Isaac’s World

Introduction

When the words art and game are mentioned together, most would think of the aesthetically pleasing games that are coming out. These games can’t help but draw people in because they’re amazing to look at. It feels like you’re watching a movie while playing a game and people say it’s art. However, can a game without amazing graphics be considered art? I say yes. Art is more than just something that is pleasing to the eyes. There are so many factors into how a game can be considered art. While the Binding of Isaac may not look as great as the games that are currently coming out, it is still art. The Binding of Isaac is an indie roguelike video game originally released in 2011 by Edmund McMillen.

The Binding of Isaac

The game became such a success that Edmund improved it, changed the engine, and released the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth in 2014. Part of his reasoning for updating the game so shortly after release was posted on his blog saying “I didn’t like the Flash style. Isaac was a big rush job and I did all the art in less than 2 months. I wasn’t ever happy with it and hadn’t planned on the game being so successful so I just got the job done so I could finish the game… the art was lazy and to me, just an eyesore.” I mentioned that art is not just about aesthetics, and I still stand by that, however, if you can improve something and make it better, why not do it? This can apply to artwork, storyline plot holes, or even game sounds. We will come to see how Isaac matters as art.

Rebirth

The Modding of Isaac

Edmund has come out and said he will no longer be creating content for the Binding of Isaac. However, he created modding tools for the community to add to the content, making the “art” last as long as the community wants to continue it. The popular mods will be added as actual content to the game every once in awhile in the form of “booster packs”. John Sharp (2015) explains that art games “uses innate properties of games—among them interactivity, player goals, and obstacles providing challenge for the player—to create revealing and reflective experiences” (p.12). The community is now creating art games with the modding tools that the author provided. These mods use the framework of the Binding of Isaac but create new possibilities, storylines, obstacles, and experiences for the player. Some of these are simple works that add color to the interface to make it more aesthetically pleasing while others are complex and adds as much content as a normal expansion would. The Binding of Isaac: Antibirth was the first major mod that was released and the amazing thing is that it was created before Edmund had released the modding tools. It took two years of work to create this mod. No one would spend that amount of time creating content for a game if they did not appreciate it, care for it, and want it to be seen as art.

Game modders — amateurs who like to modify commercial games, either by reprogramming them or by adding new assets — tend to be obsessed with games. Creating a game mod can take hundreds or thousands of hours of work, usually without documentation or support from the game’s creators and sometimes having to actively defeat the encryption systems built into the game. This requires considerable dedication. (Kelland 2011, p. 25-26)

The modders that Kelland describes are dedicated gamers that put hours upon hours of work into a game they care about even if they help from the game creators. They don’t expect anything in return for their work except maybe the recognition that their work means something to someone. And in the end, isn’t that the real purpose of art? To give people a sense of appreciation? The modding community has become so large that there is a dedicated website for mods. There are new mods uploaded nearly every day and the community is constantly giving input to each other on how to make improvements. Art is about people coming together and that is what modding does.

Story Open to Interpretation

The Binding of Isaac has starts off with an introduction scene telling you that Isaac’s mother hears a voice telling her that Isaac is corrupted with sin and that he needs to be saved. She then proceeds to take away his toys, drawings, and clothes. The voice then tells her that he must be cut off from all the evil in the world so she proceeds to lock him in his room with no possessions. Finally, the voice says she must sacrifice her son. She then takes a knife and heads towards his room.Isaac sees what is happening and jumps into a trapdoor he finds under his rug. This is where the game starts. Even though the start of the story is explained to you, there are multiple endings to this game, each unlocked by defeating a major boss. The endings have no story and are not explained to you. It’s just a video and thus having the players come up with an interpretation is part of what makes it art. Many players have come up with their theories as to what the endings mean. Along with the endings, there have been speculations on what the actual meaning behind the game is. This creates an open-ended discussion amongst the game community that does not rely on the author. Roland Barthes says that art must go beyond that of what is given to you by an author:

Once the Author is gone, the claim to “decipher” a text becomes quite useless. To give an Author to a text is to impose upon that text a stop clause, to furnish it with a final signification, to close the writing. This conception perfectly suits criticism, which can then take as its major task the discovery of the Author (or his hypostases: society, history, the psyche, freedom) beneath the work: once the Author is discovered, the text is “explained:’ the critic has conquered; hence it is scarcely surprising not only that, historically, the reign of the Author should also have been that of the Critic, but that criticism (even “new criticism”) should be overthrown along with the Author. (Barthes 1977, p. 5)

Barthes talks about the author in a sense in which he is not important after he creates his work. Of course the author is important, without him the art would not be created. However, it is not up to him to tell us what the art is. The art of the work is when someone takes what he created and makes it their own by giving their interpretation. We can never really understand what an author intends with his work. Every piece of work leaves an impression on the person who views it in their own way.

