Video Games as Performance Art

Many people think of video games as a solitary, anti-social activity.  But 76% of game-playing teenagers play games with other people at least some of the time.  Most of this play is with people in the same room, and this figure does not take into account people playing a game while others are watching.

So, how is playing games with people different from playing alone?  In addition to the obvious social aspect, the game also becomes something of a performance art.  While this is readily apparent in games that already resemble traditional performance arts, such as Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution, it also holds true for other genres of games as well.

When gamers play a game with a story while others are watching, they participate with the games creators in directing the cinematics of the game.  Recently I played Assassin's Creed 2 while my husband and a friend watched.  Our side comments added what we thought different characters was thinking or would say, something that's not usually possible in a movie without interrupting the flow of the movie.  The same holds true for other types of cinematic games.  Because a video game goes at a slower pace, it lends itself to this kind of commentary. 

"I find this is the best place to check out the local women"

LittleBigPlanet is one of the few games that allows this kind of dramatic improvisation in-character, even when players are not in the same room.  Because players can control their avatar's costume, hand movements, and facial expressions, players can add another dimension of drama and humor as they play the game.  Players might cast themselves as the aloof ninja, fearless cute slayer, or gallant rescuer as they traverse the games platforming levels, telling their own story through how their avatar reactions emotionally, waits for (or taunts) other players, etc.

How do you think video games relate to theatre and other performance arts?  What are some ways video games could make better use of these possibilities?

The Misleading Title of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

I just finished reading Tom Bissell's Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. It reads a bit like a series of extended and thoughtful blogposts on how games affect Bissell personally and how they can be better narratively. Even though his taste in games is almost the opposite of mine (every time I try to like a FPS, I fail), I found his discussion thought-provoking and insightful. I completely agree that video games should pay more attention to their writers and make conversations less barf-worthy. 


My main observation of this book is that the title leads readers to believe the book will be an organized treatise backed by scientific studies about video games (a book I would like to read), when it is rather a series of personal narratives about how video games are a personally meaningful art form that has the potential to be more awesome. Its best audience might be people who already love video games, not those who need convincing (those who need convincing should just go play a game, in my opinion). I especially enjoyed the little sneak-peaks into studios he described, such as how BioWare has a reference library complete with The Celtic Book of the Dead and an idiot's guide to world religion (for lore). Last I heard Bissell was working on a video game script (as in, dialogue trees), and I'm eager to see what he comes up with.


I'm becoming increasingly aware of the strange ghettoization of gamers. It comes up briefly in the book: "More than any form of entertainment, video games tend to divide rooms into Us and Them." At a women's group activity at my church, we played a game where we would say something about ourselves and other women who had that thing in common would raise their hands. I made some clarifying point that then, we should choose facts about ourselves that aren't too unique, and an acquaintance commented jokingly that I should "leave Mario out of it." Most of the other women in my neighborhood see my gaming as a guilty pleasure, which seems odd given that, supposedly, some 40% of women play video games of one kind or another. I think it might have to be something you grow up with, like sports or playing a musical instrument, but nerdier. I don't think it should be that way, though perhaps the hardware and time commitment demand it.

Video Games as Therapy: Ludotherapy?

I recently stumbled upon a new website, How Games Saved My Life. Today they (well, Ashly), published my story about how Persona 3 helped (is helping, I'm still playing) me think of social links as something I can make in my real life. Reading the other posts on the blog, I'm struck by this paradigm-shifting, anxiety-neutralizing power of video games. I think there's a lot of untapped potential here!

I did a little research, and I found out that at least one therapist has used video games in his therapy (I'm relieved, since it seems like a no-brainer). A dissertation by Kevin Boyd Hull entitled "Computer/Video Games as a Play Therapy Tool in Reducing Emotional Disturbances in Children" found that video games are an effective play therapy in helping children who suffer from emotional problems. I dug up the PDF and found this charming interchange about Transformers:

Therapist: So the Decepticons are bad guys? 

John: Yes, they are the bad ones trying to take over the world because they want to live here. Like, their planet is dying so they came here. 

Therapist: What makes them bad? 

John: They want to hurt humans and the Transformers want to help the humans. 

Therapist: Do you ever feel like you are battling Decepticons in real life? 

John: Yeah, like the people that make fun of me at school.  

Therapist: So, they feel like the Decepticons?  

John: Yeah, sometimes I hate them. 

