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Critical Analysis

Bos, D. (2021) ‘Playful Encounters: Games for Geopolitical Change’, Geopolitics, 28(3), pp. 1210–1234. Available at : 10.1080/14650045.2021.2002846. [Accessed: 25 December 2024]

After reviewing several articles and academic sources online, I have decided to focus on Dr. Daniel Bos’s journal article, Playful Encounters: Games for Geopolitical Change, published in the journal Geopolitics (Volume 28, Issue 3, 2023), under the issue titled The Geopolitics of Return Migration in the International System. This article examines how the game This War of Mine (2014) encourages players to reflect on the effects of conflict on civilians in urban areas. By analysing player reviews, it highlights how games can challenge common ideas about war and violence. Geopolitics is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of geography and global politics, contributed by distinguished scholars across various disciplines.

Dr. Daniel Bos is a senior lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Chester and has published multiple articles on topics like the military, history, and human geography. He earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD in Human Geography. While he does not have a background in art or video game development, his expertise in human geography, particularly his insights into how video games can influence players' perspectives, is valuable. This aligns with my goal of creating realistic and believable video game artwork and environments that encourage players to see the world from new perspectives and feel deeper emotions during their gameplay.

For this critical analysis, I will examine the two pages after the first of the section titled Playing and Encountering Urban Conflict from Bos’s journal article Playful Encounters: Games for Geopolitical Change. This section is particularly relevant to my field of interest as it explores how the game This War of Mine (TWoM) effectively conveys emotional weight of war and its realism to deeply immerse players. By analysing Bos’ research, I aim to apply his findings to improve my own artwork and game design to become more realistic and logical, ensuring that they effectively communicate the intended message and influence players meaningfully.

Bos found that players appreciated TWoM’s departure from industry norms of war and violence glorification by offering a more thoughtful and complex portrayal of military violence, focusing on the harsh and realistic impacts on civilians. They recognized that mainstream war games often stick to safe, profitable formulas that glorify battles and military violence. Despite the industry's reliance on proven, profitable conventions, games like TWoM challenge these norms and provide something different. The reviews reveal that players of TWoM are not passively accepting the typical violent, glorified depictions of war. Instead, they actively seek alternatives that offer more nuanced and realistic representations. By doing so, they are better able to reflect on urban conflict and understand its broader political and social implications, connecting it to the real world and their own values.

Bos argues that by designing TWoM to focus on the civilian perspective, the game helps players understand the real consequences of urban conflict. It emphasizes the personal and everyday impacts of war, aligning with feminist ideas that challenge the masculinist glorification and normalization of war (Tyner and Henkin 2015, p. 288). While the game is set in a fictional environment, but its inspiration comes from real-world conflicts. It does not delve deeply into broader political contexts; the narrative unfolds through the actions and experiences of the characters controlled by the player. The game's concept draws inspiration from various sources, including literature, personal stories, and family accounts. However, the creators deliberately avoided connecting the game to any specific real-world conflict to keep it free from political connotations. Their goal was to make the message universal. Regardless of nationality or background, when caught in war, all people share the same basic desire to survive and protect their loved ones. The cause of the war matters less than the suffering it brings (Preston 2015). This was done to also let players imagine the war happening in their own world. However, many players connected the game to real-world conflicts, recognising its realistic portrayal of the impact of war on civilians. While TWoM helped players reflect on the real-world horrors of war from a personal perspective, it also expanded their awareness of distant conflicts that didn’t directly affect them, fostering a "conflict-at-a-distance" perspective. By playing as civilians, players can empathise with the difficult choices non-combatants face in wartime. However, despite the game's effort to immerse players in a scenario where their own city is at war, many players still perceive the violence as occurring 'elsewhere,' referencing real-world conflicts. This challenges the dominant Western media’s control over the narrative surrounding global events (Kozol, 2015, p. 7). However, it can also reinforce a sense of separation or "othering," which distances players from the immediate reality of such conflicts (Kozol, 2015).

In summary, This War of Mine challenges the typical portrayal of war in video games by focusing on the civilian experience, showing the real and harsh impacts of conflict rather than glorifying violence. I find this text interesting as TWoM is a rather old game, yet it remains popular and relevant today in spreading awareness of the horrors that war brings to society. It is also useful from an artistic standpoint, as this approach encourages 3D artists and game designers like me to think critically about the purpose and impact of the environments we create. It pushes us to design with a focus on emotional depth, realism, and a deeper connection to the real-world implications, with the intention to immerse and influence players. TWoM's depiction of everyday life amidst war introduces new possibilities for storytelling and environment design, creating spaces that evoke empathy and reflect the true consequences of violence rather than making violence look exciting and dramatic for entertainment and quick unethical money generation. One of the important pieces of information that I would practise during asset creation is TWoM’s design philosophy of creating environments that feel universally relatable yet non-specific encourages immersion for a broader range of players, rather than just a selected few. In addition to include visual cues that highlight ethical dilemmas, as they challenge players with decisions that reflect the moral ambiguity of survival. It is unfortunate that each year sees more glorified war games than titles like TWoM, but with the knowledge I've gained, I hope to contribute to the development of more games in the spirit of TWoM in the near future.

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Blog Post #10: From Fantasy to Reality: The Role of VR in Creating Interactive Hyper-Realistic Experiences for Entertainment.

In this blog post, I will explore whether virtual reality (VR) is set to become the next major interactive entertainment platform, potentially replacing personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, and gaming consoles.

Figure 1: VR Gaming (Knapp, 2018)

PC, mobile phones and gaming consoles provide immersive gaming experiences but are often limited in engaging a player’s full senses or evoking physical reactions. VR takes this a step further by addressing these limitations, offering a more interactive and engaging way to experience video games. As Bolter and Grusin (1999) observed, new media often claim to fix the flaws of older ones, even if those flaws weren’t obvious until the new technology emerged. VR builds on this idea by improving immersion and making the gaming experience more realistic, allowing players to feel as though they are truly part of the game world.

VR uses computer technology to create simulated 3-Dimensional environments where users wears a headset that gives the users a full view of the environment and they can interact or feel through external devices like goggles, gloves, and body suits. It allows people to feel extremely immersed in a virtual world by responding to their movements in real time, creating the illusion of "being there" (telepresence) (Lowood, 2024).

Users experience VR by wearing a headset that blocks out the real world, showing only what the device projects, which makes it easier to immerse them in a fictional environment. The VR system responds in real time to their movements, like turning their head or walking, further enhancing the illusion of being in another world. However, the headset alone doesn't provide a fully immersive experience. To address this, experts have created additional gear, such as haptic bodysuits that simulate touch and gloves that allow users to "feel" objects in the virtual space. There are also devices that adjust the physical environment’s temperature or create wind to mimic real-world sensations. These tools work together to engage multiple senses, like touch, sight, and even hearing, making the experience more convincing, interactive, and realistic. VR continues to evolve, with new technology pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in immersive environments.

Figure 2: GingasVR demonstration of her VR setup. (GingasVR, 2024)

There are many gamers who showcase their VR set up that continues to push the limits of the device. One such gamer would be GingasVR who shows behind-the-scenes looks at her VR setups and personal moments. She would wear haptic feedback suits that causes pain to the user by electricity, smart plugs that help control nearby fans to change the room temperature, brain interface device that measures her brain to carry out actions in the video game.

Figure 3: My personal experience with VR.

I have the privilege of trying out Virtual Reality games in my degree university (Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation). As seen in figure 3, I was very immersed in the VR video game that I did not realised that I was doing odd poses in real life. My mind fully focused on trying to win the game by dodging bullets shot by the in-game enemies.

Graph 1: Popularity graph of devices used for gaming for 1st quarter of 2024. (DataReportal, We Are Social, & Meltwater, 2024)

However, I would argue that VR as a delivery form is unlikely to completely replace PCs and gaming consoles. The technology is still relatively new and remains too expensive for much of the gaming community to afford. In fact, according to a recent survey (DataReportal, We Are Social, & Meltwater, 2024), mobile phones have become the most popular gaming device in 2024, as shown in Figure 4.

Reference:

Bolter, J.D. and Grusin, R., 1999. Remediation: Understanding new media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

DataReportal, We Are Social, & Meltwater. (2024). Share of internet users worldwide playing games on selected devices as of 1st quarter 2024. Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/533047/leading-devices-play-games/. [Accessed: 18 December 2024].

Lowood, H. E. (2024). "virtual reality". Encyclopedia Britannica, Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/virtual-reality. [Accessed: 17 December 2024].

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Blog Post #9: Emotions That Shape a Revolution: Affect Theory in Detroit: Become Human

Figure 1: Detroit: Become Human promotion poster (HDQwalls, 2018)

In this blog post, I will be analysing affect theory within Detroit: Become Human (2020).

Detroit: Become Human is an interactive narrative-driven game, set in a futuristic Detroit where advanced human-like androids serve humanity. Players navigate and controls the lives of three android protagonists: Connor, a cold and strict detective; Kara, a caretaker programmed to take care of children; and Markus, a domestic assistant to a famous painter. Each character’s journey is shaped heavily by player choices, branching into a multitude of possible outcomes, like the butterfly effect, ranging from peaceful resolutions to violent uprisings. The game explores themes of identity, morality, and free will, challenging players to consider the humanity of artificial beings. Every choice the player makes shapes the type of ending the game world ultimately reaches.

Affect Theory explores how feelings, forces, and energies move and connect between bodies, environments, and experiences, often beyond our conscious awareness. It’s not just about emotions but also the physical and instinctual reactions that influence our actions, thoughts, and relationships. These forces can push us to act, think, or connect, but they can also leave us stuck or overwhelmed by the world around us (Gregg & Seigworth, 2010).

Figure 2: Good ending for the hostage negotiation scene. (GameSpot, 2017)

The first gameplay scene introduces Connor, tasked with saving a human child taken hostage by a deviant android. This high-stakes situation quickly immerses players in its urgency: armed police officers take cover from the deviant's gunfire, lifeless bodies of civilians and officers lie scattered, roads are blocked off with parked emergency vehicles below the building, and a news helicopter circles overhead, broadcasting the rooftop standoff. During this negotiation, the player's dialogue choices dictate the outcome, determining who lives or dies in this tense encounter.

