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| RARITY: AN ESSAY ON VIDEO GAME THEORY ~PRELIMINARY IMPRESSIONS~
When one encounters a certain video game that compels him or her to try it out (introduced either by screenshots, trailers, articles, forum discussion, in-person discussion, or any combination of these), what would be the reason(s) why it became attractive in the first place? Is it the genre? Is it a game that has been hyped to the point of being recognized in every media imaginable? Perhaps it is a long-awaited successor in a popular franchise? Or maybe it is because the gameplay makes it appear fun? Any of these are possible, but how exactly does someone come to the conclusion of what fun is to them? When a video game is first announced you will often read a preview based on initial impressions of either developer interviews or other eyewitness accounts of the already finished product, though not yet commercially released. This is where a game will first be brought into acknowledgement.
It is important for companies to let gamers know the bare bones facts on the product. Nowadays you will often see on the back of game cases the descriptions of the graphics, the characters or story, etc. It pretty much sums up the presentation but what does this say about the gameplay? Let us assume a new game has been released without any prior knowledge of it. Marketers will oftentimes throw in numbers and statistics on the back of the box to make it appear you will receive hours of enjoyment. Such examples are "Explore dozens of worlds in photo-realistic visuals" or "Collect over 200 kinds of monsters" or maybe "Featuring ten all-new characters in a genre-defining battle system". These are obviously made to get you excited about the game but they actually don't help when it comes to knowing the means in what you'll actually be doing. Am I just exploring and nothing else? Will I be collecting through battling or otherwise? Why should I believe a certain system is a breakthrough?
Descriptions on cases should be limited to briefly mentioning the gameplay elements, and providing keywords to help the gamer understand the genre(s) influencing the game, focusing minimally (preferably not at all) on graphics and statistics. They should correspond with the appropriate screenshots and not give away so much as to take away from its mystery as a game that has yet to be played. The in-depth details will then be left to the responsibility of the instruction manuals, where numbers, figures, and a thoroughly comprehensive explanation of the gameplay system should be revealed. By allowing the gamer to perceive a game based on short preliminary facts on how the game is played instead of how it will appeal to the senses will better the chances of enjoying it for a longer term and thus justifying the purchase or decision to play it. It should also be advised not to put quotes or sayings of praise by publications in order for the game to credit itself unbiasedly on its own qualities.
The most important things to keep in mind when you first boot up a game is to realize 1) what you already know to play, and 2) what you are playing to know more of. If a player knows these essentials and how they are applied to the game then there shouldn't be much difficulty. There's nothing more frustrating and confusing than to go through trial-and-error from the very beginning, wandering around through menus and levels oftentimes confused. Some might make the argument that guessing and toying around with the game's mechanics could eventually lead to desired results. However, having an unclear position on a game throughout will not always equal a good and thorough gameplay experience. Not understanding what to do with newly given attributes as a game progresses, which holds particularly true with games that require the player to deal with customizations and dire decision-making which may affect their progress later, is unsettling for the player so much that help will have to be consulted constantly and perhaps playing will be stopped altogether. Continued interest in a game relies heavily on the importance of clarity from the very start.
A skeptic will often ask: does clarity in a game mean the complete absence of frustration? Absolutely not. For example, a player may encounter frustration trying to solve a puzzle or surviving against an attack pattern a boss uses. Despite not being successful, what is clear is still the objective. You know you have to solve that puzzle or defeat that boss in order to continue the game. If a player finds that the next task afterwards is not attainable because there is no hint of information regarding what means are to do it (particularly in games where this happens on a frequent basis) then this is where the lack of clarity hurts the gameplay experience and causes confusion. A well-designed video game directs the player to what is needed to be done. It is then up to the player to perform the required tasks with the learned knowledge of the play mechanics and apply them to the gameplay setting. Real challenge should not come from the game forcing the player to wander around waiting for the next task to appear after the last has been completed. Searching for objectives is not gameplay. A game's objectives should be given and clear enough for the player to continuously test their abilities. This is the best technique. | | |
| RECOLLECTION: SEEING THE END OF THE LINE
Not long
ago I was on the first floor of the library of my university waiting for rush
hour traffic to clear before heading home. During that time two girls who I got
to know just a couple months ago came back to the booth where I was hanging
around. They had left the library earlier for reasons I didn't know but I could
already tell they were having a deep conversation when they were gone and were
pretty excited about what they had discussed. Apparently they were both going
through a series of stress and frustrations in their lives and they came to the
conclusion that they needed to look back on their faults and see the areas that
needed improvement and focus on how to go about doing so. It was a sort of
self-reassessment, which to me sounded like good therapy for them.
