games science

xirdalium Posted on by

Three years ago ↑Anja Rau wrote: “Look at your map of European Game Studies. Is there a white space south of Denmark? There needn’t be. Over the past two years, game studies initiatives have sprung up in Germany, too, and the rate of activities is accelerating.” (↵Rau 2004) Just last year ↑Klaus P. Jantke founded a group called ↑Digital Games Science at ‘Xing’ (formerly known as ‘OpenBC’)—now there is the start-up of an e-journal called ↑games science as well. My fear is that an overview of all the German academical endeavours concerning computergames will very soon be quite difficult to do.
 

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high end keyboard

xirdalium Posted on by

Clavier
 

“When I first saw a picture of the ↑Boomslang in an advertisement, I immediately fell for its aesthetics,” I wrote in 2004, when I first attempted a case study in cultural appropriation of peripheral computer hardware, called ↵the taming of the boomslang. Not everybody around me shared my appreciation of the aesthetics of this legendary gamer mouse—when a close friend of mine first saw my Boomslang, she said: “This resembles more a rat than a mouse.” Anyway, Razer went on producing peripheral hardware, I stuck with their product line and later got my ↵new snake, which I am using till today. ↑The Surgeon ↑likes those mouses as well—but then he is affiliated with the ↑Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL). Which leads us to my next point: The CPL favours Razer’s Barracuda sound system (↑headset and ↑matching soundcard), and the new keyboard called ↑Tarantula. Sooner or later I will need a new keyboard, so I started to hunt down the Tarantula—aesthetics and design being the materialized form of a set of cultural ideas, inducing according ambience and feeling, I thought. All very well, until I found ↑the above picture in ↑a french forum thread. Now, this guy definitely displays a laid-back, relaxed, and downright cool stance and approach towards his peripheral computer hardware.

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id animated

xirdalium Posted on by

Masters of Doom: The Animated Series
 

Meanwhile I have sung the song of high praise of ↑David Kushner‘s “Masters of Doom: How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture” (↵Kushner 2004 [2003]) enough, I guess—and really urged everybody interested in the history of ↑id Software and computergames in general to read it. For all of you who are—despite of my authority—reluctant to read, there is a solution. The book has been adapted to a popular format: ↑Masters of Doom: The Animated Series.

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digital embodied knowledge

xirdalium Posted on by

If everything goes well, on 25 January 2007 I’ll give a presentation at the series of lectures called TechnoLogics: Media—Body—Knowledge within the scope of the international doctoral programme ↑Performance and Media Studies of the ↑Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Here are the English and German versions of my abstract:
 

Digital embodied knowledge
 

The opinions about the capacity of online media in respect to the social and cultural diverge significantly. On the one hand there are those who state that those media are restrictive, rob manifoldness from human communication and interaction. This may well be the reason for the until today slow acceptance of online communities as a legitimate field for anthropology and kin disciplines. But on the other hand some authors claim that the media in question capture within their domain the whole diversity of cultural practices and expressions. This statement is seductive, but in dire need of ethnographical evidence. Correct is that since already quite some time not “only” written text is exchanged online, but varios “things” are as well: 2D and 3D images, both still and moving, sounds and music, software applications, digital objects and program code. Multiplayer computer games even enable real-time interaction in complex gamespaces. The more the collectively shared core interest of an online community falls into the realm of the mediating technologies, the more dense and manifold the interaction among the members is. Social structure and culture appear, astounding phenomena become visible, and sociocultural anthropology possesses the means to understand those. Drawing on my own fieldwork I will show that handling computer games not only generates unexpected forms of culturally produced embodied knowledge, but that this very knowledge is mediated and shared online.
 

