Re: Video Games: The Question of Narrative

I’m not entirely sure where to begin my response. First of all, I feel that cinema and video games are two independent mediums that should never be viewed as a direction or misdirection of one for another (at least not with the current trends or any I can justifiably foresee). Moreover, I think that linear video games – those without any real systems of actual gameplay that rely on their story alone – should not really even be called “video games” since they are basically only ever saying…

“Can you click/press X button fast enough? Great! Here’s more of what we made for you!”

I played Dead Space 2 for about three minutes before I turned it off forever. At the point I realized how blatantly I was facilitating cut scenes (in-engine or otherwise), I honestly felt a little insulted. This “video game” that openly holds my hand for the sake of surprise, shock, suspense, or really any other story-related element makes me feel like the developer thinks I’m an idiot. Beyond that, it feels kind of like they just really want to (as your article suggests) make the story itself the focal point of your “gaming experience” and they will do what it takes to give you the best narrative experience they can. I loathe that mindset and I loathe the idea that their story is somehow superior to my story (I also loathe that they call this a “video game,” but I’ll talk about that later).

Video Games: The Question of Narrative

Video games have a complicated relationship with narrative, and ever since games began trying to include narrative elements, any discussion about the relationship between the two has become obscure and complicated. The most striking development of late is that discussions about the medium have been forced to arrive at a place where narrative -- "stories" -- are pitted directly against  "systems" -- games themselves.

Some say that video games work better if these elements are distinct; others, of course, disagree. But then, where do we (and, perhaps, where should we) draw the line between these "stories" and "systems" if that's the case? Is there even a line to be drawn? Furthermore, what exactly do video games have to offer in regards to narrative? Is a video game's responsibility to be a game first, or to tell us a story?

The LEGO Arwing - Part 1

Okay so I recently have been really getting into LEGOs again. Like really getting into them. I've been building old sets I used to have as well as a bunch of sets I always wanted but never had the opportunity to get. We're talking sets from the year 2000 — vintage, collector's items that I've been plugging away at well into the early hours of the morning.

7191 X-Wing Starfighter (valued at $800+ in the original box)

But how am I affording all of these stupidly expensive toys on my modest (see nonexistent) budget?

Simple. I discovered the freely-distributed LEGO Digital Designer.

I can download pretty much any LEGO instruction booklet ever made from their official website. Then, using LDD, I can build it out on the computer.

Yes, yes I know. It's not the same as building in real life. Sure, I can't feel the tiny plastic parts in my hands as I meticulously snap them together, but I have personally found that building the sets on LDD provides me with a similar zen experience as if I were building in real life. That, mixed with the fact that I can choose nearly every LEGO brick ever made (in any color ever offered), makes the tradeoff worth it.

So anyway, after reliving a few sets I hadn't built since I was 12 and building a few sets I had only ever dreamed of owning, I began to set my sights on the next phase of using LDD — building an original model.

There is one thing that I have always dreamed of owning a LEGO version of and, in my youth, that I futilely attempted to recreate with my woefully insufficient LEGO collection. It was the marriage of two passions that were at full steam simultaneously: LEGOs and the Nintendo 64. Now, of all the games I played during that era (Super Mario 64, Shadows of the Empire, Pilotwings 64, Goldeneye, etc.) only one honestly compelled me to emulate it through pegged plastic — Starfox 64.

I truly don't know what it was that was so captivating about the polygon-tastic Arwing, Landmaster, Blue Marine, etc. from the game, but I have vivid memories of trying (and in my own mind succeeding) to recreate them. However, I have never had a sense of closure in my desire. The models that resulted in this era of my creation were simply placeholders for the model I wanted to own. They were sufficient only because my imagination allowed them to be.

But now, with an unlimited arsenal of LEGOs at my disposal, I'm ready to tackle it again — once and for all.

Los James Franco: The Beginning

Let me just start by saying that I've never really played Sim City in any of its incarnations. However, simulation games are probably one of my favorite genres to a large degree (barring, of course, those games that place you into professions that I personally consider to be ridiculously boring). So anyway, I figured I'd really jump into Sim City 4 since I grabbed it on sale on Steam the other week.

Today is the day. I'm at work and I'm pretty damn sure that I'm not going to do anything productive today so I figured I might as well have some fun. To my credit, I just took my last final exam of my undergraduate career this morning and (since I was up until 4 am studying) I figure that I owe it to myself to do something enjoyable.

But enough with the excuses.

Here we are. Sim City 4.

You might notice that I already started a city called Dundoo. It was my first attempt and is pretty small and landlocked, thus I am going to attempt something a little bit more challenging. Let's see...

Sim City and Why I Hate You (statistically speaking)

The EA campus.

TLDR note: Skip to the kitten if you don't want to hear my rant about Wal-Mart (it does relate, but I'm not offended).

I'm not entirely sure what to start with here, but I just had to sit through my second-to-last class of my super-senior undergraduate semester (a group presentation btw) while my mind wandered about how ridiculous large corporations are.

Now, before you get all judgmental about the cliche-ness of that last statement, I'd like the opportunity to explain what the hell I'm talking about.

I guess you could blame Michael Moore, sort of, for getting me on this tangent.

It all started yesterday when I was at work. You know, where I should have been doing work. Well I was sort of, but I also was watching Bowling for Columbine on my iPhone (because Netflix is really all you need when it comes to film and TV .... well, that and a good private tracker — still waiting, Ben). Anyway, after I finished that "film", I began watching (at the recommendation of Netflix I might add) a film called Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.

And so began my spiral into this weird state of feeling utterly helpless.