izzyyellsaboutgamethings

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

Procedural Generation and Hard Coded Elements

(Initially posted August 10, 2017, but Tumblr ate it for whatever reason)

Oftentimes, when video game developers try to be inclusive or be representative of certain minorities- particularly LGBT+ groups.  In contrast, it can often go awry and show the bias and discrimination of the developers, too, through looking at what is (and who are) not included in their games. 

For instance, ‘The Sims 2′ allowed for people of the same gender to be in romantic relationships and to marry- which is a notable step up from even the first ‘Sims’, which did not allow marriage.

On the other hand, ‘Tomodachi life’- a game released in 2014, which is a decade after ‘the Sims 2′ was initially released- didn’t allow for same-sex relationships at all. 

This is very indicative of the morals and beliefs of the respective game developers; whilst the developers for the ‘Sims’ series are more accepting of queer relationships, those behind ‘Tomodachi Life’ (or the ones who are in control of what is and isn’t allowed in the game, at least) are not as open to the idea.

Of course, a game’s design misrepresenting, belittling or downright ignoring a minority doesn’t solely apply to the LGBT+ community. And it can occur in games where it’s the game developers intention to represent and/or generate empathy for a certain community.

A prime example of this being the case is the 2011 online game ‘SPENT’, which is about the player making tough choices regarding poverty and homelessness that millions of people face every day.

The intention of the game is to bring about awareness to the plight of those in the lowest classes. And, for the most part, it was a success: in only 10 months since the game’s release, it was responsible for raising $45′000 from over 25′000 new UMD donors.

For some, however, the game had a negative affect among attitudes regarding those in poverty. This even includes some individuals who were sympathetic to the poor before experiencing ‘SPENT’.

In Psychology Fields it has been known for decades that “the belief that people can control their destiny is a big part of the reason people dislike certain groups, especially the poor.” 

The reason for this being that, in ‘SPENT’, the players have full control about the decisions they make, thus making them feel as if they have complete control over the game’s outcome (which is determining whether you have or haven’t got enough money to survive).  This sense of personal agency is what often leads to dislike of the poor- the belief that if they made better choices they wouldn’t be poor.  The issue of making a game about poverty and how you cope is exactly that- the fundamental key of any game is that personal agency, this experience promotes that belief of meritocracy amongst the poor being the reason why they are poor, and that it’s entirely in their power to change that situation.  

SPENT is an excellent example of the developers, and the game itself, having good intentions that (for some) turn ugly. 

Sources:

Roussos, Gina (12/2015) ‘When Good Intentions Go Awry’ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/201512/when-good-intentions-go-awry Last accessed 25/8/17

Smith, Gillian  (4/7/2016) ‘A Proceduralist View on Diversity in Games’ http://gamescriticism.org/articles/smith-3-a  Last accessed 25/8/17

Author N/A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPENT  Last accessed 25/8/17

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

My Experience with Dwarf Fortress

Initially released in 2006, ‘Dwarf Fortress’ is a part management and construction simulator, part roguelike released for the PC.

For this week’s blog, I was tasked with playing (’playing' being not exactly the most accurate word, for my experience) ‘Dwarf Fortress’.

Here are the notes from my first 20~ minutes playing:

> The visuals aren’t too bad...

> ASGSLFSLL NEVERMIND THE ASCII IS  HE L L

> Ooh, nice acoustic music 

 > Oh God... the visuals of this game... oh god

 > Yeah I'm getting the mod to make things, like, recognisable. 

 > There is,, no explanation. For anything. 

 > What the fuck am I looking at Send help 

 > I searched an area... I don't know what that means but I sure did it. 

 > You know what??  I'm getting some Mods now before I have a panic attack from this nightmare HUD

> Installed Modest Mod... no clue what's happened or if I even installed it right

> This game has a really nice soundtrack! :0

> Every time I think I have a grasp on what’s happening the game just decides “you know what, fuck you Isabella, and just,, , throws approximately 50′000 curveballs at me,

After this, I ended up attempting to get the Stonesense, which turns Dwarf Fortress’ dreadfully incomprehensible ASCII visuals into real-time isometric 3D visuals, which- as shown below- actually looks quite nice!