 

Digitales körperliches Wissen
 

Die Meinungen darüber, was online vermittelte Interaktion in sozialer und kultureller Hinsicht zu leisten vermag, gehen deutlich auseinander. Die einen sind der Ansicht, daß online Medien stark restriktiv sind, und menschlicher Kommunikation wie Interaktion ihrer Reichhaltigkeit berauben. Vielleicht ein Grund für die nach wie vor schleichende Akzeptanz von online Gemeinschaften als legitimes Forschungsfeld für die Ethnologie und verwandte Disziplinen. Andere hingegen sind der Ansicht, daß die fraglichen Medien die gesamte Bandbreite kultureller Praktiken und Ausdrucksformen vermitteln können. Diese große Behauptung klingt sehr verführerisch, bedarf aber ethnographischer Belege. Richtig ist, daß gegenwärtig längst nicht mehr nur geschriebener Text ausgetauscht wird, sondern unter Nutzung einer Vielzahl von Kanälen, die unterschiedliche Qualitäten aufweisen, viele verschiedene “Dinge”: zwei- und dreidimensionale Bilder, bewegt und unbewegt, Ton und Musik, Anwendungsprogramme, digitale Objekte und Programmcode. Multiplayer Computerspiele ermöglichen gar, in Echtzeit in komplexen Spielräumen zu interagieren. Je mehr das geteilte Kerninteresse einer online Gemeinschaft in den Bereich der vermittelnden Technologien fällt, desto dichter und vielfältiger wird die Interaktion zwischen den Mitgliedern. Sozialstruktur und Kultur scheinen auf, erstaunliche Phänomene werden sichtbar, zu deren Verstehen die Ethnologie das rechte Rüstzeug mitbringt. Aus meinen Feldforschungsergebnissen schöpfend werde ich im Vortrag zeigen, daß im Umgang mit Computerspielen nicht nur unerwartete Formen körperlichen Wissens kulturell produziert, sondern auch über die Internetinfrastruktur vermittelt und geteilt werden.
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severity

xirdalium Posted on by

Severity
 

Not too long ago, when ↑KerLeone—who introduced me to “↑Quake III Arena“ (Q3A), but meanwhile shamefully has defected to “↑Battlefield 2“, the traitor—asked me what people actually are playing nowadays when they are out for the deathmatch experience, I answered: ” “↑Painkiller” (PK), I guess.” My guess was based on two observations. Firstly the ↑Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) had chosen “Painkiller” for the ↵CPL World Tour 2005, and secondly the game indeed emulates gameplay, feel, and ambience of the classical ↑first-person shooter (FPS) games. But emulation is not the original, accordingly in 2006 the CPL fell back on Q3A for the world tour’s one-on-one challenge. Although people call it a dinosaur, and although it quite naturally can not stand up to contemporary games graphics-wise, the core of Q3A is the perfect game for one vs. one competition, just as “↑Counter-Strike“ is for team vs. team competition.
 

“↑Wolfenstein 3D“ (1992) and “↑Doom“ (1993) were grand milestones on the path of creating interactive threedimensional space beyond the screen’s flat surface. Then came “↑Quake“ (1996) and shook the world of game development in a way so severe, that it would never be the same as before. Full 720° view (360° around each of two axis’), and free movement into every direction—true space! Two evolutionary steps (↵Kent 2004: 168, ↵Kushner 2004 [2003]: 237) led to “↑Quake II“ (1997), and finally to Q3A (1999), to perfection. Just a couple of days before the release, ↑John Carmack wrote: “I am very happy with how Q3 turned out. Probably more than any game we have done before, it’s final form was very close to its initial envisioning. […] I’m looking forward to what comes out of the
community with Q3.” Even after the publication of “↑Doom 3“ (2004), he voiced that of all of his games it is Q3A he is most content with. (↵Kent 2004: 169) And so is the industry. A quick glance on the ↵Quake engine family tree shows, that almost every time you play a shooter, some bit of Quake-code makes the innards of your computer revolve. The rationale behind the CPL’s announced game “↑Severity“ seems to fall into place with all this. At the moment FiringSquad knows most ↑on CPL’s plans for Severity, as they phoned Tom Mustaine, the head of development and elicitated quite something from him:
 

[Mustaine] also told us that the game will use id Software’s Quake 3 Arena’s networking system as its basis and a mix of id Software based Quake 3 graphical rendering along with refinements and improvements on their own. Mustaine said that Severity will be able to run on older PCs yet still support high end graphical features for people who have higher performance PCs. The game will also be coming to consoles and Mustaine told us he is interested in talking to Microsoft to have Severity support Live Anywhere with the idea of having PC and Xbox 360 Severity gamers play each other.
 

