Genki-Haß

Dip In and Out

2008-08-11T20:27:00.005+09:30

There has been a recent trend in the Interactive media. The traditional monolithic epic game (aimed at aggressive juvenile boys with miniscule attention spans,) that requires many hours of play to be completed, is being avoided by more and more developers. In addition to this, those in the avant-garde, who are cultured connoiseurs of the interactive arts, are being presented with shorter and more concise works aimed at those capable of comprehending complex expression.

I think it is obvious what this says about those at the forefront of the push for the maturation of the Interactive media.

Portal to a New World

2008-05-29T03:20:00.005+09:30

Recently the passions of the community for discussion and analysis of the interactive media have been inflamed by a recent work. With their latest piece PORTAL, visionary artistic collective Valve Software have again created a work of immense depth and subtle nuance. Such has been the critical reaction to Valve's inspiring effort, there are literally thousands of thought-provoking INTERNET journal entries featuring theoretic discussion and intellectual insights into the esoteric meaning of this 'game'.

The story of Portal starts with the production of the student work, “Narbacular Drop” at the Digipen Institute of Technology. In this work the player takes control of an erstwhile imprisoned female protagonist with the ability to conjure 'portals' that enable her to travel between 2 distant points as if walking through a doorway from one room to an adjacent room.

The fantastic powers in Narbacular Drop are granted to the protagonist by a sentient dungeon. The same sentient dungeon that is supposedly being used to imprisoned with her. The dungeon is sympathetic to the plight of its captive and rebels against its owner by aiding the escape of the prisoner through the use of his ability to create 'portals' within himself.

This is analogous to the life of the student. The idealistic young girl is imprisoned in an educational institution by a upper sections of a cruel materialistic society with little care for the lower down. Yet the very institution imprisoning the girl is the one that will ultimately provide her with the ability to liberate herself from society's chains.

Education here is a metaphor for the common people. As new blood enters in the world, the aristocracy fears its potential and casts it into the lowest level of society where it shall remain trapped. However the working society value this new injection of life. So rather than destroy it, they nurture and empower the young so that they may escape their imprisonment and assimilate voluntarily and work for the collective good.

With profound subversive messages such as these, it is no surprise that the endorsement of esteemed critics soon followed after the release of Narbacular Drop. It wasn't only critical endorsement that arrived, the visionaries at Valve Software soon set their site on the creators of this work. In short order the entire creative team behind Narbacular Drop were signed to the Valve collective and were commissioned to produce a new work. This new work became the piece now known as 'Portal.'

Portal, much like its predecessor Narbacular Drop, involves the protagonist using portals to escape imprisonment within a labyrinthine complex. The game begins with the player taking control of a (never named) female protagonist held within a nearly entirely glass holding cell (A metaphor for the fourth wall. Except that in this cell all walls are 'fourth walls,') with a nearby timer counting down toward zero. While this occurs, a robotic, disembodied female voice provides cold, dispassionate instruction.

Upon the countdown reaching zero, a portal appears on the wall of the cell, enabling the protagonist to escape to the area immediately outside the cell. Soon more portals appear that allow further exploration of the complex. Eventually the protagonist is presented with a 'Portal Gun' with the ability to fire portals onto various surfaces, enabling seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be bypassed as if incorporeal.

Throughout Portal, progress is made not by co-operation, in contrast to Narbacular Drop, but rather through violence and animosity. Portals are not created in partnership with a benevolent host dungeon, but rather through shooting the building with a gun and then penetrating the gaping wound in the space-time continuum that results. Traits such as these demonstrate that Portal's protagonist is a metaphor for Individualist Masculine Aggression.

Nowhere is this more prominent than the end of Portal. After the protagonist has successfully navigated all obstacles encountered, her captors (The Establishment) whisk her away for a long-promised cake (material reward). This is, of course, a ruse and it is in fact the protagonist who is to be 'baked' (Typical behaviour for those in power, luring those with talent into self imposed bondage through false promises of material riches, yet destroying them when they become too successful.)