From this...

...To this!

Unfortunately, however, I couldn’t get it working. In my own time, I’m going to attempt to get it working.

What I did end up downloading was Dwarf Therapist, Modest Mod. I also considered getting the Masterwork Dwarf Fortress Mod, however decided against it in the end as it added hundreds of additional items in the game and- considering I’m not at all familiar with the base game- it would have made my experience even more of a trainwreck than what it already was.

What I focused on, in terms of modding, was allowing for a game that actually looked more like a vanilla game than the jumbled ASCII nightmare that Dwarf Fortress has, as well as bug fixes and tweaks that just helps fix some of the more broken elements of the game.

I didn’t get that far into ‘Dwarf Fortress’ at all- perhaps not even an hour. All I really did was generate my world, embark to a location that I thought would have been a good place to set, and begin gathering materials for my Fortress.

I really enjoyed the vast majority of the elements in ‘Dwarf Fortress’, such as the micro-management and the resource gathering- and the soundtrack is really nice.  What I didn’t like, however? Well, the glaring issue that is the UI is the main culprit for all of my misadventures with this game. However, with the assistance of mods, this largely omitted that problem. 

The other major issue that I had with ‘Dwarf Fortress’ is that it’s entirely devoid of any tutorial. Because of this, I had no fucking clue about what was going on the entire time.

Despite me saying my fair share of negative comments regarding ‘Dwarf Fortress’, I did genuinely enjoy playing ‘Dwarf Fortress’. After copious amounts of research, I do fully intend on playing more of ‘Dwarf Fortress’ when I have some free time, as I do really enjoy the mechanics and the way the game works, just not necessarily the way the game looks. Fortunately, however, mods can fix that- which ultimately goes to show just how genuinely useful mods can be at fixing broken games as well as general silly stuff such as mods that replace Dragons with Thomas the Tank Engine. 

In Summary: Game is evil and wants me to suffer at every given moment, 7.5/10.

Sources:

Johnson, Casey (15/4/2013) ‘Challenge accepted: Dwarf Fortress pros show Ars up with insane 10-hour forts’   https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/04/challenge-accepted-dwarf-fortress-pros-show-ars-up-with-insane-10-hour-forts/

Tach, Dave (7/7/2014) https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/7/5877073/dwarf-fortress-3d-mod  last accessed 25/8/2017 

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:List_of_mods

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

Grim Fandango and Diegesis

The way that game developers decide to handle the dyniamics of- and relationship between- diegesis and mimesis greatly influences the overall tone and atmoshpere of the game, just as equally as other important elements in games such as the art direction.

Moreso, depending on the genre.  This is particularly the case in horror games, where music- or the lack of- can build up tension and set up the audience for a jumpscare (or have it be a red herring and trick the audience when there’s no scare at the end of the crescendo). An example of a game’s atmosphere and overall experience being established in it’s non-diegetic soundtrack being Bioshock’s ‘The Ocean On His Shoulders’, which manages to perfectly capture both the mysterious and somber atmospheric tones complimented by the more-than-occasionally frantic and downright terrifying elements of the game (I’m looking at you, Medical Pavillion...).

One game that is consistently mindful of this concept is the adventure game ‘Grim Fandango’, initially produced and released by LucasArts in 1998, but eventually remastered and rereleased by the good folks at DoubleFine in 2015.

It’s clear that throughout the game’s development process, the developers had diegesis and mimesis in mind, which certainly contributes to the film-noir feel that the game evokes.

Ultimately what the diegesis does in ‘Grim Fandango’ is further enhance the user’s immersion in the game- even further closing the gap between the mediated space and the fictional space of the player that helps break down the fourth wall and greatly boosts the cinematic experience of it.

If not executed well, however, diegesis can also interfere with and break the player’s suspension of disbelief.

As it so happens, ‘Grim Fandango’ has elements of diegesis that are, respectively, beneficial and detrimental to the gameplay experience. 