I sat
beside them figuring out what they were up to. They got pieces of paper and
pens out and began writing a list of dos and don'ts and what goals they were
aiming for, short term and long term. One of them asked me if I wanted to write
up one of my own. I hastily declined at first but then eventually felt obliged
to do so. The whole time I was joking around, but they were quite serious and I
gradually became more and more serious myself with what I was jotting down. As
I was conjuring up what areas in my life I felt warranted the most improvement
on I tried to reassure them that even though we were writing all of this down
it wouldn't necessarily mean we would follow it 100%. However, the fact that we
were realizing who we were and what we want to accomplish shows that we do care
and we learned to want to better ourselves. I think all of us felt much better
after that night.
However,
there were a few things I did not dare write down for fear they would manifest
themselves horribly in real life. I didn't share exactly what all my worries
and concerns were openly to them. Just a few weeks prior to that night I had
withdrawn from classes pertaining to my major, something which I am not happy
about and did not make anyone else happy for that matter. Though I am not quite
sure for how long, I must have been depressed for days following the withdrawal
of the classes. But instead of relieving the situation like I was hoping it
would, all it did was produce a series of more headaches that are still
continuing to this day. The worst part of it all is that it is taking a toll
the most on family members who I feel whose energy and resources are being
unwantedly drained because of these events. Our long term plans ruined in less
than a month.
So now
after getting in entanglements with immigration and losing my standing as
a student as well as jeopardizing my chances for residency here, I knew I took this entire thing for less than what it was worth and for not rightfully
acknowledging the magnitude and consequences of my actions. All I can say is
that if you're citizen of the United
States do not take your citizenship for
granted. Make use of it and appreciate it. The amount of frustration to
go through the number of obstacles I must dodge to reach that goal for me is
nightmarish. No one should go ever through this, especially those who fight to
stay here for so many years and haven't gotten to the next step yet they still
persist. Now I'm beginning to understand and sympathize with those that do. As
for those two who got me into assessing myself that one night, I had only
wished I had met them a long time ago to do this reflection. I felt like I
really needed it. Would I have taken more initiative then? I'll never find out.
Sad isn't it, when someone continues to fail to know how they stood or how they will stand. | | |
| RECOLLECTION: NO REST FOR THE HARDCORE GAMER
Video games (just like today’s movies, music, and television) are starting to
really suck. It seems that for the past 20 to 30 years or so, as technology
advances, artistic substance is beginning to wane down considerably. I find
this very unfortunate. Everyone is too busy caring about eye-candy. I just feel like modern creators are more interested in
superficial qualities rather than producing a memorable gaming experience that
will nourish your mind. To be honest, I’m tired of buying a game only to find
out it has little, if any, value or worth in the play mechanics. For the past
few months, I’ve been finding myself selling back more games than I’m buying.
When something like this is happening too often then I know something just
isn’t right.
What does it mean to be a hardcore gamer anyway? The term
tends to differ depending on how someone defines it, but usually they are all
quite familiar. In my perspective, it is someone who is able to enjoy a wide
selection of games of many kinds and evaluates based on how a game works. Importance
is placed on how rich the gameplay is over everything else. Even though you can
play almost anything, there are only a handful of titles that are actually
impressive. I always find that the best games are the ones that are simple you
can pick up and play, yet contain a certain amount of depth or difficulty that
will mostly likely turn off the most casual average player. Has it been a while
since the last time a video game kicked your ass within the first couple
minutes?
I look back when I started playing video games and I realize
that the ones that really mattered to me had little to no story and graphics
and sound were just byproducts. They thrust you right into the action with a no-nonsense, no-holds-barred attitude. Most of these games I loved were by Nintendo
and I understood why they are at the top when it comes to fun. I later began to
enjoy games by Sega, Konami, Capcom, Taito, SNK, Namco, Chunsoft, Treasure, Hudson,
etc. All of these companies understand the meaning of what creates a terrific
game and that is why they are still in the business. They understand that video
games are video games, nothing else. There’s far too much focus on transforming
them into something they’re really not. Video games are not movies. They never
will be. Video games are not books. They never will be. Video games are not
realism. They never will be!
