Critical-Gaming: GOTY: Gotta Have One

Friday, December 14, 2007

GOTY: Gotta Have One

Many approach the subject of Game of the Year with great caution and even trepidation. Others have dismissed it altogether claiming that it's a meaningless popularity contest. Some sites put up electronic polls in order to discover how the gamers feel. Still others stick to in house voting, perhaps giving every editor a limited number votes. Regardless of how legitimately or artificially a game of the year is chosen, every gamer (especially a critical one) should have a game of the year.

BioShock (PC, 360; 2K Games)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii; Nintendo)
Halo 3 (360; Microsoft)
The Orange Box (PC, 360, PS3; EA)
Ratchet & Clank: Future-Tools of Destruction (PS3; Sony)
Mass Effect (360; Microsoft)
NBA Street Homecourt (PS3, 360; EA Sports)
Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3; Midway)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3; Sony)
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC; Midway)
NHL 08 (PS3, 360; EA Sports)
Rock Crysis (PC; EA)
Persona 3 (PS2; Atlus)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2; Activision)
MotorStorm (PS3; Sony)
Assassin's Creed (PS3, 360; Ubisoft)
Warhawk (PS3; Sony)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, 360, PS3; Activision)
Super Paper Mario (Wii; Nintendo)
World in Conflict (PC; Sierra)
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii; Capcom)
Skate (PS3, 360; EA)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii; Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS; Nintendo)
World of WarCraft: Burning Crusade (PC; Blizzard)
Planet Puzzle League (DS; Nintendo)
God of War II (PS2; Sony)
Heavenly Sword (PS3; Sony)
Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3, 360; Sega)

I've lifted the list of nominees from 1up. Though this list is a tad excessive, the variety is noteworthy and the list will serve our purposes. Let's assume that as a critical-gamer you have seriously played and digested each of these titles (though the notion is absurd as even game reviewers don't have time to thoroughly play through the entire roster), and by doing so, you are aware of each game's pros and cons. Now all you need to do is pick one. As simple as it may seem, many shy away from committing to a game choosing it above all the others. Choosing a game of the year is more complicated than measuring how much "good" and "bad" are in various games. Due to the large variety of genres and platforms represented on this list, at some point you're going to have to make the call between two unlike games. In the end, apples and oranges can be compared. Choosing one over the other doesn't necessarily mean that one is superior, but that you prioritize and value some quality of your choice above all other factors.

In essence, choosing a game of the year says more about you than how good the game is. And when networks like 1up or IGN pick a game of the year, it means even more. Besides being a rough estimate to the ratio of PC-360-PS3-PSP-DS-Wii reviewers there are on staff, a major network's game of the year speaks to what values they support and what shorting comings and draw backs they're willing to forgive, overlook, and even ignore in their assessment of games. Ideally, the editors and staff would deliberate over their choice in an discussion or debate so that they may consider their options from as many view points as possible. Any consensus reached thereafter represents their network views that would, in a general sense, frame and color their game bias throughout the next year.

To give you a better idea of the kind of values that can be extrapolated from a GOTY choice, I'll give as many examples as possible from games that I have experience with. As you read them, imagine each game in 2008 to have all of the same qualities. If you're not satisfied with every game having poor frame rate, for example, then perhaps Zack & Wiki isn't your game of the year. Keep in mind, I am still in the process of assessing these games. These comments are subject to change.

Super Mario Galaxy

Privileges Classical Game design
Privileges forms that fit their function
Highest levels of polish (no glitches, consistent frame rate)
Reinventing the genre
Fun and accessible for all gamers of all ages
Hight amount of variety

Halo 3

Polished/refined game sequel
Large volume of features (bungie.net, vidoc, forge, online support)
integrated community

BioShock

Lack of any significant/consequential design or structure
Privileges the game experience over the gameplay
Ideas and ambitious are more important than execution

Mass Effect

Privileges story and story telling over gameplay
Terrible frame rate and loading issues
Excellent writing and voice work
Lackluster combat
Lack of variety

The Orange Box

Value is a factor when judging the overall quality of a game
Privileges Classical Game Design (Portal)

Guitar Hero 3

Marginally improved sequel
New modes add little additional value (online versus, battle mode)
Represents a very successful multiplatform game
Developers can get away with needlessly adding material that is degrading to women (groupies, etc.)

