I, video game (2/2)

I didn’t have any inkling that such childhood experiences in digital games would someday be a part of a collective engagement with technology that would be critically studied, and will form one of the many perspectives from which to view today’s society and culture.

This perspective was taken by Discovery Channel when it made in 2007 a documentary presenting a comprehensive exploration of the past, present and future of games and gamers. ‘Rise of the Video Game ‘ (or I, Video Game) is a five-part documentary that presents a historical and critical account of games: how it represents society and how society is now imitating games. I’ve seen the first part and trying to download the rest.

The first part — aptly called ‘Level 1’— is a must-see for anyone who would want a better understanding of games and its socio-historical dynamics; and the larger view of the people, ideologies and technology that gave birth to this ever-evolving cultural phenomenon.

Level 1: Games as by-products of war and societal changes
The Cold War’s promise of mutually assured destruction resulted in a disquieting standoff, which drove computer technology to create missile simulations — an important process in predicting the effects of a nuclear war. This same computer technology was used to create games such as the ‘Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device’ in 1947, which involved aiming missiles at a target, and was inspired by the radar displays used in World War II.

The same warfare technology also gave birth to ‘Tennis for Two’ in 1958. It’s credited to be one of first electronic games to use a graphical display. This game, which simulates a game of tennis or ping pong on an oscilloscope, was developed on an analogue computer by William Higinbotham. He was an American physicist who helped found the nuclear non-proliferation group, Federation of American Scientists. Apparently, he created this game to amuse visitors to Brookhaven National Laboratory annual visitors’ day.

The game 'Spacewar!’ created in 1962 exploded, not surprisingly, during the mania of space exploration — another frontier for conquest by the Cold War super-powers.

The 70s, with its hippy movement and worldwide openness to change, was an exciting time for games development. 1972 saw the birth of the first home gaming console, the Magnavox Odyssey. It was designed by German-born American inventor Ralph Baer, a leading figure in the development of video games and the video game industry. The Magnavox Odyssey became known as the all-purpose box that could be hooked up to the box of all boxes at the time: the television. While the TV was the model of passivity leaving users to merely watch and receive, Magnavox allowed users for the first time to control the TV.

During the same year, Nolan Bushell and Ted Dabney founded Atari, Inc., which signaled the birth of gaming as an industry. Atari became a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. Its most products — the most popular of which is the game ‘Pong’ — helped define the computer entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid 1980s. The original ‘Pong’ was an arcade version of the ‘Table tennis’, the best-selling game of Magnavox Odyssey. In a time when women’s emancipation movement was gaining power in America, playing Pong somehow sparked a liberating experience. Located in bars, this video arcade was something accessible to the women who now ventured into these formerly male domains. According to the documentary, it became quite common to challenge men to Pong competitions.

Across the other end of the world, Japan was also seeing this new wave of game development. Tomohiro Nishikado created Space Invaders, which was later licensed to Atari. It was such a huge success in Japan that it triggered a 100 yen coin shortage. The smash arcade hit reflected the strong push for developing electronics in Japan at that time, and the collective experience of the atomic bomb. In the words of the documentary makes, Space Invaders, combined the culture of Godzilla and the technology of games as it was literally a game where weapons of mass destruction were dropping from the sky.

Unlike the Age-of-Aquarius-70’s, the 80s saw a time of big money and big business. The games technology was getting better and better and an influx of games hit the market. Atari increasingly became more bureaucratic, marketing and business-oriented. Rather than creating creative games, the focus shifted to sales, and the goal was set to get more and more games into the market, at the expense of quality and creativity. Not surprisingly, this worked entirely against the company as sales dropped and many games remained unpurchased.

The 80s might have been marked by the shift from activism to big business, but it also was a time when the Cold War games were starting to fall into the background and new concepts of games were emerging. In a period where space shooting or Pong-derivative games were the mode, other new genre of games was spreading their wings.

Pacman was born in Japan. Designed by Toru Iwatani, it’s credited to be the first game to have a protagonist. It reflected Japan’s different ‘tolerance for cuteness’ (evident up to the present) and a different way of perceiving games. Its inventor wanted to create a game that would appeal to both males and females, which made him turn to food — his pizza to be more precise — as inspiration.

In Russia, Alex Pajitnov invented ‘Tetris’, again paving the way for a new genre of games. Tetris was not cultural-specific and required a different way of thinking in real-time. Decades later, nearly every video game console and computer operating system, as well as other mobile devices would have Tetris (or one of its many variants) available for users. People would close their eyes and still see the Tetris shapes falling endlessly.

