Expression and Narrative in Minigames

You've got to find what you love

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."Steve Jobs

1955-2011

Expression and Narrative in MiniGamesSymposium Microstories and other Microforms | University of Minho |October 6-7, 2011

Nelson Zagalo

Microstories or microfiction

Defined only by length. Between 300 and 1000 words. Still contain classic story structure:

exposition, conflict, and resolution Due to length limitation, story elements

can be reduced or only implied. Aesthetically, the narrative is Minimalist.

Video Games

Involves interaction with electronic device. Requires receptor participation to become,

the interactivity. Genres define the way player interact and

make sense of games. Games are made of mechanics and story,

and some games only have mechanics.

Games with stories

Storytelling, is the art of developing coherent structures in time in order to provoke a determined set of effects in the audience

Game, is a rules framework that put players in a state of permanent observation and experimentation of repetitive procedures able to purpose the better efficiency possible

Game Story, structure of coherent events prepared to provoke determined effects in the audience but that can only be elicited through the player participation in the developing of the events, following some rules

Game Story

Message to be expressed

Interactivity

(P) Person(O) Other(M) Messages(Mj) Temporal sequencesP(Mj) or (OMj) - Messages based in Previous MessagesP(Mj/Mj-1) or M (Mj/Mj-1) - Previous messages based in earlier messages

Non-interactive, when message has no relation with previous;

Reactive, when message reacts only to immediately previous message.

Interactive, when message takes into account full interaction process of messages.

Rafaeli, S. (1988)

Narrative mechanics

8

Traditional - Linear

Parallel Paths – Multi-linear

Tree - Non-linear

Autonomous and Emergent

Game mechanics

Constructs of Rules, made of Choices and Obstacles that keep player away from getting access to game closure, creating an engagement process with the story and the urge to know what comes next.

Expression

Games have evolved technologically and aesthetically augmenting communicative possibilities.

However the pressure from great industry has created boundaries for free expression, and so the possibility to expand game expression.

The necessity to guarantee payback of such a great investment, that of a video game, makes any producer to fear innovation and messaging outside mainstream canons.

The same happens with great blockbusters from Hollywood. However being games such a new communication medium we can feel it more strongly because we’re anxious to find better ways to express our minds using this new language.

At the moment independent games are better positioned to expand expression in games than big studios.

Because of the complexity to produce games – multidisciplinary, time, money – the majority of the most expressive independent games are minigames.

Expression

Phone Story, a game that satirizes the dark side of iPhone manufacturing, gets banned by Apple. 14/09/2011

Fiction Minigames

Independent games. Defined by length and existence of

narrative. Between 2 and 7 minutes of experience. Narrative mechanic is mostly Linear based Game mechanics are very simple, with

little effort needed, leaving more room for story experience.

Aesthetically, minigames are Minimalist.

the artworks

LoveColour Series, (2009/2010), SilverStitchDistance, (2010), Austin BreedGrey, (2011), Kevin McGrath

FamilyA Mother in Festerwood, (2011), Austin BreedOne Chance, (2010), Awkward Silence Games

LifePassage, (2007), Jason RohrerComa, (2010), Thomas Brush

SocietyGray, (2009), Greg WohlwendImoortall, (2010), Evan MillerEvery Day the Same Dream, 2007, Paolo Pedercini

LOVE: Colour Series, (2009/2010), SilverStitch

“The Colour my... series of games by designer developer Silver Stitch are the closest you will come to poetry in game form. Featuring lovely hand-drawn artwork, tranquil music and thought-provoking dialogue, the games all involve adding colour to an initially black and white game world. As you interact with the environment and solve puzzles, you leave trails of colour behind you.”

Colour my Heart, 2009, 2 min

www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/483057

video

LOVE: Distance, (2010), Austin Breed, 2m

“Austin Breed has created a split-screen tale of a couple separated by, well, distance. You follow their separate, daily routines and at night get to pose one of two questions while they chat on the phone. But will their eyes start to wander? What would you do? Find out!”


LOVE: Grey, (2011), Kevin McGrath, 5m

“It seems that the boy you play as is a dead one who exists only in the girl's memories. As first, the world is void of colour in the mind of the girl, who cannot let go because of her sadness. As you give her the things that she like, you give colour to her empty world. Once you help her let go of her sadness, and let go of your death, then she can finally be happy and live her life full of colour; grey no more.”

www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/556828 video

the artworks





FAMILY: A Mother in Festerwood, (2011), Austin Breed, 5m

“As a mother, it's your job to keep your little tyke in the safety of the homestead until they have enough experience to survive the monster-infested woods. Don't expect any gratitude, though. The brat will continually try to give you the slip and escape into the wild. After a while, like many a parent, you may well be tempted to let it go find out the hard way what the world's really like.”


FAMILY: One Chance, (2010), AwkwardSilence, 7m

"One Chance is a game about choices and dealing with them.Scientist John Pilgrim and his team have accidently created a pathogen that is killing all living cells on Earth.In the last 6 remaining in-game days on Earth, the player must make choices about how to spend his last moments. Will he spend time with his family, work on a cure or go nuts?"


