stuff

Sometimes I ponder the intricacies of the universe as if it were a video game. It helps put things in perspective. Whenever I’m busy fretting about the whatnots and whyfors of life I imagine that there is an armada of hostile aliens from Uranus rapidly descending to Earth with the intentions of cramming a pineapple grenade up everyone’s ass and pulling the pin. How bad could things really be in comparison to the aforementioned scenario? Check book wont balance? Active grenade up your poop chute? It’s a no brainer which is the more preferable of the two.

Coincidentally: this method of comparison works well if you should happen to emerge from a particularly productive therapy session and have discovered you are, in fact, an egomaniac. Nothing diminishes an over-inflated sense of self-worth like contrasting your accomplishments with that of just about any video game character. “Good job on that hazardous materials assessment, Steve!” versus “Good job thwarting the spread of the Taint! (YAY!!! Two Worlds reference! That game just justified its purchase. Not really…)” Sure, praise is praise. One of those seems more worth while though.

I think it is for these reasons (and more. In fact there are better reasons) that video games have become a nearly legitimate past-time. A truly great video game can suspend your sense of belief. That vague far away sensation? That’s your ass. You’ve been sitting on it in front of the tele for 8 hours. That’s an engrossing game, the kind of experience you want to share with friends and family (until they just flat out tell you they could give two shits about it one way or the other).

What’s more: Video games can convey a clearly defined sense of morality. In this game, the world works this way. Sure GTA IV is violent, but it doesn’t really have to be (lot more fun though). Most people approach a game with their own meta-conscious and value set in gear already. But to do so robs the game world of its relevance. Star Wars Force Unleashed has you play as a “bad guy” but that mental connection is made based on what you “know” about the Star Wars universe. All the context clues (oompa-loompa music? These must be bad guys!) want you to make that assumption. But if you look at the game from a non-biased perspective, it follows the conventions of a game with a traditional protagonist. For example: Character fights wave after wave of vaguely humanoid monstrosities, character wields power his rivals do not and therefore: is better than them, character looks good in a variety of different costumes (stretching here). These are standard video game rudiments.

However, looking at a game in this way is like looking at Van Gogh’s Starry Night and then when asked to describe it to someone you say (rather skillfully), “It’s a painting.” There are many layers to a game (like unto an onion) and it is up to the player to decide what layers are important to them. Every copy of a given video game is the same, but the experiences had by the players are going to be infinite based on their perspectives. And that is the beauty of this entertainment medium (others too I guess): What you walk away with is in part, what you came with. What makes Video Games stand out from other entertainment is that they are interactive. You are not watching a character, you are the character.

Video games are poised to take the concept of morality and turn it on its ear. Games like Bioshock and Fallout 3 have proven that by connecting the player to the character through the act of choice, you nest the player further into the game world. I wanted to be evil in Fallout 3. The game world was just so bleak that I couldn’t. Interestingly enough, while certain games give you the option of making moral choices, they still frame your actions on the real world’s sense of right and wrong.

I really wish I knew what this blog was supposed to be about. Ah, purpose! How you have constantly evaded me since the by gone days of my 3rd grade science fair project. As it turns out you can make napalm at home, but you have better have a damned good (explainable) reason why.