Critical-Gaming: Mechanics and Abstractions part.3

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mechanics and Abstractions part.3

Now that we have talked about mechanics and abstractions and ranked the various levels of mechanics by their design, I want to discuss specific games.

Many are willing to admit that concrete mechanics are superior to abstract mechanics for a variety of reasons the most important of which being that concrete mechanics tend to evolve into emergent gameplay and encourage self expression while abstract mechanics tend to reduce gameplay to trail-and-error and simple optimization. But, at the same time these gamers might not be aware of just how much they dislike abstract mechanics.

When given a choice of playing with a soccer ball or memorizing a computer data/coding system, my preference is the soccer ball. With a little gravity and other physics interactions, I can experience an infinite number of outcomes. To help shed some light on this situation, I'll use an example. Though we may be gamers of different ages and backgrounds, I personally believe that we should all play and beat Super Mario Bros. for the NES. This game provides such an exemplary example of game design and was so influential and important in the history of gaming, I find that it is only appropriate to continue to give it credit. Also, I reference it often in my blog posts. It's only 5 dollars if you buy it on your Wii.

In Super Mario Bros. players are awarded with points. You get points for grabbing coins, smashing enemies, beating the level with extra time, and nabbing powerups. But, when playing this game, are you ever concerned with your score? Does anyone care? Would anyone have missed it if it wasn't included? And if you're thinking that the points were just a convention of the games of that era, even Mario's latest 2D platformer New Super Mario Bros. has a point system. For the most part, all the factors that affect the gameplay in these Mario games are contained within the game's form. If I'm terribly ignorant to the gamers that go for score in Super Mario Bros. please let me know. Otherwise, it's fairly safe to say that Super Mario points aren't worth much.

But that's just one example. Every game is different. So I did a little thinking, and I've found a few pairs of games that have a lot in common. Each pair of games features similar gameplay elements, but one game focuses on concrete mechanics at high levels of play, while the other relies on an abstract system. If you have experience with any of these pairs, consider what level you played the games at, and ask yourself which game's gameplay you prefer.

Super Mario Galaxy vs Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Both games are stylized, highly polished, unique platformers. Both Mario and Donkey Kong wall kick, back flip, ground pound, collect golden objects (coins & bananas), and punch enemies through diverse locations. And both of these games were made by same same team of developers.
While both games challenge the player to get to the end of each level, Mario creates an environment filled with elements where the player is free to play around or challenge themselves. Nailing tricky jumps, going for all the coins, or triple jumping everywhere keeps things exciting.
In Jungle Beat, players are encouraged to play to the abstract combo system. By chaining jumps, wall kicks, and rebounding off of enemies players can travel around without touching the ground. The more special moves the player does without touching the ground, the higher the combo multiplier grows. The higher the multiplier, the more points are earned from each banana collected. At the end of every level, the player is evaluated on how many points they've earned and are awarded a medal based on their performance.

Ninja Gaiden (Sigma) vs Devil May Cry 4

Both games feature male characters who fight through hoard after hoard of demons. The combat system for each is complex featuring an impressive amount of well animated moves consisting of projectiles, sword slashes, and grabs. Both games also feature a variety of weapons that can be used to combat evil.
Ninja Gaiden keeps the combat concrete. Each enemy is a contained deadly force that intends on taking your life. When the odds are stacked against the player, efficient kills and tactics are essential for claiming victory. Also, there is a strong sense of environment from the interactions and dynamics between the characters and the rooms/areas. Players can run along walls, wall kick, and do a variety of other ninja jumps and attacks that move the player around through the 3D space. And at the end of the battle, survival is the reward.
In Devil May Cry, players don't fight the seemingly lethargic enemies as much as they fight against the abstract combo system. By mixing up the combat moves between punches, gun shots, and sword attacks players can build the style meter. Sure, using the powerful moves repeatedly gets the job done efficiently, but that just isn't cool... or so that's what the game's abstract system wants me to believe.

Mario Kart Wii vs Excite Truck

Both of these racing games feature hills where the player can perform tricks off of to earn speed boosts. Both games encourage crashing into other racers to gain and advantage, using drifts, and playing on the edge by driving through trees or drafting other karts. And both games use the Wiimote motion controls for steering.
Mario Kart uses the concrete mechanics built into the vehicles, bananas, turtle shells, tracks, and off road terrain to add a high level of variation for players to adapt to on the fly. Everything that is dangerous to the player is out there on the track. At the end of the day, Mario Kart is still all about who makes it across the finish line first.
Excite Truck relies on on their abstract point system to challenge players and keep things exciting. In a race, players are rewarded with stars for holding onto long drifts, doing tricks in the air, taking crazy jumps, narrowly avoiding trees, and crashing into other trucks. According to the system, earning anywhere from 1 to 4 stars for a single activity will help your final score. But earning 5 stars in a single activity gives players an extra bonus on top. In Excite Truck, racing is still important but points are more important. Lagging behind into 2nd place to get more points could result in a higher rank. It's because of this that the abstract, arcade mechanics in Excite Truck are pushed to the forefront.

Halo 3 vs Call of Duty 4

Crouching, Spawning, shooting, sniping, melee attacks, grenades, team play, and first person perspective. These are just a few elements that Halo and COD have in common.
Halo pits players in an arena of concrete combat mechanics. Cars and other vehicles have momentum and can ram other players to deliver crushing blows. Grenades have blast radius that can push around items on the ground, send players flying, over turn vehicles, and even veer a rocket off its trajectory. Bullets act like bullets. Walls act like walls. Everything acts and reacts according to their form. For the most part, the elements of the combat are contained within the arena. Powerups, guns, grenades, vehicles, and equipment are all located somewhere in the playing field. When a player finds that their favorite vehicle or gun is missing, they know that someone must have picked it up. The combat features a high level of emergent gameplay that is similar to a sport.
The multiplayer in COD4 is more abstract and cluttered than in Halo. In the majority of online game types, there is no friendly fire making it to where players can't hurt their own teammates. Though this design choice keeps the saboteurs at bay, it also adds an abstract property to the players attacks. Somehow, bullets and grenade explosions don't hurt your teammates, but then magically hurt the enemy seconds later. Instead of putting an array of weapons and powerups in the field for players to pick up and use, players can customize and equip themselves with guns, explosives, and perks (power ups) that they'll spawn with. This design choice keeps the action at a constant high pace because every player is deadly "right out of the box." With the ability to change custom confirmations every time a player spawns, it's virtually impossible to use the form of the game to gather information to make informed decisions. Without having the power rooted to the arena, the flow of the match is high and arcade like.

In all of these examples, I prefer the gameplay of the game on the left compared to their counterparts. It bugs me when actions betrays form, and it can be exhausting memorizing special case after special case for a game filled with abstract gameplay mechanics. Tomorrow, I'll talk about a new DS game that has been gaining a lot of popularity that is the most abstract game I've played in recent memory. Keep it real (as opposed to abstract).

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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.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mechanics and Abstractions part.3

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