What's the Point? - Reaching the Next Level of Game Design.

I like all types of games. Action, survival horror, adventure -- you name it. I play countless hours of Halo, and enjoy sharing narrow escapes with Lara Croft. I get what those games are trying to do. But my aim here is to figure out what makes a story resonate. With the right combination of characters and events, even the simplest of plots can turn into something so much more. Something that reverses the game back on the player and forces them to think about their own life relative to what the designers are asking of them.


When you enter high school, no matter where you go, there is a list of books that are required reading if you are to graduate and move on with your life. Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451(not to be confused with Fahrenheit 911), to name a few. These books aren't chosen at random; rather, they've each displayed the ability to stand the test of time. Their narratives have been deemed worthy of being passed on from generation to generation. It's not hard to see where I'm going with this -- we, as gamers, still don't have our Masterpiece. A tale so poignant that it is mandatory we know it before we are allowed to call ourselves thinking people. There are games that have tried, and valiantly failed, to transcend the medium and reach the hearts and minds of those who seek to better themselves.


Is it too lofty a goal to attain? Does the industry's by and large reliance on metacritic scores and age brackets halt any progress that might be made? I don't know the answers to those questions, but they're worth asking just the same. As we get older, our tastes change. We mature and start to see the world in a different light. That applies to everything we consume -- be it games, movies, books, politics, or anything else we focus our attention on. And with maturity comes the realization that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We all have a place in this world, and it's up to us to figure out where we want to put ourselves in relation to it. That simple revelation can lead to a deeper reflection, and that's exactly where I want to see games evolve.


I mentioned we have yet to find our Masterpiece; our shining example of what games can aspire to be. After thinking on it some more, only one game came to mind that could possibly define itself in such a way. That game is Shadow of the Colossus. Underneath its simple story and minimalist design, it poses the question, "How far would you go for your selfish needs?" The answer doesn't come easy, nor does the question itself. The game doesn't force itself on you; it merely exists. The point of the game seems obvious -- save the girl, then save the day. In the hands of lesser craftsmen, I'd agree. But Fumito Ueda and everyone working at Team ICO went far beyond the narrative confines where other developers don't dare go. From the moment you kill your first colossus, blackness engulfs you and you wonder if what you're doing is right. Are the consequences worth the risk, or are you throwing out reason to do what your heart desires?


Every aspect of Shadow of the Colossus compliments itself and mirrors its themes of love, redemption, fear and loneliness. Since there are no other enemies other than colossi, the game allows you to think about the events that are transpiring in a much broader sense than what you initially realize. And as you see your character slowly degrade to the point of near death, you finally understand at least part of the price you've paid for reaching your goal at any cost. Would a more noble person just accept the cards they've been dealt, rather than risk even more cataclysmic consequences? Possibly, but the point isn't to reach a definite conclusion. Sometimes simply posing the question yields more thought than could otherwise be reached by putting forth a certain point of view. For all its accomplishments, Shadow of the Colossus still has to stand up to time's rigorous testing. My hope is that ten years from now, people can go back to this game and see a moment in gaming history, still as giant as ever, and know that its high praise wasn't a product of the times.


Shadow of the Colossus is a perfect example of a game's story seamlessly co-existing with its gameplay. That's not to say games can't be great without doing so, but the disconnect felt when those elements don't mesh can't go unnoticed. Grand Theft Auto IV, for example, tries to tell a story of reflection and possibly redemption. But at its core, the game is morally ambiguous. Metal Gear Solid 4, on the other hand, eschewed its gameplay by rushing you through cutscene after cutscene of heavy-handed melodrama and forced perspective. Taken seperately, they can be satisfying, and even great. But to fully elevate itself to the template by which every other game should aspire to, these experiences need to be one and the same.


With everything said, I understand how hard it is to accomplish what I'm asking for. It takes the right combination of time, money, and above all, talent. Without capable minds, no strides will ever be made toward reaching a greater base level of expression. It's with this in mind that I look at what the future might hold for the games industry -- what its aspirations are, the kind of people it reaches out to, and how the rest of the world views it. Right now, I believe Ken Levine and 2K Boston are the people most able to see that future, and it's in their work I hope to find the template I so desire.


Bioshock, for all its depth and intelligence, took me by surprise. I was expecting a fantastic shooter with a competent story and a suitable world to explore. What I found was far more engrossing, and the game's financial success only makes me that much more excited for what's still in store. As is the trend with developers, there will be Bioshock clones. But I think it's reasonable to hope that whoever decides to immitate the emotions Rapture evoked, they will do so with the understanding of just what made that game so great. The way it led you by the nose the whole way without you knowing it, while all around you laid the destroyed vision of man's arrogance and ambition was near flawless. If there was any game I'd want to see mimicked, it would be this one. I don't expect an equal to rise up from such flattery, but I'll certainly appreciate the sentiment.


I'm a patient person, and it's with a positive outlook that I wait and watch where we go from here. The games industry is still in its infancy, so it's logical to expect the most profound growth is still to come. In the mean time, I'll be perfectly happy grinding away in Ninja Gaiden and Tomb Raider.


My kids just won't be reading about them in high school.