 Another child discusses his experience with playing Runescape:

Therapist: Now, Marco, we’ve talked a little bit about how we are going to use the games, and I know that you know you are here because of the sadness issue,  but I was wondering if you could share what life is like for you in regards to the sadness. 

Marco: It is like a sense of futility. 

Therapist: Futility?

Marco: Yes, futility. That nothing that I do is going to matter. I mean, you know, you do well in school, then you pass to the next grade. And on and on. Finally you graduate and then you find a job. Then it’s the same thing over and over. Futility. 

Therapist: You’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. So is this where the not going to school comes in? 

Marco: Exactly. It just gets to the point for me to where I don’t want to pretend anymore and it just seems pointless to go.  

Therapist: Yet the game brings you joy, a sense of purpose. 

Marco: Yes, smiley face. (This is his way of saying that he is experiencing happiness). It is the one place that I feel a sense of purpose.  

Therapist: What is happiness for you, and when was the last time you felt happy? 

Marco: Happiness for me is the absence of worry. When I was small, like, early  elementary school I remember feeling happy. It was like going to school and getting good grades made me feel like I had some sense of purpose. Now, there is none. 

Therapist: Now, I’m noticing as we play the game here that you have things that you must accomplish, what are they called again, quests? 

Marco: Yes, quests. You gain enough items and then embark on the quests and it’s a  challenge to see if you can complete the quests.  

Therapist: I’m thinking that life is sort of like that, you know, that you have things that you must accomplish at this stage and then you move on to the next thing. Life is like a quest. 

Marco: I suppose it is, yes it is

It's interesting to see how in the context of therapy, the games are used as metaphors for real-life conflicts. The games provide a medium where these conflicts can be satisfyingly resolved, which I think is responsible for diffusing some frustration in players (if it's a good game!). I hope more therapists can use video games to talk to children about their problems, and in the meantime, it looks like video games can be pretty good self-medication.

P.S. Take a minute to check out Dream with Portals, a collection of remixed and extended Portal 2 tracks that helped this guy overcome insomnia.

The Backloggery: The Goodreads of the video game world

I like to keep track of the things I do, even the things I do for fun. That way, when I start thinking "I haven't even done anything this week!" I can look back and say, "well, at least I read three books this summer." That's what Goodreads is for. Now, there exists a similar site for video games, which I just found out about, called The Backloggery.

You can keep track of what games you have and which ones you've beat, and you can follow what games your friends are playing. Neat, huh? Currently it allows reviews and various completion categories. However, there are a few things it lacks before it reaches Goodreads's level of awesome (still, it's an impressive site, given that it's one coder's side project):

-A catalog of games to search from and add from. Maybe they could team up with mobygames or the Sisimizi catalog for a start. With the games cataloged, it would reduce title typos and allow tracking of how many people own the game. It would also let users see other reviews of the game.

-Partnerships with game companies to enter users in giveaways. Seems like a good way to sponsor getting the cataloging stuff done.

That said, it does a few things better than goodreads. It shows system stats, like how many registered unfinished games there are by console, etc. It also allows reasonable customization of one's profile page and display defaults. Sure, by not resizing your banner automatically it makes it less user-friendly, but it also allows more freedom to make a banner that isn't the exact same size as everyone else's. And for the most part, it looks like users have good taste (not too many animated gifs).

I think it's a great idea, and I think it will probably get more popular as time goes on. Let me know if you decide to join--I'm signed up as Whistler.

Humble Indie Bundle 3

You've probably heard about the third Humble Indie Bundle. You choose what you want to pay for five indie games (you could even just pay $0.01, though I think they're worth more than that). I love this idea; my problem is that I can never tell what kind of games are for sale. Well, fear no more. I'll do a quick rundown of each game in the bundle here (informed by 10 minutes to a few hours of play).

Crayon Physics Deluxe

The main gimmick of this game is that you draw things and they act like real-world objects (there's a kind of Scribblenautish quality, only more primal because you don't have to name it). I quickly solved a puzzle the day after it stumped me, which I consider a sign of a good game. I still haven't figured out why some shapes seem to weigh more than others, but I like the idea and have enjoyed playing so far.





Cogs

A steampunk puzzle game without a narrative, only the repeating missing-piece-shifting puzzles which are often frustratingly satisfying to solve. They get into 3D and double-sided, which makes my brain hurt, but in a good way.







