Experiment One » Portal

June 25th, 2010 • Game Playing • 6 comments

Since I got a free download of the game Portal when Steam for Mac came out a few weeks ago, I decided it would be an ideal port of entry into a most ill-advised cultural and psychological experiment. I had seen Portal played a little previously and knew it had been well-received by gamers and described by many as a very innovative puzzle game. I also knew that the ability to successfully play said game would rely heavily on the understanding of the concept of ‘space’ and ‘spatiality’. Some would say that ‘space’ is quite a basic idea and innate in human intelligence and perception – but I assure you it is quite a puzzling high-brow concept for some (i.e. me). It is not much of a stretch to say that I struggle to even get my head around the layout of my own apartment e.g. what mysterious space lies behind this wall? Turns out it is the kitchen…or so I am told  :O So needless to say I was not particularly looking forward to the experience of playing Portal.

Loading the game and starting to play I was struck at how easy it was to master the controls. Very simple and intuitive. I seemed to be almost competent at it straight away and although the this particular form of puzzle solving did not come naturally I managed to get through a bunch of levels with not many issues. It was pretty satisfying to get through each puzzle and I thought the premise of the blue and orange portals was quite clever. However, as the levels got more challenging and starting taking longer I began to feel the game had become a grind as there was simply just not enough of a PAYOFF to continue going! It felt more like work than fun. There may have been some sort of story inserted in there somewhere but it was certainly nothing particularly engaging (if it existed at all). Some of the writing was funny and even cleverly sarcastic but this was not really enough to hook me in as I did not feel culturally connected to it. Also, this may be a girl thing, but I felt uninspired as there was nothing in the game of artistic merit to engage me emotionally, spiritually and intellectually…nothing visually beautiful or poetic – just the constant left-brain grind of completing puzzle after puzzle…

This is not a criticism of the game as as far as I can tell the developers created a successful well-designed and cleverly thought-out game. Playing Portal was an interesting experience but for the reasons outlined above its not the type of game that really does it for me. I will need to look further..

The Another World

June 25th, 2010 • Game News • 2 comments

Well it’s not out quite yet…but there’s a Studio Ghibli game coming for PS3! It’s called Ni no Kuni or The Another World in English and a trailer has just been released.

As a huge Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service fan I just hope it’s beautiful, dreamy and narratively sophisticated in the Ghibli way and not a re-skinned Pokemon with painterly backgrounds. It does look very pretty though and I hear Joe Hisaishi will be composing the music. Perhaps it will inspire my efforts creating Awake/Asleep.

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Why do people play games?

June 20th, 2010 • Game Pondering • No comments

Reading Jesse Schell’s book “The Art of Game Design”, I was struck at his explanation of what motivates people to play games, and particularly why games that involve social communities (like MMOs) have such popularity and staying power.

I think most people have come across Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at one point or another. In a nutshell it basically postulates that people have a variety of needs but they will not be motivated to pursue needs at higher levels until they have fulfilled the more basic, lower-level need. As Schell says,

If someone doesn’t feel safe, they aren’t going to seriously pursue human relationships. If someone doesn’t feel love and social belonging, they aren’t going to pursue things that will boost their self- esteem. And if they don’t have good self-esteem, they will not be able to pursue their talents..to do what they were “born to do.

It is interesting to think that maybe more people are more motivated to play social games because it fulfils needs lower down the pyramid – like the need for love and belonging, whereas traditionally games have been more about overcoming obstacles and feeling achievement (need for esteem). The theory – like any theory – is just that and doesn’t apply in all cases – but its an interesting model nonetheless.

I think I’m mostly intrigued by the possibility of games helping people achieve ‘self-actualisation’. It sounds kind of weird at first – but I would say that art in all its forms is one of the most potent expression of this higher level. It can provide meaning, growth, subconscious understanding, emotional connection etc etc. Who hasn’t been highly affected or influenced by music or a film in this way?

I’ld like to think more games will be like this in the future.

Reality. Worst game ever?

June 19th, 2010 • Game Pondering • 3 comments

I came across this classic “motivational” poster (source) and after giggling for several seconds I began to seriously consider, “IS reality the worst. game. ever?”  The ridiculously absurd and ill-defined nature of the question did not escape me, but that doesn’t mean it should not be explored and it could even be potentially enlightening. Why?
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Flow in Games (and Life)

June 17th, 2010 • Game Playing, Game Pondering • No comments

I have been thinking lately about the concept of ‘flow’ as it applies to life and games. We have all had the feeling of getting lost in an activity and losing track of time. As a video editor I am all too aware of benefits of flow – getting in the ‘zone’ make the work feel actually enjoyable – more like play than work and means the final product generally turns out ‘just right’ (I find that this tends to happen when I am cutting to music).
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How To Create a Universe in Two Hours

June 10th, 2010 • Game Making • 4 comments

Not being a programmer or a 3D modeler, I always assumed actually creating a game would be well beyond me. However, after developing an interest in games I happened to stumble across the existence of the increasingly popular game development tool Unity at a talk and demonstration at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School which looked like actually..kinda..almost accessible. A way to get me started in my game development endeavors.
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Videogames Have Failed

May 14th, 2010 • Game Pondering • 2 comments

I came across this interview with Indie game developers Tale of Tales on the Fifth Conference site.

This beautiful quote below is particularly inspirational and reflects quite closely how I view creativity and artistic creation.
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Me and gaming: The Official Historical Account

May 2nd, 2010 • Game Making, Game Playing, Game Pondering • No comments

I have been around games as long as I can remember. Memories of playing and watching others play games are inherently intertwined with my memories of childhood and other life stages and have even regularly (often unwelcomely) inserted themselves into my dreams.

Games have been a source of bonding and a source of conflict, they have made me ecstatic, frustrated, bored and totally freaked out. I don’t know if I love games or hate games. But what I do know is that they have been both a source and companion to a vast array of experiences all through my life – hardly a nebulous assertion.
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Little Red Riding Hood Undergoes a Post-Mortem

April 23rd, 2010 • Game Pondering • 1 comment

Belgium indie game developer Tale of Tales have published an in-depth look at their Little Red Riding Hood-inspired horror game The Path.

An interesting and insightful read for anyone interested in indie game development and the pushing of boundaries of the medium, Tale of Tales reveals the history of the project from first conception to creative exploration to marketing strategies to the commercial (in)viability of such a project. They confront head on and with much honesty what went wrong and what went right in the development of the game.
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