Fighting games have been on my mind as of late. Some are good. Some are bad. All are similar enough to be classified in the fighting genre. Like all competitive games (I presume), there are websites completely devoted to each game that include information about everything from high level techniques to future tournaments. The problem is, all of these sites are like scattered autonomous islands.
I'm interested in the fighting genre as a whole, yet there isn't any organized or consolidated source to turn to. Let's face it. Books aren't exactly being written and published about the current state of fighting games. The occasional gaming book worth reading that makes it to Barnes & Noble isn't enough.
I dream of a day, or more specifically a website, that can attract authorities from around all strata of gamers and game designers to intelligently tackle current issues. I do realize it is hard enough to ask people to be civil and intelligent while debating anything let alone something as off the academic radar as videogames. But a dream's a dream.
I believe that critics should work to obtain more influence in the gaming community and become authorities in whatever area they specialize in. As far as trying to become an authority myself, I can only do so much. Fighting games are notorious for being so deep that it takes many hours of study to become familiar with the basics. My power time for Brawl is nearing 200 hours on my save file alone, and I'm barely getting a feel for the competitive level play. I'm just now starting to memorize patterns and strategic set ups that involve crunching multi-variable formulas on the fly. In addition to the active metal acuity I'm developing, I'm slowly memorizing an encyclopedia of data about the game. This in itself is more work than many put into any one course in college. Staying competitive in a fighting game is like making a six year commitment of study and practice. This is why it's so important to come together.
So perhaps I'll start small. Hijacking an idea from Corvus Elrod's Blogs of the Round Table, I want to create a space for people to tackle the topics where anyone can contribute in anyway they can. I'll have the particulars ironed out soon, but what I do know is that the information will be organized into another mind map. Imagine the BioShock Discourse but more conversational. I think I'll call this new space "Open Discourse."
This week is all about the elements and structures of design that we depend on or could use to improve our everyday lives outside of Hyrule, Kanto, the Mushroom Kingdom, etc.
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Updated Critical-Glossary
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Critical-Glossary
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Alphabetical
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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.
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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.
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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.
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clean design
- Following form fits function and relatively simple gameplay that is layered for effect.
- ~ see article
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cluttered design
Design elements/choices that create more negative space than actual space. Also, design elements that ignore form fits function.
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conceptual variation
- adding or subtracting a different elements than what was modified in the previous step.
- ~ see article
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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.
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crease
- The point at which a level folds upon itself.
- ~ see article
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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
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elemental variation
- see conceptual variation
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emergent structure
- the coming together of a few rules in "unexpected" ways.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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game idea
- The influence of a game element or group of game elements on a game's mechanics in a specific way.
- ~ see article
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gimmick
A sometimes hidden innovation intended to attract attention and increase the unique value of a product or work. dictionary.com
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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?
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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.
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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.
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linear variation
- adding or subtracting a single game element or fixed group of elements in a specific arrangement.
- ~ see article
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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.
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minimum difference
The smallest degree of change needed for a change to be significant for a particular mechanic. (minimum degree of difference)
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momentum
is created when player mechanics layer and/or link into resulting states that create opportunities with a higher amount of risk/reward
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multi-element whole
- emergent gameplay
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multi-fold level design
- A level that is designed with multiple layers and creases that fold onto each other more than once.
- ~ see article
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negative space
- see static space.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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quantification
Breaking down the range of possibilites for a game mechanic into distinct parts for the purpose of analysis.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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species
- The 4 varying levels of counterpoint with the last being a combination of the previous three.
- ~ see article
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static space
The static distance between player and objective. Can occur when a strategy is repeated without escalation.
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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.
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strict variation
- Examines the exact way the game "levels" are arranged or grouped
- ~ see article
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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.
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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.
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tertiary mechanic
- Any mechanic that is contextual to external forces to the players natural state.
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translation
- The rewording or paraphrasing a game idea into another medium (typically words).
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variation
how a game's elements influence the use of game mechanics over increasingly larger segments of the game
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abstract mechanic
...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.
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.
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Blog Archive
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- Design Trend: If one is good...
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- An Issue with Creativity
- If Teaching was a Game pt. 2
- ANd-OR: Oh, the Possibilities
- GuitaRPG Update
- If Teaching was a Game
- Open Discourse 2: Let's Talk Yomi
- Design Challenge #5 Novint Falcon
- If Sheet Music Was A Game
- Open Discourse
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Books I'm Reading
- Flow in Games Thesis
- Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative by Mieke Bal
- Playing to Win by David Sirlin
- Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution
- Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds
- What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy by James Paul Gee
- Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism by Ian Bogost
Games I'm Researching
- Smash Brothers Series
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