VVVVVV

A retro-styled platformer where you change gravity to proceed with the level. It sounds like it should be a puzzle game, but it quickly turns into a battle of reflexes (in the screenshot here, the rectangle in the upper right-hand corner is a platform that moves side-to-side, which you must touch on three times to get to the thing you probably don't really need). The graphics and sound effects are way cute, but I admit that I suck at this game.


Hammerfight

It's hard to tell from the screenshot, but this is a fighting game. You control this flying thing with your mouse that has a big weight on the end, which you use to hit other, similar flying things. It's set in some kind of fantasy middle eastern setting? It has some pretty cool art. The gameplay is kind of bizarre; it's like throwing around a ball and chain (but I think it makes use of mouse movement in a way few other games do).




And Yet It Moves

Along the same lines as VVVVVV, you control which direction is up. However, you must choose between four options instead of two (basically you can rotate the world 90 degrees whenever you want). Velocity is preserved over screen shifts, making it more of a puzzler than VVVVVV. Kind of cool to play around with, kind of frustrating to get stuck on a puzzle.




Along with these games comes Steel Storm, an overhead shoot-'em-up with stealth elements (you're a fighter plane). And, if you pay more than the average price (currently $5.35), you get the previous indie bundle too, which includes the tower defense game Revenge of the Titans. It is currently kicking my butt, and my husband is reminded that Plants vs Zombies is an easy tower-defense game. Maybe more about that later.

Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time is the second 3D action game I've played, after Okami. I have yet to finish either, but I want to write a little about my Zelda experience before I forget it entirely. Action games tend to stress me out, but at the same time, my victories seem more connected to my button-pushing than any other game. It's enjoyable to play, but not all that relaxing (with our new puppy I need all the relaxing I can get).

OoT strikes me very much as the classic action game that follows the traditional journey myth. There's even a dungeon that is the belly of a whale, for crying out loud. Dungeons are clearly part of the magical realm. There's a clear distinction between the overworld and the dungeon (indicated with texture changes, different music, etc.). Each dungeon has some sort of boon which makes Link closer to being a magical god-like hero.

One part I'm wondering about is if OoT has some sort of false mother or temptress figure. I think I would classify Navi as a false mother, and maybe Zelda as the goddess we're always trying to meet with. Side-quests like fishing might be the type of temptress, sidetracking us from our main quests. Apotheosis is probably somewhere at the end of the game.

Some things might be a bit of a stretch, but the dungeons in particular, with their clear thresholds, boons, and dragon-battles, seem well described by the journey myth.

Tiny Wings Clones

My husband has an iphone; I have an Android phone. My phone can run Google's Navigate app, which could take the place of a GPS if it didn't take so much battery life, but he gets the shiny games. Most games get an Android port, like Angry Birds or GameDevStory. But Tiny Wings is still only for iphone.



I've looked at four imitators, and while they do recreate that wonderful tension-and-release feeling of setting to flight a weighty object, they just aren't Tiny Wings. I'll do a quick rundown of my initial reactions.

Dillo Hills made me install Adobe Air, and has a lot of visual distractions (birds, sunset background, and textured hills). I have no idea why the armadillo makes dog noises, but I'm interested in the gliding mechanic they've added.

Moon Chaser is pretty well-made, but it makes this annoying sound whenever you crash--something that is bound to happen. After a crash, it feels bulkier, maybe since you're a ninja walking up a hill instead of gliding. It's free though, so you don't have much to lose by trying it. Here's a video showing some of the play:



Tiny Bee looked promising, but it uses Feint for objectives, which slows startup down. Stupid objectives. It gets the flying-thrill thing right, except for when it has to slow down for some reason mid-game (maybe it's because I recently updated my Android OS?). Any slowing down during play basically ruins the experience.

Dragon, Fly has an excellent tutorial, and manages the thrilling thing, but has very minimal graphics. Still, it's  probably my favorite of the three, as it doesn't have the weird bells-and-whistles of Tiny Bee and Dillo Hills, yet gives the thrilling flying sensation that Moon Chaser doesn't do as well.

Finally, none of the imitators had anywhere near as good of music as the original Tiny Wings. For a game about flying, I think it's essential to have music that feels like flying.

In other news, I can now call myself a published journalist with this article about gaming trends. Other trends I think might be in the gaming future: ways to find cooler mobile games.