. Marketers ensure that any child owning a Zune knows she does not own an iPod; any child eating Fruity O's knows she is not eating Froot Loops; and any child playing Secret Maryo Chronicles knows she is not playing Super Mario Bros. If the child does not know, marketers know that other children will inform the child in the appropriate tone of voice. Similarly, branding can work in reverse. A child that creates a level for a generic platformer using her own characters will, unfortunately, not be filled with the same amount of pride or receive the same amount of respect from her peers as a child that creates a Super Mario Bros. level that rockets up the charts, is played by thousands, and puts a small amount of coin in her purse. As such, it is obvious which path will be chosen. Instead of using marketing dollars to push product to the public, creators can use marketing dollars to pull product from the public. By placing trust in the public, the public will uphold the trust by self-policing, celebrating the creators, and continuing the dialogue.

The only “sacrifice” necessary on the part of a creator to place its trust in the public is a reduction in the creator’s ego. For example, consider the following questions. What does CAPCOM think will happen if it allows the public to make 8-bit Mega Man games and levels by selling level editors and compiled levels for profit? Is it worried that the fan-made games will eclipse the originals? Why? Will that scenario tarnish the Mega Man legacy, or will it be cause for celebration? Shouldn’t CAPCOM be proud to co-opt such talented individuals or teams under the CAPCOM banner?

Streets of Rage Remake

Considering the above, any reasonable valuation of goodwill will be astronomical, and more than enough justification to sell level editors.

Abolishing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by sanctioning a one-way communication channel for reply is only the beginning. It is only the first step in building a true two-way channel in the language of video games.

Lingua Gamca

2011-04-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, you know another language.

In literature, rules for spelling, punctuation, diction, and grammar are used to eliminate noise. If, for some reason, the agreed-upon rules create noise instead, then the rules are discarded because they are subservient to creating a noise-free channel of communication. Such a channel creates the immersion, or engagement, necessary for hours to pass like minutes. Good engagement makes it seem as if the author is directly in the brain sharing experiences while the physical processes of reading the words and turning the pages disappear from consciousness.

Similar to literature, games have their own agreed-upon rules to create a noise-free channel of communication. Such rules form the language of games.

One aspect of the language of games is the controls used for input. For example, first-person shooters have controls that persist across games and sometimes across platforms. As with spoken language, such controls are difficult for non-native speakers at first, but become easy with practice. Consider the following foray into teaching the vocabulary of controls.

DualShock 2

Non-native speaker: "How do I pick up that item on the ground?"

Native speaker: "Press triangle."

Non-native speaker *looks at the DualShock 2, pauses the game*: “That didn’t work.”

Native speaker: "Press . . . the . . . circular button that has a triangle printed on it."

This conversation, presented verbatim, highlights the obstacles non-native speakers must overcome. Such obstacles are a barrier to entry to the fun promised by native speakers, and to some the seemingly arbitrary rules that make up the language of games is not worth the work of overcoming the obstacles. After all, fun should not be work. Bad engagement, especially during the learning of the language of games, makes what should be an hour of fun pass like a year of work.

A large aspect of the language of games is the conventions of the genres. Q: How do you know to advance right instead of left, up, or down? A: Because you are playing a platformer. Q: How do you know that a crate can be destroyed while a cabinet on the wall cannot be destroyed? A: Because you are playing a first-person shooter. One of the most famous examples of using language occurs in Metroid, which uses the language of Super Mario Bros. to make a statement about itself. Throughout Super Mario Bros., the player advances from left to right. At the beginning of Metroid, the player that advances right, as was customary at that point in the evolution of the language, finds herself blocked by a large wall with a small tunnel underneath. After failing to access the tunnel, the player admits defeat and returns to the starting position. The player is forced to explore by advancing left, and the player is rewarded by immediately finding an item used to access the tunnel. As such, Metroid uses the language of Super Mario Bros. to make the statement, “This is a game about exploration in every direction.”

Scribblenauts

Though not as recognized, Metroid uses the language of Super Mario Bros. in other ways as well. In Super Mario Bros., the player begins at the far left of the screen facing right. In Metroid, the player begins at the center of the screen facing out of the screen, again encouraging exploration in any direction. In Super Mario Bros., the first enemies (and most thereafter) are defeated by jumping on them from above. In Metroid, the first enemies have spines on top of them, indicating that jumping on them (and most thereafter) will not defeat the enemies of Metroid. In Super Mario Bros., the player jumps with a fist in the air, encouraging striking objects from below. In Metroid, the player spins into a ball during moving jumps, foreshadowing vertical corridors requiring precision jumping. This use of language is not, and cannot be, coincidence; rather, such use is the attempt to create good engagement with a skeptical audience in a relatively immature medium.

Similar to the slang and wordplay of spoken language, jokes can be formed in the language of games by subverting rules, expectations, and meanings. Briefly mentioning one out of many examples, a crude type of joke is an item causing the opposite of the conventional effect. As with slang, a player not “in the know” will not understand the joke. As the language of games evolves, this type of playful communication becomes subtler and more meaningful, resulting in less noise and better engagement.

A fun way to encourage non-native speakers to understand the language of games is to present them with the name and perhaps a picture of the director of a particular game they are playing. Mention that “this is the person trying to tell you something.” Upon hearing the inevitable praises and curses of the non-native speakers during playthrough, such as “Miyamoto, you sly fox, that was tricky!” or “CliffyB, you magnificent jerk, that was cheap,” native speakers will soon understand that in providing an outlet for pseudo two-way communication, they are really teaching an understanding of how to interpret the one-way communication of the language of games.