Through the philosophy of 'might is right' the protagonist is able to use the portal gun to shoot her way out of a certain death at the hands of a cake oven. Only to eventually do battle with her imprisoner directly, resulting in the death of both. This suggests not only the ultimate failure of an oppressive aristocracy, but also the fate of those who act to preserve themselves through stubborn individualism instead of engaging with his fellow man to battle through collective unity.

This is not the first time that Valve Software have endorsed collectivist ethics. One need only look as far as the distribution of Portal for other signs. Portal was distributed as part of the 'Orange Box' along with other Valve pieces (3 chapters in the 'Half-Life' mythos and the interactive work 'Team Fortress 2.')

The anti-self interest qualities of Team Fortress 2 are immediately apparent just in the name. Despite each 'player' in the 'game' having the illusion of free-will, only by collaborating effectively with ones peers can the 'team' ultimately triumph. This point is further reinforced whenever a character dies, another appears near-instantaneously to take his place, representing the triviality of the individual to the grand scheme. Further endorsement that only through the destruction of one's 'self' can man truly hope to advance.

Three titles within the orange box fit within the 'Half-life' series of works; 'Half-life 2,' 'Half-life 2: Episode One' and 'Half-life 2: Episode Two.' First commissioned in 1998, the epic tales of this serialised work have truly captivated the artistic community ever since. Of particular note in this triumvirate is 'Half-life 2: Episode One.' Despite being the third (major) work in the series, Valve have still titled the work 'Episode One.' This demonstrates that despite countless great works of art existing, they represent a single unified achievement of collective artistic intent.

Perhaps the most striking clue to Valve's moral statement is the title given to this collection, 'The Orange Box.' The colour orange represents many things, but the most notable is its association with many populist political movements. Valve are readily associating these works with the work of those who claim the highest mandate, the will of the masses, for their actions.

Valve software, truly presenting the collective conscience of the interactive media.

A Shift in Temporal Context

2008-04-15T23:39:00.002+09:30

There come times in history when the world's culture takes a great step forward. The artistic zeitgeist shifts and the traits of quality works adjust accordingly. This is true of all artistic media, not least of which is the interactive medium.

It is stupid and arrogant to think that a hypothetical 'game' released at one time would be as good as another hypothetical game released at another time, merely because the second has identical substance and quality to the first. One must take into consideration the social context and what the appropriate ventures for that period were. That is the genre and stylistic choices that the artistic community consensus felt were appropriate for free and complete individual expression at that particular time.

Recently I commenced work on a new artistic project. Parts of this project fall loosely within what some 'game reviewers' would vulgarly refer to as a 'Match 3,' (Specifically the triggering of outrageous flights of fancy when a user lines up three or more identical objects.) Since starting this work and taking a financial and personal interest in one of these 'Match 3s', it has occurred to me that, in this current time, working on a 'game' that is not a MATCH 3 is ethically wrong and evil.

This sudden instant of revelation would suggest to me that the collective cultural consciousness has undergone one of these shifts. The time for creating messages through elaborate mechanisms of user interaction and gameplay is over. Now is the time for profound artistic statement through the stark simplicity only found in interactivity mechanisms such as the 'MATCH 3.'

For many years the established powers in entertainment have been tempting game players with byzantine creations involving many layers of gameplay complexity. Yet despite these many layers of depth, the material is inherently shallow, relying merely on the enjoyment a player feels when he 'plays the game'. This does not challenge the limits of his inner perception at all. Conversely, ostensibly simple mechanics such as the 'MATCH 3' provide the serious artist with a rich palette of expression to juxtapose against an increasingly complex money-fueled world.

At this point it is irresponsible to be using other methods of expression within the interactive media. How can a work be considered individual expression when it falls outside the zone monitored by the free-artistic community and inside the area corrupted by profit-driven corporations and appeals only to the lowest desires.

The use of outmoded stylistic choices doesn't just compromise the core message of a developer's work. It also places an unacceptable risk upon the person experiencing the art or 'playing the game.' The typical member of the game-playing proletariat is not equipped to make a judgment on a piece's temporal relevance or cultural significance, instead he will base his experience and evaluation of the work's quality merely on his own emotions or the crutch of vulgar objective criteria. He will be robbed of the full understanding of the work as the author intended it to be experienced.