Why Does It Matter?

There is no end to how much content the Binding of Isaac can provide. People are coming up with new ideas and new creations all the time. Once someone has a taste of it, they’ll want to keep having more. The community wants more people to love the game like they do which is why it feels like they’re trying so hard to make the game into something to be proud of. When playing this game, a mixture of emotions can come up. Sometimes you’ll laugh, frown, feel disgust, but most importantly when it’s all said and done, you’ll feel a sense of awe. Take a step back. Take it all in. Realize what you’re experiencing. See how this game influences you and those that play it.

Conclusion

The Binding of Isaac definitely has flaws like everything else out there. Nothing is perfect. However, the flaws are a part of what makes it unique. The fact that you can add and improve upon it makes it art. The game itself is open to interpretation creating the image that it’s subjective to each individual. Maybe people will convince others to agree with them about the meaning of it all but that’s up to each person to make their decision. Even though Edmund will no longer actively add content, he made sure the art will continue by providing a way for the community to be a part of something that matters to them. Everyone has something that they love so much that they want to share the experience with others. A lot of people love the Binding of Isaac and want it to be appreciated for what it is. And so, we have the reason why the Binding of Isaac matters as art.

References

Edmund McMillen. 2014. That Guy That Made Those Games Said Those Things and Was in That Movie. [Blog Post]

John Sharp. Works of Game: On the Aesthetics of Games and Art. MIT Press, 2015.

Matt Kelland. 2011. “From Game Mod to Low Budget Film: The Evolution of Machinima.” In The Machinima Reader, edited by H. Lowood and M. Nitsche. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Roland Barthes. (1977 [1967]). “The Death of the Author.” In Image, Music, Text. New York: Hill and Wang.  

Uberwatch

Introduction

There have been many multiplayer first person shooters throughout the years: Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Team Fortress. However, Overwatch is the only one that really stands out to me. Maybe it’s the fact that it was created by Blizzard and I’m just a Blizzard fanboy at heart. Regardless of the creator, Overwatch is a game nearly anyone can pick up and learn. It caters to those that just want to casually play games and others that would prefer to be competitive. The game has been successful and the player base has been increasing since anyone can pick it up, play a game, and stop at anytime.

The Basics of Overwatch

As a multiplayer game, Overwatch sets you up into teams where you obviously need to work together to win. There are currently 24 available heroes to choose from. There are four types of heroes: offense, defense, tank, and support. Each hero has abilities and an ultimate that is unique to themselves. The basic concept of the game is that there are two teams of six, each having their own objective to fulfill depending on the map they are on. One team may need to be on the offense and claim the objective while the other needs to be on defense to protect it. Maybe both teams will have to fight over gaining control of the point. Another objective is that the attacking team must escort the payload by standing next to it to the end of the map, while the defending team prevents them from doing so. There are multiple game modes varying from competitive play, custom games, casual matchmaking, practice, and arcade. A team should be balanced with the types of heroes chosen or else the team will suffer from a lack of foresight due to their own composition.

Overwatch as a Game

 “A game is an activity defined by rules in which players try to reach some sort of goal. Games can be whimsical and playful, or highly serious. They can be played alone or in complex social scenarios… A video game is a cultural object, bound by history and materiality, consisting of an electronic computational device and a game simulated in software.” – Alexander Galloway

Overwatch is indeed an activity defined by rules in which player try to reach some sort of goal. Like I mentioned before, there are maps with different objectives (goals) and you are confined within certain restrictions (rules) that Blizzard has laid out. I also explained before that the game caters to a variety of players. It can be whimsical and playful if you do things such as casual matchmaking or arcade. There is also the highly serious portion of the game with its competitive play that consists of multiple rankings. At the end of a match, you are shown the “play of the game” which is the a recording of a player that had the best contribution to the match. Blizzard is subtly telling us that Overwatch is indeed a game. 