Lately I’ve been discovering many hidden gems and unknowns
for the Famicom, PC Engine, SNES, PS1, Saturn, and N64. So many fantastic
unheard-of games just waiting to be played. A near endless amount of
shoot-em-ups, beat-em-ups, fighters, puzzle games, and action titles I didn’t
even know existed. They are very artistic and ingenious in their game design
and really put your brain to work by testing your skills and reflexes, which is
more than what I can say about today. It’s hard to believe how all of these
games are 10-20 years old yet deliver far more depth than almost anything on
the market right now. What the heck happened? Where and how did things start
going wrong? It’s as if no one is inspired by the games back in the day anymore.
I can’t think back to the last time a game blew my mind because of its play concept. Many games now are annoyingly made in such a way that the gamer becomes frustrated not as a result of their own mistakes but rather because of the game's poor design.
Remember when using a walkthrough was considered cheating? I
find that a lot of players like to do this: buy a game because it looks good
and then use a walkthrough to get by the game’s system so they can enjoy the
storyline and graphics more. It sure gets old hearing people call a game great
because of its story or visuals. Is this the reason why people play video games
now? I’ll give you something to think about: take any game (that isn’t sports
because all sports games are the same) and imagine you’re completely stripping
it away of all its technical features and judge it only from the core of its
gameplay. Will you still be able to enjoy it afterwards? And how good is the
game now without all that excess? All this talk about making a game a
“multimedia experience” or “realistic interaction” is kind of missing the point even though it's what companies appear to be aiming for the most.
So who exactly should be placed at fault here? The
developers or the gamers? Maybe it’s just everyone. And I’m not just speaking
from my own point of view nor am I trying to be arrogant. A lot of frustrated people
out there would agree. I would place the blame on developers for building games
in a way that are too mediocre that gamers are finishing them quickly or have to consult walkthroughs. I would also place fault at
gamers who buy in to the trendiest of titles that aren't good representations of what great gaming is. All this builds up to a sell-out
chain reaction that is really hurting this once thriving culture. I understand that there
are people out there who don’t have the time or interest (which is the
majority), but I really think the main goal here is to change the
makeup of the industry as we know it. Everyone needs to realize that games just need to be games again.
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| RECOLLECTION: CANCER, METALLICA, AND MY DEPARTURE FROM NURSING
Earlier this year, my aunt in Iligan City, who I have not seen since before the war in West Africa, was suddenly diagnosed with cancer. It came as an unprecedented shock to all of us, but especially her kids, my cousins, who were all out of the city either working or in school. I became quite worried now that none of her immediate family were available to take care of her. News spread of it quite quickly that even non-family members and friends knew without us even informing them. I later learned that the problem actually started a while ago, but nothing was done before to treat it ahead of time. Her youngest daughter messaged me and I, as well as my mom, tried to provide some comforting company.
About a month prior to this, another one of my aunts on my mother's side had also been battling cancer. I first heard of it just right before she would be undergoing surgery. I knew her very well because I grew up in Chicago with her and her family members. I used to play with her daughter because we were both the same age, and we'd always hang out at her grandmother's house almost every week and see each other during any major family occasion. I currently do not know what is her status as of yet, but I really do think she is pulling through just fine. I was trying to doubt about what happened, but I guess that's what a lot of people do when something they never thought would occur actually does become reality. At the time, I just didn't want to believe it.
No matter how much you try to deny something, it will eventually get to you in some form of acceptance. One year ago, one of the people who stayed with my aunt and uncle in California, had cancer and was going through chemotherapy. We'd see her every time we visited their care home. It eventually came to a point where her cancer was too extreme that full-blown radiation would no longer work and there was nothing that could be done anymore. Treatment was given up and she went home to the Philippines, where she passed away. I lamented on this for a while, because she didn't deserve this. Nobody does. I couldn't forget about her, or all the other people I've had to learn about who had to have an ongoing fight against something as malignant as cancer.
For the past few months, the band I've been hooked on the most was Metallica. I've always known they were a great band. It's just that I never knew how good they truly were until I dove deep into their musicality and lyrical genius. I've been listening to the song "Until It Sleeps" more than any other song in recent memory. I remember hearing the song and watching the music video when the Load album came out. I wasn't very impressed because I, much like every other fan, thought it was just wasn't Metallica. However, after all this time, I'm realizing now how meaningfully great this song is and how symbolic its accompanying music video was. The song itself talks about cancer, which was what bandmember James Hetfield's parents both died of. Listen to the song and pay attention to the lyrics. I'm not feeling any other song right now.
