InsaneBear

Feature: 7 subjects games need to examine to be considered art

Editor’s Note: This feature was supposed to provide in-depth pitches for games that could do these topics justice, but given the complexity of each subject, that would require a lot of work and thought on my part. Usually I love exercising my creativity like that, but this is my first weekend at college and I’m just trying to stay on my feet. Plus I hit my head earlier tonight and it hurts like hell, so you’re lucky to even get this.

Lord knows people like to endlessly bicker amongst themselves over this topic with debatable results, so while I feel kind of dirty about jumping on the band wagon, I hope to at least examine the issue in a little more depth. For me personally, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that video games can rival any other “high arts.” But at this point in time, that seems to be the exception. Film certainly churns out its fair share of mindless popcorn, but there is a much larger presence of artistic expression than in our favored medium. The artistic scene within our industry will surely continue to grow over the years and the volume of content exploring these seven topics should help us gauge how far we’ve come.

Love – Love has probably inspired more works of art than there are stars in the Milky Way (granted, not all of that art is what we would call “good” or “professional”), and the fact that we keep producing and consuming these expressions of love says something very profound about the human condition. So why is it that video games seem to ignore the single strongest feeling on our emotional spectrum? And if you even try to cite BioWare’s pathetic romance arcs as an examination of love then you clearly have no idea what love is (to be fair, maybe aliens do put out after three or four forced conversations). I can’t think of a single game that really captures the feeling of being half of a whole and all the other feelings that lead up to and follow that blissful moment in time. Maybe Ico does, but being that I haven’t played it I can’t really make a judgment. Braid dealt with the darker side of love and I’m sure there have been other games that have touched on the topic in a commendable way, but there simply haven’t been enough.

Mortality – For supposedly appreciating the miracle of life so much, man sure is obsessed with those final moments and what comes after. And considering how casually we gamers slay hordes of virtual human beings, not to mention the expectation of a “respawn” we’ve come to develop, this particular topic seems like one that could really stand out in the gaming landscape. Few games have tried to deeply examine the fragility of life and how precious it truly is.

Power – It may seem like an unusual entry at first, but few things have such a significant sway on the wheel of life as the balance of power. We often lust for power and have ambitions of changing things when we get to that greener grass, but many men topple under the great responsibilities that come with great power. There are far more corrupt sinners than righteous saints. That’s one reason why I’m actually very excited about Fable III. From the sounds of it, there are going to be some real consequences for the promises you make on your path to power. I’m especially confident in Lionhead’s ability to do this subject justice considering Peter Molyneux’s past with Black and White and Populous.

Family – Family has meant a lot of different things to a lot of different cultures over the past several millennia but it’s always been a constant source of inspiration for artistic expression. Whether it be the struggle to emerge from a parent’s shadow, sibling strife, or the unconditional love found in extended family, we naturally relate to familial relationships and the meaning behind them. The only game I can think of off the top of my head to deal with these topics is BioShock 2. Sure, plenty of other games integrate family members into the plot, but I can’t think of any that merge those themes with actual gameplay. As simple as it was, the act of adopting a Little Sister and protecting her in BioShock 2 made an impact on me. Gamers spend so much time in juvenile power fantasies that it’s a bit jarring to be confronted with the responsibility of a parent. What do you do with that power? If Lionhead’s Milo and Kate tech demo ever gets developed into a game it could do some very interesting things with familial roles and the emotions within them.

Faith – Where did life come from? Where do we go after we die? Do we have a purpose? Is there some judgmental man in the sky peeping on all of us? These are the questions we’ve been asking ourselves since the dawn of time. And given the interactive dialogue between game developer and game player, our medium could offer some unique artistic insights on the topic of faith. For all intents and purposes, the game developer is the god of the world they’ve created for us to play in. There’s a lot of potential in that to address some fundamental human questions. I can’t think of any games that explicitly focus on this touchy subject. It’s already taboo to break the 4th wall, and that’s pretty much required in this scenario.

Repentance – It almost seems an inevitable part of human existence to live a life of mistakes and regrets. Some people have more than others, but we all look back and wonder how things would be different if we just didn’t do this or did do that. Some people let this baggage consume them, others recognize their wrongdoings and actively try to repent for their sins or forgive the sins of others. While Braid‘s time-warping mechanics briefly touched on the feelings of wanting to change the past, I think it’d make for a more powerful game if the player couldn’t change anything they’d done. Most games are so caught up in the act of doing that we rarely get to reflect on what we’ve done down the line.

Stages of Life – In the immortal words of Bill Shakespeare:

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav’d, a world too wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Video games have got that soldier thing down pat, but not so much on the other stages. Now I’m not saying we should start a game from childbirth, but it could be very interesting to examine the differences in perspective from childhood to adulthood to old age. After all, the people that grew up with video games are adults now and relate to things differently than they did as kids. Another generation from now and their thoughts will have changed even more. I’d like to see a game that looks at how our life experiences fundamentally change us and our relationships.

Topics I would have addressed if my head didn’t hurt so much: Addiction, Free Will Vs. Destiny, Morality.

So be thinking of these topics next time you play a game. If you happen to see a game that is taking the effort to address some of these ideas then it’s probably worth at least some of your time. I hope that sometime within the next ten years this subject matter will be common place in our growing industry.

Author: Cody

Tags: faith, family, feature, games as art, love, mortality, power, repentance, stages of life