Meagan Painter

Game As A Work Of Art And Cultural Artifact

Advancements in technology have led to many improvements in the gaming world. Modern day video games have really improved and continue to improve over the years. For example, the complexities of scenery in video games have improved due to technological advancements in graphic design and computer software.  The objects and characters in video games have grown to look more realistic, but aside from the advances games three decades ago have remained pretty similar to modern day video games. 

According to Aarseth, "In terms of game mechanics, gameplay, and social aspects, not much has changed in three decades. Yes, where there used to be tens or hundreds of simultaneous players connected to a game server, now there are thousands. But players still play in 
small groups of between two and a few dozen members…"

Aarseth is basically saying that video games have always consisted of common components and aspects.  All game require certain mechanics ran by the gamer him/herself.  The mechanics always allow the gamer to enter the game, whether its fighting, running, jumping, or shooting. Gameplay as always been a part of a video game regardless of the age.  There is always a goal introduced by the game.  The gamer has to achieve this goal and "win"the game in order to reach an end. 

Aarseth touches on the importance of the gamer him/herself and how events and change and dynamics of a game can make the gamer feel. Gamers can often feel emotions or make decisions in games that can be applied and seen in reality.  This explains the possibility of games effecting the mentality of games, therefore effecting society around us. 

This article is successful because Aarseth seems to promote a strong credibility.  Aarseth knew the games and was able to provide many examples, arguments, and details to support his argument. After reading the article I feel like I better understand how to successfully make cultural associations through video games. This insight will be extremely helpful with the current project I am working on with the video game Bioshock Infinite. 


"The Sims Medieval" by VanOrd + "Define Real, Moron" by Aarseth's + "Gamer Theory" by Wark

Authors Aarseth, VanOrd, and Wark all propose creative arguments by discussing gaming and what exactly gaming can me.  "Define Real, Moron" by Aarseth's brings to attention the complexities of defining and analyzing a "game" by introducing fallacies of other individual's definitions and conclusions, while "The Sims Medievel" by VanOrd and "Gamer Theory"  by Wark are two compositions that more or less focus on analyzing a specific video game, The Sims.  

Even though the work of Wark and VanOrd focus on a common game, their approaches are quite different. Wark forms and analysis using what Aarseth calls a "semiotic approach/definition", while VanOrd's presents more of descriptive definitions of The Sims Medieval based on what Aarseth mentions as a "functional/mechanical approach".   Aarseth describes a semiotic definition as drawing conclusions from deeper aspects such as symbolism and how it presents external and internal references.  While mechanical approaches describe the tactics, goals, game setting.  

Aarseth recalls in his work the conclusion made by Ludwig Wittgenstein that "a word like game has no essential definition, but is rather a term for a family of similar phenomena." Meaning that any proposed definition of a game can be argued by another individual's idea because there it is close to impossible to reach a single definition of a game. VanOrd's pieces almost seems to plainly describe the story line of the game, yet if you read closely you can pick up on the detailed opportunities of choice that are presented throughout the game.  Such as how the gamer can ask for help or find clues on his on. VanOrd mentions these situations that can be analyzed but does not make a final conclusion, he leaves the definition open which closely compare to what Aareth considers accurate; proposing different findings to create a larger explanation/definition.  It is not until the end, where VanOrd concludes that "the gamer becomes a servant to the game".  This statement proposes a fallacy, because not all people may see it this way.  In contrast, Wark is able to propose different interpretations which relates more closely to Aarseths definition of defining what a game is. 

Critique From the Works of Grayson Bonds and Eliza Larkin

   After viewing two more examples of work, I was able to learn a few techniques I could use to benefit my project.  The work was by two students who took the same class I am currently in, therefore being the same project, which was very helpful.  Both websites successfully presented their intended argument and answered the question of what a video game can tell about themselves and society using dream interpretation techniques. The two websites I viewed were from Grayson Bonds, and Eliza Larkin.  