Mustaine isn’t revealing much about the game itself at this stage but he did tell us that the game will be a mix of modern day and futuristic themes in terms of weapons and level settings. While the game will not have a lenghty single player experience except maybe for tutorial levels, he did say they did plan for AI [artificial intelligence] bot play for people to practice offline. […]
 

Of course, creating a game for pro[fessional] gaming tournaments means adding more features that will make the game better not just for the players but also for the spectators. In addition to support for tournament ladders and detailed stat[istic]s for players, Mustaine told us that Severity has plans to expand its options for spectators, including in-game cameras that can be controlled by commentators and finding ways to display important stats to the spectators in order to get them more fully involved in the matches.

Well, back in ye olde days I had “↑Max Payne“ and Q3A, for ultimate single- and multiplayer experience respectively. Now I am looking forward to “↑Alan Wake“ and “Severity”.

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severe announcement

xirdalium Posted on by

John Romero
 

Computergames can be spectacular, ↑first-person shooters (FPS) in particular. ↑Electronic sports (e-sports) almost always are spectacular. Marketing in turn definitely has to be spectacular. Marketing a computergame for e-sports for sure will be a spectacle. From the beginning on a new project in this realm has to be advertised in a fashion which generates the most impact possible. Already the announcement should be spectacular and correctly placed. Here a lot depends on the choice of the announcer. Since decades almost every championship bout in heavyweight boxing is announced by ↑Michael Buffer, who, together with his coin phrase “Let’s get ready to rumble,” has become a trademark himself, a spectacle not only re-recognized, but cherished by the according audience worldwide. Buffer’s dressman looks and drawn out vowels have become a part of the ritual. For pre-placing a new product not only on a market, but into a vast culture, which gaming surely is, a professional announcer would not be the correct choice. Way better is to contract a legend and controversial personality, because provoking discussion is the golden way.
 

Just recently the ↑Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) has proven to have a sure hand in this kind of choice. To announce its first own game project called ↑“Severity,” the CPL sent up front one of the most prominent figures in the whole gaming business, a legend who was crucial in the shaping of what we today know as computergames and e-sports, one of the most prolific game designers, the man who coined the phrase “deathmatch”. (↵Kushner 2004 [2003]: 150) And a tremendously controversial character.
 

During the ↑CPL 2006 Championship Finals, which took place from Saturday, 16 December through Wednesday, 20 December 2006, ↑John Romero announced that the CPL will develope its own game, which will be “the ultimate FPS for team and for solo matches,” and is thought to become the “de facto standard in deathmatch competitions”. The whole announcement, available as a ↑video at YouTube, is pure vintage Romero.
 

In his book “Masters of Doom: How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture,” (↵Kushner 2004 [2003]) an essential read for the understanding of computergames and gaming culture, ↑David Kushner not only tells the history of FPS, but masterfully renders the personalities of the ↵“Two Johns”, ↑John Carmack and John Romero, the uneven but congenial pair, which indeed transformed pop culture. The picture given is by far not always flattering, especially if it comes down to Romero’s boastful rockstar airs and graces. Nevertheless he just ↑recently voiced, that the book is “100% accurate ;)”. The differing personalities of Carmack and Romero also become clearly apparent when looking at their respective weblogs. In both cases style, layout, and content perfectly match with the characters from “Masters of Doom”. But it goes even farther, or: you don’t even have to go as far as to actually look at their weblogs, the URIs already are telltale: ↑http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/johnc/ vs. ↑http://rome.ro/. Plus, the above mentioned announcement itself again is proof that Kushner hit the nail right on the head with his characterizing Romero. In the latter’s case, ↵Poirot again is proven right: Let him talk on any subject, and he inevitably will give away himself. He does so on YouTube ;-)
 

The news quickly was widely spread, and the gaming community reacts accordingly as can be read in the many comments scattered around. Romero’s boastful claim of the ultimate FPS is countlessly countered by mentioning “↑Daikatana“ and the ↑infamous advertisement featuring the glorious phrases: “John Romero’s about to make you his bitch. Suck it down.” [For the background of this see ↵Kushner 2004 [2003]: 239]
 

Although it has been mentioned several times, within the according forums and comments-pages and in here, for all those people who have a big question mark appearing well above their heads when they hear the name John Romero, but nevertheless merrily wisecrack away on shooter games: Do read David Kushner’s “Masters of Doom” and you will have the foundations for understanding contemporary gaming culture … by the way, there would be no “↑Doom“, no “↑Quake“, and no deathmatch without John Romero. Well, yes, all right, there wouldn’t have been any “Daikatana” as well, *sigh*.

