Video Games as Literature

I suspect most of you have encountered a video game in one form or another in your lifetime - whether it be on an Odyssey (remember those?) or on the latest game station, cell phone, or computer. Oh, and they even had them in arcades for a while.

To my chagrin, I must confess that back in the ----'s I authored two video games that were distributed. No, they were not very popular, and I've only encountered a handful of people in my lifetime who'd seen them or played them. I've no idea what happened to the publishers, and because they were quite primitive adventure games, I'll not mention titles. To give you a feel for the period, however, I'll list the platforms: Commodore 64, Apple IIe, IBM XT, Sinclair 2000. Yeah, it was some time ago. :-\

I bring this up because the above is really my only qualification for posting about video games. And as you can see, it isn't much to mention. Yes, I've played a few over the years. I'm always behind on the latest platform, and yes, I still use the word "platform." But what I've noticed with the latest generation of video games is how cinematic they've become. True, they have arcade moments. There's still some jumping and falling and swinging to be done. Still, from my early day, they have come a very long way.

Today camera angels with the ability to change the POV is possible - creating a strong cinematic feel. Original soundtracks, amazing graphics, and tactical responses make present games far more engaging and perhaps give them a medium of their own.

After having watched a friend play a game recently, I was impressed by the storyline. I prowled through a few of the games available, asking about them and trying them out. Each one was novel material (or film as we've seen in the last decade or so). Yes, these games have been translated to books and films for a while, but usually they required a little extra help from authors outside the game industry. This isn't to slight the original game. Repeat play, difficulty/ease, originality, portability, and lifetime are elements that game designers have to deal with. So it isn't easy to sit down and create a seamless, flowing plot for a video game that must challenge and interact with the user.

Nonetheless, they are doing this now. Admittedly, if you lack the skills (such as I do) there is quite a bit of repetition. But, I imagine for those with the talent, many recent games flow like interactive films. What I've noticed is character development (something gold old Mario never had), sub-plots, and twists. Two of the games I'll briefly touch upon are Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Dead Space. One is modern adventure set in remote Pacific Islands (looking for a giant statue in a sunken city - never a good idea), and the other is set in the far future, with a mining ship that has suffered some serious problems.

So what makes these literature? Well, really, I'm asking everyone else that. I'd propose they have characters, plots, and themes. They are acted, accompanied by music. Those reasons seem good enough to get them into the category. And judging from recent surveys and sales data, they are not giving both movie theaters and DVD sales a run for their money. Of course, it goes without saying that they've beaten out the printed word quite some time ago. All of this adds up to commercial as well, proves reception (by an audience).

What I wonder about is how far can video games go? Will they become the new direction of film? I don't mean game-to-film adaptations, but games as film. For instances, the recent Resident Evil game has its own film prequel. The game follows a different path from the filmic versions, as does the CG film: Resident Evil: Degeneration. It also has a whopping 3 disc sound track available.

We already know that video games are a booming industry. And I know that many people in the arts look at them as "pulp" or simply mindless entertainment - things that keep us locked in the house. Okay, for the most part they do. With that said, they do have portable video games now - just like portable books. In short, it seems that we are running out of arguments against video games. Now, I can't resist pointing out that they are simulations and if you've read my blog, you'll know where that can take me. So I won't go there. :) Besides, I have certainly read written works, both historical and modern that were nothing but commercial opportunities - true pulp, and embarrassingly concocted versions of complicated realities.

For me at least, it seems this form of entertainment is becoming a form of literature. Like film, we are watching the industry grow, changes, expand, and mature - in all aspects (technology, audience, story-telling). It's certainly worth keeping a close eye on.

Secrets of Morocco

I'm still at Penguicon, or at least the convention is still going, and I'm attending. However, I thought I'd make a quick post about a topic that has generate interest in the roleplaying community.

It seems that Morocco is traveling around the world. Okay, that's odd, but it's a metaphor, so it can be odd. Maybe. What I'm referring to is a "monograph" I published a few years ago for the Call of Cthulhu RPG, titled Mysteries of Morocco. At the time, it was a strange notion. To attept to capture a country, rather than the traditional CoC city, in a sourcebook. Obviously countries are quite a bit larger. So I schemed and came up with a format that at least allowed for an overview of a country, while focusing on particularly regions, and specific cities. It seems the experiment has some level of success.

Either way, Mysteries of Morocco was later published by Pegasus Spiele in Germany as Geheimnisvolles Marokko. They produced a great cover with some delightful interior layout. And they also included a scenario that did not appear in the English edition, written by Jakob Schmidt - whom I've never met. But, I can say from my weak reading of the German text, he did a great job at capturing the content of the book and expounding upon it.

Now it is re-appearing in a new version from Chaosium, as Secrets of Morocco. And, the announcement of this release has spurred a number of people to email about the book's contents. That is difficult to summarize, as the new content is scattered throughout the work. There are new characters, locations, and connections, as well as a additional scenario that can be linked into existing scenarios set in the region, or other Chaosium campaigns, or it can be played as a stand alone adventure.

(To the right is a draft version of the cover that Chaosium has published on their website. It is by Malcolm McClinton. Malcolm did a great job at capturing the "heat of the moment," and the feel of the region.)

For those who are curious, Secrets of Morocco covers the country's history, religion, culture, environment, and elements from the 1920s and 1930s that are important to the RPG setting. The book already had new skills for Westerners visiting Morocco - allowing for social conflicts based upon the differences between cultures. And as with the original monograph, there are some "beast" riding rules, allowing for horse and camel chases or races - those familiar with the somewhat recent films The Mummy or Hidalgo will see an immediate application (and there are myriad other films and books that deal with this topic). And of course, the Sahara desert, heat, and various secretive mythos related entities and cults are not overlooked. If you're not familiar with the monograph, there are also rules for "shots" (that's a drinking game unknown to most people). There is a scene from the film Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark that inspired these rules. (As another side note, most films set in the Middle East are actually filmed in Morocco).

That's probably enough words on the topic. If not, please feel free to email or post questions.

The 100 Best Hobby Games -- the Anthology

Shortly after the news about the upcoming 100 Best Hobby Games anthology was posted on my website, I had a number of emails asking me "which are the 100 best," and what am I writing about. Sorry, I can't say. I expect most of the games can be guessed -- although the history of hobby games isn't limited to the last few years. But, I suspect their will be a number of welcome surprises also.

I cannot mention what the subject of my essay -- a number of the guesses were quite interesting. What I can say is that (which is in the Green Ronin press release) is that the designers and authors were asked to write about games that they did not design or have a financial connection with. The process of elimination should narrow the field a bit.

Visit the Green Ronin site for more details.