I really wanted to write a snarky 140 character twat response to the Gears 3 leak on Kotaku, but I can’t, due to an overwhelming blast of first-gen-Gears-nostalgia and some intimate self-reflection.
My original thought was: great, more Epic (pun intended) cut scenes about characters I don’t care about, and half-built game mechanics screaming: FUCK-WE-GOTTA-SHIP-THIS-THING-BUT-WAIT-ITS-STILL-BUGGY-OH-WHATEVER-JUST-ADD-ANOTHER-CUTSCENE-THERE. Okay fine… im being snarky when I said I wouldn’t be. I think this might be a good opportunity to have a little chuckle at the fact that this “leak” is, again, such a gigantic deal. I mean, its not like penguins are dying over this leak, and really, the only people that get in trouble when something is “leaked” are usually the NDA signing employees. Okay fine, so this leak was just some kind of technical malfunction… but still.
Oh! ButWaitWhat?! Wasn’t it Gears that got me out of my online-scrabble and online poker bender, and launched me back on a console for the first time in over a decade!? And WHY was that you ask? CO-OP, collaboration, self-discovery, building community, and learning about others. Oh mi!
Sometimes I connect with a part of a story, and then I land face first in the uncanny-valley of emotions. Climbing out of the valley, I feel violated and am forced to ignore all future in-game expository attempts. As you progress through their heavy-handed narrative, the Gears people (and other mega game developers other than VALVE) like telling you who/how/when to care. Does this work for you? It never does for me. Due to the narrative limitations of cutscene-heavy shooters like Gears, my in-game story is identical to yours. Why do I hate this so much? I think it’s because it makes me feel like less of an individual, less unique, less special. WEH!
So why am I even talking about this silly game that I claim to have nostalgia for but don’t even like playing? I guess its because my experience of playing the game cannot be separated from the physical embodiment and act of playing. Where was I?… Who was I with?…. How long did we play?…. Did it become a nightly routine until we beat the game?
I would argue that my nostalgia today came from my memories of playing co-op shooters with ex-boyfriends, or friends… at home, or at parties… through my projector, or at a conference booth with strangers. People like playing with other people… building a self reflective yet collaborative, (hi)story. But honestly, sometimes we don’t want to play with the other children. That’s when I pull out my iphone –(#nowplaying Zenonia 2, & Lilt Line).
The soon-to-be-released single player PSP game Where Is My Heart depends upon character-collaboration as part of its core mechanic. Other than creating a cool-looking and fun-to-play game, what are the Heart developers doing? The PSP, a naturally single player device, is a unique place to ask/answer a question about collaboration. If it was a three person party game, the game might looks the same to an onlooker; but the player experience would be immensely different. Essentially what the game is “saying” is that collaboration (in Where Is My Heart) is the only way to progress.
I guess that I’m just looking for more. Its not you, Gears of War 3, Its me. Oh, I mean, Its not me, its you. You are no longer exciting, innovative, engaging, or “immersive.” I feel like you don’t even know me anymore… or care about MY needs, Gears. What I’m trying to say, is that I think we need a clean break, and that, yes, we can be friends in the future… but probably not in the near future…
Moving on…
I am really excited to play Jason Rohrer’s newest game, Sleep Is Death (play the intro!), which basically combines two (out of three) of my favorite activates: interacting with or meeting people online, and playing games. With customizable rooms and behaviors, this game is rife with emergent gaming possibilities and potentials. WANT~!!!
The following image I took of Jason Rohrer at the Serious Games Summit Keynote at the GDC last month. Paolo Pedercini and Jason Rohrer’s talks dominated bitches, flowing from Baudrillard and Vertov (things I know!) to the nash eqilibrium (know!) and some super-uncomfortable mathy stuff (fail).
So thanks, indy game people, for challenging my brain and doing unique things. You all rule. Who said games cant have lofty, pedagogical, and/or politically charged goals?!