Another World

One aspect of learning to appreciate a particular game is the ability to draw from experience of the language formed by other games to evaluate the particular game, similar to appreciating a fine film. After the language of games has been understood, and the message of the particular game is delivered with good engagement, comes the fun part: What does the message mean?

Three Steps to Subversion

2011-03-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

Let's Play 100 Rogues

2011-02-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Crusader: Hi. I'm here for the birthday party.

Ma'am: Hi. Thanks for coming. The kids are upstairs.

Crusader: Thanks, Ma'am.

Crusader *bursting through the door*: WHO'S READY TO HAVE SOME FUN!

Kids: YAAAAAAAAY!

Crusader: All right, but first I need the Birthday Girl here in the position of honor. Now, what would you like to do, Ms. Birthday Girl?

Birthday Girl: A tea party!

Kids: YAAAAAAAAY!

Crusader: Er, are you sure you wouldn't like a joust or something, Kid?

Birthday Girl: No! A tea party!

Crusader *bowing*: Your wish is my command. Everyone gather round in a circle. Who's brought the tea? Ah yes, half a cup please. No, no sugar thank you. Would you please pass the crumpets? No, no jam thank you. Really? She said that? Good heavens! It's amazing how people act these days. So uncouth! Did I get crumbs in the butter?

Kids: Hahhahaaah.

Crusader: You'll never believe what happened to me yesterday. Would you like to hear the story?

Kids: YAAAAAAAAY!

Crusader: Well, it all started when I went to the court of the High Council . . .

Kids: OOOOOOOOHH.

Crusader:

Crusader: Councilmembers, I seek a quest worthy of God.

Crusader: Who is this "Satan?"

Kids: AAAAAAAUGH!

Crusader: . . . Too soon?

Kids: AAAAAAAUGH!

Crusader: Very well. We'll begin at the beginning. When we reach the end, we'll stop.

Kids: SIIIIIIIGH.

Crusader: Councilmembers, if this quest is worthy of God, why has God not killed Satan?

High Council: The Prophecy states that God will return.

Crusader: False. Your God is false. A god even. There is only one true God.

High Council: Heresy! Undercapitalization will be punished. Bank on it! What is the name of your God?

Crusader: As the prophet, only I am capable of uttering the Lord's name: RNG!

High Council: Who would give their God an unpronounceable name? Yes, it's true. Only you can pronounce your cow-God's name, no udder.

Crusader: Resorting to name-calling? At least my God is not both shepherd and lamb.

High Council: For your heresy, you will go to Hell.

Crusader: I'm banking on it.

Crusader: As you can see, Kids, I have high HPs and medium energy. Also, I had a big breakfast so I hope there's a men's room in Hell. Let's take a look at the items my Mom packed for this field trip.

Crusader: . . . Thanks a lot, Mom. I'm sure Dad refueled the ol' bag-o'-tricks, though.

Crusader: Gee, thanks a bunch, Dad. Looks like all I have to rely on is my wits and my brains. Luckily, I didn't get those from Mom or Dad.

Crusader: Here we are: Bandit Hole 1! Smells like . . . brown.

Crusader: Banditos! Donde esta la fiesta, Banditos?

Crusader: La fiesta es en mi pantalones!

Crusader: I spy with my little eye something starting with a "G."

Smarty: Is it gold?

Crusader: No.

Not-So-Smarty: Is it Gil?

Crusader: No. It's a Gingerbread Man.

Euro-Girl: Does he have red hair?

Crusader: No, but he's tasty. Just like red-heads.

Gingerbread Man: Catch me if you can!

Crusader: This is going to be harder than I thought. I must use my superior intellect.

Crusader: Curses!

Crusader: I can almost taste it. Sweet, sweet . . .

Crusader: Usable by Wizards only?! When was the last time she did anything for me?

Pip-Squeak: I have a question. Isn't fighting in doorways cowardly?

Crusader *menacingly*: Listen, pip-squeak. Ganging up on adventurers is cowardly. If they would fight me like a martial-arts movie, I wouldn't have to fight in doorways. Besides, the only thing I can one-shot now is rats. You don't like rats do you?

Pip-Squeak: Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir.

Crusader: I better get a sweet reward for this pile of bodies I sacrificed to RNG.

RNG: Nyet.

Crusader: Finally! The stairs that take us to . . .

Crusader: Is that a woman? It's been so long since I've seen a woman! Hi. How are you? No. Don't teleport me! I don't want to leave you!

Crusader: Rats! Blue ones.

Bandit: I heard you bin makin' moony eyes at my old lady.

Crusader: Well, you heard wrong. Come here, Darling! No. Why must you always teleport me into the middle of trouble? Is that your way of showing affection? LUUUUCYYYY!

Crusader: Bats! Three of them. Seeing as I can't one-shot bats yet, back to the doorway!

Crusader: I would slay all the bats in the world for you, Bitsy-Pookums.

Crusader: I would fight through a line of bats to reach you, Snoogy-Woogy.

Crusader: AND I WOULD DO A-NY-THING FOR LOVE!

Crusader: But I won't do that.

Crusader: Three treasures! I could really use a long-range weapon or at least an item to guide me in spending my skill points, RNG.

RNG: Nyet.

Crusader: I won't make it far past the Bandit Holes without an upgraded weapon. I'm doing this for your glory, RNG. I know you haven't heard me like this before. Now that we're here, I'm just talking turkey.

Crusader: Scrolls! By Elbereth, I've never seen so many scrolls!

Crusader: A test, huh? Safely guarded treasure chests must contain something good!

Crusader: The stairs at the top of this room take us to . . .

Crusader: All right Kids, what do we know about rats?

Kids: EEEEEEEVIL!

Crusader: And what do we know about red monsters?

Kids: EEEEEEEVIL!

Crusader: So what does that make red rats?