Heavenly Sword

Presentation and production values are privileged over gameplay and story
Games that can be beaten in a sitting
Lackluster fighting mechanics and level design
Lack of Variety

Planet Puzzle League

Repackaging great games with online support
Adding to the touch generation's library with top-notch titles
bridging the gap between gamers/nongamers & hardcore games/nongames.
Privileges gameplay and functionality over presentation

Assassin's Creed

Privileges presentation and graphics over gameplay
Forced and shallow game mechanics
Vast Game worlds
Excellent animation
Extreme lack of variety

God of War II

Privileges the roller coaster experience over components of its gameplay
individual parts are basic
projects that don't intend on innovating
High level of polish
Pushing the ESRB line through questionable material

Super Paper Mario

Privileges nostalgia and canon over substance, style, and gameplay
Represents a failure of two genres (platforming/RPG)
Gameplay gimmicks

1 comment:

Daniel Purvis said...: FYI dude, I hate the whole GOTY thing. Really, it doesn't serve to do anything but fill Feature pages and in many cases help push any decent, yet not quite AAA title into the shadows for the year.

Generally the GOTY is also biased towards games released towards the end of the year. Heck, in Australia Okami and God Hand were released beginning last year and I sunk more hours into both of those than I have in CoD4.; February 10, 2008 at 5:10 AM

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Updated Critical-Glossary

All + All -

Critical-Glossary

+ - Alphabetical
- + - abstract mechanic
  - Some gameplay mechanics are completely artificial, meaning they do not make logical sense based on the form of the game. When such mechanics are privileged within a game's design, we tend to label these games as being "arcade" like. I describe these gameplay mechanics as being abstract.
    ~ see article
- + - accordion level design
  - Folded level design that folds back and forth at multiple creases that creates a pattern either in the types of creaes or a patten of some concerte nature.
    ~ see article
- + - asynchronous time (async)
  - It is a design innovation that applies to games that are played in real time. By taking the progression of real time and breaking it down in specific contextual ways, a new level of game design can be reached. This is the essence of asynchronous time, or async.
    ~ see article
- + - clean design
  - Following form fits function and relatively simple gameplay that is layered for effect.
  - ~ see article
- + - cluttered design
  - Design elements/choices that create more negative space than actual space. Also, design elements that ignore form fits function.
    ~ see article
- + - conceptual variation
  - adding or subtracting a different elements than what was modified in the previous step.
  - ~ see article
- + - counterpoint
  - In music, Counterpoint is the writing of musical lines that sound different on their own, but harmonize when played together. How the melody of a song interacts with the other lines is the focus of Counterpoint.
    Counterpoint, in gaming, is a word for the way gameplay develops past optimization by layering interactive elements into a single gameplay experience. When each layer influcences, interacts, and enhances the functions/gameplay of each other layer the gameplay emerges into a medium of expression that reflects the individuality of a player and the dynamics that reflect the complexity of the world we live in.
    ~ see article
- + - crease
  - The point at which a level folds upon itself.
  - ~ see article
- + - diminishing trend
  - A diminishing trend is one where game elements are either added or subtracted that reduce the amount of consequences and allow for mechanics to be executed less precisely.
    ~ see article
- + - direct (mechanics)
  - A measure of how the changes in the method of input are paralleled with the action in the game according to the form of the mechanic. If you quickly press the green button on your controller, does the game quickly press the button on the screen? If you hold the button on your controller, is the button on the screen held down as well?
    ~ see article
- + - distinct section
  - When a section contains an individual gameplay idea that isn't significantly and directly related to another section, then that section is considered a distinct section.
    ~ see article
- + - dynamic (mechanics)
  - An measure of how the game world responds to the action. According to the form of the game world and the mechanic, does the world react realistically? What is the extent of the properties of the mechanic? Are the reactions to the mechanic special cases or can the resulting actions continue to effect the game world?
    ~ see article
- + - elements
  - Any variable element in a videogame.
    