In Figure 2, even after the deviant android releases the hostage, he is shot dead by snipers despite Connor promising him safety if he surrendered. This scene was deemed as the good outcome because the important characters did not die. The deviant’s final words, "You lied to me, Connor," paired with the cinematic cutscene that zoomed in on Connor's face, evoke the haunting feeling of having ended the life of a being that displayed deeply human traits, blurring the lines between machine and humanity. This scene also reinforces the troubling impression that androids are merely tools for humans to use and abuse, a recurring theme throughout the game.

Figure 3: Kara defending herself from Todd's abuses. (Kiet, 2018)

A notable moment in Detroit: Become Human occurs when Kara breaks her programming to protect Alice from her abusive father, Todd. The Quick Time Events (QTEs) during this scene intensify the player's emotions, creating a strong sense of urgency. Kara's turning point into deviancy comes when she witnesses Todd slap Alice, followed by repeated aggressive abuse towards Kara when she disobeys his orders. This moment compels the player to take action, driving them to escape and save Alice. This mirrors Freeman’s (2004) concept of the first-person deepening technique, where a storytelling or gameplay method enhances the player's emotional connection by placing them in a position of responsibility, requiring them to make choices that impact another character's well-being. Through empathy, care, and moral decision-making, this technique deepens the player's engagement with the narrative and characters.

Figure 4: Alice is an android. (RabidRetrospectGames, 2018)

Throughout the game, the player is led to believe that Kara is acting out of pure humanity, driven by a desire to protect Alice from harm. As players try to keep both characters alive, they develop a sense of empathy for Kara, believing she is performing a noble act in defending a human child from being abused. However, in a late-game twist, it’s revealed that Alice is actually an android herself. This revelation forces the player to reconsider their perceptions, recognising that androids, too, are capable of humanity and do not deserve the discrimination and hate they face.

Reference

Freeman, D. (2004), ‘Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering’, ACM Computers in Entertainment, 2(3), Article 8a, pp. 1–11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1145/1027154.1027179.[Accessed: 13 December 2024].

Gregg, M. and Seigworth, G. J. ( 2010) The Affect Theory Reader. Durham: Duke University Press. Available at: https://images.xhbtr.com/v2/pdfs/1614/Intro_Affect-theory-reader-2.pdf. [Accessed: 12 December 2024]

Quantic Dream. (2020). Detroit: Become Human. Quantic Dream.

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Blog Post #8: Playable or Objectified? Male Gaze and Gender Representation in Wuthering Waves.

Wuthering Waves is an action RPG from Kuro Games, combining open-world exploration with fast-paced combat mechanics. The game’s setting is a sci-fi world full of robotic enemies and complex characters, similar to Genshin Impact but with a focus on combo-driven combat, team switching, and environment interactions. Players can control different characters, called Resonators, each with unique abilities and skills. The combat stands out with flashy, hack-and-slash moves, and you can even gain an edge by reading and countering enemy attacks, giving skilled players the ability to take on tough foes early on. The game is also a gacha (using in-game currency to select lootbox and get reward) title, allowing you to collect new characters and weapons, with a forgiving system that encourages frequent rewards.

Figure 1: Before and after design of an essential non-playable character name Scar.

During the game's release, many players joked inappropriately about Scar's costume design, focusing on the area around his lower torso. As shown in Figure 1 (left image), the design featured a zipper-like element positioned near that region. Some players compared its shape to an onigiri and added crude nicknames by associating it with a term for female anatomy. This aspect of the design was not intended to be sexualized, and the developers later updated Scar’s costume to remove the controversial detail (Chatterton, 2024).

Now what about the female characters in the game? Were their design logical for their role or are they wearing too revealing? We will analyse Baizhi from this video game to find out if they are design for the male gaze or the general public.

The male gaze refers to the way in which visual media, particularly film, often presents women as objects of male desire, positioning the viewer from a male perspective. Women are typically depicted as passive, sexualised figures meant to be looked at, while men are portrayed as active agents. This dynamic splits the pleasure of looking between the active male gaze and the passive female body. Women’s appearances are stylised for visual and erotic impact, often disrupting narrative flow, and their role within the story is often defined by the male characters' responses to them (Mulvey, 1975).

Figure 2-3 Baizhi Resonator. (Wuthering Waves, 2024)

Baizhi is a researcher specialising in Remnant Ecoacoustics, a field that explores the interaction between living things and mysterious energies known as Remnants. She is accompanied by a unique creature that helps her to heal others. Her character role is a healer but her background story is being scientist. To compare with the male scientist counterpart, XiangLi Yao was chosen.

Figure 4-5 XiangLi Yao Resonator. (Wuthering Waves, 2024)

XiangLi Yao is a scientist, holding the position of Principal Investigator at Huaxu Academy's Jinzhou Campus. As the Academy's youngest multi-disciplinary scientist, Xiangli is deeply passionate about Automata Mechanics, always making significant discoveries in his field. The difference between XiangLi Yao and Baizhi is that XiangLi Yao is a Damage Per Second (DPS) character. DPS characters are the primary damage dealers, with the sole objective of dealing damage to enemies. As observed, the female character, Baizhi, has significantly more exposed skin compared to the male character, despite both being scientists. Both scientist are in dangerous research field yet Baizhi has little clothes covering to protect her from the possible dangers from her research. While XiangLi Yao has several layers of clothes and even a robotic arm to defend himself.

Figure 6: Jiyan's Tacet Mark.

Tacet Marks are symbols that appear on characters after they undergo awakening, unlocking enhanced abilities or new powers. For example, in Figure 6, the resonator Jiyan's Tacet Mark is located on his back, while in Figure 5, the Tacet Marks on the resonator XiangLi Yao are on the knuckles of his left hand. However, as observed in figure 2, Baizhi's Tacet Mark is located high up her thighs which guides users eyes to look at her tights. Other male characters have their tacet marks located at normal place while Baizhi's Tacet Mark is located at a rather inappropriate location. Although, there is a tassel prop blocking the view of the tacet mark, it is still visible to the viewers.

Video 1: Baizhi's gameplay.

In action role-playing games like Wuthering Waves, players control characters to combat in-game enemies. Gameplay typically includes basic attacks and a powerful ultimate ability, which features unique animations and delivers a strong offensive action against enemies or provides beneficial effects for allies. For example, in the video above, starting at 0:18, Baizhi's ultimate animation is showcased. As seen in the video, the camera animation begins with a close-up of her upper thigh's Tacet Mark and moves upward while maintaining a low angle. This deliberate framing draws attention to her figure quite inappropriately, especially since she is a healer.

With all that discussion, I have come to the conclusion that some female character, like Baizhi, in Wuthering Waves are indeed design for the male gaze. While male characters are designed to look cool and mighty, female characters are design with rather less clothes and curvy slender figures.

One of the major reason for this kind of character designs would be that gacha games often design female characters with exaggerated and sexualised appearances to appeal to players' emotions and desires. By creating attractive visuals and narratives that make these characters stand out, developers encourage players to feel a stronger connection or fascination with them. This strategy taps into the psychological attachment players form with their favourite characters, making them more willing to spend real money to obtain or upgrade these characters through the game’s monetisation systems. This deliberate design choice aligns with the goal of maximising company profit by leveraging emotional investment (Gong et al., 2024). However, by carrying out such tactics on mass could half the female players. A reseach by Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2009) discovered that when female players play as sexualised female characters in video games, it can have significant psychological effects, particularly by undermining their confidence in real-world abilities. When female characters are portrayed in a highly sexualised manner, their qualities like strength, independence, and power often become overshadowed by their appearance which steals the spotlight. This focus on sexualisation diminishes the potential for these characters to be seen as empowering role models by female players. As a result, women may internalise negative stereotypes, leading to lower confidence in their physical and cognitive abilities. These portrayals can also reinforce societal biases, shaping how women view themselves and how they believe others perceive them, further contributing to harmful self-perceptions and beliefs.

The temporary profits gained by harming the player base and enforcing negative stereotypes is not worthy at all. Hence, in my future projects, I would definitely think twice and conduct proper research to create characters that realistic to their background story and avoid unnecessary designs that might deemed as content for the male gaze.

Reference

Behm-Morawitz, E. and Mastro, D. (2009). The Effects of the Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept. Sex Roles, 61(11-12), pp.808–823.

Chatterton, L. (2024). Scar’s costume design was changed in Wuthering Waves’ newest update and here’s why. Available at: https://progameguides.com/wuthering-waves/scars-costume-design-was-changed-in-wuthering-waves-newest-update-and-heres-why/. [Accessed: 9 December 2024]

Gong, A.-D., Huang, Y.-T., Liu, K. and Sugiura, K. (2024). Getting hooked on mobile games: Strengthening purchase intentions towards mobile games using investment model and parasocial interactions. Mobile Media & Communication. Available at :https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579241257907. [Accessed: 9 December 2024]

Mulvey, L. (1975) “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Screen, 16(3): 6–18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/16.3.6 [Accessed: 9 December 2024]

Kuro Technology (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. (2024). Wuthering Waves. Kuro Games.

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Blog Post #7: The Divide Within, Race and the Struggle for Equality in Netflix's Arcane.

Figure 1: Arcane Promotion Poster (Matheus, 2021)

Netflix's Arcane is based on the video game, League of Legend. However, there are parts of the main lore was not utilised in Netflix's Arcane and was altered. Hence, Netflix's Arcane lore will be prioritised and analysed while being supported by information from League of Legend for two location to make sense of their history which was largely not covered in the Netflix's series.