Kids: SO CUUUUUUUTE!

Crusader: . . . So young, so cynical. Just for that, you get to sit through this fight, which takes forever seeing as how I can't even one-shot Blue Bandits yet. Good thing I have high HPs.

Smarty: Those are Black Bandits. There's no such thing as Blue Bandits.

Crusader: So young, so racist. Does a drop of black clothing make the Bandit black? Or does the bandana mask make the Bandit blue? What happens to a color deferred? Does it explode?

Smarty: No, Robots explode.

Crusader: Treasure! Please, don't let it be a scroll. Please, don't let it be a scroll. Please, don't let it be a scroll. Please, don't let it be a scroll.

Crusader: God dammit! . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It just came out.

RNG: That's what she said.

Crusader: Assassinos! See, Kids? This is honorable. No ganging up. Just mano a mano. No telep--

Crusader: See, Kids? This is what happens to dishonorable ninjas.

Bandits: You stole that scroll from us.

Crusader: Scrolls? I don't need no stinkin' scrolls! I can take on you two and your lady.

Third Bandit: You forgot me.

Crusader: Gulp! Three Bandits and a Gypsy with nary a doorway in sight! I can't win this fight in the open. What should I do?

Birthday Girl: Use an enchant weapon scroll.

Crusader: On my wooden sword? Girl, you dun gon crazy? I will use it immediately on anything other than a wooden sword.

Smarty: Throw an energy potion.

Crusader: I don't have too many of those to spare.

Not-So-Smarty: Use a scroll of accuracy.

Crusader: If I hit every time, and they hit every time, I will lose in six turns.

Fatty: Eat your food!

Gingerbread Head: Use a skill point!

Crusader: Good idea! Whack of Glory will let me one-shot two Blue Bandits. Then, I can take my time chasing down the others.

Crusader: And I get the skill point right back! Precious skill points. Don't ever leave me.

Crusader: Arrows! There must be a bow around here somewhere. A bow would really turn this quest around. O sweet lady? Have you seen a bow around here? Don't worry about your sisters; I wouldn't do that to you. You're not like them. You wouldn't tele--

Crusader: To the doorway!

Crusader: Now that our little pest problem has been solved we can go to the . . .

Crusader: What's that smell? I smell . . . I smell . . .

Birthday Girl: Cupcakes!

Crusader *eyes narrowing*: . . . Greed. That can only mean one thing.

Crusader: Quabbus. The most cutthroat merchant who ever lived. I heard Quabbus sold his children into slavery because they couldn't make the monthly nut.

Kids: OOOOOOOOHH!

Crusader: Quabbus! We meet again.

Quabbus: At your service, Master. Always a pleasure to do business with you.

Crusader: I am not fool enough to think I am Master here, Quabbus.

Quabbus: Looking at your inventory, Master, makes my heart bleed.

Crusader: I wonder what color your heart's blood is, Quabbus. Green? Or gold?

Quabbus: You will need a long range weapon for the quest's end, a better melee weapon for the quest's middle, a way to deal non-physical damage, and a way to heal. Only two skill points, Master?

Crusader: I KNOW WHAT I NEED, QUABBUS! If I had a better weapon, I would have used Weapon Focus by now. I don't need your food, nor your scrolls. I desperately need your Quadbone, but let me guess . . .

Quabbus: 72 gold, Master.

Crusader: You would have me fight what lies beyond with a practice sword?

Quabbus: Practice makes perfect, Master.

Crusader: I remember a time, Quabbus, when you would let my pets in your store and the Kops would keep the peace. Are those days gone?

Quabbus: Some things change, Master--

Crusader: And some things stay the same. I will take your ring.

Crusader: What smoke through yonder lamp breaks? It is Death, and He has won.

Kids: What did the Genie say?

Crusader: The Genie said, "Flavor text is for paying customers only!"

Crusader: Doing a measly 5 damage to this Golden Beetle with my wooden sword, Whack of Glory becomes my only hope. That, and my one health potion. Hopefully, I can hold out.

Crusader: Remember Kids, Whack means crack. With the lamp broken, the Genie cannot heal.

Crusader: Doing under 10 damage per non-Whack hit, I am soon surrounded, and must Whack a Golden Beetle.

Crusader: I'm so low on health that I become delirious. Isn't red always the best? Skittles, Starbursts, Kool-Aid, Jolly Ranchers, Now and Laters, Air Heads, red heads, Smarties; the red flavor is always best.

??? *knocking*: Knock, knock!

Children: WHO'S THERE?

???: Purple.

Children: PURPLE WHO?

Wizard *entering*: Purple is the color of royalty, and royalty need not concern itself with last names.

Crusader: Wizardess! Now's not the time for lessons. I'm in the middle of a story.

Wizard: I see you still have a penchant for making up words. Wizardatrix or just plain Wizard will do. Aren't there children here?

Crusader: Yes.

Wizard: Then it is a great time for lessons. Where are we in the story, Children? . . . Really? He's been telling you about his imminent death? A-ha-ha-ha-haaaa, don't make me laugh! Do you really believe any adventurer with two skill points and a host of scrolls to spare is near death? Crusader, have you been sandbagging for dramatic effect? Children don't learn any lessons with theatrics. Let's move it along, shall we?

Crusader and Children *together*: Yes, Ma'am.

Crusader: My high HPs allowed me to withstand the onslaught using one red potion.

Crusader: The Golden Beetles drop gold, but it won't be mine for long.

Crusader: Quabbus, you knew this would happen.

Quabbus: I have faith in your abilities, Master.

Crusader: Your faith is lucrative, Quabbus.

Crusader: After buying and upgrading a Quadbone, we head to Dungeon 1.

