Post-PAX Blurb (Actual commentary later this week!)

Hello again!

After many years of hearing about the Penny Arcade Expo, I finally worked up the courage (And cash!) to attend the PAX East 2011 expo in Boston, MA this past weekend! Many (MANY!) things to discuss regarding an amazing and inexpensive FPS that I stumbled over, my first hands-on experience with TOR (And an awesome 20 minutes of conversation with Darth Hater's own Sado!), and getting to have a full 30 minutes of discussion with a Turbine animator over upcoming LOTRO expansions (And a current problem with the (unofficially announced!) Helms Deep raid).

But first, I leave you with a rather quick and simple tool for communicating with other game enthusiasts:

How do you label any form of media? I never gave a thought to the use of labels in advertisements or press releases until I attended PAX East, and on the plane ride back I worked on deconstructing some labels I heard through speakers and seen in glowing lights all over the show floor:

All media can be cited (or labeled) in the following format (We'll call it the SillyGeth Format, if you prefer):

Title (Publisher [Developer])
Label (Part 1, Part 2)

The first line is simple: Name of the game, followed by the publisher and, if separate from the publisher, the developing studio.

The second line is the label, usually used for sorting and categorizing the game:

Here's a quick example before I go hit the hay:

If you have sampled the rough and wild world of Red Dead Redemption, you probably know that the game-play progresses by traveling all across a fictional variation of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, finding new places and people in the process of exploration, and then using guns, rope, and good ol' fashion footwork to defeat enemies (Or those damnable Panthers!!!). The story is focused on a single character in the world, John Marston, and his mysterious origins and uncertain future: throughout the game the player makes choices and acts in ways that alter Marston's reputation, wealth, and fame in the region.

With this simple break down, it is clear that Red Dead Redemption is an Action-Adventure Role-Playing Game: The game's story is driven by a combination of player actions, fancy shooting, and various other activities, but the story progresses through various exotic locales over the course of the game. Therefore, the game's mechanics promote movement, action, and exploration: an Action-Adventure Game.

The game's story mechanics are driven by the player's choices in accordance with the laws and customs of the Old West, as well as a deep curiosity to uncover the  mysteries of Marston's past and how his story will end. The player's choices are (ideally) tempered by a lack of familiarity with laws and customs in the Old West, and therefore they are just as stumped as Marston when faced with a dilemma: the player must play the role of an intrepid explorer in the Old West in order to keep going: a clear mark of a Role-Playing Game.

That's all for now, check back soon for some funny tidbits and (hopefully!) some photos from PAX, as well as some awesome Swag from my Bag. G'night!

Alright, straight to the point for today: In my previous post, we covered the first four steps in the process of "awakening" a character in game narratives. This process is usually referred to as immersion, but that term is a catch-all phrase that holds too many cultural and social implications. As such, I have deconstructed the term and kept a single piece of it for this exercise; the mechanical process of "awakening" the character, and by extension the player.



Step 5: Acknowledge the limitations of the character


This step is simple: After the character has accumulated enough experiences and knowledge to overcome the achieve the original Goal, he or she must begin to chafe at the limitations that, up until that point, were the boundaries of what he or she could achieve.


This trope is engraved in the mythology of Western society: The special individual has been distinguished from the rest of his or her community, has overcome trials and tribulations, gained knowledge, experience, and trophies from his or her exploits, and is finally ready to face the final obstacle. At this point the character experiences a paradigm shift, where all the rules, regulations, and boundaries imposed on the hero are shattered. This step is a second variation of Step 1; however, instead of awakening the character to the rules and regulations of the game world, Step 5 elevates the character above such trivial laws. This is the character's second great awakening.


Holding true to the examples in my previous post, Mass Effect 1 supports this Step as well:






[Between Steps 5 and 6, the character should finally achieve the original Goal from earlier Steps, ideally by applying a new understanding of both the game mechanics and world lore (story mechanics) gained through the cyclical process of Steps 3 and 4]


When the character finally achieves the original Goal, it should be, in both senses, Epic.


And, as before, Mass Effect 1 holds true to the Epic confrontation:


[NOTE: All three clips are part of the last half hour of the game. Bioware, the studio that created Mass Effect 1, set a new industry standard with this half hour of game play. I would HIGHLY recommend watching all three clips; if you do not have the time or the patience, please go get the game and play it on your own. Treat yourself to an amazing interactive narrative]















Step 6: Resolution


The sixth step is the closing of the narrative. Not necessarily the end of the storyline, but the ending of this particular narrative. If the distinction is not clear, look at the difference between the themes in Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2:


In Mass Effect 1, you are elevated to a position of power, and quickly gain knowledge of an alien race of machines that threatens to harvest all life, both organic and synthetic, for an unknown purpose. To defeat the threat, Shepard needed to break free of the political and social chains that held him down: he needed to become something more than a man, and in the end he became a symbol for humanity's courage and power.


That summarizes the narrative of Mass Effect 1: Shepard came to understand a threat, shattered his limitations, and became a powerful symbol for his species.


But, Shepard's story does not end with Mass Effect 1. In Mass Effect 2, Shepard is once again separated from his community, but this community is comprised of his crew, his squad-mates, his mentor, and possibly a lover. And by means of separation, Bioware put Shepard's collective might from the end of Mass Effect 1 up against another Reaper creation, this time in the form of a species known only as "The Collectors." And the Collectors blew up his ship, scattered his crew, and sent Shepard tumbling to his death by means of falling toward a planet. In keeping with the relation between separation and death, Mass Effect 2 is a great tragedy.


Whew . . . sorry for the detour: back on track. Step 6.


Step 6 is the conclusion of the narrative, and can end in one of three ways:


1. The character is suddenly absent from the narrative (Death, Disappearance, Abduction)

2. The character becomes a part of the society that he or she transcended (Subjection, Service, Slavery)

3. The character exists outside the society that he or she transcended (Exile, Ascension)


I have been wrestling with a way to explain the distinction between these three endings, and I settled for a set of visual metaphors. And, just for shits and giggles, I made metaphors for the first five steps as well. Enjoy:



Step 1: Open the Character's Eyes

Step 2: Distinguish the character from other individuals in the game world

Step 3: Provide obstacles for the character to overcome en-
             route to the goal

Step 4: Assimilation of experiences and/or resources in
response to overcoming obstacles in Step 3 (Assimilation)

Step 4.5: Assimilation of experiences and/or resources in
response to overcoming obstacles in Step 3 (Maturation)

Step 5: Acknowledge the limitations of the character

Step 6.1: Conclusion, the character is suddenly absent from the narrative

Step 6.2: Conclusion, the character becomes a part of the society that he or she transcended

Step 6.3 Conclusion, the character exists outside the society that he or she transcended

>>> <<<

So, if you've read this post in its entirety: thank you for reading. I'd highly recommend Mass Effect as a week's worth of entertainment, and I would also recommend Chopin's "The Awakening" for a bit of light reading. Take the plunge and explore your humanity. You might like what you find.