Overwatch as Art

Some believe that art is objective while others think that it is subjective. Personally, it’s my opinion that art should be subjective. Everyone can have their own say to what is art and what is not. There is no wrong or right when it comes to how something makes you feel. Walter Benjamin states that “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and place, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be” (298). Overwatch is a work of art. The fact that Blizzard keeps expanding shows that consumers agree that it is art. People are buying t-shirts, toys, plushies, clothing, and posters. It shows that the game itself as art is able to grow and expand. Blizzard creates animated movies and comics to tell a story and add free content for players that want to know more about the piece of art that they indulge in. There are moments in the middle of games where players will just stop playing and take a look at the world that has been created. The design of each individual map and all the intricate things you can do with it. It might sound a bit weird to say all the abilities are designed so well that they’re nice to look at.

Conclusion

Overwatch is a work of art and game that has influenced many people around the world. People are attached to the characters and the story line, so much that Blizzard continuously provides more content. It provides countless hours of entertainment for people that want to have fun or take things in a serious manner.

References

Alexander R. Galloway. (2006). “Countergaming.” In Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press: pp. 107-126.

Walter Benjamin. (1986 [1936]). “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” In Video Culture: A Critical Investigation, edited by J. C. Hanhardt. Salt Lake City: G.M. Smith in association with Visual Studies Workshop Press: pp. 27-52.

Rift by Trion

There’s no doubt in my mind that most people have not heard of Rift. Even though the game is not as popular as other MMOs such as World of Warcraft, Trion Worlds has put a lot effort into creating something they can be proud of. This leads to an important question. How does creating this game make Trion Worlds a group of artists? To answer this question, we must delve into what an artist actually is. Howard Becker says that “Artists are some sub-group of the world’s participants who, by common agree-ment, possess a special gift, therefore make a unique and indispensable contribution to the work, and thereby make it art” (35). With this, we can say that an artist wants to create something special that may be unconventional.

While playing this game, you’ll come to understand that everyone plays it for a different reason. Some play it to socialize with the people they have met, while others play to be the best player they can be. My personal reason for playing is to beat the raids and get the best gear possible. Nothing makes me more happy than having the best pixelized gear a game has to offer. It gives me a sense of completion when I look at my character and realize I can’t do anything more to improve myself. With so many people working on Rift, it gives a different meaning to each of the individuals that play the game. You have people doing their best to create things like a good storyline or fluff items to collect. Trion Worlds used their gifts to create a representation of something they wanted to show the world in the form of Rift. Without each artist working on this game, it would be an incomplete piece of work. Can you imagine taking away things such as a storyline, sound, text, or design from a game? That would make it so that there is no uniqueness to the work. Hunicke et al. states that “Game design and authorship happen at many levels, and the fields of games research and development involve people from diverse creative and scholarly backgrounds” (1). This translates to an artist creates multiple features of a game and thus, an artist puts mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics into a game. Each of these factors makes it so that each individual consumes games differently. Each designer that worked on the game wants a player to see the game from their own perspective. The art designers at Trion Worlds may want people to enjoy the aesthetics of the game, whereas raid developers wants people to understand the difficulty of the bosses and their mechanics.

I’m a nerd and would like to point out I was in this video and I also happen to be top dps. :^) (I also apologize for the crappy music. It’s not my video.)

Understanding each aspect of a game brings a new road that we are able to explore. Maybe we now have a new and mutual appreciation of what time and devotion an artist puts into their work. When you appreciate someone’s work, it gives them a sense of validation that what they made mattered. The artists that created this game made it so that it has so many different mechanics that a player can learn depending on what they want to do. The code written can be a piece of art the developers put in so the players follow their rules. As for dynamics, it is how we interact with the mechanics that are given and provided to us. Most importantly, the aesthetics of the game makes it so it means something to us. It gives the work an interpretation for each individual. So yes. Trion Worlds is a group of artists that created Rift and it matters because their work is an example of how something great can come from people work together to create something like this game.

References:

Howard Becker. (1982). “Art Worlds and Collective Activity” in Art Worlds. Berkeley: University of California Press: pp. 1-39.

Hunicke et al. (2004). “MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research”  

 

pARTy like a Rockstar

Let me just start out with, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a hell of a game. I remember it being the very first open world game that I played when I was a young lad. By open world, I mean that you can explore the game or do whatever you want without having to partake in a mission or quest. While revisiting this game, I know the artwork and graphics are not as good as games that are out these days but it gave me a sense of nostalgia. It was amazing how much they were able to fit into this game that made it stand out. You can decapitate an innocent bystander with a katana, blow up cars with tanks, and even get freaky with prostitutes in your car.