Crusader: The Quadbone summons a shadow Bandit as I fight Skeletons.

Crusader: The shadow Bandit leads me north. What does he smell up there?

Wizard: You're a kitty! Er, listen well children, the cat has 10,000 HPs and will follow you in an attempt to trap you. The best way to get it off your back is to let a monster attack it so the cat will follow the monster instead.

Crusader: Maybe I can use all these nets to mail the cat to Abu Dhabi. What kind of ridiculous entourage have I got going here?

Crusader: Look, Wizard. It's your brother, the Necromancer.

Wizard: That's no brother of mine, the way he summons Skeletons. They're not even real Skellymen, just a devolution. By the way, Children, a long-range weapon is necessary for summoners, buffers, and debuffers. Here is a great example.

Crusader: Let's not talk about that.

Crusader: Without a bow, it takes me 7 arrows to kill the Necromancer.

Wizard: You threw the arrows? With your hands?

Crusader: I SAID let's not talk about that. Let's talk about stairs that take us to . . .

Crusader: The zombie throws tomatoes at me for killing his invisible baby, which is not zombified.

Crusader: First scrolls, and now staffs. This quest's for you, Wizard.

Wizard: Cheers!

Crusader: Looks like we've returned to our regularly scheduled programming.

Crusader: The stairs take us to . . .

Crusader: I immediately find the stairs. I'm so great.

Crusader: Quabbus watches intently as I enter the shop. His eyes are looking for any bulges in my coin bag; his ears are listening for tinkling in my boots; his brain is calculating how much gold I could have gained since my last visit.

Crusader: Quabbus, since when does the Rune of Zot cost 16 gold, and since when do 18 arrows cost 18 gold?

Quabbus: Since you have 18 gold in your pocket, Master.

Crusader *triumphantly*: Ha! You are getting old, Quabbus, and your eyes and ears are not as sharp as they once were. I have 19! I will take your arrows.

Quabbus *quietly as Crusader is leaving*: But my brain is still sharp, Master.

Crusader: I sure showed him this time! I will not be gouged!

Wizard: Why, thank you. How nice. About those scrolls and staffs you are always complaining about, now might be a good time to--

Crusader: Save it, Sister.

Crusader: I knew it! Your god has been corrupted; can't even make it snow inside your snowglobe.

Crusader: I can only do 4 damage. Let's try Whack of Glory.

Crusader: That only does 7 damage. This will be a looooooong fight. Let's try raising my strength.

Crusader: What a waste. This will be a slug fest, but my high HPs should allow me to slog it out with two health potions. Noticing a trend, Kids?

Kids: ZZZZZZZZZZ.

Crusader: WAKE UP! It's over. Anyone got a handbasket?

Crusader: I wonder what Hell is like?

Crusader: OH, NO! I didn't know it would be my own personal Hell! I grew up geek, and Hell is filled with bullies and hot girls with nary a friend in sight.

Shadow Knight: Like the wallpaper sticks to the wall . . .

Crusader: Like the seashore clings to the sea . . .

Shadow Knight: Like you'll never get rid of your shadow . . .

Crusader: You'll never get rid of me.

Shadow Knight: Closer than smog is to all of L.A. . . .

Crusader: Closer than Bobby is to J.F.K. . . .

Shadow Knight: Not a soul can bust this team in two . . .

Crusader: We stick together like glue!

Crusader: The Pillsbury Dough Boy! Let's poke him in the tummy!

Kids: HEE-HEE.

Kids: AWWWWWWWWW.

Crusader: A spellbook is in this chest. Marked with the big red letters, "USABLE BY WIZARDS ONLY."

Wizard: And why didn't you pick it up?

Crusader: Can't use it and no room in the inventory. Besides it's not like there are any . . .

Crusader *meekly*: . . . lockers around here.

Wizard: Although it hurts me that you wouldn't do for me what I would do for you, it hurts me more thinking about what you are teaching the children.

Children: YEAH!

Crusader: B-b-b-ut . . .

Wizard: Couldn't make room for it in the inventory? I know why. You have some macho fantasy that you'll be three spaces away from Satan, counting his HPs dutifully, and realize you can throw your wooden sword at him for the finishing blow. So you lug around anything and everything.

Crusader: B-b-b-ut . . .

Wizard: OF COURSE you can't use the spellbook, but did it ever occur to you that you could throw the spellbook?! At Satan even? He is illiterate after all.

Crusader *thoughtful*: You know, that never occurred to me.

Wizard: Apparently you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Well, let that be a lesson Children. The lesson is Crusaders are idiots.

Crusader: So let it be written, so let it be done.

Crusader: These stairs take us to . . .

Crusader: All right! The stairs are right by the entrance. I'm so great. We're looking good with 5 health potions. Here we go!

Crusader: Satan, welcome to die!

Crusader: Two Satans? Oh, these must be Satan's children.

Crusader: Satan's children, be good little boys and girls, ok?!

Crusader: I run away before they set me on fire, which is the worst status condition.

Crusader: These nets are great to use here, but throwing arrows will not kill the beast before it breaks through the net. Time to get Whacking!

Crusader: Satan's bodyguards try to flank me.

Crusader: Hey, baby. What's your story?

Succubus: If I kiss you, I permanently decrease your maximum HPs by one.

Crusader: I have 59 HPs to spare, what'll that get me?

Succubus: . . .

Crusader: *woozy, slurring*: Hey, baby. What's your story?

Satan's Bodyguard: I call for backup, and my backup calls for backup, and my backup's backup calls for backup, until we each are firing semi-automatics at you every turn.

Crusader *woozy, slurring*: I'm on fire, what will that get me?

Crusader: I won't win this battle, so I invest a skill point in a healing spell.