       * player: character(s), cursor, avatar, HUD
       * level: non aggressive interactive (physical) pieces
       * enemy: hostile/aggressive forces
       * audio: sound effects, music
       * visual: non-interactive on screen elements
       * rumble: force feedback
    ~ see article
- + - elemental variation
  - see conceptual variation
- + - emergent structure
  - the coming together of a few rules in "unexpected" ways.
- + - expanded game idea
  - In counterpoint, If the player must combine secondary functions with primary functions to progress, then the game idea is considered to be expanded.
    ~ see article
- + - feminist criticism
  - Like Marxist criticism, the most successful Feminist critique of a game involves analyzing how the range of player functions that affect female characters directly or indirectly reveal the operations of patriarchy. When the player is encouraged or forced to play in a way that depicts men as strong, rational, protective and women as weak, emotional, submissive, and nurturing, then the game can be said to support and reinforce patriarchal genders roles and ideologies. Patriarchal values work to oppress women, and all feminist theory and criticism works to promote women‘s equality. A Feminist analysis can become more complex when finding examples of actions toward women if a game doesn’t feature any women or the game allows for limited interaction with women. Writing essays about such games often leads to finding evidence by absence. In other words, a Feminist critic’s central piece of evidence may be what can’t be done to women instead of what can.
- + - flow
  - How a game accelerates or creates forward momentum. This factor of gameplay isn't necessarily about speed. More specifically, it looks at how a game's interactions feed back into the player's options/experience like a snowball rolling down hill.
- + - folded level design
  - Level design that resuses a space with the second use containing an extra layer to the gameplay that builds on the knowledge and experiences established on the first layer.
    ~ see article
- + - form fits function
  - Form fits function is a powerful game design principle that has powered many of Nintendo's greatest games. Using familiar visuals, games can use their form to communicate to the player. If there is a ball resting on a tee and the player avatar has a golf club in their hands, they better be able to swing the club and hit the ball. Otherwise, why put such things in front of the player in the first place? Keeping the form true to the functions and limits of a game creates the cleanest most easily enjoyable experiences.
- + - function creates form
  - When a game's mechanics inspire, shape, and define the creation of ancillary parts of a game. ie. story, setting, premise, characters, music, audio
    ~ see essay
- + - game idea
  - The influence of a game element or group of game elements on a game's mechanics in a specific way.
  - ~ see article
- + - gimmick
  - A sometimes hidden innovation intended to attract attention and increase the unique value of a product or work. dictionary.com
- + - individual (mechanics)
  - A quality of a mechanic. Does the input yield the same action every time? Or can the input result in a variety of different actions?
    ~ see article
- + - interplay
  - Interplay is the back and forth encouragement of player mechanics between any two elements in a game. Put simply, interplay is where actions and elements in a game aren't means to an end, but fluid opportunities that invite the player to play around with the changing situation.
    ~ see article
- + - intuitive (mechanics)
  - A measure of the degree to which input method matches the form of the game. If there's a green button on the screen, and a green button on your game controller, the form of the game is liked to the input of pressing the green button on the controller.
    ~ see article
- + - linear variation
  - adding or subtracting a single game element or fixed group of elements in a specific arrangement.
  - ~ see article
- + - marxist criticism
  - Like Psychoanalytic criticism, Marxist criticism can seemingly critique a game by looking solely at a its fiction. However, both of these critical modes, in relation to videogames, achieve a deeper, more profound level of analysis when the elements of interactivity between the game and player are taken into consideration. Many Marxist critics of literature believe that film, literature, art, music, and other forms of entertainment such as videogames are the primary bearers of cultural ideologies. While we’re being entertaining by these medias, our defenses are lowered making us all the more susceptible to ideological programming. A Marxist critic of videogames looks for how a game supports or condems capitalist, imperialist, or classist values. Perhaps the best and most obvious place to look toward in games is the role and function of money. Some games represent money with actual U.S. dollars or some other form of real world currency. Others use fictional currency from bell, to gil, to star bits, or even points. What the player can purchase, how these items or services function, and how the money circulates within the game world all become important areas of analysis.
    ~ see essay
    ~ see example
- + - minimum difference
  - The smallest degree of change needed for a change to be significant for a particular mechanic. (minimum degree of difference)
    ~ see article
- + - momentum
  - is created when player mechanics layer and/or link into resulting states that create opportunities with a higher amount of risk/reward
- + - multi-element whole
  - emergent gameplay
- + - multi-fold level design
  - A level that is designed with multiple layers and creases that fold onto each other more than once.
  - ~ see article
- + - negative space
  - see static space.
- + - new classical criticism
  - "New Classical criticism focuses on identifying a game's primary function/action that sums up all of the player's actions, functions, and abilities into a single expression. This expression can be thought of as the interpretation of the game or what the gamer is actually doing when he/she plays. Sometimes the primary function can be encapsulated in a single word. For example, the primary function of the Super Mario platforming series is "jump". After the primary function is identified, the New Classical critic then looks at a game's formal elements to analyze how they promote the primary function. The formal elements include Sound, Music, Art style, Story, Graphics, level design, enemies, etc. Because the New Classical critic privileges interactivity over passivity (especially when focused into a limited number of rules and actions), such a critic is only concerned with how these elements shape the gameplay experience, and assumes that any formal element in a game is only meaningful when it supports the primary function and exists in a lower state of priority to that function. In other words, elements like story can't be more stressed and more important to a game than the gameplay. Even if a game is designed according to the conventions and assumptions of Western game design, it can still be critiqued in the Classical mode."