The most notable of this being Grim Fandango’s inventory system which- as opposed to the conventional inventory system- Manny actually pulls out of his coat and describes to the player. Whilst this is further immersing the player in the world and making it feel more organic and natural than “here is an object floating in the void by some text”, it can also be rather frustrating when you have amassed a large number of items in your inventory and have to shuffle through his jacket one-by-one when trying to find the desired object, which can actually break the player’s immersion.

This ultimately shows to us that whilst diegesis is a very important factor to consider, balancing non-diegetic elements can be a necessary evil sometimes to help make the player’s experience less frustrating and therefore less immersion-breaking.

Sources:

Weir, Gregory ‘ Grim Fandango And Diegesis In Games’ (20/11/2008)  http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112122/Opinion_Grim_Fandango_And_Diegesis_In_Games.php last accessed  25/8/2017

Meehan, Aaron ‘Grim Fandango Remastered (PS4) review‘ (3/3/2015) http://www.sggaminginfo.com/2015/03/grim-fandango-remastered-ps4-review/  last accessed  25/8/2017

Russell, Dave ‘ Video game user interface design: Diegesis theory’ (2/2/2017) http://devmag.org.za/2011/02/02/video-game-user-interface-design-diegesis-theory/  last accessed  25/8/2017

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

Devs Play 'Psychonauts'

"We were obviously not thinking about the Speedrunnig community when making this game,” remarks Tim Schafer, the soon-to-be bereft (yet positive and entertained) lead behind the development team for Double Fine’s (in my opinion) magnum opus, ‘Psychonauts’.

‘Devs Play’ is a Youtube series produced by the game studio ‘Double Fine’, who are responsible for games such as the already-mentioned ‘Psychonauts’ (which is the focus of Season 1 Episode 6 of Devs Play, and also the episode I’ll be focusing on), Stacking, and Costume Quest.

For me, and I’m positive that many others agree, Devs Play is an incredibly entertaining series for a massive number of reasons. 

It’s often genuinely funny. The dynamic- and the personalities- of the speedrunners and the developers bouncing off of each other is always a delight to watch. My two favourite quotes from this particular video are “POKEYLOPE SPEEDS UP FOR NO ONE” and “...well, that didn’t feel like four years...” The speedrunners and the devs are always positive and polite to each other, and their interactions are never meanspirited- and the community in the comments all are, too, which is a pleasant and refreshing shift from how Youtube comments typically turn out.

Devs Play also gives an interesting insight into the development and the inner workings- the ‘behind the scenes’ of the game, if you will- of the game itself.  Considering that ‘Psychonauts’ is one of my favourite games of all time, this makes this Devs Play’s episode in particular very rewarding and enlightening for me. (All of the games that have been featured are very beloved by me, in all fairness). Hearing the development team themselves commenting on both the (oftentimes insane) speedrunning techniques as well as the game itself and it’s production process. 

This series (and this episode escpecially, since SMK’s commentary and personality gives a very useful insight into the speedrunning community) also showcases speedrunning as a whole, and as such whenever a friend has mentioned interest in getting involved with speedrunning I often recommend Devs Play, on account of the very incredible grasp it gives on introducing- and further understanding- speedrunning.  I’ve also always had a fascination with speedrunning as a concept: at it’s core, it is an entirely new way to enjoy a beloved game. In what would probably be considered a strange way, I’ve always found this to be really sweet- it’s a community of players who love a game so much they’re passionate enough to find new ways of achieving in (if we’re looking at it through a ‘Bartle’s Taxonomy of Players’ lense) and playing the game, and Devs Play’s ‘Psychonauts’ video showcases that passion perfectly.

Sources: DoubleFineProd "Devs Play S1E06 - Psychonauts The SMK Speedrun" (27/1/2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsDc1YVxHA0 Last accessed 25/8/2017

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

‘Gamers’, Gaming Culture, and Sexism

Gaming culture is a strange and (sometimes-not-so) wonderful thing.

On the one hand, it is an immersive and fulfilling experience and is one of the core reasons why I want to get in on the industry.