Crusader: A giant floating head, WITH LASERS? Better invest another. These monsters shoot at me from any distance away as long as I am on same row or column. The lasers hurt.

Crusader: Two giant floating heads? He who flees and runs away lives to fight another day.

Crusader: Is this it? Is it the end? I'm in a real bind here. The giant floating head will hit me for about 10 every turn, and it will take more than 6 turns to clear the mini-Satan blocking my path. I better Whack. At least it can't get any worse!

Crusader: It just got worse. Item time!

Crusader: That didn't hit anyone. And now I'm on fire.

Crusader: Better use some health potions.

Crusader: My options are dwindling. I barely escaped one giant floating head, now I'm up against two. When in doubt: chuck something. Thankfully two together is the most I've seen.

Crusader: Until now. Not wanting to make this my grave, I can only turn back and hope the stairs aren't in this room.

Crusader: Today's story is brought to you by the power of doubling. Take it away, Count.

Count: VON, VON giant floating head, a-a-ah.

Count: TWO, TWO giant floating heads, a-a-ah.

Count: FOUR, FOUR giant floating heads, a-a-ah.

Count: EIGHT, EIGHT monsters unhurt by your Staff of Unholy Fires.

Crusader: The Staff of Holy Fires is less flashy, but more reliable. I am not expecting to make it out of here alive.

Crusader: Especially when I am surrounded again.

Crusader: Lacking any more staffs, I use a skill point to learn Holy Fires.

Crusader: Getting pummeled by the lasers forces me to use my last health potion. The only thing I can do is run away.

Crusader: WHICH SURPRISINGLY WORKS! It turns out the other monsters didn't like getting pummeled by the lasers either, so they started attacking the heads for me. I thought I was a goner.

Crusader: Surviving the lasers puts the whole kiss of death thing in perspective. Come here, you cute Succubus you, SMOOCH!

Crusader: Time to use all my scrolls. I can't take 'em to heaven so I might as well use 'em in hell.

Crusader: Pleased to meet you! Hope I remember your name. But what's puzzling me is the nature of your game.

Crusader: Satan punches me and knocks me backwards into Vampire Bats, which bite three times as hard as normal bats and heal themselves with blood.

Crusader: Luckily, his Unholy Fires spell is just as accurate as mine was.

Crusader: Hitting Satan for more than 20 damage is respectable if I can keep my HPs high via healing items. Oh yeah, healing items. I remember those.

Crusader: Whenever I'm surrounded by bats, I use Holy Fires. Unfortunately, that means less healing.

Crusader: I was planning on healing, but I am one energy point short. I need a bunch of things to go right here. I need to kill the bat, have Satan miss, and recover that energy point all in one turn. I can't be sure of killing the bat without Holy Fires, but if I use it I need to run away to recover more energy or health. I could Whack the bat, but then I wouldn't get in a hit on Satan. I haven't been counting my damage-dealt well, but it could be the finishing blow, right? What a story that would make!

Wizard: Nevermind about that lesson about old dogs, Children. The new lesson is old dogs are dumb and should be put down.

Precious Snowflake: I'm telling!

Others: SHHHHHHHHH! It's getting good.

Crusader *quickly*: By some miracle, everything goes according to plan, I save the Princess, and we all live happily ever after. The End.

Kids: HEEEEEEEEY!

Birthday Girl: We want a good story! With a happy ending!

Kids: YEEEEEEEAH.

Crusader: After all that, you want a happy ending? Boy, you Kids are slave drivers! Ok, ok. Actually, Satan punches me to negative 20 HPs.

Crusader: Lord, why have you failed me? Did I not take this quest for your glory? To prove your status as the one true God?

RNG: SILENCE! It is not I who have failed you, but you who have failed me. Like footprints in the sand, I carried you at your weakest moments. But in your strongest moments, did you think of me or only yourself?

Crusader: Lord, how did I fail you?

RNG: With your cowardice!

Crusader: I do not understand.

RNG: Let us reminisce.

***

Crusader: I immediately find the stairs. I'm so great.

Crusader: All right! The stairs are right by the entrance. I'm so great. We're looking good with 5 health potions. Here we go!

***

Crusader: I see. Because of my cowardice in not exploring each floor to the fullest, I was underleveled when I fought Satan. That combined with the facts that I used all my health potions and I had too low energy for consistent healing meant that I couldn't use the one advantage that had gotten me this far: my high HPs. Had I explored the two floors I skipped, I could've been stronger and had more potions or more energy. If you revive me Lord, I will say a mantra each and every step of each and every floor: CONSERVE POTIONS, AND FIGHT BRAVELY!

RNG: Go forth my Son, and if you do as you say, you will see my power and show all the world my glory.

Crusader: Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely. Conserve potions, and fight bravely.

Crusader: As if in a dream, I traveled through each floor conserving potions and fighting bravely until I found myself at the entrance to Satan's lair. Surrounded by clowns.

Crusader: PRAISE TO RNG! 14 health potions, a weapon-focused bow with 38 arrows, a devil blade, and 4 unused skill points! PRAISE TO RNG!

Crusader: Quabbus, I see your eyes have returned. But even you cannot ruin this glorious day.

Crusader: I remember. You want to play rough? Ok. Say hello to my 38 little friends.

Crusader: Bap!

Crusader: Thwap!

Crusader: Thwip!

Crusader: Fwip!

Crusader: Twing!

Crusader: Twang!

Crusader: Zing!

Crusader: Zang!

Crusader: Interlude to skewer bats.

Crusader: Back to ass-kicking.

Crusader: Thptt!

Crusader: Devil Blade in hand, I move in for the kill.

Crusader: Here is proof of the glory of RNG, the one true God, who has done what your god could not!