The important question however is, is thegame art? When we talk about art, many definitions come to mind. Some say art is subjective, while others art is most definitely objective. In my opinion, art is subjective. Each individual can have their own opinion of art and while others may not agree, that does not mean they are wrong. Howard Becker states that “All artistic work, like all human activity, involves the join activity of a number, often a large number, of people” (1). Rockstar as a company, had a large number of people working on this game. There were people working on the game play, while others were working on the artwork. You had others developing the story and members of the team creating sounds and music for the game. Each of these elements came together to form a piece of art that also happened to be a game. This also coincides with “Each kind of person who participates in the making of art works, then, has a specific bundle of tasks to do” (Becker 11). Each person working on a certain section of the game could be considered an artist in their own right. There are multiple types of artist, each with their own medium. Art is not confined to what one person deems it to be and it certainly does not change its meaning to people if others don’t appreciate it.

The game itself, gave me a mix of emotions while playing it. There were times when I felt anger and others where I felt joy. Art is supposed to make you feel a certain way when you happen to stumble upon it and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City did just that. You could see the work put into the open world game. You appreciate all the colors that they threw into the game. Things such as the storyline or the way the characters move along with the game sound stimulate you. As you play the game, you start to enjoy it and art is something you can enjoy and appreciate.You can tell Rockstar put their hearts out into creating this piece of art  that would mean something to someone. It could mean fun or a distraction or maybe even a story to tell. As I mentioned before, the visuals may not be the greatest, but something about it just draws you in and makes you want to interact with the game. I often find myself thinking about what kind of scene would happen if I did a certain action. The fact that you could walk into buildings or jump into cars made the game feel realistic and somehow artistic. Vice City is definitely art.

References

-Howard Becker. (1982). “Art Worlds and Collective Activity” in Art Worlds. Berkeley: University of California Press: pp. 1-39. [PDF or books.google.com]

Game or Just a Fun Simulation?

When people think of fast food or burgers, the franchise “McDonald’s” pops into your head. Of course, McDonald’s is very controversial. Some people love it and others hate it. I personally have a love-hate relationship with them myself. But what if I told you that there was a game in which you could simulate the actions of the corporation? It’s literally called McDonald’s Video Game. Would you jump on the chance to play it like I did? Well. If I were to be honest, I didn’t really jump on it. I just picked it because it was free and I was curious as to what the game was like. The game came out in 2006 and was developed by Molleindustra. In this business simulation, you can see McDonald’s through four different views: the farmland, the slaughterhouse, the restaurant, and corporate headquarters. Here’s a link to the game.

http://www.mcvideogame.com

The game itself starts off by having you pick a language to play in and if it wasn’t obvious, I chose English. What came next was this horrific music that I had to turn off right away. That just totally turned me off. As for the actual gameplay, I started off by reading the tutorial. I didn’t really understand it or maybe I just didn’t look at it carefully. I just skimmed over it and said “FUCK IT LET’S PLAY”. So when the game starts, I look through the different views. It looks as I’d have expected it to look. I start off by plowing some fields for soy and raising cows. I’m not sure how much I need so I end up using all my starting money on that. I think that’s a mistake but nothing I can do about that now. I fill up my restaurant with workers and see customers go in and start buying stuff. That’s cool I guess. What I didn’t realize was that I sold all of my product too quickly and now I’m out of patties. Everything goes to
hell. Headquarters tells me production is low and the guy at the slaughterhouse tells me there are no cows even though I was raising a bunch. I end up going bankrupt pretty quickly. I honestly thought the game was too difficult for me at that point.

 

Roger Caillois defines games as “an activity which is essentially: Free (voluntary), separate [in time and space], uncertain, unproductive, governed by rules, make-believe.” He also splits games into six different categories: agon, alea, mimicry, ilinx, ludus, and paideia. The McDonald’s game is a form of ludus and mimicry. Ludus means structured play with a set of rules and mimicry refers to the act of roleplaying. The McDonald’s Video Game is indeed voluntary, separate, uncertain, unproductive, has rules, and semi make-believe. I only say semi due to the fact that it’s based off of things that could happen in real life if you were a McDonald’s CEO. The name of the game even has the word game in it. So yes, I would consider this a game.