While the Cold War games started to fade, and the control of Atari in the gaming industry began to waver, other new players by the name of Nintendo and the plumber, Mario, were about to enter the scene. And society was undergoing its own change of guards.
(Up next: Level 2)

I, video game (1/2)

I often wonder how my eight-year old nephew really experiences video games. He has Playstation, PSP and Wii, which he shares with his brothers and nephews. Every now and then, he also plays games on his mom’s laptop. He’s growing up amidst a revolutionary time for games and the gamer.

When I was his age, my brother and I didn’t have any game consoles or personal computers. Our first experience with digital games came about a year or two later in the form of ‘Pyramid’ a built-in game on a black Casio digital watch. It was a gift from our Tito (Uncle) Alex working in Saudi Arabia (all nephews and nieces got one). I was thrilled not because it was ‘imported’, but because I was challenged to score higher than my brother and cousins. Yep, it was exciting for me to be able to catch the little triangles falling and make sure if all fell nicely in place to form a big pyramid. I had no idea then that Tetris existed and that I would be addicted to it in the future. Anyway, I guess the first signs of my obsessive nature started to reveal itself as it became my daily goal, wherever I was — bathroom no exception — to top the previous day’s score. I was also very pleased with myself when I discovered that pressing a hidden button gave me more chances allowing me to play longer.

Then came Nintendo’s ‘Game & watch’, handheld electronic games that were simply fast and fun to play. I can still see very clearly in mind the words, ‘GAME A’ and ‘GAME B’. These were pretty much the level of difficulties, but that was enough.

My first ‘Game & watch’ was the game, ‘Chef’. Chef had to catch the food in his pan, while a cat did its best to steal it, and a smug mouse took the food Chef spilled on the floor. The shapes of the sausages, chicken drumstick falling so fast are still imprinted in my mind, but most especially the panicky expression on the very simple and yet memorable illustration of Chef. Again, my inquisitive mind took over as I found out that if I pressed the ACL button long enough, I could get the highest score of 999


Then I moved on to the big time. Well, not me exactly, but my older cousins who bought an Atari game console. The younger batch, to which I belonged, was not allowed to play whenever we wanted. We had to be at our very best behaviour while the older ones played Space Invaders and Asteroid. And then, only after several hours of playing (if and when they took a break) were we allowed to take turns. I remember watching with awe as the boys shot the asteroids and bought down the invaders. I simply thought, ‘I could do that, and even better’ and making a mental note to pray to Jesus later on and ask for super powers in case aliens invaded the planet.

After that I was introduced to the Legend of Zelda (thanks to the same uncle who bought us the Nintendo family computer) and then there was no turning back. I can still feel the awe of holding that shiny golden cartridge in my hand: I was marked by the game-wanderlust and from then on, games would play a significant role in my life and my imaginings. For the first time, my love for storytelling was merged with the thrill of exploration, puzzle-solving and exploration. I didn’t have any inkling that such childhood experiences in digital games would someday be a part of a collective engagement with technology that would be critically studied, and will form one of the many perspectives from which to view today’s society and culture.

On the lighter side

There are a lot more topics served in reboot that whet my appetite, but I will share those musings another time. Here’s some lighter stuff that help me reboot on a daily basis:

• There’s a game console designed for active playing indoors and outdoors
• Crowds naming products and getting paid for it
• And my personal fave — a 2.8 inch karaoke machine (w00t!)

Sometimre ago, I read about Locomatrix, a UK-based company that develops location-based games. Locomatrix creators, Richard Vahrman and Moira Nangle, who described themselves as ‘keen walkers’, wanted to make game that would encourage kids to play outdoors. Now, there’s ‘Swinxs’, a game console designed to encourage active and social play among children. It’s created by Swinxs B.V., a Dutch games developer.

How it works: You’ve got Swinxs, the game console. which talks, cheers and explains the games, referees and keeps score. Then there are the XS tags, wristbands with microchips that communicate with the console. It starts the games, retrieves player profiles and measures performance. Up to 10 individual players can join in a game.

Players can connect Swinxs to the computer through a USB cable to download new games (for free) and upload performance data at swinxs.com. They can also issue challenges, share experiences. The games are grouped by age and category and are mostly educational and adventure games. A software development kit (SDK) is also available that lets players or third parties create their own games for the system. I haven’t tried it myself, but it looks like the kids are having fun.

Then there’s ‘NameThis’, an online site where community members submit names for products and services requested by innovators. Their selling point is that why settle for the ideas of the few when you can get the ideas of the crowd. People requesting names pay $99 and within 48 hours are guaranteed to have three ‘world-validated’ names for their ‘thingamajig’. The site is powered by Kluster, which claims to use complex algorithms that let the brightest ideas surface, not just the loudest ones.