Crusader: . . . And that's the story of how I killed Satan.

Kids: YAAAAAAAAY!

??? *knocking*: Knock, knock.

Kids: WHO'S THERE?

Crusader: Oh that must be our friend, Scound--

Kids *as door opens*: AAAAAAAUGH!

Kids *running downstairs*: AAAAAAAUGH!

Skellyman Scoundrel: What did I do?

Wizard *sighing*: Next time, Skelly, take the knife out of your head.

Dual Duel

2011-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

God Hand

Irma *awestruck*: Do you know who that is across the street? It's the guy who worked on God Hand, Mikami. Don't look! He might see us.

April *primping*: Typical, Irma. What kind of world do you live in where you refuse to admit you like something that someone actually knows, like Resident Evil? You’re just not a compatible blood type with him.

Irma: Hey, that's a lie! I like Super Mario Bros. Everyone knows that game.

April *rolling eyes*: Yeah, everyone knows it because it's 25 years old. No one likes an old maid, Irma.

Super Mario Bros.

Irma: I like newer stuff too!

April: Oh yeah? You said you hated Sonic 4, and you didn't even play it. You took one look at the title screen and turned it off! Talk about judging a book by its cover.

Irma: The music exemplified everything that was wrong with the game. I could hear that the suits were trying to replicate success without understanding that success: "Put a snare at the beginning, add in a syncopated synth, and get right into the melody. It will sell." I didn't need to play it to find out the whole game was made like that.

April: Whatever. Saying something like that about Mikami is like saying, "Oh, there's the guy from Mad Season, Mike McCready." Who does that?

Mikami: Hi.

April and Irma *together*: Hold on!

Mega Man 9

Irma: You're one to talk! All this hot air coming from a person who won't touch a game unless it has a high score from Metacritic or Famitsu; who’s typical? Besides, you didn’t like Sonic 4 either. When are you going to wake up?

April: Wake up? When are you going catch up?

Irma: That's it! Only a duel can settle this. Name the weapons. Red Dead at dawn? Bubble Bobble at dusk?

April: Mega Man 9. One life. Any order. Whoever can kill more robot masters. Deal?

Irma: Deal.

. . .

April: Hey, where did Mikami go? I wanted to ask for his autograph.

Barriers to Entry of Life

2010-11-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Minecraft

With regard to individual expression, game creation has high barriers to entry. The forms of artistic expression with perhaps the lowest barriers to entry are song followed by drawing, writing, and then music.

Song, apart from recording, need not keep pace with technology. Because it need only keep pace with biological evolution, an argument can be made that the most mature expression of song has already been achieved.

Drawing barely need keep pace with technology. The pigments on cave walls gave way to charcoal, which was honed into the modern pencil. To be sure, the pencil is giving way to the stylus (the mouse was an interesting and outlying transition, and the finger will not be fine enough), but such progress is for distribution purposes only, not for purposes of aesthetic.

Super Meat Boy

Writing "evolves" faster than biological evolution because language serves to reflect the values of the speakers and writers, but the "evolution" is not compelled by technology. Like drawing, the transition of writing to word processing (even speech-to-text) is for distribution rather than aesthetic. Reading is a slow way to receive information compared with multi-sense forms such as video with audio. However, the multi-sense forms are more expensive to produce than writing by orders of magnitude. As the prohibitive costs decrease, writing can be expected to actually evolve away from our current concept of writing and into shared experience. For purposes of this writing, such sublimation means that writing is also mature as far as needing to keep pace with technology.

Music, apart from recording, has been relegated to using technology to more accurately reflect the sound of instruments already in use rather than create new sounds unbounded by physical implementation. This severe introspection indicates the current decoupling of music with the necessity to keep pace with technology.

Game Maker

Game creation is slowly being used for individual expression by those who spend years studying the form. The group-centric nature of game creation dampers expression because the survival of the group depends on catering to broad tastes. Compared to the above forms, game creation is extremely coupled to the pace of technology. Consider that not one in ten can reproduce Pong using present technology, to say nothing of a triple-A title or using the technology with which Pong was actually created, and the high barriers are plain. Indeed, many more than one in ten can reproduce early lullabies, cave drawings, and hieroglyphics. Game Maker is lowering the barriers for the most accepted forms of game creation. As such, Game Maker deserves all the plaudits that can be heaped upon it but few of the criticisms that are. Additionally, the creators of middleware engines are the unsung heroes of the advancement of expression in game creation.

The film industry may be in the beginning of what will be considered the transition from writing to shared experience. By viewing the same film, two people have shared the same experience and created the same memory subject to their personal interpretation of the film. However, a wildly divergent interpretation is an error (or feature) of communication by the film creators.

Dwarf Fortress

The medium of games, of course, is interactive compared to the medium of film. As such, if the path of film leads to shared experience, to what will the path of game creation lead? In other words, what is interactive shared experience? Life?

A Thought Exercise: Is EA’s Tying of NBA Elite 11 to NBA JAM Anticompetitive?

2010-08-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

It is too early to tell if EA’s tying of NBA Elite 11 to NBA JAM is anticompetitive. There are simply not enough facts about sales, jurisdiction, etc. in a press release to be certain. Indeed, there has been no sale yet. However, the scenario is an interesting thought experiment. The language under scrutiny is:

“To make NBA ELITE the ultimate basketball experience for you, we will be including three modes of NBA JAM for FREE with NBA ELITE 11. That’s right, not only will you be getting NBA ELITE 11 when you buy the game, but you will also have NBA JAM available as well — so for the price of one game, you’re getting two full NBA experiences. Another important note to share with all of you — the ONLY way you will be able to play NBA JAM for the PS3 is to buy NBA ELITE 11.”

