Video Game Narratives

    When we discussed games in class, we examined what were the actual requirements to fall under the title of "game." We wondered about plot. Does the story have to be an integral part of the game? Or can the user apply it? Does it actually have to be fun or is it purely for the completion of a goal? These questions and many more are the subject to intense study and debate. I doubt I could touch on all the issues. So instead, I'm going to focus on plot and touch on some of the other concerns depending on the game example. All of these examples are through video games, such as The Legend of Zelda, The Professor Layton Series,  Jurassic Heart, and Super Hexagon.

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/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-revisted/

     The Legend of Zelda is one of the cornerstones of my childhood and many others. The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure video game series by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The first game, The Legend of Zelda, was released in 1986. The most recent release was The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword in 2011. The current game count is 15 individual games, which share the basic characters and items. The Legend of Zelda series has a rich story about its main character, Link, which crosses centuries and even realities. The plot of the series is so detailed that Nintendo has released an official timeline of the story.  I cannot explain the full story, since that would take an entire post (or 8.) While each of these games has an established plot with character personalities, dialogue, and relationships, there is a little room for the player to add their own stories. Since Link is a silent protagonists, one of the games hallmarks and one of its jokes, the player can substitute their own reactions or create Link's personality.  Other players prefer the silence and focus on the actual game play mechanics. Another interesting aspect of the Legend of Zelda series is style. While a few of the games share visuals due to

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gaming system or time period, there is a wide variety of styles. The original games have the nostalgic pixelated appearance that first endeared gamers with a basic inventory and simple controls. Twilight Princess is known for its detailed, more realistic style with a darker tone. The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks games have a bubbly, cartoon appearance. The Legend of Zelda series is an example of the wide variety of styles that appear in video games. Another example of fascinating plot and style is the Professor Layton series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Professor_Layton_and_the_Curious_Village

     Professor Layton is a puzzle adventure game for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. The series is currently composed of 5 games and 1 film, with a 6th game and 2nd film in planning. The Professor Layton series has an established plot following Professor Hershel Layton and Luke Triton as they solve puzzles and mysteries. The game format is drastically different from The Legend of Zelda. There is no combat system or boss battles in this DS adventure. The game focuses on individual puzzles, which vary from riddles to math problems, in order to gather picarats. The thrill is solving brain-teasers, riddles, and word problems. It seems like a flashback to the elementary school days, but the difficulty of the puzzles rises through the games and provides a wonderful challenge. Overall, each game focuses on a different mystery.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/04/10/
professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-au-review

Professor Layton and The Curious Village focuses on the protagonists' visit to a little town, where the residents are obsessed with puzzles and locating the Golden Apple. Each character has a very distinct personality. Two of the great delights of the games are the game (and visual) style and its music.  The series has a set game and visual style. All of the games share the same puzzle format and appearance. The characters have dramatically different appearances, more akin to caricatures than anything realistic. The voice acting and music emphasize the quirkiness of the series with flourishes and magnificent violin and piano arrangements. As one of my personal favorites, I sincerely recommend the game. Here's the website for the first in the series: http://professorlayton.nintendo.com/curiousvillage/ Try the free demo and get a feel for the puzzle format and game style.  For a completely different game plot, check out Jurassic Heart.

http://hima.gptouch.com/games/jurassic_heart/

     Jurassic Heart is the game my group discussed in class. Basic Summary.....Jurassic Heart is a dating sim where the player is a high-school girl meeting up with her friend to buy a ukulele.  He dropped his old instrument and needs to by a new one. In a touching back story, the player learns that her friend has stage fright due to a humiliating event earlier in his life. The humiliating event was dropping his ukulele in front of the school and being laughed at when he couldn't pick it up. Why couldn't he pick it up? Well, he has tiny arms...because he's a T-Rex. A tyrannosaurus rex. Jurassic Heart is a parody of Japanese dating games. The humor of the game is the characters acting like a t-rex is an everyday part of life. Some of the cliches of the Japanese dating game are prodded gently: the tragic back story, the 

http://hatoful.wikia.com/wiki/
Hatoful_Boyfriend_Wiki

conversations, the cheesy confessions, and a sugary sweet ending at sunset. Japanese dating games are very popular and wide-spread. Some games have intense, realistic characters and plots. However, it is very available for parody and humor. Jurassic Heart is one example. Hatoful Boyfriend, a dating sim about pigeons, is another. Admittedly, Hatoful Boyfriend becomes incredibly dark in subject along the way. Sounds silly, since it's a dating game about pigeons in a pigeon school, but I warned you! ....None of you are going to believe me after viewing the start screen, are you? Anyway, the dating sim and dating sim parody are two types of video games that include plots and characters. Some video games do not have integrated plots, characters, or even a sense of humor or fun. These are challenge games.