Figure 2: Sheriff Marcus (Fandom, n.d.) [Left] Figure 3: Finn (Fandom, n.d.) [Right]

As both nations has citizens of different real life races such as Marcus and Finn that has strong Asian appearance or features, Mel and Ekko has strong African appearance features. Thus, analysing race based on physical appearance and language would be impossible as both sides speaks the same languages and slight different appearance. Although, race is usually based on physical appearance but race is also categorised as a group of people who shares the same cultural history and the societal, economic, and political requirements faced by a community in a given timeframe (Northeastern University Libary, 2024). Therefore, for this analysis, Zaunites and Piltovans will be categorised as two distinct races based on mentioned context.

Figure 4: Piltover view from Zaun. (Mathieu, 2021)

The series mostly focus on the people of Zaun and Piltover. Zaun allows dangerous and unsupervised technology to be carried out which caused Zaun to be filled with toxic waste while Piltover has restriction on its research but has become a successful position to be declared as the city of progress where technology innovation, trade and its people prosper. Piltover, also known as topside/upper city, located on the surface while Zaun, also known as undercity, is located below and next to Piltover. It is also stated that Piltover's industry waste is thrown downwards during its early state which also contribute to the polluted environment of Zaun.

Figure 5: Piltover's council. (Glazebrook, 2024)

Piltover and Zaun was one nation under Piltover's government but they blandly ignores the struggles and issues of Zaun. Plague with corruption, crimes, uncontrol rise of drugs that harms one selves, lead by drug lord leaders who do not care about the people of Zaun, Zaun turned into a horrible state. Major issues after another, Zaun decided to liberate itself from Piltover and fight back. However, Piltover's military might was clearly more advance and better than Zaun The constant propaganda and strong opinions spread by both Piltover and Zaun leaders and people have fuelled deep hatred between the two races. As Edward Said (1978) argues in Orientalism, when categories such as 'East' and 'West' are used to divide human reality, they reinforce hostile distinctions between groups. This division, as Said explains, leads to a polarisation where each side becomes more entrenched in its identity, reinforcing negative stereotypes and limiting the potential for meaningful interactions between different cultures. In a similar way, the leaders and people of Piltover and Zaun, through their rhetoric and actions, have contributed to deepening the divide between the two races, entrenching mutual hostility and perpetuating a cycle of conflict. This can be seen throughout the series where people from both sides urged their respective leader to go into war with the other. For example when Zaunites in a bar urged Vander (Zaun's leader during the early part of the series) to take up arms against Piltover's sudden brutal intrusion into their territory and Piltover's councils wanting to go into war with Zaun to reclaim a lost priceless technology. This has led to the brutal oppression of Zaunites by Piltover’s military, as seen throughout the series. Piltover justifies this harsh treatment as a way to keep the Zaunites under control and prevent any rebellions against their authority. To further strengthen Piltover's control and silencing Zaun's voice, Piltover's governing council does not have a single member to represent Zaun's people, forcing people of Zaun to be depended on Piltover. Piltover’s leaders use this absolute power to maintain control over Zaun’s resource mines, ensuring that the raw materials from Zaun can be used for Piltover’s development and success. Besides that, Piltover's industry districts are located in Zaun. This modern-day slavery situation mirrors William’s (1944) argument that it was not racism that gave birth to slavery; rather, slavery gave rise to the concept of racism. Piltover doesn’t care about the well-being of the Zaunites as they just wants to extract resources for their own benefit. If Zaun were to collapse or rebel, Piltover would lose its valuable resources and industry district. Over time, Piltover used racist ideas, labelling the Zaunites as terrorists and dangerous, to justify their cruelty and continue the system that benefits them economically. An example for the above claim would be the scene where Jayce , a new Piltover council member who ordered a blockade to prevent any Zaunites to cross over to Piltover, came to the bridge to pick up Viktor, Jayce's lab partner. He claimed angrily that Zaunites are dangerous and failed to remember that his lab partner is from Zaun. This clearly hurt Viktor's feeling and swatted Jayce's hand to help Viktor stand up.

This systemic oppression and military control fostered a sense of superiority among those from Piltover while labeling those from Zaun as the 'Other'—inferior and marginalized. This reflects Gani's (2021) argument that militarism, historically tied to Western colonialism, reinforces not only ideas of superiority through successes but also functions as a performative and cultural tool that validates domination. By stigmatising the 'Other,' militarism helps construct insider (those who are accepted)-outsider (those who are not accepted) binaries that justify exclusion and sustain hierarchical power dynamics, even within supposedly unified societies. The mentioned statement parallels with how Piltover’s mindset excludes Zaun and deems them as inferior.

Arcane excels in portraying racial representation and highlighting how disunity among people, regardless of race, can lead to unnecessary suffering for society as a whole. Inspired by this, I plan to approach my research with greater consideration, aiming to design environments that more accurately reflect the complexity of real-world cultures and histories. By studying cultures beyond my own, I can broaden my perspective and ensure that my work avoids a biased narrative that unintentionally places one race above another simply due to a lack of understanding or exposure.

References

Fandom. (n.d.). Piltover. Available at: https://arcane.fandom.com/wiki/Piltover [Accessed: 3 December 2024]

Fandom. (n.d.). Zaun. Available at: https://arcane.fandom.com/wiki/Zaun [Accessed: 3 December 2024]

Gani, J. K. (2021). Racial militarism and civilizational anxiety at the imperial encounter: From metropole to the postcolonial state. Security Dialogue, 52(6), pp.546–566. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/09670106211054901. [Accessed: 4 December 2024]

Glazebrook, L. (2024). Zaun vs Piltover: History, Champions & Leaders. Available at: https://screenrant.com/arcane-zaun-piltover-history-champions-characters/. [Accessed: 4 December 2024]

Northeastern University Library. (2024). Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Available at: https://subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/diversity. [Accessed: 3 December 2024]

Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books. Available at: https://torch.web.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/torch/documents/media/orientalism_by_edward_w._said.pdf. [Accessed: 4 December 2024]

Williams, E. E. (1944). Capitalism and slavery. 1st ed. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

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Blog Post #6: Crafting Identity, Representation and Freedom in Baldur's Gate 3

Figure 1: Baldur's Gate 3 Promotional Poster. (Larian, n.d.)

In this blog post, Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) will be analysed to assess how effectively the game represents and reflects the identities of its players.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing game (RPG) developed by Larian Studios. set in the expansive universe of Dungeons and Dragons. The game combines impressive storytelling with strategic turn-based combat. It begins with the player character being abducted by mind flayers, the game's antagonist, and implanted with a parasitic tadpole into the player, setting off a quest for survival and freedom from the control of these mind flayers. Along the journey, players form a diverse party of companions that would fight along side the player, each of them comes with unique backstories, abilities, and motivations. The gameplay emphasises player choice, with branching storylines and decisions that influence relationships, alliances, and the overall narrative. Players can even help the antagonist to achieve their evil goal. The blend of deep customisation, romance options, and moral dilemmas ensures a personalised adventure for RPG enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Figure 2: Sky view of Sorcerous Sundries, Baldur's Gate. (Lara, 2023)

Baldur's Gate 3 environment is based on medieval Europe aesthetic with fantasy elements of Dungeons and Dragons. The architecture, weapons, clothing, and societal structures often resemble those of a medieval European setting, including castles, taverns, and armour designs. Medieval Europe was marked by social hierarchies and the marginalization of those considered different. So how does Baldur's Gate 3 address these issues in a way that allows modern players to feel represented and connected, while still staying true to its medieval fantasy setting?

Figure 3: Baldur's Gate 3 Character Customisation (Shepard, 2023)

Firstly, in-game character customisation allows players to immerse themselves by creating character personas that resonate with their identity such as the character's appearance, race, gender, voice, roles and backstory options. Players can mix match elements such as having a masculine body but have feminine hair or have a male character but has the voice of a female. There are also options for players to change their pronounce to non-binary. A study on user-avatar relationships shows that gamers design characters that reflect various aspects of their identity, such as their real self, their desired self, or an idealised fantasy version, which leads to a deeper connection with the game world as their avatars serve as extensions or explorations of who they are (Szolin et al., 2023). This is important because when players are immerse they would spend more time on the game as they are immersed or become loyal customers to the video game company if they find satisfaction during their gameplay.

While Baldur's Gate 3 is quite progressive in offering a high level of character customisation, it still has limitations. For example, unique voice options are still largely gendered, with no neutral or more non-binary voice choices available. Additionally, male and female body types and facial features are restricted to their respective genders, preventing players from fully creating the ideal character identity they envisioned. However, these can be fixed by downloading external modifications to the main game source code to get what the players desires. As Howard (2019) argues, implementing gameplay modifications allows players to explore and model solutions to issues such as the lack of queer representation in video games, by integrating those solutions directly into the game’s code.

Figure 4: Same-sex relationship between Asterion and Halsin (Corbett, 2024)

A study found that video games provide a safe space for transgender and gender-diverse players. These games offer both personal affirmation and support from others. As players explore relationships in the game, they get validation through interactions with non-playable characters (NPCs), who treat them without misgendering or deadnaming (McKenna et al., 2022). Baldur's Gate 3 is such video game as it allows player to have freedom in choosing diverse range of romanceable companions that are not restricted by gender or race. NPCs also respects the player's set pronounce and same-sex relationships. This provides a safe space for players to explore romantic and sexual identities in a safe and inclusive environment. All 7 main companions can be romanced regardless of player's gender which promotes flexibility with minimum extra coding for the developer side.

Figure 5: Druid Halsin. (Fandom, n.d.)

The main companions don't always follow traditional gender roles. For example, Lae'zel is a strong and confident female character who can defeat an army on her own. Karlach, a big red demon-like character, might seem scary at first but is actually very kind and gentle. One character I'd like to focus on is Halsin. He’s a big, muscular man and the leader of a druid grove. He can shapeshift into a huge bear and has strong masculine features. People might expect him to be a tough and strict leader, but as you get to know him, you'll see he’s actually caring, understanding, and loves nature. When he was kidnapped and a traitor took over the druid grove, instead of killing her, he demoted her to give her a chance to learn from her mistakes. Halsin is also openly polyamorous, adding to the game's diverse representation.