On the other hand however, it is a toxic hellpit fulled with toxic hellpeople. And not solely the ‘gamers’- game devs themselves can be pretty nasty.

And it’s that gross, probably greasy and Dorito-dust-coated other hand that I’ll be talking about today.

Frankly, anybody who attempts to gloss over the problematic aspect of gaming culture are gonna be a part of the populous who makes it so damn toxic- typically, they are the ones that are the stereotyped ‘Gamer’ that induce an irrepressible urge to cringe whenever that word is used. These people are the ones that are likely to be privileged in every applicable way and have never experienced any sort of discrimination in their life; they’re often white and male and are likely to be in their teen years. 

Thing is, it isn’t an issue to them because they haven’t experienced it and therefore mustn’t matter at all, especially most gamers are dudes, so fuck it- who needs more female protagonists? Right?

Wrong.

The word ‘gamer’ is a term has come to be rued and revered- it’s fascinating that it can have such a multitude of meanings and yet at the same time mean so little. A gamer is someone who plays games, but not all people who play games are necessarily gamers. It is an identity you can choose to align yourself with, which in some ways is unique.

The reason why many who play games but don’t identify as ‘gamers’ is due to the toxicity surrounding ‘gamers’. Oftentimes, elitism is rife- if you haven’t 100% this or ever played that, you aren’t a true gamer.

Of course, this often delves much deeper than that- there’s a whole series of other prerequisite hoops that you have to jump through before being considered close to a gamer (in the eyes of those gamers, that is).

Such as if you’re a girl or not.

Hoo boy.

You see, those gamers (and when I say that I mean those super stereotyped  obnoxious gamers, which unfortunately are a very real and very vocal segment in gaming culture) often don’t consider the possibility that girls can ever be gamers full stop. They have this weird masculine coding on games and so of course us nasty girls with our nasty girl hands can’t touch it. And if a girl does say she plays games she is often then subjected to a tirade of questions, hostage interrogation style, and if she so much as hesitates she clearly is a fake gamer.

I mean shit, I’ve been exposed to it many times over the course of my life- largely online. Because it’s easier for cowards to be mean and derisive behind a monitor.

And. It. Is. So. Tiring.

Try and bring up the statistical fact that approximately 45% of people who play video games are girls and it’ll get dismissed, claiming that it’s “surely a miscalculation”. In these sorts of situations you just can’t win.

Even if they do accept the fact that girls play games, there’s often this assumption held that “girls are worse than guys at video games” because games are MANLY and FOR MEN so of course MEN are the best at it.

And of course, if a woman playing games online happens to encounter a particularly nasty set of bozos, not only will she be susceptible to sexism but also to unwanted sexual advances, from things as ‘nonthreatening’ as catcalling to as far as rape threats.

In fact, here’s a short video from a Youtuber highlighting just that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy_SNgmZdL0

For the sake of your sanity and blood pressure, don’t read the comments. Or do, if you wanna see a whole bunch of slimy nasty people excusing it.

While gaming culture isn’t inherently sexist, and neither are those who are immersed in gaming culture inherently sexist (I’d  go as far as to say it’s the vocal minority, rather), however to this day it still is a very real issue that women who play games face. Things are looking up, however- lately games have been a lot more accommodating and mindful of their female demographic (such as making more female playable characters), and are slowly shifting to becoming more and more inclusive. Slowly, but surely, things are improving.

And with that, thank you for reading.

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Sources:

Shaw, Adrienne (June 2013) ‘On Not Becoming Gamers: Moving Beyond the Constructed Audience’  http://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-shaw/ Last accessed 14/7/17

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

The Context of the Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac is one of my favourite games (the remastered ‘Rebirth’, specifically). I’ve put in hundreds of hours into it, and at this rate I’m certain I’ll put in hundreds more.

Isaac’s context is very interesting for a number of reasons, some of which I’ll cover here.