They take $80 out of each naming fee and distribute it to the members who create/influence the top three names:

1st Place: $40 to Namer, $10 Shared Amongst Influencers
2nd Place: $16 to Namer, $4 Shared Amongst Influencers
3rd Place: $8 to Namer, $2 Shared Amongst Influencers

Check out the names being bounced around – some are quite witty and right on target, while some can make your hair stand.

Last, but definitely not the least, is the world’s smallest karaoke! Created by a Japanese toy-maker (Tomy Co. Ltd), it’s a seven centimetre (2.8 inches), on-the-go, must-have gadget for the young pop-star wanna-be. It targets elementary school kids, girls in particular, who adore pop stars.

This so-called ‘Hi-kara machine’ comes with headsets, but can also be used with a second set of headphones or put on speaker mode. Apparently, the invention of the Hi-kara machine follows the trail of an emerging trend in Japan, called ‘hitokara’ -- or "lone karaoke" -- which means going out to sing karaoke alone.

I can imagine myself doing karaoke alone in the house, but it’s much more fun to do it with your friends (and lots of beer and lots more food ;-p ). I think I’d use the Hi-kara not to go on a solo karaoke trip, though, but I love the idea of mobile karaoke! But then again I’m Filipino so I think that’s hard-wired in my genes. ;-p

Planet Earth's a playground

That’s how Locomatrix sees the world of gaming these days. From the bedroom back into the real world. Locomatrix is a UK-based company that develops location-based games.

If you’ve got a GPS-enabled phone or a compatible phone with a GPS receiver, you can download the Locomatrix application. Add some friends and a wide, open space to start playing. From their video, it seems that the wider the space, the more fun you’re bound to have.

Locomatrix creators, Richard Vahrman and Moira Nangle, who described themselves as ‘keen walkers’, wanted to make game that would encourage kids to play oudoors. They already used GPS in their walks and so they devised their idea around this technology. The company also believes in keeping Locomatrix an open platform and want to encourage other developers to create their own games. They’re looking into expanding their game offerings to include role-playing, strategy, games of cooperation, team competitions and a lot more.

This development in gaming appeals to me a lot since it goes back to the basics. It brings back memories of play experienced as children: the exploration, thrill and shared adventures. This trend comes as no surprise as this fervent childhood memory of play, discovery and imagination has given birth to classics like the Legend of Zelda and has been the foundation of Dungeon and Dragons.

In our very own Amsterdam, the Waag Society has already started on location-based games about four years ago with Frequency 1550. It’s a mobile learning game using mobile phones and GPS-technology intended to help students increase awareness and interest in history and educational abilities (interpreting historical sources and reference), while at the same time enhancing communication & collaboration skills (game tactics. Through this citygame, Waag Society is researching ‘…whether actively experiencing history through the immersing qualities of a (location-based) game and the creation of your own media (pictures, sound, video) adds to the understanding and appreciation of the city and its history.'

I did a similar project at school around the same time Frequency 1550 came out in the news. It was called the ‘Amsterdam Mobile Adventure’. It was a mobile game intended to promote the city of Amsterdam by inviting tourists to a ‘quest’. They would decipher clues and hunt for information by going to different places, which would earn them enough points to get rewarded. Rewards take the form of discounts and offerings from participating business establishments in Amsterdam. Sadly, as with most school projects, I never got to see this take off. But maybe it’s not yet too late?...

thoughts on games and ads

i make a distinction between games that are / part of the interactive narrative itself and those that are obtrusive because they're real function is just to be simply channels of the brand. many companies nowadays use stories or games in online campaigns albeit unsuccessfully, because they still tend to apply old rules to a new medium. a lot of creativity - and restraint - are needed for advergames. creativity in developing concepts that authentically reflect users needs and restraint in injecting the brand in every nook and corner. i think for and advergame to be successful it should be prepared to lose part of its advertising nature and embrace the fun and chaos of games. advertisers should immerse themselves in the gamers' world and respect their culture. start with the very basic: gamers don't like being distracted from the game. that's just disrespectful and totally against the Code ;-p .the challenge is to make the 'branded environment' disappear: weave the proposition seamlessly with gameplay. this is why emotional interfaces like avatars can hold huge potential for advertising or branding. make it about the user, not about the brand. brand = user.

check out two sites i got from our company blog:
jelly battle - these jelly-buggers are quite addictive. simple, smart, entertaining. kewl.
le courage was visually stunning and had a promising basis, but the story was not cohesive and was not sustained. it was thin. also there wasn't really a gameplay to speak of. the game was more of an afterthought that an integral part of the story.