Figure 6: Racism in Baldur's Gate 3. (Celine, 2023)

In a study where the player plays as an immigrant in Papers, Please, players were encouraged to reflect on and improve their attitudes toward marginalised individual (Cabellos et al., 2022). The idea that stepping into roles different from their own can improve understanding and empathy. This parallels with Baldur's Gate 3, which allows players to step into roles different from their real-world identities, some its own social issues. It provides opportunities to explore empathy, develop one's identity, and foster tolerant behaviours. For example, players can choose to play as characters from marginalised fantasy races, such as Drow or Tieflings. This can foster understanding of discrimination and oppression within the game world, and indirectly, in the real world. However, there is a potential issue as Baldur's Gate 3 narrative choices often has an evil, good and neutral answer to each scenario. This could potentially be counterproductive in spreading awareness about race discrimination whenever players would choose the evil path and feel good about it.

Reference

Cabellos, B., Pozo, J.-I., Marín-Rubio, K. and Sánchez, D.L. (2022). Do pro-social video games promote moral activity?: an analysis of user reviews of Papers, Please. Education and Information Technologies. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11072-x. [Accessed: 30 November 2024].

Howard, K. T. (2019). A Design Framework for Learning About Representation in Video Games Through Modification of Narrative and Gameplay. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp.422–426. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33894-7_46. [Accessed: 28 November 2024].

Larian Studios. (2023). Baldur's Gate 3. Larian Studios.

McKenna, J.L., Wang, Y.-C., Williams, C.R., McGregor, K. and Boskey, E.R. (2022). ‘You can’t be deadnamed in a video game’: Transgender and gender diverse adolescents’ use of video game avatar creation for gender-affirmation and exploration. Journal of LGBT Youth, 21(1), pp.1–21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2022.2144583. [Accessed: 29 November 2024].

Szolin, K., Kuss, D.J., Nuyens, F.M. and Griffiths, M.D. (2023). ‘I am the character, the character is me’: A thematic analysis of the user-avatar relationship in videogames. Computers in Human Behavior, 143, p.107694. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107694. [Accessed: 28 November 2024].

[jian-wei-uh]

Blog Post #5: Epic Cinematics, Brutal Realities: Analysing The Eight Hundred (2020) Through Barthes' Lens.

Figure 1: The Eight Hundred (2020). (Video Buster, n.d.)

In this blog post, I will analyse the historical war themed film The Eight Hundred using Barthes’ theory, exploring whether the movie hides the true horrors of war by glorifying the concept of self-sacrifice for the greater good or other ideas.

Barthes' (1972) theory of semiotics expands on Saussure's (1959) work by moving beyond the structural relationship between the signifier and signified to explore how signs generate cultural meanings and myths. Using Barthes' theory, it explores how signs communicate meaning through the interaction of the signifier which is a sign that carries content such as words, pictures or film and the signified which is an idea or concept that the viewer associates with the medium. Together it creates a denotation which is literal meaning of the sign. While connotation would be the additional meanings, associations, and emotions that a sign carries beyond its literal definition (denotation). By combining denotation and connotation would create a myth which is socially constructed narrative that present specific ideology as natural and legitimate. By doing so, it hides the uncomfortable truths in an effort to mask realities and glorify the presented idea (Barthes, 1972).

Figure 2: Saving Private Ryan (1998). (Original Film Art, n.d.)

This can be often seen in war themed films where the uncomfortable truths of war is masked by epic battles clashes between huge armies or glorifying sacrifices for the greater good. Films like Patton (1970), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001) are notable examples as they justifying war and soldier's righteousness in carrying out their duty. Although the mentioned films does shine lights on the horrific realities of wars but it is not critically enough.

To support the claim, in the film Saving Private Ryan, the main plot of the series is where a group of American soldiers are on a mission to find and bring Private Ryan back home emphasises the righteousness and necessity of war as they are risking their lives for a single soldier, which raises questions about the value of their individual lives in the context of the larger war effort. Despite the heavy losses in the squad, the soldiers' sacrifice is framed as a noble act, with the idea that the mission serves a greater good. The Squad Captain's death further reinforces the theme of personal sacrifice for the greater cause, presenting war as morally justified. While the film depicts the brutality of war, the focus on heroism, loyalty, and duty overshadow the broader, harsher realities of conflict, reinforcing the idea that war, though painful, is sometimes necessary.

The real-life inspiration for this film wasn’t as dramatic as it seems. It was based on four American brothers, three of whom were killed in the war. Because of the U.S. "sole-survivor" policy, the last remaining brother had to be found and brought home. A military chaplain located Fritz, who had been separated from his unit, and helped send him back to his family. After the war, the Niland family learned that another son had survived as a prisoner of war in Burma (now Myanmar). (Timmons, 2018)

Figure 3: The Sihang Warehouse during combat (Kengelbacher, 1937).

Firstly, we need to understand the real life defence battle that inspired this film which is the Defence of Sihang Warehouse. The Second Sino-Japanese war began and Shanghai, an important major city was invaded by the Japanese. Despite heavy resistance, the Chinese knew that they were losing the battle and decided to retreat inland. However, Chiang Kai Shek, Republic of China's leader, could not bare the lost of such an important city easily and decided to leave behind a regiment of his best troops, the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division to hold a suicidal last stand defence at the Sihang Warehouse to show the western powers that China is still fighting and worth helping while also showing Chinese's determination to fight on despite the odds against them and holding off the enemy to provide the main army with time to withdraw. This warehouse was located along the Suzhou River and across the river is International Settlement which are neutral Chinese territories owned by western nations. During the defence, acts of self sacrifice, mutual understanding of suffering beyond nationality and profession, patriotism, survival, betrayal, and horrors of war could be observed. It was a huge propaganda success for the Chinese as western journalist reported this defence to the world and was meet with major support from the world (Niderost, 2007; Carter, 2022).

Figure 4-5: Citizen extending their hands through the bridge's gates to accept the retreating defenders into the International Settlement. (The Eight Hundred, 2020)

The film largely covers the exact history but dramatised several aspect of the battle such as citizen of all walks of life is willing to risk themselves to save or help the defenders, human pile to keep a flag pole standing while Japanese aircraft peppers the flag area with bullets and many more, and many citizen extending their hands on the bridge to accept the retreating defenders into the International Settlement despite Japanese troops firing upon the bridge (Refer to figure 4-5). The film also gave attention to spectators in the International Settlement by creating some fictional citizen characters willing to sacrifice themselves to deliver the message that the all citizens and westerns are on the defenders' side.

On denotation level, the film depicts the Battle of Shanghai, focusing on a group of Chinese soldiers of various ages, defending the Sihang Warehouse during the Second Sino-Japanese War. which also include the intense battle sequences, the impressive yet horrible display of self-sacrifice, war crimes from both sides, and the symbolic imagery of the humanity unity in desperate times.

On a connotative level, strong themes of nationalism and patriotism propaganda are seen in many scenes of the film, such as the transformation of characters with individuals finding meaning in fighting for a collective cause during the chaos of war, from cowardly, poorly trained individuals to selfless, battle-hardened soldiers, or from ignorant to emotionally patriotic citizens. The human instinct to survive also changed this individual from all walks of life into combat soldiers so that they can live another day. Demonising of the enemies to justify the actions of the defenders, where all of enemies were shown to be blood thirst monsters who wants to kill every defender. However, there was a scene that informs the viewers that there were enemy soldiers who are scared of death and begged for their lives. In shocking addition, the defender forced young or inexperience recruits to execute these prisoners of war with the purpose to get the recruits to toughen up. The opening scene introduces the viewer to the harsh reality of war, where deserters are swiftly executed by impromptu squads during their retreat. This suggests that war dehumanizes both sides and can be interpreted as a deeper connotation of the complexities and moral ambiguities of war.

This film consistently depicts the devastating and gruesome impact of war on both humanity and civilisation but it still informs the viewers that sacrifices are still required to ensure freedom and peace. This creates the myth of tragic heroism of war. The soldiers who endure immense suffering and death are portrayed as heroes not because war is glorious and as something that must be endured, but because they are sacrificing themselves for a cause that, in the context of the film and real life history, seems inevitable. This creates a contradictory message, where the film shows the terrible consequences of war but still portrays the sacrifice and suffering as having a kind of tragic honour, suggesting that national pride and identity are worth the cost of human lives.

To address my blog's question, the movie does not shy away from showing the horrors of war and its impact on people and civilisation. However, it strongly conveys the idea that self-sacrifice for the greater good is essential to securing freedom. While it’s difficult to claim that the film outright supports war and violence because it closely follows the historical defence of the Sihang Warehouse. Although the movie dramatises and intensifies certain aspects by adding fictional characters and perspectives, the timeline and core events remain largely accurate. This creative choice is understandable, as epic and emotional scenes often attract a wider audience and boost the film’s profitability.

As a game artist, this analysis highlights the importance of balancing historical accuracy with creative storytelling. Films like The Eight Hundred and Saving Private Ryan show that presenting the horrors of war alongside themes of heroism and sacrifice can evoke powerful emotions. However, they also demonstrate how visuals and narratives can shape audience perception, sometimes glorifying difficult realities. I personally interested in designing and creating environments or characters that are within history genres. This means that I would usually clash with heavy or sensitive topics like war and sufferings it brings. Hence, careful consideration are required when design environments or characters that contains taboo or heavy topics to avoid glorifying the negativity of it but instead shining light to why we should avoid root cause of it.

Reference Barthes, R. (1972) Mythologies. Translated by A. Lavers. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Available at: https://archive.org/details/barthes-roland-mythologies-en-1972/mode/2up. (Accessed: 20 November 2024).

Black Hawk Down (2001) Directed by Scott, R. Black Hawk Down. Columbia Pictures.

Carter, J. (2022) China’s Alamo: The real story behind ‘the 800 heroes’. Available at: https://thechinaproject.com/2022/10/26/chinas-alamo-the-real-story-behind-the-800-heroes/ (Accessed: 21 November 2024).

The Eight Hundred (2020) Directed by Hu, G. Huayi Brothers.

