VGHVI Week in Review

[Erik Hanson]

Let's say something came up and you had to miss your classroom discussion last week -- or just couldn't concentrate and want to make sure you caught everything big, but you don't want to be left out and confused at the next session. That's when you hope a friend took notes for you. I am that friend. If you missed last week's games discussions on the internet, you can check my notes:

Six Days in Fallujah and Realism:
Two weeks ago, the internet was afire with news and rumored details after Konami announced Six Days in Fallujah (to be released in 2010). Scattered reports say Konami is interviewing US as well as insurgent veterans of the battle. It's hard to tell what the game will actually be. Developer Atomic, publisher Konami, and press who witnessed the announcement report various, contrary goals for the game, from objective documentary to thoughtless fun modeled after Gears of War. Others are trying to place the project between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and more rhetorically-charged games like September 12. Obviously, it's too soon to know what the result will be.

This past week was full of discussion of the concept of a game based on the Second Battle of Fallujah. How can we better simulate the emotional weight carried by the combatants? Do we want true verisimilitude at the expense of "fun"? Is it too soon? Too delicate for AAA titles to handle well? How does this game stand to change the way non-gamers view video games?

Garnering less buzz but possibly worth comparing is the discussion of the highly realistic theHunter, which both chooses a somewhat less sensitive topic and charts a new course for interactive game development.

Citizen Kane:
While these debates were raging, Leigh Alexander and Ian Bogost talked about "our 'Citizen Kane,'" cinema analogies in games discussion, and the artistic legitimacy of video games. Jason Rohrer had his own comments at GDX.

Procedural Rhetoric:
Two weeks ago, James Portnow made a distinction between "choices" and "problems" in games. "Problems" have a tactically superior option, while the game rules don't show a preference in "choices." Last week, Craig Stern continued the conversation, importantly noting that a problem's with optimal solution communicates the designer's perspective on the issue. Dan Bruno tackled a similar issue, finding that good role-playing often means making decisions contrary to your player-character's best interest.

Justin Keverne tracked the ways games and gamers work together to form the Magic Circle, and provided examples.

Bobby Schweizer talked about the how the conversation between gamer and game shares some discursive qualities of journalism.

Video Games and the Humanities:
Brenda Brathwaite applied various art education models to game design education. Scott Juster at Experience Points read Aristotle's Poetics from the perspective of a game critic.

Brian Shurtleff's GDX presentation sparked a conversation regarding what stage plays can teach game designers.

Have you picked up The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy? Henry Jenkins interviewed contributors. Offworld dug it.

Game Culture:
There's a great survey of the history of chiptunes and their relationship with games.

Congress is funding a game to teach about online predators.

EVE Online's metagame play continues to pave new paratextual roads. (via Infovore)

India is getting its own games industry. Some members of India's Hindu community take offense to one game.

Games Criticism News:
McKenzie Wark was on the First Wall Rebate podcast, talking Gamer Theory, participatory writing, and agon in the modern world.

Psychologists are talking about the importance of free play. (via Raph Koster)

Calendar:
Talks at NYU's games center
New Media Literacy Conference May 2: Learning in a Participatory Culture
Philosophy of Computer Games conference this August
GDC Austin (focusing on online games) call for papers

Be sure to drop me a line if there's anything you find interesting this week. I'll try and include it in next week's notes.

[Erik Hanson]

If anyone's interested in Portnow's choice/problem dichotomy, you might also want to check out Dave Mark's response (from two weeks ago) on how game developers have to confront this question for themselves and in their AI as well:
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DaveMark/20090410/1028/Choices_Not_Just_For_Players_Any_More.php

[Roger Travis]

Thanks, Erik! I can't wait to dig in further!