The developer's social responsibility is to guide and educate the common man's experiences, opinions and actions, not to place him at the whims of the enjoyment based temptations of the power-driven and profit motivated oligarchy. To even consider allowing him to explore such areas without protection is grossly obscene.

Super Mario Bothers

2008-02-22T01:58:00.006+10:30

The once vibrant Mario Mythos is now dead, its corpse brutally molested by Nintendo Corporation. The days when Mario (A plumber, symbol of the common or 'working' man) had something of merit to communicate are long gone. The soul of the once noble plumber has been sold out to corporate FUN MONGERS out for a quick buck making time-filling distractionware to assist in rotting the souls of the innocent.

His first odyssey of any substance had Mario quest through the 'Mushroom Kingdom' while rushing to the aid of his beloved 'Princess Toadstool.' Mario journeys alone, moving ever forward from his beginning in 'world 1-1' to his ultimate end goal of defeating the evil 'Bowser' and rescuing the princess.

It is worth noticing here that the 'Mushroom' kingdom is ruled by an aristocratic toadstool dynasty rather than the mandate of the mushroom masses (the 'Mushroom retainers' rescued at the end of each world being Uncle Toms of sorts.) Additionally Mario receives no aid from those in the Mushroom kingdom (other than from his doppelganger Luigi,) which is allegedly 'oppressed' by Bowser's illegitimate rule. Nor do the minions of Bowser squabble pettily amongst each other, instead they remain firmly focused on their one task, stopping Mario.

One can safely deduce from these facts that the tale of the 'good princess' falling victim to an evil scheme is entirely false. In fact, the evidence suggests that the supposed 'Mushroom Kingdom' is in fact a peaceful, multiracial (Note that the 'minions' of Bowser never use violence against each other and very few aggressively attack Mario,) collectivist society under the guidance of Bowser. With this in mind it should not be surprising that Mario encounters no signs of any displaced members of any alleged 'Mushroom Kingdom' on his journey. It should be obvious that the princess here is in fact monarch of a colonial power intent on conquering (Note that as Mario clears each level he lowers the flag of the people and hoists the flag of invaders as a symbol of his conquest. Often this is accompanied by a provocative fireworks display to further gloat over the destruction of foreign culture) and undermining a peaceful society in order to generate wealth for the ruling classes.

Now we come to the famed plumber himself. In the original Super Mario Brothers, we find a Mario clad in faded earth tones (A sharp contrast to the bright blue and red overalls Today's Mario parades around in.) The very image of the archetypal proletariat member. Yet the evidence presented here portrays him single-handedly perpetrating oppression of the working class. This presents a glaring contradiction. At least until one considers the context of the events transpiring.

The game of Super Mario Brothers has the player controlling Mario for what is essentially the entirety of his sojourn through the Mushroom Kingdom. The game was engineered at the time to represent the pinnacle of gameplay. In this area it's success is phenomenal. Every care is taken to ensure that the enjoyment of the player is balanced against the need to challenge his abilities.

It is in the gameplay of Super Mario Brothers that we find it's most profound statement. The player, as Mario the working class hero (No doubt the player is himself a member of the common classes or the child of one,) performs horrible acts of GENOCIDE simply because they are fun. The corrupting power of enjoyment is on full show here as horrible immorality is shown in a seeming positive light.

Success in the game is typical of the modern, materialistic world. Material wealth (in the form of 'points') is distributed in the game in exchange for destructive and violent behaviour including assault, murder and frequent looting of the people's underground vaults. This subtext of 'material reward for violence' is most strongly suggested through two parts of the game.

Firstly, the 'power-ups.' The super mushroom, fire flower and starman all allow Mario to ascend to a new level of being, an ubermensch of sorts, and grant him new powers. It is typical of this games message of competitive destruction prevailing over co-operative construction, that the only way that Mario can improve his abilities is to enable further destruction of sentient life or even, (in a manner reminiscent of 'loot and pillage' policies of the past,) the world itself.

