Art381 Paper

Gaming with Ideas

Architecture and games have always gone hand in hand, both play off each other in a way to create visuals going along with stories. Without visuals, like architecture consisting of buildings and its landscape, add on to the environment of that certain game. For example, Games like Uncharted 4, which is a game with amazing visuals and architecture gives it life and also adds detail inside those certain architectures. This just builds on to how important architecture is to games and how it adapts into the gaming world, giving us amazing art to view and roam freely. Thus, with our reading of McKenzie Wark’s Gamer theory adds on to the creation of a game that involves these certain aspects.

            Gamer theory is a book that basically shows the reader what a game should consist and to think about certain topics that makes a game what it is. A lot of interesting topics popped up when doing this reading, especially the one in section of the Allegory talking about the Game “Sims.” The aspect of creating these objects and trying to make your home perfect reflects actual real life consumerism and how us as people, “ your Stuff takes over your life.”(28) When I read this I thought about a lot of games that I have played over my life time so far with these customizable aspects and thinking about it, it does reflect consumerism. The obsession to keep buying things to improve either your surrounding or your character is consumerism in a parody version.

            Then on the section about battle on Rez, another striking notice that I took involved leveling up a player. Leveling up a player is most prominent on RPG games that gives you those customizable free roaming capabilities as stated in the previous paragraph. This gaining level turns into level of anxiety as explained in the reading which is something that I also relate when I’m playing one of these games. This anxiety is being anxious to level up the character to a certain level and when playing with your peers it gives more anxiety to level up to show your dominance but to be better. I do agree that it is more of a feeling of paralyzing and profound, or at least I see it that way once I thought about these certain situations. The game takes over and it’s hard to resist obtaining a certain level in the game.

            Overall I chose both concepts because they relate a lot to my gaming life and how when I’m playing I don’t think of these certain scenarios. In no way am I stating this as a negative thing as I’m sure Wark’s isn’t either. Looking at it, this is what makes a game what it is and without this it wouldn’t have the aspects of a game. Wark’s inserted these ideas because he must have experienced this himself and game creators must think this once creating their game. Games can seem this way, but where would the fun be in that if you didn’t have these feelings as games are meant as an escape from the real world. Throwing indications of reality gives a game a virtual reality appeal.

            In relation to this, my city project will consist of four blocks of structures relating to time periods like Japan and as well some futuristic building with a combination of medieval structures. I also want to give it a landscape of certain areas covered in a dystopian society with it evolving into a utopian area and leading into a combination of futuristic and medieval style. This will all lead up to my main attraction which is a Japanese Castle which will be explored once we get into the first person game.

            What I want to see in my city is aspects of Do Ho Suh because I am also looking to insert past homes, as I will be taking aspects from feudal Japan. I really enjoyed how he inserted these homes into abstract places. My thought would be to insert my feudal japan home as a hold out house. Hopefully then when my classmates insert them in their cities, they would have to insert them in a way Do Ho Suh would or the way I will install it. It would be a great way to portray using his style of work and spread it through out my classmate’s projects.

            I do feel like after reading the Gamer Theory, I was able to get a better understanding on what games do and its hard to think about these aspects while playing. It also helped me get a good idea on how I’m going to want to portray my game once I get it in development. My city will need to have aspects or ideas that can come off of Do Ho Suh as well as my own research of Architecture for it to have life.