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conversation

xirdalium Posted on by

Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot

It is a profound belief of mine that if you can induce a person to talk to you for long enough, on any subject whatever! sooner or later they will give themselves away.

Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s “After the Funeral” (1953)

In one form or another this opinion is voiced nearly in every single one of ↑Agatha Christie‘s Poirot-novels. Obviously it is something Mrs Christie deemed important to communicate to her readership. Although I ↵already stated that anthropologists are not criminal investigators, compare Poirot’s wisdom to the points stressed by ↑Gerd Spittler in respect to the method of Thick Participation: “[Thick Participation] implies apprenticeship and practice, natural conversation and observation, lived experience and sensuous research.” (↵Spittler 2001: 1)

The above picture shows Hercule “Poirot, played by Albert Finney, […] in ↑Murder on the Orient Express (1974) in what many critics feel is the most accurate representation of the detective on film. Heavily made up and sporting brilliantined hair and little moustaches, Finney looked the part and captured the combination of fussiness and cunning that fans of the novels had come to envision.” (↑agathachristie.com)
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multiplayer level editing

xirdalium Posted on by

In celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Apple-NeXT merger, ↑John Romero has posted an ↑interesting article about the usage of NeXT during ye olde days at ↑id Software. Set in relation to ↵three spaces, the following is especially intriguing:
 

In fact, with the superpower of NeXTSTEP, one of the earliest incarnations of DoomEd had Carmack in his office, me in my office, DoomEd running on both our computers and both of us editing one map together at the same time. I could see John moving entities around on my screen as I drew new walls. Shared memory spaces and distributed objects. Pure magic.
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pantomime

xirdalium Posted on by

Wii Tennis
 

Yesterday evening four of us took the chance to test the ↑↑Wii console. A little art gallery here in Munich takes part in the “Wii Crib” promotional event, which we take to be quite clever. The gallery is situated on the ground floor and has large display windows facing the street. For the passers-by we must have delivered a strange picture, four people waving around like mad in an almost empty room for no apparent reason. What we liked best was “Tennis” from the “↑Wii Sports“ suite [see above, and note my—second from left—tennis-pro stance ;-]. The first apparent reason for this preference is the fact that all four of us could play together. The deeper reason is that the game perfectly matches the input technology of the ↑Wii Remotes. It takes you just a couple of minutes and you intuitively grasp what is to be done and how. From then on it’s pure fun, and I have to confess that my arm still hurts a bit today. “Golf” and “Bowling” is fun as well, but as it has to be turn-based not as much as “Tennis”. “Boxing” completely falls flat in our opinions, as the correllation between input movements and resulting avatar actions seemingly is completely random. “↑Rayman: Raving Rabbids“ tries to capitalize on the peculiar input qualities, but can’t stand up to “Tennis”. Nevertheless it indeed is funny sometimes, but has almost no replay value. It’s more of a half-hearted, not succesful attempt at a demonstration of the Wii’s qualities. And then of course we tested a shooter, “↑Red Steel“, what you always see in the television commercials. This actually is a catastrophe. First of all “Red Steel” clearly is a “↑Max Payne“ clone without bullett-time, meaning it’s not at all an original game—in this case I fully second ↵Chris Crawford’s opinions. Secondly the input via Wii Remote is absolutely not suited for first-person shooters—the lack of accuracy and the latency simply are too high. Thirdly, and that’s true for all the games we played yesterday, the graphics do not at all stand up to contemporary games. All in all the Wii is fun, but everything but a revelation to the “real gamer”. It’s a great party item, and can develope to be real family entertainment, converting living rooms into lively arenas. Sometimes yesterday night I felt myself reminded of the days when I was a kid and friends of mine had gotten their first Atari console. Things may well change when the input technology advances [think ↵lightsaber duels]. I had a dream of a LAN-party where everybody jumps around with remotes in their hands. By the way, the ↑Fighternight 9 is looming at next year’s horizon.

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