The second and more poignant example is the near ubiquitous 'koopa troopa'. Without resorting to the powers granted by the fire flower or starman, Mario is unable to kill a koopa troopa directly. Mario must either strip the land of it's fire throwing commodities and overpower the turtle with brute uncultured force, or he must use tact. When Jumped upon, the koopa troopa retreats within it's shell (rather than meet force with force, making this noble creature an example of non-violent resistance.) Mario can then kick this shell into other creatures, killing them instantly, using the creature's non-violent instincts against it. Naturally this is a core element of the game's fun gameplay.

This creates a powerful metaphor. Just as the koopa troopa is turned against it's allies, so to is Mario, twisted by the lies and deception of a colonial aristocracy, turned against his working class brothers. Just as Mario is twisted by lies, so to is the game player blinded to the obvious evil inherent in the aims of the game by shiny graphics and shallow trinkets (such as 'gameplay') that appear to his base instincts. To extend things to their logical conclusion, the twisting of the player's emotion by cheap thrills is indicative of the crushing of serious interactive art by corporate megaliths intent on profiting from the primal lust for fun. It is through this complex irony that Super Mario Brothers accurately foreshadows the coming age of gameplay's oppression of the interactive arts. It is sad indeed that society was unable to heed this warning.

Super Mario Brothers is perfect in terms of gameplay and through this it was able to make a profound statement on the state of society and it's obsession with materialism. Super Mario Galaxy is also perfect in terms of gameplay, but makes no such statements.

The End.

Distilling the Citation Process

2008-02-10T01:57:00.000+10:30

JONATHAN
BLOW

Evaluation of Interactive Art: Introduction of the Work

2008-02-02T18:25:00.000+10:30

As an author writing on the subject of art and media, one is often required to elucidate on one's own experiences with the piece. This is an invaluable literary tool for the advanced writer and is a hallmark of progressive journals for the study of interactive media.

When one is recommending a piece for consideration by the audience, one should not just provide a mere 'review' of the work's features. This shows a crass disregard for the emotional and spiritual content of the piece. It also fails to meet minimum ethical standards regarding a writer's responsibility to educate the reader about cultural standards and relevance.

It is crucial to an effective evaluation that the author not only describe the work, but also to describe his experience of the work in question; How it affected him directly, how it affects his life in general, how it affects others around him are all crucial to comprehension of the work.

With these principles in mind, I will now present a case study in appreciation of the interactive arts. This, purely hypothetical, case involves the introductory sequence of an article from a respected journal on the interactive media.

Playfield-East's latest title in the Eternal Monarch Blue series of RPGs was released this month. “Eternal Monarch Blue 8: Prince Gordon's Nose” continues the series' rich tradition of blending traditional Japanese story-telling with exciting fast-paced combat. Yet despite sticking to this tried-and-tested formula, Playfield-East have managed to breathe fresh life into the series with many innovative additions.

The author here has been thorough when invoicing superficial 'features' of the game he is reviewing. Yet there is little mention of any emotional content or cultural impact the work may impart.

Consider now an alternative introduction of the piece:

I have a secret lust. It is not for an attractive woman, fast car or efficient golf-ball hitting stick. My lust is for the Eternal Monarch Blue series of JRPGs. Something about them keeps me coming back for more, time and time again.

My associates do not understand my love and query my sanity. They think it 'weird' or 'bizarre' that I would become so enamored with a mere child's toy. When discussing the latest trends in sporting event results or popular entertainment around the office water cooler at my place of employment, conversation often turns to the subject of video games.

“What do you mean you've never played Eternal Monarch Blue 4?” I would typically exclaim, “It is the best title in what is arguably the premier post-8-bit Japanese RPG series. I must say I am shocked that a man of your calibre has not heard of this Joe.”

“I don't know man,” would reply Joe Smith, A colleague of mine, “I mostly like racing games, like Gran Turismo 4. They're fun. I just bought a steering wheel controller, you should come around and check it out some time.”

“We'll see.” I reply, masking my disgust at what the neon grip of the mainstream has reduced my associate to.