Niderost, E. (2007) ‘Chinese Alamo: Last Stand at Sihang Warehouse’, Military Heritage, 9(3). Available at: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/chinese-alamo-last-stand-at-sihang-warehouse/ (Accessed: 21 November 2024).

Patton (1970) Directed by Schaffner, F. J. 20th Century Fox.

Saussure, F. D. (1959) Course in general linguistics. New York: Philosophical Library. Available at: https://archive.org/details/courseingenerall00saus/page/58/mode/2up. (Accessed: 20 November 2024).

Saving Private Ryan (1998) Directed by Spielberg, S. DreamWorks Pictures.

Timmons, G. (2018) Saving Private Ryan: The Real‑Life D‑Day Back Story. HISTORY. A&E Television Networks. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/saving-private-ryan-real-life-dday-back-story. (Accessed: 20 November 2024).

[jian-wei-uh]

Blog Post #4: Immersive Warfare: Exploring the Realism of Hell Let Loose in World War 2 First-Person Shooter.

Figure 1: Hell Let Loose Promotional Poster. (Hell Let Loose Wiki, n.d.)

I will be analysing the realism in the World War II (WW2) first-person shooter (FPS) video game Hell Let Loose. In this analysis, I will highlight aspects of the game that accurately reflect historical and tactical realities, as well as areas where it diverges from realism.

Hell Let Loose is a world war 2 themed first person shooter that also dives into resource management to win the game. Each game can hold up to 100 players and equally distributed to both sides. Players can play as unique soldier roles from Germany, America, Russia and Britain in uniquely design historical maps.

For later discussion purposes, I would state that the video game, Hell Let Loose, is an artwork due to its many artistic elements that was put together to form this simulation experience that players can feel immerse as if they were there fighting on the battlefields. I would also state that Hell Let Loose leans to a certain degree of Nikolay Chernyshevsky's (1985) statement where he state that art primarily seeks to mirror the world around us which is life and nature. His statement is still very much relevant as realistic games that contain real life logic and appearance have managed to very successful such as call of duty series, The Sims, Cyberpunk, Minecraft, and Baldurs Gate 3 etc. Although, some of the games mentioned has sci-fi, fantasy, horror genres elements, they still follow some level of realism to our real world.

Figure 2: Respawn Map Interface of Hell Let Loose. (Hell Let Loose, 2019)

However, to maintain player enjoyment, game developers often avoid making every aspect of the game entirely realistic. For instance, players would likely find little satisfaction in repeatedly spawning at the base (Refer to red circle in figure 2), walking long distances to the objectives (The names seen on the map in figure 2), only to be killed and be forced to repeat the cycle. Similarly, permanently removing players from the game upon death would diminish the fun and engagement.

Figure 3: Garrison Table Structure that players can spawn in. (Hell Let Loose, 2019)

Hence, game developers would put some kind of device for players to spawn closer and avoid the boring long distance walk from the base to the objective which would have been the case if it is a real life situation. In Hell Let Loose's context, players can build garrisons (structure in figure 3 and located in yellow circles in figure 2) for other players to spawn closer to the objective to rapidly defend or capture an objective point. Another great example by Josh Bycer (2018) would be that players will naturally get frustrated if they fire their weapons at the enemy and the weapon jams or breaks. In real life, that is a very possible occurrence on the battlefield.

Figure 4: Player using squad voice chat to communicate with other squad members. (Hell Let Loose, 2019)

The difference between this WW2 FPS video game and others would be that the game heavily enforces a chain of command and communication to win the battle. Players are formed into a squad of 6 players and one of the player is the squad leader. This squad has its own unique voice chat to relay orders to all of their squad members while the squad leader has another unique voice chat for all squad leader and the commander who will relay the strategic commands to the squad leaders to win the game. Squad leader would receive said commands from the commander and instruct his squad to carry out the given command. With fast reactions of the squad leaders to commander commands and reliable squad members, the match will be easily won. This accurate depicts in real life where battles are won through proper, quick and timely usage of communication (Shelton, 2018). Even in ancient times such as quotes by Sun Tzu in the book The Art of War also states that clear communication within command structure, planning strategies to fool the enemy and discipline by following orders (Tzu, 1994).

Figure 5: Call of Duty: WWII Character Customisation [Left] (Cre8ive, 2017) Figure 6: Hell Let Loose Character Customisation [Right] (Hell Let Loose, 2019)

Another way to demonstrate Hell Let Loose's commitment to recreating reality is by comparing it to other WWII FPS games like Call of Duty: WWII. In Call of Duty: WWII, players can take on the roles of soldiers from different nations, carrying weapons from other countries and customising their characters in ways that often lack historical authenticity. While it is true that some real-life soldiers used foreign weapons, this practice was uncommon and typically required specialised training to operate unfamiliar equipment.

Call of Duty: WWII also classifies playable roles by military branches, such as airborne, cavalry, and infantry. In contrast, Hell Let Loose categorises roles based on realistic squad compositions, including machine gunners, riflemen, medics, and squad leaders. Furthermore, Hell Let Loose imposes restrictions on how many players can occupy specific roles in a squad, such as limiting each squad to one machine gunner. This design choice adds a layer of authenticity.

Additionally, in Hell Let Loose, each role has a fixed set of weapons and uniforms unique to their function and nationality. For example, only machine gunners have access to machine guns, and each nation's soldiers exclusively use their historically accurate equipment and uniforms. This restriction ensures a realistic battlefield aesthetic, where players appear cohesive and reflective of the nation they represent.

Baudrillard's (1994) simulacra and simulations could be applied to Hell Let Loose. During the first stage which is the original would be tragic and horrible Second World War. Then in the second stage that is war-themed media representation adjusts their depicts of horrors of war to a digestible and tolerant-able appearance for the audience. Followed by the third stage which is video games which could further immerse players unlike other medias also followed this trend and produced war games. Lastly, Hell Let Loose, and along with other WW2-themed video games creates a hyperreal version of war that has becomes its own "truth" for many players.

In conclusion, Hell Let Loose exemplifies how video games balance historical realism and player engagement. While the game strives for authenticity in its depiction of World War II through historically accurate maps, roles, and equipment, it also adapts reality for playability, such as respawn systems and streamlined mechanics. By enforcing a structured chain of command and realistic communication strategies, the game mirrors the tactical essence of real warfare. Comparing Hell Let Loose with titles like Call of Duty: WWII highlights its deeper commitment to historical accuracy and immersion. Through the lens of Baudrillard's simulacra, the game evolves from representing the tragedy of WWII to creating a hyperreal simulation that shapes players' perceptions of war. This interplay of realism and abstraction showcases Hell Let Loose as both an artwork and a medium of simulation, capturing the complexities of history while adapting them to a modern gaming experience.

In future projects where I am required to stick to realism and history, I would do my best to avoid changing too much to make it relatable to modern day viewer's attention but instead design it authentically enough for them to be immersed that it generates their interest from there instead.

Reference

Baudrillard, J. (1994) Simulacra and simulation. Glaser, S.F.. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Black Matter Pty Ltd. (2019) Hell Let Loose. Team17.

Bycer, J. (2018) Risks of Realism in Game Design. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/super-jump/the-risk-of-embracing-realism-4673a8bb724c. [Accessed: 18 November 2024].

Scanlan, J.P. (1985) Nikolaj Chernyshevsky and the Philosophy of Realism in NineteenthCentury Russian Aesthetics. Studies in Soviet Thought, 30(1), pp. 1–14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/20100022. [Accessed: 18 November 2024].

Shelton, D. (2018) Communication is key, and could be the difference between life or death. Available at: https://www.army.mil/article/215221/communication_is_key_and_could_be_the_difference_between_life_or_death. [Accessed: 17 November 2024].

Tzu, S., (1994) Sun Tzu on the Art of war. Translated by Lionel Giles. Heritage Books. Available at: https://ebook-mecca.com/online/TheArtOfWar.PDF. [Accessed: 17 November 2024].

[jian-wei-uh]

Blog Post #3: Beyond the Screen: The Transmedia Universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Figure 1: Avatar: The Last Airbender Promotion Poster for Season 1. (VladTen1350, n.d.)

This blog post will focus on the Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) franchise and explore how it serves as an example of transmedia storytelling. I argue that the franchise successfully utilises transmedia storytelling technique to reach wider audiences across multiple platforms. Evidence of this includes the continuation of the main series through the production of a sequel series, live-action adaptations, merchandise, web series, and novels after the original show ended.

The entertainment industry, along with individuals who simply want to share their stories, uses transmedia storytelling to bring unique and parody stories to audiences worldwide, whether for commercial reasons (like minecraft, Disney Films, Boku No Hero Academia) or just for fun (Welcome Home ARG, Fan fictions, game jams, roleplaying communities).

Transmedia storytelling is narrative technique where different parts of a story are shared across various entertainment methods, like movies, books, or games, to create one big, connected experience. Each mentioned methods adds its own unique piece and helps to build the story in a way that all comes together smoothly (Jenkins, 2007). This technique has been used by major entertainment franchises like Harry Potter, Marvel, and Star Wars. Majority these franchises achieved great success using this method. For example, Harry Potter franchise starting off with novels before gradually expanding universe's lore into animation, films, video games, merchandise and eventually having a dedicated theme park (Maschler, 2023). Tapping into different entertainment mediums with promotion intention, where each medium has a large, specific audience, would be highly beneficial to entertainment companies in terms of popularity and commercial (Schiller, 2018). The reason behind it being that this strategy would attract said new groups of fans to the franchise which directly increasing the company's profits by purchasing more types of product of the mentioned franchise. The new influx of audience will contribute to fan production of the franchise and increase the popularity or even guide the franchise storyline (Schiller, 2018).

Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang, a young yet centuries-old boy and the last surviving Airbender, who is also the missing Avatar. Still with the mentality of a child, he must bring balance to a war-torn world that fell apart during his absence. The world is divided into four nations which are Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Among the populations of these nations are benders who has the ability to "bend" their respective nation's elements. Aang, along with his friends Katara, Sokka, and later Toph, embarks on a journey to master all four elements, a feat that only the Avatar could master, and defeat Fire Lord Ozai, who seeks to dominate and subjugate the world.

