Culture

Robin Burke

GAM 224

Outline

Admin Culture Cultural Rhetoric

Culture

undefineable term Geertz

"Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun...I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretative one in search of meaning"

Culture

for our purposeseverything outside the magic circlewhat comes

• before the game• after the game • surrounds the game

the context of the game

Many Relevant Contexts

popular culture the images in games the ties between games and movies, manga, etc.

business the ways in which games are made and marketed the ancillary businesses around games (magazines, retailers, etc.)

fan-dom the ways that devotees invest energy and creativity into particular

games the communities that rise up around games

technology the technical requirements of games and their effect on the

evolution of computer systems gender

the way that male and female bodies and identities are rendered in games

Culture paper

Due 6/1

Culture-before I

Designer borrows from the wider culture signifiers

• the red cross themes

• the hero tale images

• the witch sounds

• fanfare This background is (ideally) shared with the player

players from other cultures may need to learn some things

Culture-before II

Designer borrows from specific movies, books and/or gameslicenses / sequels

• Knights of the Old Republic II

adaptation• Sly Cooper = Splinter Cell for kids

Player's expectations are shaped by references to other cultural artifacts

Culture-after I

Designers may license game characters to other media movies

• Lara Croft Designers may let users build onto their

games new levels

• UnrealEd and tools new content

• Sims tools

Culture-after II

Players may organize communities around gamestrading tips, hacks, cheat codes, FAQ

filestrading mods, player-created contentgroup playorganized competitions

Culture-surrounding I

Players interpret the gameusing their individual knowledge and

cultural background Players play the game

using techniques and expectations derived from other games

using expectations derived from real-world experiences

Culture-surrounding II

Players may play in a variety of environmentsarcade or Internet cafesolitarygroup settingpublic competitive setting

Game Culture

Any of these aspects are fair game for a cultural understanding of games

Designers can choose to ignore culture but that doesn't mean they are free of it it just means they will be ignorant about it

Observers can use culture as an avenue to interpret a

game's meaning, its "web of significance" can use the game as an avenue to interpret

the culture that gives rise to it• but the "web of significance" is always tied to the

larger culture in some way

Examples

Culture Game Meaning Marxism Katamari Damacy capitalist consumption gone mad

Game Culture Meaning Missile Command Cold war America Concrete manifestation of the inevitability of

nuclear destruction

Cultural Rhetoric

rhetoricThe art or study of using language

effectively and persuasively. We mean

the way that a game contains an implicit argument for a set of cultural presuppositions

How is a game an argument? Rules

the rules reward certain actions and not others• implicitly valuing one choice over another• Example: KOTOR, Fable

the rules require the player to prevail in certain types of conflict

• implying what types of conflict are important and how they can be resolved

• Example: Civilization III Play

the play of the game demands certain activities be performed

• implicitly valuing one type of activity• Example: Kung-Fu chess

the game makes certain activities and events pleasurable• implying that certain things are or should be enjoyable• Example: Katamari Damacy

Transmission / Reception

The presence of a particular cultural rhetoricmay indicate an explicit design choice

by the designer• but not always

The impact of a game on its playerscan indicate acceptance of its rhetoric

by those players• but not always

Example I

Asteroids "Space: The Final Frontier" To be a hero is

• to be alone against hostile and unfeeling nature, • to use speed and intelligence to battle mounting and

eventually insurmountable odds. Why

detailed examination of the game• the avatar• the space of play• the nature of the conflicts• the core mechanic• the dramatic structure

Example II

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance"Braveheart"to be a hero is

• to lead comrades to victory in a worthy cause,

• to manage the developments one's own unique abilities and those of others, and

• to deploy those abilities effectively when needed

Rhetorics of play

Standard conceptualizations of play may or may not be invoked by a given game

Sutton-Smith Progress Fate Power Identity Imaginary the Self Frivolity

Play as Progress

Stance Play is how we (especially children) learn

Enabled by core mechanic emphasizing desirable skills moralistic narrative

Games Chutes and Ladders Zoombini's Logical Adventure

Play as Fate

Stance To play is submit to chance, to depend on

luck Enabled by

rules dependent on uncertainty little or no skill or knowledge necessary

Games roulette "Sorry!"

Play as Power

Stance To play is to display prowess and defeat

lesser players Enabled by

play involving skill or strategic reasoning or both

Games sports Counter-Strike

Play as Identity

Stance To play is to cement group bonds and

ground identity Enabled by

emphasis on social play rules reward collaborative effort

• non-zero sum Games

team sports most MMORPGs

Play as the Imaginary

Stance To play is to demonstrate creative and

imaginative responses Enabled by

complex and emergent rule systems open game systems

Games "Cranium" games Sims

Play as Rhetoric of the Self

Stance To play is to engage in solitary appreciation

and development Enabled by

single-player gaming "deep" game content

Games solitaire classic adventure games

Play as Frivolity

StanceTo play is to goof off

Enabled byuse of humor and parodydeliberate subversion of other

rhetorics Games

WarioWare

Multiple rhetorics at work

Sims 2 Power

• the player demonstrates power over the Sims world by having successful Sims, amassing wealth and status

Imaginary• the player has nearly limitless opportunities to

customize their Sims house and environment Identity

• the player can interact with other players and share their customized artifacts

Conflicting Rhetorics

Video games are subject to conflicting cultural rhetorics

Play as Progress is very dominant The premise

• "games are for kids"• although most consumers are adults

Visible in controversies over mature themes in games• "games educate kids"• "Grand Theft Auto teaches what?"

Play as Identity is problematic because the site of identity is invisible to outsiders Visible in discussions of game "addiction"

• especially for MMORPGs

Game characters

Gender

There is a "web of significance" associated with gender identitynormative expectationsthe valuation of qualitiessigns and their interpretation

A virtual character cannot escape this web"Alex"

Monday

Cultural Open Culture