    ~ see essay
    ~ see essay 2
- + - open variation
  - Doesn't look at examples from the game, rather it focuses on arrangements and groupings that the researcher creates. Such an approach looks at possible scenarios than existing ones.
    ~ see article
- + - origami level design
  - A type of multi-fold level design where the creases and layers are so flexible and/or dynamic that considering the possibilities within a single level are interconnected and complex. Considering the shape created from a multi-fold level is similar to observing an origami figure.
    ~ see article
- + - primary mechanic
  - Whether a game is defined by an action or a group of actions, a small set of mechanics rests at the core of every game. This mechanic is the primary function.
    ~ see article
- + - psychoanalytic criticsm
  - For those who aren’t careful, a Psychoanalytic critique of a game appears to only be concerned with the fiction of a game and the relationship of the characters. Unless the game is Psychonauts, most games seem to have little to nothing to do with the human psyche. Neglecting how the game fiction and the gameplay (or game rules) come together to create the Psychological work in a game is a common pitfall. Another easy pitfall is to get wrapped up in Psychoanalyzing the developers of the game, or what may be infinitely more embarrassing, accidentally analyzing one’s own psychological state while trying to pass it off as an analysis of the game. Though it is true that the fiction of a game is an important part of any Psychoanalytic analysis, the gameplay is where the most profound sources of material because the interactivity of the game can influence and transform the player in more powerfully subtle ways than a passive medium.
    ~ see essay
    ~ see essay2
- + - quantification
  - Breaking down the range of possibilites for a game mechanic into distinct parts for the purpose of analysis.
    ~ see article
- + - refining trend
  - And finally, the refining trend is one that increases consequences that force the use of mechanics in a more precise manner by adding or subtracting game elements.
    ~ see article
- + - secondary mechanic(s)
  - The set of mechanics that do not make up the set of primary mechanics. These mechanics usually aid and help shape the primary mechanic.
- + - sections (sub-sections)
  - All games can be broken down into sub-sections or sections. Whether a game is broken down by rooms, loading sections, cut scenes, stages, levels, rounds, or turns, if a game has a mechanic that is repeated, then it can be divided into sections.
    ~ see article
- + - species
  - The 4 varying levels of counterpoint with the last being a combination of the previous three.
  - ~ see article
- + - static space
  - The static distance between player and objective. Can occur when a strategy is repeated without escalation.
- + - static trend
  - A static trend is where there is no change between sections, or when the changes are inconsequential because they fall short of meeting the minimum requirement for the quantified mechanic.
    ~ see article
- + - strict variation
  - Examines the exact way the game "levels" are arranged or grouped
  - ~ see article
- + - structuralism/deconstruction criticism
  - Structures are probably the most recognizable feature of videogames. Because structures create the foundation for the game rules and player to learn these rules, analyzing structure develops a clearer insight into how a game works at its core. We're all familiar with the structures of genre. Any gamer can instantly recognize a first person shooter like Halo from a puzzle game like Tetris. Each gaming genre has a certain look to it that is the result of the gameplay structures. Like with any genre, the degree to which the conventions are followed or deviated from varies greatly from game to game. Recognizing a game's structure is an acute way of talking about how a game works in or outside of its genre.
- + - suspension
  - In counterpoint, when a game element or game idea is offset form the established pattern of game ideas to create scenarios where the element/idea can carry over and influence other game ideas.
    ~ see article
- + - tertiary mechanic
  - Any mechanic that is contextual to external forces to the players natural state.
- + - translation
  - The rewording or paraphrasing a game idea into another medium (typically words).
- + - variation
  - how a game's elements influence the use of game mechanics over increasingly larger segments of the game
    ~ see article

...about Critical-Gaming

We have come to a point where how we talk about video games is insufficient in expressing how we feel and think about them. With each year comes increasingly complex games, yet we are still, for the most part, writing and talking about games on a shallow consumer level.

It is time to start thinking and writing critically about games. However, before we can do this, we must approach gaming from a critical mode or mindset. To do this, we must first understand of how the different parts of a game work together (game design). Unfortunately, many of the who have experience in this area spend their time making video games. Beyond that, the body of knowledge that does exist is scattered at best. For this reason, it is hard for a thorough understanding of game design and critique to become widespread.

I have started this blog in efforts to inform both gamers and non-gamers of the complexities of gaming and how it compares to any other art form (music, literature, movies). Using literary critical theory and music theory as a starting point, I have developed a comprehensive set of critical modes for video game critique. By writing in these critical modes, and by critiquing other video game reviews, I hope to raise our understanding and expectations of video game journalism, critique, and even video games themselves.

We already have a loose idea of what it means to be a core gamer. A casual gamer. And a hardcore gamer. I hope with the right mindset, we can become critical-gamers, who don't shun our fellow gamers for thinking deeply about games but embrace the change we wish to see in the world.

Friday, December 14, 2007

GOTY: Gotta Have One

1 comment:

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