Slide 1 - DePaul Game Jam

							Culture

Robin Burke
GAM 224
Outline

 Culture
 Cultural Rhetoric
Culture paper

   Due 11/14
Culture

 undefineable term
 Geertz
       "Man is an animal suspended in webs
        of significance he himself has spun...I
        take culture to be those webs, and the
        analysis of it to be therefore not an
        experimental science in search of law
        but an interpretative one in search of
        meaning"
Culture

   for our purposes
     everything outside the magic circle
     what comes
        • before the game
        • after the game
        • surrounds the game
   the context of the game
Many Relevant Contexts
   popular culture
        the images in games
        the ties between games and movies, manga, etc.
   business
        the ways in which games are made and marketed
        the ancillary businesses around games (magazines, retailers, etc.)
   fan-dom
        the ways that devotees invest energy and creativity into particular
         games
        the communities that rise up around games
   technology
        the technical requirements of games and their effect on the
         evolution of computer systems
   gender
        the way that male and female bodies and identities are rendered in
         games
Culture-before I
   Designer borrows from the wider culture
      signifiers
         • the red cross
       themes
         • the hero tale
       images
         • the witch
       sounds
         • fanfare
   This background is (ideally) shared with the player
      players from other cultures may need to learn some
       things
Culture-before II

   Designer borrows from specific
    movies, books and/or games
       licenses / sequels
         • Knights of the Old Republic II
       adaptation
         • Sly Cooper = Splinter Cell for kids
   Player's expectations are shaped by
    references to other cultural artifacts
Culture-after I

   Designers may license game characters to
    other media
       movies
         • Lara Croft
   Designers may let users build onto their
    games
       new levels
         • UnrealEd and tools
       new content
         • Sims tools
Culture-after II

   Players may organize communities
    around games
     trading tips, hacks, cheat codes, FAQ
      files
     trading mods, player-created content
     group play
     organized competitions
Culture-surrounding I

   Players interpret the game
       using their individual knowledge and
        cultural background
   Players play the game
     using techniques and expectations
      derived from other games
     using expectations derived from real-
      world experiences
Culture-surrounding II

   Players may play in a variety of
    environments
     arcade or Internet cafe
     solitary
     group setting
     public competitive setting
Game Culture
   Any of these aspects are fair game for a
    cultural understanding of games
   Designers can choose to ignore culture
       but that doesn't mean they are free of it
       it just means they will be ignorant about it
   Observers
       can use culture as an avenue to interpret a
        game's meaning, its "web of significance"
       can use the game as an avenue to interpret
        the culture that gives rise to it
         • but the "web of significance" is always tied to the
           larger culture in some way
Examples

   Culture  Game  Meaning
       Marxism
       Katamari Damacy
       capitalist consumption gone mad
   Game  Culture  Meaning
       Missile Command
       Cold war America
       Concrete manifestation of the inevitability of
        nuclear destruction
Cultural Rhetoric

   rhetoric
       The art or study of using language
        effectively and persuasively.
   We mean
       the way that a game contains an
        implicit argument for a set of cultural
        presuppositions
How is a game an
argument?
   Rules
      the rules reward certain actions and not others
           • implicitly valuing one choice over another
           • Example: KOTOR, Fable
        the rules require the player to prevail in certain types of
         conflict
           • implying what types of conflict are important and how they can
             be resolved
           • Example: Civilization III
   Play
        the play of the game demands certain activities be
         performed
           • implicitly valuing one type of activity
           • Example: Kung-Fu chess
        the game makes certain activities and events pleasurable
           • implying that certain things are or should be enjoyable
           • Example: Katamari Damacy
Transmission / Reception

   The presence of a particular cultural
    rhetoric
       may indicate an explicit design choice
        by the designer
         • but not always
   The impact of a game on its players
       can indicate acceptance of its rhetoric
        by those players
         • but not always
Plot

   Game plots are almost always very simple
       rescue the princess
       battle the monsters
       save the universe from the evil mastermind
       rule the world
   Common plot elements
       betrayal
       approval of older mentor
       magical aid
       acquisition of magic and strength
Hero tales
   Hero tales are often
       tales of heroism
       simple in structure
       involve magical aid
       involve betrayal
       lack detailed characterization
       can be retold
   Examples
       Theseus and the Minotaur
       Aladdin and the Lamp
       The Goose-Girl
       Jack and Beanstalk
Psychology of the hero tale