Alexander Galloway says that “a game is an activity defined by rules in which players try to reach some sort of goal”. I’m somewhat torn by his statement since the game is an activity defined by rules. However, there is no actual “goal” in this game. I suppose you can say the goal of the game is to not go bankrupt or to make money. When I think of a goal, the word “win” comes to mind. There’s no winning in this game. You either go bankrupt and lose or just keep making money forever and ever.

On my next attempt, I notice things that happen in the game that I didn’t really pay attention to before. I notice my employees spitting in the food they are making. Whoa there. That’s funny they would put that in the game, but that’s messed up. So I start disciplining these guys. I also notice my cows can get sick and I can torch them before they get killed and turned into patties. The fields I raise my cows on can lose the grass they eat so I have to swap that around. It feels like even though this game was made to be a parody, they put a lot work into the tiny details. I can corrupt and bribe people to help my company image which is pretty cool. This totally falls into the mimicry category that Caillois splits games up into. I’m noticing I need to strategize and plan things out carefully like anyone running a company would. I can’t just instantly buy everything I want and expect things to be okay.

Overall the experience was indeed fun even though it was difficult to understand at first. Most importantly, this is classified as a game. It’s a make-believe business simulation that is based off of what actually may happen inside of the McDonald’s corporation. A game does not have to be fun to be classified as a game. The fun factor can also change as you play a game. Maybe at first a game isn’t fun then it turns fun once you understand it. You can also think something is fun when you first start off but change your mind as you play it.

Dying A Lot Can Be “Fun”

 

Super Meat Boy is a platform game where you control Meat Boy, a red cube of meat. The main purpose of the game is to save your girlfriend, Bandage Girl, who was kidnapped by Dr. Fetus. On each level, you must avoid traps and things that can kill you while trying to reach the end represented with Bandage Girl. I actually bought this game when it was on sale years ago, but I never really put time into the game as I don’t really enjoy platformers. They’re usually too difficult for my liking. When I started the game, I fooled around with the keys and watched as trails of blood would drop as I moved my character around. The gameplay seems simple enough, move around, jump, and avoid things to get the end and save the girl. The first few levels were simple and easy to beat because it tries to teach you the mechanics of the game. Obviously, as the game progressed the levels got harder and you had to coordinate your actions better.

Caillois defines play as an activity which is essentially: free, separate, uncertain, unproductive, governed by rules, and make-believe. Super Meat Boy is a game we can play that fits into all those categories. I can play whenever I choose and it’s not real. It has it’s own rules and is separate from reality. As a game, each time you die, you start again from the beginning of the level which is like nearly every game where you restart from the last savepoint. In this case, the save point is only at the beginning of the stage which you are on. As I start getting further in levels, I see myself at the starting point of each level more and more often. I’m waiting and thinking of my next moves more than I am actually playing the game now. I can see myself dying before I even start to move my character and it’s gotten to the point where I want to give up. This is not “fun”but then again, most platform games aren’t fun for me.

Raph Koster says that “fun from game arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun.” I am slowly gaining mastery of this game as I see each level and progress through the mechanics the game decides to throw at me. I’m starting to comprehend the movements of the things that are trying to kill me on each level as I spend time dying to saws or falling into pits. I’m solving each level like a puzzle and surprise, surprise, I’m still not having as much fun as I thought I would be. At this point, I want to stop playing because I’m just stuck on levels and about to bang my head against a wall. Nothing good would come out of continuing this session while I’m heated so I decide to stop and watch videos of people playing the game. I come across many videos of people either raging or having fun. There seems to be no middle ground while playing this game, you either enjoy it or don’t. As I watch the videos, I’m learning how others play and taking that in. I plan on using what I see on my next  and hope it’ll give me better results.

On my last playthrough, I grab a beer because games should be fun and relaxing. I shouldn’t be frustrated every time I die to stupid mechanics that I can avoid. Surprisingly, as I stop thinking about it, the game gets easier and everything feels more natural. I’m breezing through the levels that I used to think were impossible. I think I’m actually having fun now. I can feel myself getting closer to the computer screen as every time I die, I’m just more determined to finish the level. Who would have thought that I just needed to relax and play the game instead of thinking it through. Every time I go splat, the game seems more alluring because I just want to beat the level badly. When I finish a level I’ve been stuck on, I feel so satisfied that continuing to play feels like the best option. In the end, I got to really enjoy the game to my surprise. Almost as surprised as Meat Boy in this picture.
I will definitely play this game again in the near future when I just want to have a good laugh.