Figure 2: Map of Avatar: The Last Airbender. (mapofasia, 2023)

One characteristic of transmedia storytelling is the creation of a complex and expansive fictional universe that would give plenty of creative space for audiences to speculate about what could be happening and develop their own understanding of the world (Jenkins, 2007; Baroni, Anaïs Goudmand and Ryan, 2023). In the three main seasons of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang and his friends travel across the world, but many aspects of the world’s lore remain unexplored. Numerous locations were not covered by the series, leaving room for audience speculation or later exploration through other media or dialogue. A prime example is the location shown in the zoomed-in box in Figure 2. This area, although not significant in the main series, became extremely important in the sequel series The Legend of Korra. Set after Aang’s era, The Legend of Korra introduces Republic City, a central location for most of the series. While The Legend of Korra focuses heavily on this city, little is revealed about what lies beyond it or how the world has changed since Aang ended the Fire Nation's war. This lack of information allows audiences to creatively fill in the gaps and speculate on the broader world. It prompts the audience to ask themselves questions like, 'Have the Water Tribes recovered from the war?', 'Is the Fire Nation now a peaceful country?', and 'Is the Earth Kingdom free from corruption?' In an indirect way, it encourage audience participation which could help direct the story's narrative and creates a community around the franchise story (Jenkins, 2007).

This curiosity about both explored and unexplored aspects of the environment and lore inspires audiences to craft their own interpretations or fan fiction. Personally, I was captivated by the Earth Kingdom’s environment and complex politics, which motivated me to create my own character within this universe. Many others, like myself, continue to contribute content long after the series ended, keeping the world alive and thriving through fan creations.

Figure 3: "The Promise", one of Avatar: The Last Airbender comics. (Fresh Comics, 2013)

We know there are two main animation series that covers Aang's timeline to defeat the fire lord and Korra's timeline to save Republic City. For audience who were curious about the in-between period like what happened to the world after protagonist gang defeated the antagonist, they can turn to another medium which is the comic series. They cover many aspects such as post-war world, modernisation and those against it, and social issues.

Figure 4: Avatar: the Last Airbender: The Kyoshi Novels and The Yangchen Novels Bundle

Besides tapping into comic market, they also wrote novels that cover stories about Avatars before Aang for audience who are curious how other avatars maintain balance during their timeline. It is understandable why they have chosen comics and novels to cover the parts in-between the two main animation series as it is cheaper to produce compared to full animations.

Figure 3: Avatar: The Last Airbender video game. [Gaming Console Version, Left] (Super Cheats, n.d.) Figure 4: Avatar: The Last Airbender video game. [Gameboy Advance Version, Right] (Super Cheats, n.d.)

There were also interactive media for this franchise such as video games. The video games let players control characters from the main animated series and navigate through the same storyline as the animated series. This would make the player feel immerse with the story as they are interacting with the video game to understand and progress the plot of the story.

Figure 5: The Last Airbender. [Left] (Bomb Report, 2022) Figure 6: Avatar: The Last Airbender. [Right] (Glazebrook, 2024)

Over the years, live-action adaption for the animated series were produced as well. However, The Last Airbender (2010) received a poor reception from audiences and was plagued with numerous noticeable issues (Curran, 2020). The long gap between these live-action adaption may be due to difficulties in securing investors or funding, as the first live-action adaptation performed so poorly that it lost much of the fan base’s trust in live-action adaption. Without the fan base’s trust and interest, the potential for profit would be significantly reduced. However, the lasting impact of the original animated series has kept the audience's loyalty and memory alive, likely contributing to the support for Netflix's live-action adaptation. To prove that the audience's interest are still strong with the series would be after four days since Netflix's live-action adaptation release on February 2024, It became a top 10 English series in 92 countries, with 21.2 million views (Netflix, 2024), and has reached 71.1 million views as of June 2024 (Netflix, 2024).

Figure 7: Funko Pop figurines of Avatar: The Last Airbender's characters. (Schwellenbach, 2018) Figure 8: Avatar: The Last Airbender Elements BST AXN 5-inch Action Figure. (DaRedHorse, n.d.)

Avatar: The Last Airbender also collaborate with merchandise companies to produce physical merchandises for fans who wishes to collect exclusive collectables or younger audience who wishes to play with their favourite characters physically.

By expanding into different entertainment mediums, it creates new entry points for audience (Jenkins, 2007) to enter into the franchise's main medium which is the main animated series. This multi-platform approach allows fans to explore the story's world from various perspectives, deepening their connection and sustaining interest in the franchise up to the present day.

Personally, I have implement such practise where I would write short stories and then visualise them by drawing, animating or modelling them out to visual it. After analysing and researching regarding transmedia, I would like to implement this into my work to spread my ideas to a wider audience.

Reference

Avatar: The Last Airbender. (2024). Netflix.

Avatar: The Last Airbender. (2005–2008). Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

Avatar: The Last Airbender. (2006). THQ.

Baroni, R., Anaïs Goudmand and Ryan, M. (2023). Transmedial Narratology and Transmedia Storytelling. Springer eBooks, pp.1–25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91263-5_16-1. [Accessed: 6 November 2024].

Curran, B. (2020). What Went Wrong With The Last Airbender Movie. ScreenRant. Available at: https://screenrant.com/last-airbender-movie-bad-problems-explained/. [Accessed: 7 November 2024].

Jenkins, H. (2007). Transmedia Storytelling 101. Henry Jenkins. Available at: https://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html. [Accessed: 6 November 2024].

Maschler, N. T. (2023) Transmedia Storytelling in the World of Harry Potter, Charles University. Available at: https://dspace.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/185957/120457570.pdf?sequence=1. [Accessed: 6 November 2024].

Netflix. (2023) Top 10 Week of Feb 19: Avatar: The Last Airbender and Tyler Perry's Mea Culpa. Available at: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/top-10-week-of-feb-19-avatar-the-last-airbender-and-tyler-perrys-mea-culpa. [Accessed: 7 November 2024].

Schiller, M. (2018). Transmedia Storytelling: Stories, pp.97–108. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5rf6vf.10. [Accessed: 6 November 2024]

The Last Airbender. (2010). Paramount Pictures.

The Legend of Korra. (2012–2014). Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

What's on Netflix. (2024). Search Netflix’s Engagement Reports for 2023 and 2024. Available at: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/most-popular/netflix-engagement-report-search/ [Accessed: 7 November 2024].

Yang, G., DiMartino, M. D., and Konietzko, B. (2010–2017). Avatar: The Last Airbender [Comic series]. Dark Horse Comics.

Yee, F. C. (2023). Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.

Yee, F. C. (2023). Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Legacy of Yangchen. Amulet Books.

Yee, F. C. (2019). Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.

Yee, F. C. (2020). Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Shadow of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.

[jian-wei-uh]

Reader

Abraham, B. (2018). Video Game Visions of Climate Futures: ARMA 3 and Implications for Games and Persuasion. Games and Culture, 13(1), 71-91. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015603844 [Accessed: 1 November 2024].

This journal explores how the aesthetics of a video game, such as ARMA 3, can be used to subtly convey a message and shape players' perceptions. Instead of relying on obvious messages or direct storytelling, the video game shows visuals of a future powered by renewable energy, encouraging players to think about sustainability in a natural way. This makes renewable energy feel normal and familiar, so players absorb the idea without feeling pressured. Abraham highlights how games can influence players' perspectives, gently encouraging them to consider a greener future through simple, subtle artistic and game design choices. Personally, I had followed this mindset when working on my degree final year project where I created a war-torn environment of my home country, with the intention to persuade my country's younger generation that war is never good. By thoughtfully designing the visual elements of a game world, it can subtly convey impactful messages to players without relying solely on direct storytelling or game mechanics.

Alatta, R.A. and Momani, H. (2021). Integrating 3D Game Engines in Enhancing Urban Perception: A Case Study of Students’ Visualization of Urban Space. ACE: Architecture, City and Environment, 16(47), 9886. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5821/ace.16.47.9886. [Accessed: 25 October 2024].

This research by Alatta and Momani, highlights how game engines can transform urban design by using interactive, real-time 3D demos that make it easier to visualise and explain city spaces than traditional models or pre-rendered videos. Key benefits include improved spatial understanding, better communication, and stronger citizen involvement. Interactive game environments allow people to explore and connect with urban spaces more deeply, leading to more informed participation in planning. Game engines are not only used for creating video games but also act as showcasing tools or animation production. Hence, it is important to master handling game engines as it opens more career opportunities. Besides that, I can use game engines' features to create immersive and engaging urban game world experiences, with the proper skills and knowledge of functioning cities.

Bos, D. (2021) ‘Playful Encounters: Games for Geopolitical Change’, Geopolitics, 28(3), pp. 1210–1234. Available at : 10.1080/14650045.2021.2002846. [Accessed: 25 October 2024]

This research looks at how the video game This War of Mine challenges common ideas about war in popular culture. Unlike most war games that celebrate or focus on violence, This War of Mine highlights the struggles of civilians in urban conflict. It makes players confront the tough realities of survival and the moral choices faced by ordinary people during war. By studying player reviews, the research shows that the game encourages players to think about the true cost of war and question their views on violence and conflict. It also shows that games can be more than just entertainment—they can share important social and political messages. Since I am interested in creating assets for historical or heavier-topic genres, understanding the key elements that influence players’ actions and emotions will enable me to design more believable and immersive artwork or game environments.

Cole, A. (2018). Connecting Player and Character Agency in Videogames. Text, 22(49), 1–14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.52086/001c.25642. [Accessed: 27 October 2024].