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Super Hexagon is an "action twitch" video game developed by Terry Cavanagh. The goal of Super Hexagon is to maneuver a small triangle around hexagon, square, or pentagon obstacles through small openings. The game varies speed, color, and music as it increases difficulty. Eventually, the player notices a pattern in the game. Until you notice that pattern, you're basically a panicking wreck of a gamer as you attempt to keep up with a rapid beat and nauseating pattern. It can be done, really. There aren't any "real" characters in this game. It's based purely on player vs. computer challenge. A player could personify the triangle or player's pointer and give it a plot (in the style of "Thomas was Alone" where simple geometric shapes are actually given personalities.) Mostly, it's the challenge. Another example of challenge is Give Up. Give Up, A Game About Failure and Regret (no really, it's on the title screen), is a game where the player maneuvers a tiny blue man around multiple obstacles in order to reach a door. These obstacles include: falling blocks, guns, lasers, saws, and blasting spikes. There isn't a story line about this little blue man. The blue man is just a stand-in for the actual player. Over the course of this game, it becomes incredibly personal. Give Up is an example of when the player IS the actual video game character. A computer constantly insists that you give up, the game mocks you with a giant blue button labeled "GIVE UP," and it becomes a personal challenge to defeat this game. Here's a link to the game (if you don't mind a few hours or days of insanity, you love challenge, and have a strong sense of sanity and perseverance): http://armorgames.com/play/13662 If you'd prefer to watch someone else battle the game without stressing your own mind, here's a video of a "Let's Player" playing the game (there is profanity in the video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqvOWi0DjHM Overall, these games are good examples of one type of video game. These games do not have a set plot and lack a sense of "fun" (unless you count the pure thrill of victory and survival at the end.) These games are based on challenge.

http://laughingsquid.com/
give-up-an-insanely-difficult-flash-game-about-failure-regret/

   What kind of games do you enjoy? Do they have integrated plot and characters? Or do you create stories for characters or play as "yourself"? Maybe you have a game that provides plot and asks you to add stories (like the DragonQuest series.) Are you having fun or crying from frustration? Are the battles or puzzles your challenge or do you prefer something a little more insane? Overall, video games are one of the most varied forms of entertainment. And writing this makes me want to play some games, so I'm off to watch someone play Give Up on Youtube. I'm not crazy enough to try it myself!

Love and Rockets as Literature

The Hernandez brothers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Love_and_Rockets_(comics)

Graphic Novels offer a unique perspective into culture and society that literature is not capable of. Literature, a novel or short story, can describe some of the nuances of a situation, the clothing of a

character, and their inner most thoughts- but it relies on the interpretation of the reader. A graphic novel can communicate culture, emotion, and other subtle meanings through images. One interesting example of a graphic novel as literature is “Love and Rockets.”

“Love and Rockets” is a comic book series by the Hernandez brothers. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez are the main contributors with occasional support from Mario Hernandez. “Love and Rockets” is the title of several ongoing serial narratives: Gilbert Hernandez’s Palomar stories, Jaime’s Hoppers 13 or Locas stories, and other shorter stories.

The Palomar stories are based in a fictional village in Latin America and its inhabitants. The series is also referred to as “Heartbreak Soup.” One of the prominent characters is Luba, the tough, female mayor of Palomar. She has a distinct no-nonsense attitude.

Hopey (left) and Maggie (right)
from the Hoppers 13 stories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Love_and_Rockets_(comics)

Hoppers 13 is about the tangled relationships and dreams of a group of Chicano teenagers in California. “Chicano” refers to Mexicans residing in the US, but also applies to the Chicano Movement of the 1960-70s and people of Mexican American background. While there is a negative attitude referring to the usage of “Chicano,” the characters of the story reside in the early days of the California Punk scene and would most likely embrace the term. (I can’t be certain; I’ve only read small portions for class.) Two of the main characters of the cast are Margarita Luisa “Maggie” Chascarrillo and Esperanca “Hopey” Leticia Glass. These female leads are occasional lovers, which is a focus on many of the Hoppers 13 story lines.  While the characters are referred to as their early teenage stage, the story develops as they grow into adulthood. “Maggie” was a world-travelling Pro-solar mechanic and now an apartment manager.

Overall, both Palomar and Hoppers 13 have strong characters in personality and development. While female and male characters share the plot lines, both stories feature strong, independent female characters. Palomar has the female mayor, Luba. Hoppers 13 features Hopey and Maggie. Both stories also have a distinct influence from Hispanic cultures. This influence is prominent in appearance (which is much more accessible in graphic novel form due to the images,) speech and slang, and other means. Hopper 13’s character design, specifically clothing and hairstyles, also reveal the influence of California punk culture and time period.

Fascinatingly, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez contribute vastly different art styles for these stories. Palomar is based on a grittier, more value-based comic style. The characters are a little mores realistic in

Two character from the Palomar Stories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Love_and_Rockets_(comics)

appearance, but the stories touch on the fantastic and supernatural. Palomar’s grittier style supports the dramatic, often slightly disturbing content. Hoppers 13, on the other hand, has a style similar to The Veronica or Archie Comics, which supports the idea of teen discovery. It also allows the reader to more easily read emotion and reaction due to simple lines and values. A standard format or rectangular or square frames with speech bubbles along the top allows the reader to focus on the illustrations and characters.