         The first website I viewed was Grayson Bond’s.  I noticed first off that Bond did a great job of conveying a mood. I found the dark galaxy like background juxtaposed with the title, “Dreams Of A Gamer” to be clever and attracting. The page caught my attention and set the right mood the content it included.  I hope to do the same in my own project.  I also like how Bond included an abstract, this lets introduces the sole purpose of the website itself and I found this a clever technique. Also, as I read Bond’s “Dream Diary” I felt that I was actually in the game.

   “I nearly died trying to fight it. That thing looked like a gorilla with three eyes and could hit with the power of a UFC fighter, two hits and KO.”

   Bond’s narratives also contained a sense of humor that I found interesting. The vernacular was serious with “game like” terms, and the next he seemed like an everyday person, no someone fighting a battle in the world of Skyrim. This added reality to this dream like phase. Titling the narratives “Gamer-Dream Diary” was helpful to the viewer because it clarified to the viewer that the “games” were being interpreted as if they were dreams.

   The second website I critiqued was Eliza Larkin’s.  Like Grayson Bond’s, the website was successful in clearly presenting her argument. Though, Larkin’s layout and design was a lot different.  As for the background it was simple, but this allowed all the attention to be pulled to her creative graphic on her homepage, which was a movie/slideshow.  The music and visual effects really made the site interesting and unique.  I liked how it called to attention the different aspects a video game brings into people’s life such as “Adventure, and Role-Playing Action”.  I found this technique wonderful.  The only thing I wish Larkin’s had done is maybe elaborated a little more in her conclusion. The good versus evil conclusion seemed a little vague and broad.

   Overall, I found both of the student’s work beneficial.  I am now aware of how important it is to use good techniques as I create my own website for this project.  Using techniques such as attention grabbing designs/graphics, well-written content, and organization are crucial to having an effective website.  

Games as Allegories for the World

   An allegory is a piece of writing that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. After reading the section titled “Allegories” within Mackenzie Wark’s CyberBook, The Gamer Theory, the reader begins to ponder the question, “Can we explore games as allegories for the world we live in? Makcenzie Wark makes the reader think about this critical question as she compares a simple computer game, The Sims to a deeper meaning.

   Mackcenzie Wark begins by describing the everyday life, task, and achievements of a character named Benjamin, a Sim. Wark explains how the player of the game has the power to create a virtual identity, in which the player can virtually buy nice furniture, a nice home, nice clothes, and other materialistic items that humans tend to want in everday society. Anything that the player, or should you say the “Sim” desires, can be bought through the simulated reality. 

   The game designer, Will Wright “If you sit there and build a big mansion that’s full of stuff, without cheating, you realize that all these objects end up sucking up all your time, when all these objects had been promising to save you time..,And it’s actually kind of a parody of consumerism, in which at some point your stuff takes over your life.”

   Will Wright makes a key point of making fun of suburban Americans, but I feel the parody Wright mentions only scratches the surface of the meaning that lies within this game.  I believe that people grow addicted to this game because it becomes more satisfying then their everyday lives. The gamer becomes powerful as they control the life of their virtual character. The choices and desires they chase and achieve reflect deeper meanings about who they really are. The game develops into an allegory of the world we live in.

   “For Benjamin, the fragmenting of the modern world by technique, the profusion of commodities that well up in the absence of a coherent whole, finds its expression in allegory, which fragments things still further, shattering the illusion of bourgeois order, revealing the means by which it is made.

   Wark also reveals hidden meanings by discussing the close comparison between the gamer and a God-like figure.  The gamer has the power to provide everyday needs to the Sim. If the Sim needs to go to the bathroom, eat, exercise, or sleep, the gamer must chooses to provide these needs for the Sim or not. 

   “The game ties up that one loose end with which gamespace struggles — the mortal flaw of an irreversible time. No wonder the Sim turns in vain to the gamer as a God, for it is the gamer who has turned toward the game as a messianic, reversible time.”

