First, Do No Harm

In Braid, you play without knowing what's going on. In Extra Lives, Tom Bissell quotes Jonathan Blow, Braid's creator, in noting that a game "just has to be interesting." You don't need to know the story nor is one necessary. Many games have gotten away with simple narratives and for some none (see Pong).

The professor thinks that if gamers wanted art, developers would start making great art, which would then stand a good chance of selling (in other words, publisher approval). This makes sense, and would certainly be possible if games inspired art appreciation in players. Can money and art converge? Based on this argument, I believe so.

Tom Bissell played Fallout 3 during the 2008 presidential election, and although he had longed to jump in and found the opening creative, the start was also poorly done at some points. The dialogue at the first 10 minutes is stupid - "James, we did it" - and can be redundant (9). What I found most interesting in Bissell's account was his opinion on Fallout 3's moral conundrums, which I had thought were challenging. I haven't played the game, but I've heard that at one point you have to either kidnap a girl and help find a cure for diseased slaves about to revolt, or to save the girl by killing the slaves. According to Bissell, such moral conflicts become boring, "occurring in a universe that had been designed by geniuses and written by Ed Wood Jr." (10). The game is similar to Bioshock in featuring retro ads, although Fallout 3 takes place in the 23rd century. Apparently such contrasts can be found throughout this virtual world, making it hard to submerge yourself within.

We had a presentation on Shadow of the Colossus today. When Shadow starts, you realize that the goal is to revive your female companion by defeating the colossi. In the presentation, the main twist to the story was unhesitatingly given away. This is not okay. Shadow could have been described well enough without butchering the work the developers made in telling that story. I fear that the other games we reflect upon will receive similar treatment.

We constantly talk about how games exemplify art and hopefully, in the future, will become great art. Many, many, many games have dramatic twists and powerful endings that make the works so memorable. When this is reduced to a Youtube video and commentary, that art is, in my eyes, destroyed.

The best solution, as far as I can tell, would be for us to play these games and bear witness ourselves. Of course, the students aren't forced to reveal endings or twists, but this approach is becoming the norm. I imagine the students deem such discourse necessary to proving that their subject is in fact art. I believe the goal of the presentations should be to make us want to play these games, or at least the beginning and end, on our own. In other words, to fuel the desire to experience that art. Those who leave this class and pick up Shadow will, once engaged in it, experience something different from what I or the presenter felt: sadness, reminded of what's to come each time they return to that temple, that scene of the crime. Essentially, they will experience emotions as if it were a second playthrough, and Shadow is one of those games (books, movies, etc.) that can really only be experienced once.

Mentioning these things, I have to answer, how would I have done the demo? I would have given the backstory. Nothing too revealing but enough to set the mood. Then, I would let the live gameplay (maybe videos) tell how Shadow is played. How it's played, besides being part of the emotional experience, is something the player learns on the fly, and should be treated similarly. I would have pictures of various colossi that show the range of enemies and environments in the game. I would mention that you are being pursued, but nothing specific, and finish off with important quotes from people about the game, hinting at what's in store. The fact is, Shadow tells its story best, and any summary or even memory of it will not do the work justice. I motion that we adopt a "first, do no harm" policy to these works we hold so highly.

Next up is Bioshock, then Smash Brothers, Sims, Final Fantasy and Pokemon. I only care for Final Fantasy - I think FF7 will be presented. I already know the main twist in it, so I don't think the talk will be much of a bother personally. That doesn't make the twist okay to reveal, however, and I can't speak for everybody else.