At this point in the conversation an awkward silence generally occurs. Shortly thereafter this silence is generally punctuated by some form of outside stimulation, often in the form of the water cooler bubbling.

This bubbling is reassuring. I require the office water cooler as I cannot take the hardness of the water in this region.

The World Health Organisation has claimed that water hardness has no adverse effects upon the human body. I do not believe this and I campaign frequently to have state-funding for the expensive process of water softening in this region, citing my own experiences as justification. Sadly to this day I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to help protect the public from dangerous aquatic chemicals.

In this second piece the author has introduced the serious cultural impact of the work, a struggle to illuminate the lives of others and serious environmental matter. He has achieved all this without even mentioning the subject (Eternal Monarch Blue 8) of the article.

It is obvious to any discriminating observer that the second piece is the superior introduction. Not content with merely focusing on the bland and superficial description of “what is being reviewed,” the scribe here has used his “experience of the piece” to initiate a thrilling debate between artistic appreciation of culture and the plebeian, individualistic desire for cheap thrills. The fine sculpture of cultural analysis can only be supported upon a steady and robust pedestal such as this.

*A note on the interaction between the hypothetical author and his 'associate' Joe Smith. It is probably safe to assume that as an intelligent appreciator of the interactive media, the author here does not actually have any friends, associates or colleagues with which he is able to interact with in this manner.

In these situations it is valid to construct a fictional conversation with a fictional 'friend.' Members of the proletariat are a simpler people with basic needs and desires. It should not be difficult for a skilled artisan to accurately mimic the behaviour of a member of the working classes and his reactions to being exposed to works of high-art. With this in mind any author citing a fictional conversation of this nature should be considered to have equal authority to one citing a genuine event.

Symposium on Censorship in Games and the Interactive Media

2008-01-28T02:25:00.000+10:30

I am pleased to announce the first annual Genki-Haß “Symposium on Censorship in Games and the Interactive Media” to be held in the Tintinara Community Hall on April 23, 2008. I would also like to use this opportunity to extend an open invitation to all esteemed members of the interactive art community to attend or contribute in some way to this event.

For many years, state censorship policies regarding video games have been the subject of intense media scrutiny and debate. There are many disparate parties that benefit in different ways from this moral outrage. From conservative religious organisations who seek to impose a rigid moral code on society to obese capitalist mega-corporations seeking to generate outrage to camouflage the lack of quality in the latest filth they are imposing upon the market.

With this in mind, the aim of Symposium on Censorship in Games and the Interactive Media is to form a rigid, decisive, consensus on what is and what is not acceptable subject matter and content for works in the interactive media. Agreement upon an industry-wide binding agreement on what is acceptable content is the first step in protecting game-makers right to individual expression from those who would seek to impose their will upon them.

The centerpiece of Symposium on Censorship in Games and the Interactive Media will be a two-part conference on censorship in games and the interactive media.

SESSION 1: BREAKING THE SHACKLES OF OPPRESSION – On ridding state limitations on expression and the resulting cultural renaissance.

The first session is for discussing the fascist-like oppression of the state and it's use of censorship to choke the life out of the avant-garde of interactive media.

The traditional method of defending artistic expression has been to cite supposed 'moral rights' such as freedom of speech. However, such rights are a double-edge sword as they grant large corporations the ability to push shallow filth upon the market without recourse against it. This is counter-productive to the cause of the artist working in the interactive media.

Fortunately with the advent of artists who create games, this tired argument need no longer be relied upon. Talented individuals are creating timeless works such as The Marriage (fit to be mentioned in the same breath as the works of Bach or Monet,) and other quality pieces of interactive art. Showcasing these talents is the first step in establishing the interactive media in the pantheon of 'serious art' alongside other established and less restricted media for expression and in a way that does not require an appeal to base lusts so intrinsic to 'free speech.'

SESSION 2: A BEACON OF MATURITY – On the the intellectual artist and his responsibility not to overwhelm the common man's lusts and instincts.

The second session focuses on the need to maintain high ethical standards in the works of the interactive art community.

With the right to freedom of expression comes responsibility. It is of paramount importance that base filth and orgies of pornographic violence that pose as legitimate works are widely condemned by the game-making community. Such works only serve to isolate many groups who are slighted by this indecent garbage.