   Because the gamer has so much power in choosing how to treat the Sim, the choices the gamer makes can reveal the gamer's personality. The Sims game clearly shows deeper meanings.  From the parody revealing how obsessed members of our society can be to materialistic objects, to the revealing of the gamer's characteristics through choices they make while playing, all support my conclusion that through deeper meanings, these games can be analyzed as allegories of the world around us.    

Comparing Multimodal Projects 

   The two websites I chose to critique were created and written by Reid, and Sarah Hicklin.  The main purpose of both of the students’ websites, was to explain and reveal to the viewer that like dreams, game playing can be analyzed in a way that reveals a deeper meaning about the players themselves, as well as the world around us.  They were able to create a final analysis on this subject by presenting their personal experience and analysis of three games they chose to play.

   The first website I viewed was Sarah Hicklin.  I found Hicklin’s website was very creative.  It stood out to me because it included an interesting design layout with a unique component.  Hicklin’s organized her webite well and without looking at every page, I was able to easily identify her purpose.  Her idea of including a Prezi presentation was a creative approach.  It was the first thing I wanted to look at.  I like how the Prezi Presentation gave a clear analysis and description of the whole website. It gave a quick conclusion of how the three games, The Story of Contra, Escaping Prison, and A Walk in the Park all portrayed deeper, important life lessons. For example, Hicklin mentions that A Walk in the Park, “The game clearly depicts how being kind and generous with our time and efforts can help everyone have a better life.” Even though Hicklin summarized her whole project into a Prezi Presnetation, she also went into detail on the various pages of the website.  I was able to look more into each game she played to read the narratives and research she conducted to support her analysis.

   The second website I chose to analyze was not as pleasant to the eyes as Hicklin’s was, but what it lacked in graphics, it made up for in successful rhetoric and mode setting.  Reid’s website had a plain red background, but after reading the website you understand the correlation with the symbolic red background, and three games that reveal a common comparison between an apocalypse and a corrupt society.  I also like how Reid is able to make the viewer feel connected and interested by adding videos to the pages on his website.  This is a successful technique because it allows “non-gamers’ to relate to the critical points he makes as he analyzes Mortal Kombat,  Call of Duty, and  Pirates: Tides of Fortune.

   Overall, I feel like both Hicklin’s and Reid’s websites were very effective.  Even though they used different approaches, both were successful in presenting a solid analysis with supporting detail involving the three games they chose.

On the Nature of Dreams

“Among the many puzzles of medical psychology there is one problem child, the dream.”

Carl Jung begins by mentioning how unique the unconscious state of dreaming is. He explains why studying a dream is a much more complicated and complex process compared to other areas in medical science.  Medical psychology cannot be tested through the usual means that we find with most scientific data.  Therefore, there is not a definite experiment that presents and explanation for what causes dreams, or what they mean.

Jung argues that even though there is not enough valid proof, dreams have meanings, and dreams can be analyzed.  Dreams have the power to speak through your unconsciousness and reveal achievements, resolve problems, and give guidance to actual reality.

“A dream may perhaps supply what is then lacking, or it may help us forward where our best efforts have failed.”

“The dream may either repudiate the dreamer in a most painful way, or bolster him up morally.”

Jung emphasizes on the significance dreams can have.  A person’s dream can be deeply analyzed to reveal certain traits that the dreamer themselves, may be unaware of.  Jung explains that dreams are a way to interpret our lives we are living and events occurring around us.

Dreams may sometimes be cryptic and discombobulating.  Jung’s method for deciphering includes simply reflecting and discussing personal experiences the dreamer has encountered during life. Jung believes that any dream can have a meaning, but only the one who knows them the best is capable of revealing the hidden meanings within it.

Furthermore, I found Jung’s elaboration on dreams interesting.  I never thought of dreams serving has guidance.  Expanding on current dreams and interpreting them into advice and guidance with future events and trials could be a successful approach for my project.