This study challenges the traditional focus on player choice and freedom as the sole definition of agency in games. It argues for a broader perspective that includes the player's interpretation and engagement with the narrative. The paper introduces the concept of character agency, emphasising the importance of non-player characters (NPCs) in influencing the narrative and shaping the player's experience. Cole suggests that game studies can benefit from traditional narrative theory insights, particularly in understanding how players interact with game narratives. This interdisciplinary approach can inform the creation of more engaging gaming experiences. This paper showed me the importance of character agency in creating immersive gaming experiences, like developing NPCs with unique personalities and motivations to build a more dynamic and believable game worlds that will get players to come back and try again. To make characters more believable or influence players to choose certain decision would be to study the many human personalities out there and develop character based on that knowledge.

Kenwright, B. (2020). 'There's more to Sound than Meets the Ear: Sound in Interactive Environments', IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 40(4), 62-70. Avaliable at: https://doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2020.2996371. [Accessed: 3 November 2024]

Kenwright highlights the important role of sound in interactive environments, especially in video games. While it is an often overlooked element of game development, sound can actually boost engagement, evoke an array of emotions, and direct players' attention. By combining auditory and visual elements effectively, designers can create more immersive experiences. The article examines how different sound frequencies and patterns affect mood and behaviour, emphasising the value of procedural sound generation for more realistic audio. Sound has great potential, it's essential to use it wisely while poor sound design harms the experience. Although I have only basic skills in implementing audio and a limited interest in this field, this article opened my eyes to the importance of audio design. I have personally worked on recreating audio that were used in games during my degree studies but struggled a lot due to no prior knowledge about audio. The knowledge I gained here will help me communicate the desired sounds for game environments or events to audio designers in game studios if I take on a game designer role in the future.

McKenzie, T., Morales-Trujillo, M., Lukosch, S. and Hoermann, S. (2021). Is Agile Not Agile Enough? A Study on How Agile is Applied and Misapplied in the Video Game Development Industry. 2021 IEEE/ACM Joint 15th International Conference on Software and System Processes (ICSSP) and 16th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Global Software Engineering (ICGSE). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/icssp-icgse52873.2021.00019. [Accessed: 28 October 2024].

This research investigates the implementation of agile frameworks in video game development (VGD). The study found that many VGD studios struggle with understanding and incorporating agile practices correctly, leading to challenges in project management and collaboration between multidisciplinary teams. To address these issues, the researchers suggested the need for new, VGD-specific frameworks that combine the best aspects of agile and creative production principles. During a grouped game assignment, we utilised agile framework for the main development while I (game artist) used Kanban to keep my art progression in check. Due to conflicting methods and the requirement for approval from other departments, progression was slowed and lacking. this research provide insights to overcoming potential roadblocks. As game designer is one of my desired career path, it is essential to understand which is the best framework to develop a video game to ensure a smooth production period.

O’Donnell, C. (2009). The everyday lives of video game developers: Experimentally understanding underlying systems/structures. Transformative Works and Cultures, 2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2009.073. [Accessed: 30 October 2024].

This article by O'Donnell (2009) discusses the complex interaction between work and play in game development industry. It highlights the essential role of understanding underlying systems and structures of rules, mechanics, and interactions in creating an immersive gaming experiences for the players. By examining the daily practices of United States and India game developers, insights such as challenges of balancing artistic vision with technical constraints, and the impact of industry pressures were gained. As a summary, The text emphasises the importance of collaboration, experimentation, and a comprehensive understanding of game mechanics, engines, and design principles. Having personally experienced the pressures of the game development industry during my degree internship and produce games for assignments, I now have a deeper appreciation and understanding about the complexities involved. By applying the insights from this article, I'm better equipped to navigate the many challenging yet rewarding path of game development.

Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D., MacNamara, A., Ober, T., Rose, M.C., Pawar, S., Hovey, C.M. and Olsen, A. (2020). Emotional design for digital games for learning: The effect of expression, color, shape, and dimensionality on the affective quality of game characters. Learning and Instruction, 70, 101194. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.01.005 [Accessed: 5 November 2024].

This research explores how visual design affects players' emotional responses in digital games, in terms of changing the colour, shape, expression, and dimensionality of game characters. Key findings indicate that character with round shapes, warm colours, and expressive faces evoking positive feelings. In contrast, sharp shapes and neutral colours lead to weaker emotional responses. Additionally, 3D characters are more effective at generating emotions than 2D ones, especially in virtual reality. These insights help game designers create more engaging and emotionally impactful experiences, which can enhance learning and overall player satisfaction, particularly in educational games and interactive learning settings. While I may not have strong skills in character design or concept, this research paper has helped in guiding me on how to design future characters, including their basic appearance and art style, to evoke specific emotional responses from players.

Toh, W. (2022). The Player Experience and Design Implications of Narrative Games. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(13), pp.1–28. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2085404. [Accessed: 1 November 2024].

In this research, Toh explores how players engage with narrative games, highlighting four main ways: exploration, projection, gameplay, and observation. To enhance these experiences, the study suggests key design principles. Building a strong player-avatar bond is crucial, achieved by creating relatable characters and letting players project their own values onto them. Immersive worlds encourage exploration, while flexible placeholder characters allow players to shape the story. Inclusive design ensures accessibility for more players. Toh also emphasises adaptive game design, tailoring experiences to fit active or passive play styles. Thoughtfully placed Quick Time Events (QTEs) can deepen character connections. Finally, complex relationships in romance and friendship add authenticity, allowing for more genuine, emotionally impactful interactions. Reading this research provided valuable insights for creating meaningful and engaging game worlds that players can truly enjoy, as a satisfied player is a loyal customer. I plan to apply these ideas in my future work.

Westera, W., Prada, R., Mascarenhas, S., Santos, P.A., Dias, J., Guimarães, M., Georgiadis, K., Nyamsuren, E., Bahreini, K., Yumak, Z., Christyowidiasmoro, C., Dascalu, M., Gutu-Robu, G. and Ruseti, S. (2019). Artificial intelligence moving serious gaming: Presenting reusable game AI components. Education and Information Technologies, 25(1), pp.351–380. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09968-2. [Accessed: 29 October 2024].

This article explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can be applied to enhance educational games. The authors describe an European project that resulted in the creation of reusable AI components specifically designed for game developers. These components offer functionalities including player emotion recognition, natural language processing, and the creation of believable non-playing characters. The authors acknowledge there are some ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI in games, particularly regarding player experience modelling and potential biases. I find AI use in video game development fascinating, as it can generate fresh content with each playthrough, keeping players engaged. It could also help efficiently streamline production. However, as the article points out, ethical concerns arise around exposing players' sensitive information or using it for improvement without their consent or creating content by stealing from other creators. Hence, a careful and ethical approach is required when implementing AI into video games.

Williams, D., Martins, N., Consalvo, M. and Ivory, J.D. (2009). The virtual census: representations of gender, race and age in video games. New Media & Society, 11(5), pp.815–834. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809105354. [Accessed: 26 October 2024].

This research delves into the representation of gender, race, and age within video games. A comprehensive content analysis of a large sample of games revealed a significant overrepresentation of male, white, and adult characters. Alternatively, female, minority, and elderly characters were underrepresented. The study highlights the potential impact of these representations on players' perceptions of social reality and identity formation. The underrepresentation of certain groups can reinforce stereotypes and limit opportunities for diverse perspectives and experiences within the gaming community. Although most recent games has include more genders and minorities but I still find this article relevant as my heritage or race is hardly seen in characters from those games. By creating more characters or stories that more player can relate to will definitely help in improving the game's popularity and spreading awareness about minority and underrepresented groups.

[jian-wei-uh]

Blog Post #2 : Could video games be considered as Gesamtkunstwerk?

Richard Wagner's (1849) idea of Gesamtkunstwerk was all about bringing together different art forms, like architecture, painting, dance, sculpture, text, and music, into one powerful performance that connects with the audience on every level. In The Artwork of the Future, he wanted opera to stop being a luxury for the elite and become something for everyone, a shared experience for the community. You can see this vision in modern musical theatre, especially in Evita, where the visuals and set design bring the story’s world to life, while dance and movement help develop characters and set the tone. The music and lyrics work hand-in-hand to create an emotional impact, fulfilling Wagner’s dream of art that speaks to both the mind and the heart (Moore, 2015). Many things can be considered Gesamtkunstwerk, from artistically designed buildings and immersive theme parks to breath-taking films and operas. But could video games, with their unique blend of art, music, and storytelling, also fit into this category?

Video games has been around since the mid-20th century (Hardy, 2022). For example, in 1962, Steve Russell at MIT created Spacewar!, a space combat video game designed for the PDP-1 computer, which was a leading system at that time and was mostly used in universities. It was the first game that could be played on different computer setups, essentially a multiplayer game (History.com Editors, 2022). From the first console video games to the modern Virtual Reality games, video games capabilities has been pushed to ever greater heights. Since then, computers involved from texted based video games to ultra realistic and immersive video games by combining many different art forms into one single united medium.

Figure 1: Screenshot of Liyue in Genshin Impact. (Slater, 2023)

Figure 2: Screenshot of Inazuma in Genshin Impact. (Slater, 2023)

Taking Hoyoverse's Genshin Impact (2020) as a video game example to prove that video games are Gesamtkunstwerk. Genshin Impact is a single-player game with optional multiplayer, open-world action RPG developed by miHoYo, set in the fantasy world of Teyvat, which consists of several diverse nations, each inspired by different real-world cultures. Players assume the role of the Traveler, a mysterious character searching for their lost sibling while unravelling the secrets of the world. The game features elemental-based and team combat, exploration, and character-driven storytelling, with a strong focus on rich lore and vibrant world-building (Genshin Impact, n.d.).

As of now, the game’s world, Teyvat, features five major nations: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Natlan. Each nation’s architecture is distinct, reflecting the unique cultural inspirations behind it. For instance, Liyue (Refer to figure 1) draws heavily from traditional Chinese architecture and culture, while Inazuma (Refer to figure 2) is deeply influenced by Japanese design and aesthetics, showcasing the game’s integration of art, culture, and storytelling into a cohesive experience for the players to feel truly immerse when playing this video game. Each nation is has its own unique non-playable characters and enemies, which will encourage players to continue playing as there will always be new content for the players to enjoy.