(http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/08/03/nba-elite-11-for-ps3-new-controls-and-nba-jam-confirmed/ August 3, 2010).

Reboot of NBA JAM

The elements of tying are (1) two separate products or services are involved; (2) the purchase of the tying product is conditioned on the additional purchase of the tied product; (3) the seller has sufficient market power in the market for the tying product; (4) a not insubstantial amount of interstate commerce in the tied product market is affected.

Before considering the elements, it must be mentioned that EA probably has the exclusive rights to both games. As such, this scenario does not neatly fit into usual tying scenarios where Company A ties products Y and Z so that consumers do not purchase a similar product Y from Company B. Here, consumers cannot purchase NBA JAM (or something similar) anywhere else. As such, who will be alleging they have sustained damages? It probably would be hard to argue that NBA JAM is similar to another basketball game because the enjoyment of the NBA JAM stems from the brand and the gameplay.

Considering the first element, NBA Elite 11 is a separate product from NBA JAM. Specifically, the two are different games. The language “for the price of one game, you’re getting two full NBA experiences” is helpful here. As such, the first element is satisfied.

Considering the second element, EA is offering NBA JAM for free. As such, there is probably not a purchase of NBA JAM. Specifically, a purchase for zero dollars cannot be a purchase per se. The language “we will be including three modes of NBA JAM for FREE with NBA ELITE 11” is helpful here. As such, the second element is probably not satisfied.

The assumption should be made that costs for development of NBA JAM will not be directly factored into the price of NBA Elite 11. Otherwise, a bookkeeping trick would subvert the intent behind prohibition of tying. To illustrate, suppose NBA Elite 11 was originally intended to be priced at $40.00 and NBA JAM was originally intended to be priced at $20.00. To offer NBA JAM for free on condition of a $60.00 purchase of NBA Elite 11, while simultaneously arguing that there is no purchase of NBA JAM, would be an example of a bookkeeping trick subverting the intention behind the prohibition of tying.

NBA JAM

Considering the third element, the tying product is NBA JAM because the “sale” of NBA JAM is conditioned on the purchase of NBA Elite 11. This comports with traditional notions of tying because NBA JAM has more cachet than NBA Elite 11. The language “the ONLY way you will be able to play NBA JAM for the PS3 is to buy NBA ELITE 11” is helpful here. EA has sufficient market power due to having the exclusive license for NBA JAM and due to EA’s size within the basketball game market, the sports game market, and the video game market. As such, the third element is satisfied.

Considering the fourth element, EA is probably planning to offer discs of NBA Elite 11 (the tied product) for sale in every state. Used-game sellers in every state will also probably carry NBA Elite 11. As such, the fourth element is satisfied. It will probably not matter that NBA JAM may be download-only because NBA JAM is not the tied product. Even if it did matter, a download server in a state different from the download computer would probably be within the purview of interstate commerce.

EA’s tying of NBA Elite 11 to NBA JAM is probably not anticompetitive because EA probably owns the exclusive rights to NBA JAM and there is no purchase of NBA JAM. Rather, NBA JAM is being offered for free with the purchase of NBA Elite 11.

Return on Investment

2010-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

There has always been, in many industries, tension between management and labor, investors and creators, suits and talent. Therefore, it is little wonder that the best managers were once creators, and the best creators understand the needs of managers. Is there a way to increase this beneficial mutual understanding, allowing creators some flexibility to nurture and exercise their talent (to the benefit of the company in increased productivity, loyalty, and of course talent), while allowing the company to not only stay afloat but prosper?

Portal

Consider the following model. The creators devote ten percent of their time (every other Friday) to a small download-only project of their own. All resulting intellectual property would belong to the company. If successful, the download-only game would be followed by a big-budget sequel. In this way, companies could continuously develop original I.P. with minimal resources at risk, and creators could indulge their risky conceptual ideas without the pressures attached to triple-A titles. Also, morale would increase, and burnout would decrease.

VVVVVVVV

The ten percent sacrifice of creator and manager time (not even ten considering it is a Friday, and many creators will be staying for unpaid over-time to work on their baby) will be outweighed by the increased understanding, communication, original IP, mitigation of risk, productivity, talent level, education of junior employees, and loyalty to the company.

One likely drawback is that crunch, the burst of productivity before significant deadlines, will raise tensions about the model. Creators will fight tooth and nail for the lifestyle to continue during crunch when it is arguably needed the most. Investors will consider the practice a perquisite and waste of money when it is arguably needed the least. These tensions should be addressed beforehand.

Additional concepts to tailor the experience:

Limit team sizes so creators wear many hats. Allow a team size of one for unparalleled personal growth.

Canabalt

Tenured creators could retire to "the farm," where they would spend all of their time doing what other creators only spend ten percent of their time doing.

Force corporate management to play titles outside their comfort zone to completion during these Fridays in order to gain more appreciation for creator and player perspective.

Allow even junior creators ownership of the management of big-budget sequels as a reward for their success.

Allow for exhibitions of pet projects one Friday a quarter for cross-pollination purposes.

Monitor participation to identify high-value talent early.

Target different demographics than usual to create a robust company. More than just different genre demographics, consider targeting businesses rather than individuals.

Hydorah

Allow creators to attempt and fail a completely new job description.

Make budgeting and forecasting a large part of creator responsibility. Identify possible crossovers to management early.

Set a simultaneous time limit for a final up or down vote on each project based on company needs. Conversely, allow each project its own life cycle. A culling plan should be very clear, and company expectations should be communicated well before any work begins, because rejection of personal work is difficult no matter how mediocre the product. Consider democratizing the culling process.

Spelunky

Present awards.