Short Story Analysis 

     The Giving Gift, is a short story written by Brain Joseph.  The story is about a young boy who grew up giving one of his toys each Christmas, to a less fortunate child who could not afford to receive presents for Christmas.  The young boy's mother made the gift giving a tradition.  She passed it down to her little boy, in hopes that he would hopefully continue the tradition and pass it down to his own family, as he grew older.  By the end of the story the reader learns that the “gift” continuously repeated throughout the story, is not a physical present such as a toy or shirt, this “gift” is actually unseen.

     “The receivers of these gifts are often initially unaware of what they are actually receiving. The gifts of forgiveness, sharing, fairness, and caring are the most valuable gifts.”

     The gift that is passed on through the story is the gift of giving.  The giving gift tradition continued into the boy’s adulthood.  This was a gift that was possessed by the giver and passed on through the receiver.  In the story there is a family that is on a tight budget, yet they still give. Its not about the quantity or qualities of the presents given away, the true gift is that the family wanted to give to others. The gift was a kind and sharing heart the givers possessed, and this was the gift that was passed on from generation to generation.

     I chose this short story because it has a similar “giving” motif as the memoir I am currently writing.  In my memoir I want to get the reader to understand that more people need to give to others, and that it does not matter what people give, or how much they give, it’s the fact that if everyone gives a little, they can make a difference in the world around them.  Through Joseph’s short story, he reveals the gift of giving as something that is unseen.  This is a perspective I can incorporate into my memoir.  It allows the reader to form they’re own question, “Am I a giving person?” “Could I give up a little time and money to help those in need.” “Am I being a role model to my children?” “Am I teaching my kids the value of giving to others in need?”

     I want to be able to successfully communicate to the audience, just as Brian Joseph did the Giving Gift.  As I read the short story I was able to feel sympathy and self-awareness.  I felt sympathy for the families that were so needy.  I felt self-awareness, because I thought of how many presents myself, and my family received and gave to one another around Christmas time.  Joseph’s short story made me feel greedy and unaware to what was going around with other families that were possibly right down the road from my neighborhood.  It would be so simple, and almost effortless for my family to fork out a little extra money in order to give gifts to less fortunate families.  The Giving Gift was a wake up call.  By reading Joseph’s short story I have learned techniques that will allow me to present a problem occurring in society, without forcing a strong point of view on the message the story sends.  This allows the readers to create their own perspectives on the issue the author presents, and therefore leaves openness, which can make a short story successful.   

Structural Analysis 

     I decided to write my memoir using a hierarchical structure.  I felt that this structure would be the most suitable and interesting to use for presenting the events of the journey I tell through my short story. The hierarchical structure includes a setting, motivation/aim, action to accomplish the aim, complication, and outcome.  At the beginning of my memoir I describe my surroundings using vivid detail.  This successfully paints a clear setting for the reader, and allows the reader to visualize, smell, and hear the things I experienced on my trip to Nicaragua.  Using detail to create a setting at the beginning of my memoir will make the story feel more realistic to the readers.  The motivation and action section of my memoir will be composed of the goal of my mission team, which was to assist and help the needy villagers.  The motivation will be discussed before the action to add value and explanation that backs the action itself.  The complication will be brought up next.  Complexity keeps the reader’s attention.  In my memoir the complication will be when I present the problem that the amount of help needed in the poor villages of Nicaragua far out weighs the amount of people wiling to contribute a helping hand.  This will be similar to a call to action, and it will engage the reader by making them reflect and form a perspective on the complication.  The outcome will conclude the hierarchical structure, and like the complication portion of my memoir, the outcome will be somewhat indirect and open ended.  The conclusion will leave the reader pondering and forming questions.  By leaving the conclusion open-ended, the outcome will vary depending on a reader’s personal experience or thoughts. I believe that I successfully applied the hierarchical structure to my memoir. Because my memoir follows the guidelines of the hierarchical structure, my short story was strengthened.