Initially released on September 28th 2011, Isaac is a procedurally generated roguelike dungeon crawler made in Adobe Flash by Edmund McMillen (the publisher, co-designer and artist) and Florian Himsl (the other co-creator and programmer)- McMillen oftentimes being recognised as one of the two figures behind Team Meat, the makers of Super Meat Boy. 

As an auteur, McMillen’s style is instantly recognizable in Isaac- grotesque and bloody, but all portrayed in a goofy and lighthearted manner. Those unfamiliar with his work are often- at least initially- disturbed by the content in Isaac, however those already familiar with the rest of Edmund’s repertoire and dark humour, however, at this point probably don’t even question it and embrace it.

Isaac was the result of a week-long game brainstorm between McMillen and Himsl to develop a roguelike heavily inspired by the likes of ‘The Legend of Zelda’ that allowed McMillen to illustrate both the positive and negative sides of how he viewed religion as he had come to discover from conflicts between his Catholic and born-again Christian family members whilst growing up.

The context of the game’s much-beloved art style is another interesting one, too. Fans adore the quirky, heavily stylised and striking art style for it giving a game a sense of originality (the only other games that can really compare in terms of sheer charm are McMillen’s other works)- even to the extent of fans going as far as hating the 16-bit art style used in Rebirth (I’m not one of those people, but then again I’m probably biased since I really, really like pixel art).

                               A comparison between the two styles

As it so happens, Edmund didn’t like the Flash version’s art style.  Here’s what he said in response to a fan on Twitter’s question regarding shift in the art direction:

“I didnt like the Flash style. Isaac was a big rush job and I did all the art in less than 2 months... I wasn’t ever happy with it and hadn’t planned on the game being so successful so I just got the job done so I could finish the game… the art was lazy and to me, just an eyesore.” 

McMillen also went on to say that he had always intended for Isaac to have a retro pixel style, to more better match it’s influence from the NES Legend of Zelda games.

Despite only covering two aspects of the game’s context, you really do get an insight into just how much depth and intricacies go into game development- and beyond.

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Author N/A (Page last edited 5/7/17)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Binding_of_Isaac_(video_game) Last accessed 14/7/17

Irving, Mike (13/1/14) https://www.vg247.com/2014/01/13/binding-of-isaac-creator-explains-art-style-change-for-rebirth/  Last accessed 14/7/17

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

The Subjectivity-and Motivation- of Player Experience

Richard Bartle- one of the co-creators of Multi-User Dungeon- once formulated a theory in regards to the gaming community (initially it was just for MUD’s community), however it has since transcended into being applied to the gaming community as a whole.

Before I delve into why I think that Bartle’s theory I’ll give a brief rundown of the four categories in Bartle’s Taxonomy of players:

Achievers: Achievers are the sorts of players who enjoy beating difficult challenges set out by the game (or themselves or friends, in certain scenarios). They’re the sort of people who will do anything for that 100% completion.

Explorers: Explorers enjoy exploring the world. This doesn’t just literally mean the map of the game but also it’s lore and it’s game mechanics. They’re the ones who seek out glitches, shortcuts and the like. Speedrunners pretty much all apply to this in that respect.

Killers: Killers are the ones who get the most enjoyment by causing discourse and imposing themselves over those playing with/against them. Trolls, hackers, cheaters, and those who are extremely competitive fit into this category. 

Socializers: Socializers are more often interested by player-interactions and socializing rather than the actual game. They often like spreading knowledge, and give a ‘human’ quality to those playing with them, and are often involved in the community aspects of the game (such as organising get-togethers and Roleplaying).

While I do believe that Bartle’s Taxonomy of players is helpful in broad strokes, it isn’t useful to generalize the entire playerbase into these four categories. I get why we do- human’s like to compartmentalize. It makes life easier.

However, many players are a blend of a multitude of these categories (I, for instance, probably could fit into Achiever, Explorer and Socializer). That being said, what about the player’s who aren’t in that spectrum at all? Like the people playing just to mess about and not take the game seriously? Or those there solely for the story or the characters?  Obviously there’s more than just those two reasons, but what I’m saying is that the whole gameplaying experience is incredibly subjective and you can’t always pin down a player’s motivation for playing a specific game.