Graphic novels and comics can elaborate on written descriptions with images. These images can create a standard or consensus on character appearance or development. The images can also create an elaborate atmosphere with background alone, whereas a written piece of literature might need to devote paragraphs of description on every new environment or character movement. Both graphic novels and written literature have advantages and disadvantages, but it mostly relies on the preference of the reader.

Federico Fellini

In order to research director authorship, I watched three films by director Federico Fellini. I was completely unfamiliar with Federico Fellini and randomly selected the following films: La Dolce Vita, Nights of Cabiria, and La Strada.

     Director Federico Fellini is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century and has received numerous awards, such as 5 Academy Awards. His early style was based on Italian Neorealism, which was a national film movement characterized by stories based on poverty and the working class with non-professional actors. He broke away from neorealism with the film, La Strada. His work became more controversial in its themes of societal decadence, redemption, and women in the films Nights of Cabiria, Juliet of the Spirits, and La Dolce Vita. La Dolce Vita became one of his most well-known films, winning Palme d'Or at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Costumes.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/

     La Dolce Vita is a prime example of Federico Fellini's authorship with its focus on a flawed, discontent characters, conflict based on daily concerns and dramatic relationships, and an ending that is more bittersweet than happy. La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film of a journalist in Rome and his constant worries about his status in life and his relationship with women. The film is particularly interesting for its format, the entire film is divided into a prologue, seven episodes, a kind of intermission, and an epilogue. Federico Fellini takes advantage of any format in order to show the passage of time and character development. Throughout the film, the journalist Marcello forms many romantic relationships with different women. These relationships, along with his friendship with Steiner and other male characters, reveal Marcello's discontent with his status in life and his goals. In true
Fellini fashion, Marcello does not find true happiness and continues with his life. A few more themes which appear in the film are the juxtaposition of the poor and rich, the shallow concerns of the wealthy, and personal decisions.  The fourth night sequence of the film shows Marcello attending a party at his friend Steiner's home. Steiner is a wealthy intellectual with a luxurious home and the ability to practice many different hobbies. While Marcello enjoys the wealthy environment and confesses his admiration for Steiner, Steiner is discontent. Even with his wealth, Steiner wonders about a more spiritual way of life without money and his concerns for the world. As Steiner is proposed as a potential future for Marcello with a loving family, luxurious home, and the ability to pursue his own interests, the film provides a stunning twist. The end of the film reveals Marcello, appearing to have learned very little over the course of the film with a lady on his arm.  While Marcello appears to have learned very little, the main character of La Strada face a much harsher lesson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Strada

     La Strada is the story of a strongman performer named Zampano and his assistant Gelsomina. Gelsomina is sold for 10,000 lire to Zampano and taken on the road for his street performances. Initially, Gelsomina helps by playing a drum and trumpet and clowning for tips. This companionship quickly sours as Zampano proves irritable and cruel. After Gelsomina escapes the act and encounters Il
Matto, Zampano catches her and forces her to continue their acts. Il Matto offers Gelsomina advice by suggesting that escape her servitude in a different manner and that every person has a purpose. Gelsomina proposes marriage, but Zampano refuses. In a dramatic ending, Zampano murders Il Matto and hides his body. Gelsomina's spirit, which has endured cruelty and uncertainty, finally breaks and she is inconsolable. Zampano abandons her and learns, years later, that Gelsomina died. The film ends with Zampano sobbing, drunk and alone. While Zampano learns a lesson, he discovers his answers much too late.  The last film I watched was Nights of Cabiria. This film continues the theme of the poor individual and their discontent with life, but offers a more optimistic ending.

     Nights of Cabiria focuses on Cabiria, a prostitute in search of a meaningful and lasting relationship in Rome. Fellini met trouble with financing this film since a prostitute as a heroine was a difficult concept. However, Fellini was willing to argue for his film and his incredible focus on the dregs of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Nights_of_Cabiria

society. Throughout the film, Cabiria faces difficulties with her relationships as her lovers steal and hurt her. She manages to remain bright and optimistic until her fiance reveals his true colors. Finally in a relationship with the possibility of a future, Cabiria is faced with betrayal as her fiance steals her life savings and abandons her. Despite this betrayal, Cabiria's spirit manages to survive as she smiles with a group of cheerful parties on the streets of Rome.

     Overall, Federico Fellini's authorship reveals his daring. Fellini was willing to use controversial themes, such as dramatic relationships with women and the use of impoverished/immoral main characters, in order to reveal inner conflict and the true possibilities of a human. All three of these films reveal a different aspect of human nature, brought about by human relationships and spirit. Marcello, in La Dolce Vita, shows how personal decisions play the ultimate role in character development. Even when faced with difficult relationships and the loss of everything stable in his life, Marcello proves impossible to change. Zampano and Gelsomina, of La Strada, discuss the importance of every person and their ability to affect others. Zampano, specifically, learns about loss. Finally, Cabiria shows indomitable human optimism and spirit. Fellini takes advantage of unusual filming formats, such as La Dolce Vita's episodic style, in order to emphasize his point. The black and white format only makes the emotion and drama more dramatic. Federico Fellini is known as one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century for great reason.