Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Apologies
Sorry for the drought of new content but I was on leave for the holidays and therefore far away from my computer and my parent's PC wasn't up to snuff (not to mention all the cross-looks I got whenever I tried to sneak away from the festivities). While I work on my next couple of posts feel free to follow the link to this great article from the guys at Game Crush on the importance of camera in "Perspective in the Game World."
Friday, December 15, 2006
Empathy, Introspection, Immersion --> Interaction
I have already railed at great length regarding my thoughts on the importance of themes when telling a story in books, movies, and video games, but I would like to emphasize one more aspect of these media that impact the story and the reader’s/viewer’s/player’s experience: Interaction.
Forgive this nerd-laden analogy but for millennia, books were the closest things humanity had to the “holodeck” as seen on the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Simply through reading another’s words one could be transported out of this world and into another where the drama, intrigue, and wonder of an author’s narrative can be experienced inside one’s own imagination. Also, the intimate thoughts and desires of the characters are laid bear for the reader to analyze and interpret. Such interpretation is rooted in our (the reader’s) own experiences and it becomes an occasion for introspection. This is one of literature’s greatest accomplishments; stimulating self-contemplation is something that film has been seeking to replicate since its birth as an art form, and which only recently, due to technological advancements, have video games been capable of similar feats as well.
Nowadays though, all three effectively fabricate a playground for the imagination, whisking us away to locales of our choosing. However, one thing that books and video games share that movies do not is their pacing. A movie, whether its length is a standard 90 minutes or an epic, Peter Jackson-180-plus-minutes affair, will always clock in at the same time. Books and video games are different in that a person can spend as little or as long as one wants inside the world of the author/creator. This difference in category should not be viewed as a sleight against motion pictures because, even as the viewer has no direct control over the pacing (or in the case of some video games, the outcome) of the narrative, there is a level of interaction between the events on screen and the spectator. Filmmakers, and also their predecessors of the stage, have long observed the emotional reactions that come from watching a movie. When witnessing acts of extreme barbarity or woe like those found in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, audience members may sob, cringe, or anger—and in some cases all three in quick succession. Undoubtedly, there is a catharsis that comes from these second hand experiences and it could thus be argued that the film and theater arts are superior to books or video games at eliciting emotion simply from the human connection one develops with the actors.
As engrossing as either film or literature can be though, video games seem poised to deliver (some would argue they already have) the most immersive entertainment experience yet. The holy grail of all game designers is total immersion, whereby the player becomes so inextricably linked with the game world that it becomes reality rather than a highly detailed illusion. Even though today’s designers lack the inscrutable simulators, such as the aforementioned “holodecks,” they often accomplish a level of immersion not found in other media. In the best example, the player becomes the hero/villain and makes the story their own. The moral lessons, drama, comedy, becomes their’s in a surrealistic way. This seems to be the defining characteristic of video games and that which elevates entertainment to hitherto unknown heights.
But whatever your preference—the introspective nature of literature, the empathetic catharsis found in film, or the immersive ability of video games—the fact remains that interaction, in all its varied forms, is pivotal in storytelling.
Forgive this nerd-laden analogy but for millennia, books were the closest things humanity had to the “holodeck” as seen on the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Simply through reading another’s words one could be transported out of this world and into another where the drama, intrigue, and wonder of an author’s narrative can be experienced inside one’s own imagination. Also, the intimate thoughts and desires of the characters are laid bear for the reader to analyze and interpret. Such interpretation is rooted in our (the reader’s) own experiences and it becomes an occasion for introspection. This is one of literature’s greatest accomplishments; stimulating self-contemplation is something that film has been seeking to replicate since its birth as an art form, and which only recently, due to technological advancements, have video games been capable of similar feats as well.
Nowadays though, all three effectively fabricate a playground for the imagination, whisking us away to locales of our choosing. However, one thing that books and video games share that movies do not is their pacing. A movie, whether its length is a standard 90 minutes or an epic, Peter Jackson-180-plus-minutes affair, will always clock in at the same time. Books and video games are different in that a person can spend as little or as long as one wants inside the world of the author/creator. This difference in category should not be viewed as a sleight against motion pictures because, even as the viewer has no direct control over the pacing (or in the case of some video games, the outcome) of the narrative, there is a level of interaction between the events on screen and the spectator. Filmmakers, and also their predecessors of the stage, have long observed the emotional reactions that come from watching a movie. When witnessing acts of extreme barbarity or woe like those found in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, audience members may sob, cringe, or anger—and in some cases all three in quick succession. Undoubtedly, there is a catharsis that comes from these second hand experiences and it could thus be argued that the film and theater arts are superior to books or video games at eliciting emotion simply from the human connection one develops with the actors.