So ultimately, whilst many people are applicable to Bartle’s Taxonomy, not everbody is.

It’s still a pretty neat theory, though.

--

Sources:

Kyatric (18/2/13) ‘ Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types (And Why It Doesn't Apply to Everything)’  https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/bartles-taxonomy-of-player-types-and-why-it-doesnt-apply-to-everything--gamedev-4173 Last accessed 29/6/14

Bartle, Richard (?/4/96) ‘Players who suit MUDs’ http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm  Last accessed 29/6/14

Author N/A (7/3/15) ‘ WHY WE NEED MORE SUBJECTIVE GAMES CRITICISM’ https://ludogabble.wordpress.com/2015/03/07/why-we-need-more-subjective-games-criticism/  Last accessed 29/6/14

Filpowich, Mark (13/5/15) ‘01: Subjectivity’ http://www.critical-distance.com/2015/05/13/01-subjectivity/  Last accessed 29/6/14

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

Ludonarrative Dissonance

Ludonarrative Dissonance is a useful term for game criticism, as many games are subject to such a stark contrast between what the game wants us to do and what the game tells us to do (for instance, Julie Muncy wrote an article relatively recently in regards to Undertale and that concept in regards to that pacifist route- however Muncy’s opinion is rather diluted, as she had a misinformed notion that you were forced to kill Toriel in the opening part of the game).

However, I can’t help but fundamentally disagree with Clint Hocking- who coined the term ludonarrative dissonance- and his criticism of the original Bioshock, where he first used the term.

In his criticism, Hocking claims that the game mocks you for attempting to “do the right thing”-i.e. saving the Little Sisters as opposed to harvesting them for ADAM- however I interpreted the game’s trying to dissuade you from saving them as something more akin to showing the self-driven philosophies of Atlas and the other denizens of Rapture. This egocentricism was all of their downfalls, and the game mocking the players for being kind was moreso the game projecting these ideals- and baiting the player to try and get them to stray from the moralistic path.

Because ultimately, the game ultimately rewards you for saving the Little Sisters- in both the gameplay and the story; you get more gifts for saving the Little Sisters as opposed to a bit of ADAM if you harvest them, and you eventually get a total of more ADAM through saving them anyway- it just takes a bit more time. There’s also an achievement available for if you specifically save all of the Little Sisters, thus reinforcing the game’s encouragement to “do the right thing.”

This is most prominently shown in that their are two possible endings for Bioshock; a good ending, and a bad ending. You get the bad ending by killing even just one Little Sister, and you get the good ending by saving all of the Little Sisters.

This ultimately proves that while ludonarrative dissonance is a fantastic term that games should be questioned with, addressing it can be quite problematic depending on one’s interpretation and understanding of- and familiarity with- a game. 

Sources:

Clint Hocking ‘Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock’ (7/10/07) http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html Last Accessed 26/6/17

Julie Muncy ‘Undertale’s not as Peaceful as it Pretends’ (13/10/15) https://killscreen.com/articles/undertales-not-peaceful-it-pretends/  Last Accessed 26/6/17

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

Okami

Ever since I first played it many years ago, Okami has unflinchingly held the position as one of my top 5 games. Without hesitation, I am certain that it has shaped the way that I approach games, art, storytelling and so much more.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find an article written by Michel McBride-Charpentier that so strongly echoes my passion and adoration for this game.

This can best be exemplified in a quote from Kamiya Hideki- the Creative Director and Writer at Clover Studio (Okami’s publishing company), in the post;

“...I have always stated that “I love games.” But I don’t mean it like “I love any game.” The games that I am referring to when I say “I love games,” are the games that moved me, that stayed with me even unto this day, those excellent games that I appreciate and respect...Every game comes in a different package, but those with an almost holy light that shines with an irrepressible brilliance are the ones that will go down in history as epics.”

