GameblurgKids Talking About the Future

During a read of an enlightening edition of the monthly publication, Game Developer, a few months back, I came across a particular interesting quote from an article within its binding constraints. Entitled “A Sense of Fun” and written by Parappa the Rapper creator, Masaya Matsuura, Matsuura’s focus first lies with concern for the evolution of the “music videogame”, prompting a change in innovation versus excessive music label licensing. While this thought did encourage serious contemplation (Hello, Activision), Matsurra segues into a brief session about peace in videogames. To summarize Masaya’s apprehensive comments, he states, “I don’t think the future is bright for this (videogame) industry if we continue to focus on games that motivate the player by using gameplay that employs physical attacks as a way of establishing levels of superiority and inequality.”

Aggression and violence are staples inside of our industry and it addresses rudimentary needs to many gamers who participate in relatively appropriate arenas. Generally, the reception of physical weapons and magical powers are endowing acts from game creators with the sole purpose of “establishing levels of superiority and inequality”. This imaginary “superiority” that videogames instill into players produce an empowering feeling that generates the return to similar titles for different experiences, but the same sensation of predominance. I’m not going to feed anyone some concocted scientific formula to explain why people like dominating one another (or anything else for that matter), because the answer is written in the statement. People like power (surprise). Videogames cater to those who crave a closer step to satisfying this natural, disruptive emotion, without strings attached (jail time). I feel that these are important, subconscious reasons that many players enjoy favorable pastimes such as: zombie mowing, spartan fragging, dragon beheading.

Aggression eliminates the stress that a game’s enemies cultivates (kill stuff=happy time). Regardless, Matsurra’s side gradually whispers it’s quiet argument (not going to ignore the “Madagascar”/”High School Musical” enthusiasts). Violence is beginning to dissolve as the core concept of the generic videogame. Many games have gotten away with violence at a minimal level (if none at all). Braid and Pixel Junk Eden were two of many recent games that gathered a following of players who prefer an experience that escapes the concept of shooting and stabbing. Developers are discovering effective ways to extract significant emotions aside from that of anger and capitalize on such actions. They have begun to focus on extirpate emotions and concepts ranging from compassion to musical composition to relationship management.

Underneath the landscape of many “passive” games still manages to breed destruction to some degree. While in certain games, physical attacks aren’t supplemented with important emphasis, one could still argue that there lies aggression in Braid’s trouncing of the goomba-esque monsters, as well as the Guitar Hero franchise’s battle mode where one uses instrumental attacks to abduct the opposing player’s chances to perform to the best of his/her capabilities. Purposefully, I read deep into these examples to express the fact that rarely mainstream videogames exhibit no violence at all. When referring to the very concept of creating videogames, I often remember Hirokazu Yasuhara’s interview discussing videogame design psychology. Games produce fearful situations while addressing the basic desires of players to reach “freedom from the fear”, and one way to way to please the appetite of taking on a challenge, and easing the stress or, fear, that the challenge causes is by destruction. (For example: “For example, in Pac-Man, you’re eating dots — wocka-wocka-wocka-wocka. That is erasing, and it’s also a form of destruction. You’re destroying everything in your path, and you’re leveling out the entire play field.”)

Out of all of my time spent with my head buried inside of this article, the “peace” quote (see opening) engaged my echoing glance because I can’t imagine a videogaming universe without the inclusion of the “negative emergence” that violence brings to the table. A world comprised of nothing but music games and puzzle do-hickies do nothing but aggravate me at the thought of its wretched, yawn-inducing existence. Violence will always have a part in the videogaming world, just as long as it will always have a part inside of the world outside of videogames. Consistent peace is nothing more than a pipe dream, but a break from screaming and swearing into your headset should always provide a breath of fresh air.