As engrossing as either film or literature can be though, video games seem poised to deliver (some would argue they already have) the most immersive entertainment experience yet. The holy grail of all game designers is total immersion, whereby the player becomes so inextricably linked with the game world that it becomes reality rather than a highly detailed illusion. Even though today’s designers lack the inscrutable simulators, such as the aforementioned “holodecks,” they often accomplish a level of immersion not found in other media. In the best example, the player becomes the hero/villain and makes the story their own. The moral lessons, drama, comedy, becomes their’s in a surrealistic way. This seems to be the defining characteristic of video games and that which elevates entertainment to hitherto unknown heights.
But whatever your preference—the introspective nature of literature, the empathetic catharsis found in film, or the immersive ability of video games—the fact remains that interaction, in all its varied forms, is pivotal in storytelling.
The Parent Trap
The time contraints that come from work, school, and family matters (as well as part-time blogging) can take a toll on your hobbies. In the case of many growing up in this generation who are entering into parenthood...video games. I myself (even as a father of only one, er...spirited toddler) find it increasingly difficult to score some time with my computer or console and for those of you facing similar video game scheduling shortfalls, here is an article from 1up.com that addresses some of the issues facing gamer parents.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
A Thesis on Themes
The common denominator for any tale is it should possess a theme. It can be thought of, simply, as the idea that births and sustains the drama which plays out over chapters, in celluloid, or on one’s computer screen. There are indeed universal themes that, although the setting might be drastically different (Star Wars vs. Oedipus Rex for example), are present and speak similarly and powerfully to all kinds of people. When our ancestors first gathered around fires and recounted the days events, particularly the excitement of the hunt, the rudimentary tales they would tell of courage in the face of danger, heroism in defending a comrade, persevering in spite of pain, etc. laid the foundation for stories that could be orally transmitted from generation to generation and have found themselves in our modern stages and screens. I do not hold any single medium to be superior to another in sharing these or any other themes. There is equal power to move the soul to be found in a well-crafted movie as in a book and likewise in a video game. Over the course of this website’s life I will strive to make this point by drawing comparisons between fine examples from all three. As the much older, literature (prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction) is widely considered the most venerable of the storytelling methods, therefore my analysis will most often be rooted in a theme found in a notable work of the written language and demonstrate that the younger types of media (namely film and interactive entertainment) can and often do succeed at expressing such themes as efficaciously as a novel or verse might. Through this I hope to bring greater acceptance to film, but especially to video games and other types of interactive entertainment, as potential works of art that weave as compelling a narrative as any our finest works of literature do.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
The Reason Why
As a bit of a media junkie I’ve always been drawn to things that tell a story. I would say that is the essence of entertainment. One could certainly enjoy themselves in a match of chess or a pick-up game of basketball but isn’t it more memorable and rewarding when the drama of an entire season plays out on the court? That is why this blog will not limit itself to just one method of storytelling but try to cover some of the best tales to come out of this modern age, wherever they may be found. Epic yarns can come in any package: a film, a novel, or even a video game. And although traditionally when a story is moved from one medium to another the results are less than palatable (e.g. just about any videogame adaptation of a film I can recall, or some terrible movie versions of well-loved books) would it not be wise to borrow or adapt some of the techniques/themes used in the best examples from each art form? I think so and hopefully anyone else who happens upon this site will come to think likewise. Mind you I have no credentials to speak of and no professional writing experience, just a student that is passionate about storytelling in all its forms. If you find the topics I discuss intriguing, please, send me feedback.
A Seminal Moment!
12/12/2006 shall forever be remembered as the day the blogosphere was upended by the prolific writings of one intrepid e-scribe. Today I make my mark on the ones and zeros of the internet as viciously as would a cattle-hand branding the buttocks of his steers. I am the Anti-Christ of cyberspace, the Beelzebub of the interweb, the...oh who am I kidding? I'll be happy just to have someone visit this site which is but a meager drop in the olympic-sized swimming pool that is the internet. Maybe it's bad form to start a blog without a coherent idea of what it will be about, but rest assured! I'll figure out where my rant is going in short order.
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