The most recent addition to the rapid change of events this year was my decision to quit nursing school at my university. Everyone is either confused or wondering as to why, and an explanation is rightfully deserved. However, it is all mostly personal. My reasons for leaving are multiple, an accumulation of events and emotions that finally drove me to leave the program before it begins to adversely affect my performance and those around me. It was not an easy decision and nor am I happy about it. It has been the hope of a lot of people to finish this and has been our plan for such a long time. I knew what was at stake, but it just came to a point where I just couldn't function well academically anymore and I did my best to not show it. I do wish my peers the best and that every one of them successfully becomes the caregiver they worked hard to be. | | |
| RARITY: THE MEANING OF PEACE
At the time of this writing, I will have attended university
classes for four years now. When try and look back at what I’ve done, for some
reason I cannot manage to appreciate a lot, if anything at all, as to what I
have accomplished. It sort of brought back feelings of high school, where all I
was doing was progressing through year by year without much reflection or
something to fondly remember as each school term ended. I honestly did not
think the same case would apply when I started taking courses at the
university. But now those repressed bullshit of high school have returned and I
cannot seem to find the right explanation why. Damn it, this is the kind of déjà
vu I seriously did not want. Despite all that, trying to graduate is really only
the tip of the iceberg I’m afraid. Maybe I’ve just been daydreaming too much.
I think it has been a while since I found a truly peaceful
moment. I remember moving from Chicago
and feeling quite sad. We settled in Michigan
somewhere along the outskirts of Detroit.
I hated the place at first, because it such in stark contrast to how things
were when I was growing up. The people were really not to my liking upon my
first encounter. Whenever I needed to be by myself, all I would do was go
outside and walk around the neighborhood. We were a community of townhouses
which outlined the perimeter of the hospital my mom worked at. It was a fairly
safe area, so whether I would walk around in the morning, midday or at night, I
did not have the same kind of worries I had when walking about the streets of Chicago. It was serene
each time. Walking around made me forget about anything else.
A year or so passes and now we end up in Vegas. Here was
another place which the educational system was more of an annoyance than an
asset. My luck changed when we moved to other areas and attended schools filled
with people who were so easy to label. Within that time frame from then until
now, I don’t exactly remember finding much to enjoy either. I guess I’m
difficult to entertain. However, working as a student aid in the office in the
middle school I attended brought about some relief. Even though there wasn’t
anything left to do in the office, I would write up fake hallway passes and just
walk around the school. There was hardly anyone around so I was at peace with
myself. It was the only kind of joy I got from being at that school and again,
it made me forget about everything else. Walking around was at its nicest when
the sun was out.
As I fast forward past high school (because nothing much
came out from that except the fact I graduated) and now at the university level,
I really wanted those same peaceful moments back. I was always worrying about
something and never had the opportunity to just walk around without anything
troubling me. I finally seized my chance after finding out there was a park
close to our current residence. I saw there was a concrete walkway that
encircled the park. I made it a goal to jog around the park as many times as I
could, occasionally walking and then resting. There was also a beach volleyball
court. After jogging on concrete, I made it a mission to jog in the sand, which
was much more challenging and much more fun than jogging on a flat surface. I
did so many laps that I stopped keeping track after ten minutes or so. I also
did chin-ups and stretches in the playground. Anthony then called me up and we
met up to play basketball afterwards.
I enjoyed my time at that park so much that I ended up
staying there close to five hours. Just being there by myself exercising, once
in a while saying hello to other friendly people jogging, playing, or walking
their dogs, as well as running through sprinklers against the sun’s brightness
and cold wind, I honestly don’t think all this could be duplicated for a very
long time. I was so much at peace, something I haven’t felt in years. It’s
always walking and jogging outside that makes me feel at ease. It’s a simple
concept, but nothing else compares. I could stay there all day if I could. To
be out of the house, away from the computer, the television, the video games, anything
school-related and any other kind of bullshit you can think of, is a good
feeling that when done at the right time will be pure bliss. I’m grateful for
moments like this, even if they are few and far between. I’ve daydreamed a lot about
many places around the world I wanted to go just to seek peace. I’m so glad one
place became a reality. I definitely found the meaning of peace right there.
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