Offer financial incentives to both suits and talent associated with success.

Have creators pitch their projects to management.

Into the Lexicon: Delayed Purchase

2010-03-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Delayed purchase: n. The buying of a game, by one who has previously played the game for free, irrespective of the intent to play the bought game but usually with the intention of honoring the creators of the game.

"There wasn't a donate button on Pixel's website when I played Cave Story a year ago, so I am making a delayed purchase on the Wii."

Artifacts of History: Enriching and Burdening

2010-02-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Precedent is a powerful force. It is so powerful that it is one parent of two other powerful forces: expectation and tradition. American history students know that George Washington, simply by being the first President and improvising as necessary, created artifacts of government that persist today. Video games have their own artifacts. Which of these artifacts are part of the enriching tradition that implies culture, and which are burdens of expectation that impede progress?

The title screen is an artifact of the "attract mode" setting of arcade software. Attract mode is the cycle arcade software repeats when there are no players, and is designed to entice players to part with their quarters. The mode usually consists of gameplay video, artistic video similar to a cutscene but not one of the actual cutscenes in the game, a warning not to do drugs, and the title screen in case there is no cabinet art.

A common anti-drug message seen in arcades

Somehow, title screens persisted in software as the software moved out of the arcade, moved past the need to entice players considering the sale is already made, and moved away from functionality altogether. The worst offenders are title screens that simply state "Press Start." Enough players, upon inserting a disc or running the program, want to start from the last checkpoint reached (if continuing the game) or simply begin (if starting the game for the first time) that it is worth inconveniencing players who want to select a different checkpoint or select different options by making the latter press start during the game rather than making the former press start before the game. It will be remarkable when, upon starting the latest triple-A title and leaving the room, the player can return seeing that she has died thirty times because not only was the title screen abolished, but the "You are dead. Press start to continue." screen was similarly abolished.

An Easter egg in Adventure

Easter eggs are artifacts of pride, conspiratorial fun, or revenge by creators who are sometimes denied the attribution they deserve. In any event, they have become part of the rich heritage, lore, and tradition of the industry. They show us the human side of what can seem like an impersonal relationship between creators and customers.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, there are many ways to get many lives

Lives are artifacts created by the necessity of extracting more quarters out of the player. The notion of lives is the implementation of a time limit based on skill rather than time itself, which would no doubt be unpalatable. Also, being a game of skill is an important differentiator in the eyes of those legislating against games of chance. An artifact begat by lives was the concept of continues. In most instances, losing a life restarted a level, but using a continue restarted a larger increment than a level. Most likely, this resulted from software that was unable to retain the particular state of the player. That lives and continues made it out of the arcade was inevitable, as authentic arcade gameplay was the barometer of success of the console. Perhaps the price of one game was set at the value of quarters the average player would use to complete the arcade version. Speculation aside, lives and continues lasted longer than necessary in games where they served no function.

In Wario Land 3, there are no lives

Code modification is an artifact of curiosity, enthusiasm, and respect for the game by the player. A player that cares enough about a game to go under the hood to increase replayabilty by tweaking rulesets and physics is the kind of loyal customer any business would love. It is the height of short-sightedness for a creator to reproach the player for not playing the game as it was expected to be played. Note that the code modification discussed here differs in degree from code modification that arouses a moral rights issue. Preventing code modification that rises to the level of defacement and besmirching the creators product by making the game behave in inappropriate ways relative to the target audience is separable from the above. Similarly, an effort to profit off the code of another can be distinguished from the love letters freely offered by loyal customers. The differences between the loyal customer and the profiteer or defacer are usually much wider than creators care to admit. Code modification merely takes advantage of the level of interactivity so unique in the industry by giving the customer an alternate avenue of feedback than the usual complaints and comments department. As such, this artifact is worth preserving.

Ryu Hyabusa and his health bar

The health bar, and HUD in general, is an artifact of limited memory. Each piece of information in the HUD was a placeholder for when memory caught up to the point where the information could be displayed intuitively, naturally, and realistically. For example, in order to reuse sprite animations, the health bar placeholder was devised. As such, Simon Belmont and Ryu Hyabusa did not need to be redrawn in various states of disrepair, which would consume copious amounts of creator time and software memory. These limitations are inapplicable today, yet Hyabusa remains freshly modeled even on the verge of death. Progressive fighters allow the hiding of health bars, injecting a fun suspense in matches, but Ken and Ryu (no relation) do not receive black eyes after being hit in the eye during the match; nor does some part of their clothing burn off after being hit with a fireball.

Ryu and his health bar 11 years later

It is possible that the flagship character of a series should not be depicted as bloodied or bruised, and it is also possible that a sorely wounded Ryu (either) still able to jump with the agility of a fresh Ryu would appear dissonant, but there are subtler ways to represent the gamut of health states. It may even be a fun challenge to decrease the ability of wounded characters. Usually, attempts at realism taken too far would take the fun out of the game, and while no one would consider adding tedious tasks in order to inject realism, the placeholders of the HUD are ripe for revisiting. Similarly, cutscenes themselves are an artifact of limited memory.

Hit point inflation is an artifact of marketing. Screenshots of upcoming games with characters and enemies having higher hit points are a regular part of the fuel of hype machines. While hit point inflation can be implemented for more nuanced gameplay, allowing finer gradations of battle scenarios using only integers, having hit points reach the million mark is far more nuance than could ever be efficiently implemented. As such, the tactic is revealed as a marketing tool disguised as gameplay. While marketing has a respected place in the budget in every enterprise, and certainly adds to the bottom line, effective marketing need not be deceptive.

Reviewing the list, it is mostly the artifacts of technology that shackle and the artifacts of human nature that set free. Even George, that precedential President, would approve.