It is important that the work of genuine artists not be clouded by the irresponsible and immoral actions of a profit driven minority seeking only to gain financially from increased sales. Therefore, in order for censorship to be avoided, these sorts of games must not be allowed to exist.

A note on Dissenting opinion: Dissenting views are not permitted at this symposium. As the famous proverb says “Disunity is death.”

Protecting the rights of artists to express their individual values is serious business, we cannot allow a disorganised rabble to be charged with defending them.

About Genki-Haß: Genki-Haß is an organisation formed in 2008 devoted to maturing the medium of the interactive arts and studying the effects of games and interactive media upon the social culture.

Black People in Games

2008-01-18T20:19:00.000+10:30

It has long been claimed by the Mainstream video-game INDUSTRY that black people who play games do not exist. This is an outright fabrication and lie concocted by a dying corporate megalith desperate to bolster the financial tower of cards that is their bottom line.

It may seem that there are no black game players from the façade put forward by big games companies. However, this is mere illusion, an evil sham concocted to fool the buying public so that blacks can continue to be portrayed as meek, submissive, brainless thugs by immoral, profit driven publishers without complaint from the buyers of their product.

Unlike you or I, black people do not play games with competitive or aggressive intent. They play to resolve conflicts through street parties and rap battles. So the vapid trash put out solely for the enjoyment of hyper-aggressive males doesn't appeal to them.

The fact that this negative STEREOTYPE continues to be perpetuated will only hurt the industry more and more over time. It's time we decided to stop treating black people as second-class citizens and start making games that appeal to their tastes.

Homosexuals in Games

2008-01-17T17:48:00.000+10:30

It has long been claimed by the Mainstream video-game INDUSTRY that gays who play games do not exist. This is an outright fabrication and lie concocted by a dying corporate megalith desperate to bolster the financial tower of cards that is their bottom line.

It may seem that there are no homosexual game players from the façade put forward by big games companies. However, this is mere illusion, an evil sham concocted to fool the buying public so that gays can continue to be portrayed as meek, submissive, brainless 'fags' by immoral, profit driven publishers without complaint from the buyers of their product.

Unlike you or I, gays do not play games with competitive or aggressive intent. They play to resolve conflicts through gossip and fashion. So the vapid trash put out solely for the enjoyment of hyper-aggressive males doesn't appeal to them.

The fact that this negative STEREOTYPE continues to be perpetuated will only hurt the industry more and more over time. It's time we decided to stop treating homosexuals as second-class citizens and start making games that appeal to their tastes.

Women in games

2008-01-17T01:43:00.000+10:30

It has long been claimed by the Mainstream video-game INDUSTRY that women who play games do not exist. This is an outright fabrication and lie concocted by a dying corporate megalith desperate to bolster the financial tower of cards that is their bottom line.

It may seem that there are no female game players from the façade put forward by big games companies. However, this is mere illusion, an evil sham concocted to fool the buying public so that women can continue to be portrayed as meek, submissive, brainless sex objects by immoral, profit driven publishers without complaint from the buyers of their product.

Unlike you or I, women do not play games with competitive or aggressive intent. They play to resolve conflicts through non-violence and negotiation. So the vapid trash put out solely for the enjoyment of hyper-aggressive males doesn't appeal to them.

The fact that this negative STEREOTYPE continues to be perpetuated will only hurt the industry more and more over time. It's time we decided to stop treating women as second-class citizens and start making games that appeal to their tastes.

Next Generation Post

2008-01-10T21:52:00.000+10:30

I'm tired of this already. I mean, look at that pretentious name. And a game related blog? What a bunch of unoriginal, untalented cock-slappers. This will all become a flaming trainwreck within hours.

Also, welcome. Dicks.

First Post

2008-01-10T21:36:00.000+10:30

Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was this first post. It was the subject of many months of research.

Much like the work of the great bard himself, William Shakespeare, every syllable of this post is made great because it contains that certain Je ne sais quoi. Unlike the work of Electronic Arts, which does not contain this.