Figure 3: Character hailing from different regions. (Genshin Impact, 2020)

From the left of figure 3, the characters shown are Neuvillette, Alhaitham, Ei, and Jean. They come from Fontaine (inspired by France), Sumeru (inspired by Arab countries), Inazuma (inspired by Japan), and Mondstadt (inspired by Germany and Western countries), respectively. Each playable character's design reflects the cultural aesthetics of their in-game nation. For instance, Ei, the character dressed in purple, is from Inazuma, a nation heavily inspired by Japan, and her design incorporates clear Japanese elements like traditional shoulder armour and an obi belt. This further enhances the gameplay as each character is authentic and realistic in terms of game lore.

Additionally, each character is enriched with a detailed backstory and lore, allowing players to dive deeper into their personalities and histories, offering a more immersive experience as they learn more about their favourite playable characters. There are also playable character opinions of other playable characters in these backstory and lore section. Players can unlock them as they upgrade the character.

Additionally, each nation's background and combat music in Genshin Impact is performed using traditional musical instruments from the real-world cultures that inspired them. For instance, Inazuma’s combat music, as shown in this YouTube video, features traditional Japanese instruments like the Shamisen, Shakuhachi, Koto, and Tsuzumi. These pieces are played by highly skilled professional musicians, adding authenticity and cultural depth to the game's atmosphere. Another unique thing about Genshin Impact audio, the character's voice will echoes if the player is in a cave. Immersing the players into the video game is essential in maintaining or increasing the player base.

By combining architecture, character design, music, game asset artwork, unique written for each nations, character actions, syncing music with character's mouth movement, and cinematic camera angles, Genshin Impact managed to achieve an impactful cutscene (refer to the video above).

Although Genshin Impact does not have any live acting or performance like Wagner's opera and theatres, the usage of motion capturing technology to create motion capture animation for the animated cutscenes. This creates smooth and realistic animation that is able to tell great stories and actions to its players.

In my view, video games can be seen as a conditional version of Gesamtkunstwerk since not all games fulfil the criteria needed to be classified as such. However, with advancements in technology, systems, and accessible software, it seems likely that video games will move closer to becoming a complete and legitimate Gesamtkunstwerk in the near future.

Reference

Genshin Impact (n.d.) About game. Available at: https://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/game. (Accessed: 20 October 2024)

Genshin Impact (2021). Duel in the Mist - Inazuma OST Battle Theme MV｜Genshin Impact. YouTube, 21 Sept. 2021, youtu.be/FYP2dM8RTFM?si=6ql803ysGR6ufrS3. (Accessed: 20 October 2024).

History.com Editors (2022). Video game history. HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/history-of-video-games (Accessed: 19 October 2024).

Hardy, J. (2022) "The First Computer: Technology that Changed the World". Available at: https://historycooperative.org/first-computer/. (Accessed: 19 October 2024)

Junchoco. “GENSHIN IMPACT PS5 “4K 60fps” | 5.0 Version | Warrior of Natlan Singing Cutscene.” YouTube, 28 Aug. 2024, youtu.be/SfAh-ywCh5E?si=x_ZvwSiZse3mItBn. (Accessed 20 October 2024.)

miHoYo. (2021). Genshin Impact Version 2.0 Brings in the All-New Inazuma Area Today. Available at: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/genshin-impact-version-2-0-brings-in-the-all-new-inazuma-area-today. (Accessed: 20 October 2024).

Moore, J.R. (2015). Don’t Cry for Us, Richard Wagner: The Artwork of the Future and Evita. International Journal of Music and Performing Arts, 3(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.15640/ijmpa.v3n2a1. (Accessed: 18 October 2024).

Motion, Wei. “The Truth about Mr. Da Wei Motion Capture and Ayaka Dance.” YouTube, 19 Jan. 2022, youtu.be/RmI8JERoF34?si=kcNoTRPjYl7PoE-p. (Accessed: 20 Oct. 2024.)

Slater, H. (2023) Genshin Impact wallpapers - make your desktop pop | Pocket Tactics. Available at: https://www.pockettactics.com/genshin-impact/wallpapers. (Accessed: 19 October 2024).

Wagner, R., (1895). The Artwork of the Future.

[jian-wei-uh]

Blog Post #1 : Not all who experience war are combatants: Analysing Narratives in This War of Mine

Figure 1: This War of Mine (2014) Poster

I enjoy playing games that are designed to evoke strong emotions in their players, particularly those that encourage deeper reflection on important topics. A prime example of this is the anti-war game This War of Mine, which effectively challenges players to reconsider their perspectives on morality and survival in the context of war.

This War of Mine takes a unique approach to combat pro-war stance by placing the player in civilian's point-of-view, rather than an unbeatable combatant which is the usual norm for most war themed games regardless of pro-war or anti-war. This video game was inspired by real-life events such as the Balkan War, the Syrian Civil War , the Siege of Grozny, and, The Second World War's Warsaw Uprising (Marszał, P., 2022) The player must manage a small group of ordinary people, helping them survive until the siege of the city is lifted. Each ordinary civilian has unique traits such as trained in combat, good cook, stealthy etc. During the day, players focus on upgrading their shelter using whatever resources they’ve gathered in their shelter or during night-time scavenging missions. However, the game presents situations that challenge the player’s morals, forcing difficult decisions in the midst of a brutal civil war (11 Bits Studio, 2014).

Both embedded and emergent narratives are important to tell the context or story of a video game to its players, in order to immerse the players and promote player agency. Video games often combine the both to create an memorable experience for its players. Such as environmental storytelling where the game developers would design the environment to indirectly tell the players of the existing game lore and encourage players to explore the world to get more information or discover hidden quest which could alter the final outcome of the game scenario (Jenkins, 2012). In This War of Mine, both narrative methods were utilised. For example, embedded narratives would be the war-torn environments that players scavenge to obtain resources to survive the civil war, reading letters left behind previous tenants, hearing informative broadcasts from the crafted radio, and listening to other survival's idle conversations etc. While for emergent narratives, such as randomisation of loots with each new start, different characters to play, and choices in events that will affect characters mental state and ending of the game etc.

To delve deeper into the choices presented to players, the decisions they make gradually shape specific types of endings. For example, if a player chooses cruelty, such as stealing from an elderly couple during a scavenging mission, the consequences become apparent over time. When revisiting the location, the player will find the couple no longer sitting in their armchairs, but dead in their bed, having run out of food and medicine. While it’s not explicitly stated that their deaths are caused by the player’s immoral actions, the elderly man had pleaded for the player to leave them alone, mentioning that his wife needed the supplies that were stolen. The character who commits theft or murder will experience negative emotional effects, which can, in turn, impact the overall morale of other survivors in the shelter. If their mental health is ignored and they persist in making immoral decisions, characters may spiral into depression or become mentally "broken," eventually refusing to follow player commands and possibly fleeing the shelter, which leads to their death. The autonomy displayed by these depressed characters can evoke feelings of empathy and guilt in the player, as their actions directly contribute to the characters’ emotional decline (Pergerson, 2021).

Figure 2: Information about Katia. (Kaptan, 2022)

At the beginning of the game, each playable character is introduced with only a brief one-line description. However, as the game progresses and the characters build trust with each other, more of their backstory is gradually revealed to the player. This creates a deeper emotional connection, making players feel invested in keeping the characters alive so they can find their families or fulfil personal promises. As a result, when a character dies, it can have a strong emotional impact on the player (Funk, 2022), as the character leaves the world with unfinished business.

However, in the harsh realities of war, it’s often a matter of survival, either you or others make it with the scarce resources available. This forces players to make morally questionable decisions to ensure their characters live another day.

Figure 3: Epilogue cutscene. (믐늠음름, 2014)

The mentioned game features contributes to form Aarseth's concept of 'ergodic' narrative (Aarseth, 1997) where the player's decision will decide the faith of the characters' survivability, the outcome of game events and the final game's ending during the epilogue (Refer to figure 2).

Often, these harsh consequences shown to players after committing immoral acts are intended to encourage them to reflect on their actions, become more compassionate, or realize the true horrors of war. However, some players still approach the game with a materialistic mindset, harming others for extra loot rather than considering the importance of humanity. To address this, several countermeasures could be implemented. For example, the game could provide stronger visual or audio cues that highlight the suffering caused by the player’s actions, such as the reactions of surviving family members or visible changes in the environment, like a desolate belongings of the deceased character. Another measure could be making it more difficult for the other character to carry out tasks after witnessing or participating in immoral acts, such as adding new specific animation or new direct text dialogue scripts. Additionally, implementing a narrative penalty, where key story elements are locked or character arcs are cut short due to inhumane actions, could further push players to think more carefully about their choices.

References

11 Bits Studio (2014) . This War of Mine [Video Game]. 11 Bits Studio.

믐늠음름 (2014). This War of Mine - Ending(Epilogue) 720P. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIENAF9FpiQ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2024]

Aarseth, E. J. (1997). Cybertext. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024]

Funk, T. (2022). Video Game Art Reader. Amherst College Press eBooks. doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/book.101009. [Accessed 14 Oct. 2024]

Jenkins, H. (2003). GAME DESIGN AS NARRATIVE ARCHITECTURE. [online] Available at: https://paas.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/09.-Henry-Jenkins-Game-Design-As-Narrative-Architecture.pdf [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024].

Kaptan, D. (2022). This War Of Mine: Every Character, Ranked. [online] Available at: https://www.thegamer.com/this-war-of-mine-all-characters-best-ranked/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024].

Marszał, P. (2022). How Reality Shows That This War of Mine is More Than a Best-selling Game - Xbox Wire. [online] Xbox Wire. Available at: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/04/29/reality-shows-this-war-of-mine-more-than-a-best-selling-game/ [Accessed 12 Oct. 2024].

Pergerson, C. (2021). How This War of Mine Creates Empathy for Virtual Characters How This War of Mine Creates Empathy for Virtual Characters. [online] doi:https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-5071-8.ch002 [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024].