   Coming of age
      The hero tale represents the transition from a youthful
         inward-focused perspective to a mature engagement with
         the world.
   Recognition of evil
        Mature engagement with the world requires the recognition
         of evil and the resolve to confront it.
   Interdependence
        The hero needs the help and (sometimes) the approval of
         others.
   Archetypal characters
        The characters are drawn from a standard set of
         archetypes.
   "The Misfit"
        The transition from being different/outcast to being part of
         society.
Psychology, cont'd

   What is the psychological function of
    the hero myth?
     Template for the issues of maturation
     A way to externalize difficult emotional
      issues
        • tension between comfort/safety of home
          and excitement/danger of the world
        • tension between growing physical and
          intellectual capacities and practical
          powerlessness.
Consequences
   Hero tale plots
      have most intense appeal to adolescents and children
      also, good fit with technological limitations
   Adults
      (theoretically) have tolerance for more complex plots
      but complex plots difficult to create
   Also
      plot is only one component of the game
      game needs to be engaging for other reasons
   We can "read" hero-oriented games
      by looking at how they "construct" heroism
Example I
   Asteroids
      "Space: The Final Frontier"
      To be a hero is
        • to be alone against hostile and unfeeling nature,
        • to use speed and intelligence to battle mounting and
          eventually insurmountable odds.
   Why
     detailed examination of the game
        •   the avatar
        •   the space of play
        •   the nature of the conflicts
        •   the core mechanic
        •   the dramatic structure
Example II

   Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
     "Braveheart"
     to be a hero is
        • to lead comrades to victory in a worthy
          cause,
        • to manage the developments one's own
          unique abilities and those of others, and
        • to deploy those abilities effectively when
          needed
Example III

   Wind Waker
       "Jack and the Beanstalk"
       to be a hero is
         • to engage in a solitary quest
         • to start from humble and unpromising beginnings
           and vanquish significant enemies
         • to accept magical aid
         • to learn from the consequences of one's mistakes
         • to triumph over evil on the basis of inner strength
           and goodness
Rhetorics of play

   Standard conceptualizations of play
       may or may not be invoked by a given game
   Sutton-Smith
       Progress
       Fate
       Power
       Identity
       Imaginary
       the Self
       Frivolity
Play as Progress

   Stance
       Play is how we (especially children) learn
   Enabled by
       core mechanic emphasizing desirable skills
       moralistic narrative
   Games
       Chutes and Ladders
       Zoombini's Logical Adventure
Play as Fate

   Stance
       To play is submit to chance, to depend on
        luck
   Enabled by
       rules dependent on uncertainty
       little or no skill or knowledge necessary
   Games
       roulette
       "Sorry!"
Play as Power

   Stance
       To play is to display prowess and defeat
        lesser players
   Enabled by
       play involving skill or strategic reasoning or
        both
   Games
       sports
       Counter-Strike
Play as Identity

   Stance
       To play is to cement group bonds and
        ground identity
   Enabled by
       emphasis on social play
       rules reward collaborative effort
         • non-zero sum
   Games
       team sports (including spectatorship)
         • "Go Sox!"
       most MMORPGs
Play as the Imaginary

   Stance
       To play is to demonstrate creative and
        imaginative responses
   Enabled by
       complex and emergent rule systems
       open game systems
   Games
       "Cranium" games
       Sims
Play as Rhetoric of the Self

   Stance
       To play is to engage in solitary appreciation
        and development
   Enabled by
       single-player gaming
       "deep" game content
   Games
       solitaire
       classic adventure games
Play as Frivolity

   Stance
       To play is to goof off
   Enabled by
     use of humor and parody
     deliberate subversion of other
      rhetorics
   Games
       WarioWare
Multiple rhetorics at work

   Sims 2
       Power
         • the player demonstrates power over the Sims
           world by having successful Sims, amassing
           wealth and status
       Imaginary
         • the player has nearly limitless opportunities to
           customize their Sims house and environment
       Identity
         • the player can interact with other players and
           share their customized artifacts
Conflicting Rhetorics
   Video games are subject to conflicting cultural
    rhetorics
   Play as Progress is very dominant
      The premise
          • "games are for kids"
          • although most consumers are adults
        Visible in controversies over mature themes in games
          • "games educate kids"
          • "Grand Theft Auto teaches what?"
   Play as Identity is problematic
      because the site of identity is invisible to outsiders
      Visible in discussions of game "addiction"
          • especially for MMORPGs
Gender

   There is a "web of significance"
    associated with gender identity
     normative expectations
     the valuation of qualities
     signs and their interpretation

   A virtual character cannot escape this
    web
       "Alex"
Monday

   Cultural
       Gender