Okami (whose title holds duality in meaning- translating to both ‘Great God’ and ‘Wolf’ in Japanese, which is fitting considering the protagonist is a God who takes the shape of a wolf) is exactly one of those games for me; all of it’s individual parts that make up the game itself- the distinctive art style, the stirring soundtrack, the interesting game mechanics of Amaterasu’s brush being able to interact with the world, the diverse characters, to name a few- are all remarkable in their own rights, and so when they all synergize into the sum total that is Okami, it becomes a downright masterpiece. To have executed so many bold moves and nail all of them is a rare thing indeed, and the praise that the game receives for it is well-deserved.

What separates Okami from the rest- for me, at least- has to be it’s visually stunning art direction paired with it’s soundtrack- both of which directly correlate with the culture and the mythology that the game draws upon.

Even on the relatively weak (by today’s standard) Playstation 2 console that it was initially released on, Okami’s Sumi-e and Ukiyo-e aesthetics still haven’t lost their beauty. The craftsmanship is breathtaking, and you truly become swept-up and immersed in the land of Nippon because of it. This is even further reinforced by the game’s soundtrack, which also draws on inspiration from traditional Japanese music. The soundtrack is so charged with emotion that it parallels and amplifies the atmosphere that the game has already established at any given time- be it the chilling Shamisen solo building up to a boss fight or the beautiful, wistful music that plays during a specific area, Okami’s soundtrack has been given constant critical acclaim- much like the entirety of the game- and rightfully so.

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Sources

McBride-Charpentier, Michel (26th of June, 2009) http://www.critical-distance.com/2009/06/26/okami/ Last accessed 15/6/17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bBUfLeBEmc  Last accessed 15/6/17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsnJRyTlFb0  Last accessed 15/6/17

[izzyyellsaboutgamethings]

The Mixed Bag that is ‘Battlefield Hardline’.

One can easily argue that ‘Battlefield Hardline’ is problematic- and for a multitude of reasons.

While not without it’s merit- such as the “paring down of the action makes things more intense and fun” and the atmosphere from the “well-crafted” visuals- Hardline is brimming with problematic issues concerning both the technical/gameplay and the narrative.

"...poorly-designed spawn points, unnecessary item-scanning, clichéd twists, anarchic and inconsistent Conquest mode, boring and frustrating Hotwire mode” aside, the most pressing issue of ‘Hardline’ is the core of the game’s premise- it’s a game that’s primary draw is large-scale combat between police and robbers.

“What’s so wrong about that?” one might wonder- here’s the thing ‘cops and robbers’ as a premise isn’t inherently bad. Sometimes it’s even great (take sitcom ‘Brooklyn Nine Nine’ for example). It’s the way the game handles the premise in the sociopolitical context of today, where “issues of police violence, police brutality, militarized police, systemic racism, and the role of police in their neighborhoods” are a particularly tentative one. 

And justly so, considering the countless tragedies involving such ordeals, Ferguson being one example of the many.

The thing is, if you’re going to inevitably- because it’s the theme of your game- open up a dialogue involving such a tentative subject, you best address that with maturity and purpose (I.e. Brooklyn Nine Nine executes this perfectly via satire).

So what do Visceral Games, the game developers for Hardline, do? They avoid the subject entirely.

Reviewer Austin Walker summarises my major gripes with Hardline excellently in this excerpt of his scathing review:

“...[Hardline] speaks a politics even as flails in the single-player campaign desperate to avoid saying anything about the dead black boy on the pavement- about 75 unarmed black bodies on the ground... eager to wave aside any critiques of police militarisation...”

Clunky gameplay, glitched spawns, and everything technically broken aside- Hardline’s most jarring issue is the lack of the discussion of such relevant political issues.

Sources:

Walker, Austin (March 23, 2015) www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/03/battlefield-hardline-reviewcop-out.html Last accessed 7/6/2017

Price, Marc (March 25, 2015) https://medium.com/@mrprice33/i-m-here-for-the-bang-bang-on-battlefield-hardline-first-person-shooters-and-storytelling-e90715562c88 Last accessed 7/6/2017

Phipps, Brett (March 17, 2015) https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/battlefield-hardline-review  Last accessed 7/6/2017