FWR Episode 005
In Episode 005 we talk Grand Theft Auto IV in a noisy hallway, wandering through such topics as:
The narrative structure of the game and comparisons to Edgar Allan Poe’s vision of story crafting.
Graphical representations, the timelessness of game space, and fear of art overtaking reality.
Troubling characters based on stereotypes and Three’s Company.
More episodes are coming soon. Thanks for listening.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:08 pm
hiya guys:)
listened to FWR05 on the train home sunday [whilst gazing at cows + trees + such:)] + had a few comments [don't i always?!;)]:
1/ intrigued by the idea of morality formation + role-play – how a character and avatar meet in terms of game-proscribed actions. do u guys c any [further/future] trickle-overs beyond the violence debate-hype?
2/ u made me reflect on a question thats been bugging me + will probably make it in2 an entry on augmentology.com soon – is there is an adequate manifestation [in general] of willing-suspension-of-disbelief in games that emulates that found in more passive entertainment forms? + should we – as players/absorbers – be employing a type of dual-agency, a double comprehension state of allowing 4 the restrictions of game narrative constraints + incorporating that in2 the plot outlay? if we bring a type of directed perception 2 game unfolding, we may miss the twisting of trad narrative into an immersive experience + any results from this that bypass traditional story parsing?
3/ meta-overlaying of accounting for the predictive nature of GTA4 + plot revelation moments – is there a way of allowing for that wooden prediction 2 integrate in such a way that it becomes an invisible convention similar to page-turning in a book or frame of a teev ie doesn’t break the willing suspension of disbelief?
4/ when u were talk about linguistic units – words, sentences etc re Poe, it made me wonder about gameic equivalents – unitary measures beyond the hardware by-products that are now generating as developing semantic symbols [hmmMMmmmm]…
5/ the concept of video gamespace + re-releases emulating prior setups: does this point 2ward an establishment of a type of game language/shared communal currency that _then_ can be deconstructed? like reading novels/fiction/blah – need 2 establish an equivalent experience b4 then embarking on transgression of them?
6/ [idea:] encouraging a layering of gameic narrative choices as being inbuilt beyond the frozen static of “choose-ur-own-adventure/respond-2-a-quest/puzzle”? [ie instead of easy/medium/hard categorisations, have inclusive narrative component mixes/equivalents ie a) pure gaming(skill based, non-story, headshot space) b) story components + skill or c)complete/comprehensive story overlay/walk-thrus with plot flair [low interactivity?].
7/ ur discussion of bernie + resultant stereotypes: how would a fps game be able to b constructed *without* stereotypes? wot characters generalities would need 2 be included 2 ensure audiences could block-identify + formulate a valid connection/extension 2 their avatar?
i had a heap more but this has kinda turned in2 a faux-essay workshop q+a so i’ll stop now:)
chunks,
netwurker.mez
xx