One Chance, (2010), AwkwardSilence, 7m

video

the artworks





LIFE: Passage, (2007), Jason Rohrer, 5m

“On the surface, the point of Passage is to open as many treasure chests within the allotted time. But that's not what Jason Rohrer's award winning game is really about. What it is really about is love, the passing of time, saying goodbye to youth and freedom, grief - ultimately life itself.”

http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/

Passage, (2007), Jason Rohrer, 5m

video

LIFE: Coma, (2010), Thomas Brush, 7m

“Taking on the role of a small bean shaped creature called Pete, the playeris tasked with a barely explained goal of rescuing a sister being held in“father’s secret basement”. The premise is foreboding and weird just asthe “goals” of dreams often seem to be. Play and puzzles likewise sharethis strange and creepy dream logic. Often enough the way forward in thegame is something that the rational mind immediately balks at.”


Coma, (2010), Thomas Brush, 7m

video

the artworks




SocietyGray, (2009), Greg WohlwendImmortall, (2010), Evan MillerEvery Day the Same Dream, 2007, Paolo Pedercini

SOCIETY: Gray, (2009), Greg Wohlwend, 5m

“Gray is a riot - quite literally. In this cerebral, experimental game, you play the part of a lone dissenter, trying desperately to win a seemingly never ending horde of rioters over to your cause. It seems like a helpless task but one by one you manage to woo the rioters until eventually you have the majority following you. But what does any self-respecting rebel do when they are a member of the majority, well in this game, they switch to the other side of course, and repeat the whole process again but from the opposite direction.

Gray raises some interesting questions about the individual and the possibility of one person changing the course of history.”


Gray, (2009), Greg Wohlwend, 5m

SOCIETY: Immortall, (2010), Evan Miller, 5m

“Take a poignant walk through the life of an alien caught in the midst of humanity. You arrive on Earth (presumably) as a crawling little blob, fostered by some very nice people you grow and in turn, protect them. From who and why is up to the player to decide and ultimately, the game will leave you thinking about what you just played. The changing background colors, the scenery and your foes are all simple in design but put together in a way and style that makes it truly an elegant visual experience.”

www.kongregate.com/games/Pixelante/immortall

Immortall, (2010), Evan Miller, 5m

video

SOCIETY: Every Day the Same Dream, 2007, Paolo Pedercini, 5m

“Every day the same dream is a slightly existential riff on the theme of alienation and refusal of labor. The idea was to charge the cyclic nature of most video games with some kind of meaning (i.e. the "play again" is not a game over). Yes, there is an end state, you can "beat" the game.”


Every Day the Same Dream, 2007, Paolo Pedercini, 5m

video

expression in minigames

Interactivity make these minigames highly unique in matter of expression through an art form.

Literature – we read (ideas described symbolically)

what happened.

Cinema – we see (ideas visualized) what happened.

Videogame – we make (actions to become ideas) it

happen.

modes of expression in minigames Themes have a wider scope than regular

games. Stories progress with player engagement. Communication with the receptor happens

through a process of learning what and how to do.

Player occupies the position of the doer, not of an outsider: alien, worker, communicator, mother, boyfriend, girlfriend.

Innovation is in the mediation.

Reference - games

Colour Series, (2009/2010), SilverStitch Coma, (2010), Thomas Brush Distance, (2010), Austin Breed A Mother in Festerwood, (2011), Austin Breed Every Day the Same Dream, 2007, Paolo

Pedercini Gray, (2009), Greg Wohlwend Grey, (2011), Kevin McGrath Imoortall, (2010), Evan Miller Loved, (2010), AlexanderOcia One Chance, (2010), Awkward Silence Games Passage, (2007), Jason Rohrer

Reference - +games

Don't Look Back - http://www.kongregate.com/games/TerryCavanagh/dont-look-back

Platform - http://kafkaskoffee.com/junk/Platform.html Inquisitive Dave -

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/449208 Elude -

http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/summer2010/elude_play.php Aether - http://armorgames.com/play/2153/aether Creaky Old Memory - http://www.creakyoldmemory.com/ Alter Ego - http://www.playalterego.com/alterego Howard Glitch - http://www.howardglitchgame.tk/ The Infinite Ocean - http://armorgames.com/play/7327/the-

infinite-ocean I Can Hold My Breath Forever - http://dai5ychain.net/breath/ The Company of Myself -

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/518729

Reference - sites Adult Swim games - http://games.adultswim.com Armor Games - http://armorgames.com/ Molleindustria - http://www.molleindustria.org Kongregate - http://www.kongregate.com/ Jay Is Games - http://jayisgames.com/ Newgrounds - http://www.newgrounds.com/account/ Persuasive Games - http://www.persuasivegames.com/ Games that make you Think about life 1 -

http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/1/Five-games-that-make-you-think-about-life/

Games that make you Think about life 2 - http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/22/Ten-games-that-make-you-think-about-life/

Games that make you Think about life 3 - http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/48/Another-20-games-that-make-you-think-about-life/

Games that make you Think about life 4 - http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/87/ten-more-games-that-make-you-think-about-life/

Nelson Zagalo, [email protected]. http://nelsonzagalo.googlepages.com

B. http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com

F. http://www.facebook.com/nelsonzagalo

Expression and Narrative in Minigames

Entertainment & Humor

Transcript of Expression and Narrative in Minigames