The "Magic Circle"

In all of the video game literature I've read, a term keeps re-emerging. Known as the "magic circle", this term refers to the idea that the action occurring in video games occurs in a "magic circle". It’s a circle in which anything can happen and specific rules apply. Not only does the "magic circle" apply to video games, but it also refers to games in general. What the term means is this: within the confines of a game (let's say The Evil Within, the actions you take and the consequences that happen do not affect reality. Specifically relating to video games, think of it as a barrier. The game The Evil Within has specific rules. The player can only explore certain areas of the game world. The player can only upgrade their stats through a chair that looks like a torture device. Both of these are specific rules, dedicated to the game The Evil Within. In this specific world, certain rules apply. The same applies to types of games. Take, for example, tennis. Once you step onto a tennis court, a specific set of rules could be invoked. The court is set up to adhere to tennis matches and rules. The barriers of the court mark the end of the "magic circle". Not only is the "magic circle" something that applies to the rules of games, but I would argue that we use it as a metaphor. Have you ever been engrossed in a video game so much that you lose track of time? You get so enamored with the game world that you lose track of reality. You enter the "magic circle" temporarily, while reality continues on around you. The biggest concept of the "magic circle" is that it separates the fictional from reality. The "magic circle" is a special space where anything is possible.

The Evil Within Analysis

Recently, I completed a survival horror game called The Evil Within. This game blew me away. From the mood and atmosphere to the challenges the game made me face, I was genuinely terrified yet excited playing the game. In this post, I'm going to break down some of the elements I thought added a great amount of joy to the experience. First, let's talk about something I talked about in my last post: failure. In my last post talking about failure, I mentioned how we (as players) enjoy failing (though we don't care to admit it). Failing means we've done something wrong and are trying to learn strategies to overcome the challenge. I did a lot of failing in The Evil Within. Many times, I would play a section over and over again, trying to nail down what I could do to succeed. Once I finally overcame a particular challenge, I felt accomplished. I learned and adapted to my environment, overcoming the challenges in the process. Speaking of failing, The Evil Within does not tread lightly on difficulty. Even on "Normal" difficulty, I struggled in some sections of the game. This act of struggling is what's missing from many games these days. Not only was the game challenging as a whole, but the game's design was something fairly new to me. Mini-boss fights are sprinkled throughout the game, really picking up pace in the second half. Most times, these mini-boss fights would push my skills to the edge. If you play The Evil Within, you will become very familiar with the bosses. You see most of them more than once. Steering away from failure, let's talk about the game's AI:it's fantastic. Even the "basic" enemies had an edge to them that made them a tad more difficult than most other games' version of the "basic" enemy. What really creeped me out were the smart enemies, the one's who wore masks and would shoot at you. Yeah...intense stuff. You wanna know the best thing about the AI? YOUR PARTNER ACTUALLY HELPS. Yes, I was shocked too when I finally realized this. For a small portion of the game, you have an AI-controlled partner that helps you slaughter your enemies. He does this in gruesome fashion, and really kicks some ass. As for the environment in the game, I felt completely uneasy playing the game. With my head phones on, I found myself constantly looking around my apartment at the slightest noise I heard. The environment is a nightmare you just can't seem to escape. The Evil Within goes down as one of my favorite survival horror games of all time. What are your thoughts? Thinking about playing it? Know someone who has? Feel free to comment below and share this post if you enjoyed it!

Failure in Gaming

Failure is something ingrained in us all. As human beings, it is natural to experience failure in every aspect of life. In RL (real life), we try to avoid failure as much as possible. For example, we don't set out to ruin the expense report for our company. We don't wake up saying "Today's a good day to fail at things I'm going to try." We try to avoid failure in our lives like it's the plague (or ebola). However, there is one realm where we know failure is almost a certainty, yet we voluntarily subject ourselves to it. Video games are these odd realms that suck us in and keep trying to make us fail. Yet, we love it. Recently, I've been reading a book titled The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games by Jesper Juul. The book is reinforcing what I've thought about for so long, yet couldn't put my finger on. Why do we keep playing these games when we know failure is going to happen? And, why do we LIKE when we fail? Some of you may doubt that second question. On the surface, nobody really likes to fail. Nobody likes to lose. So, why is it that when a game is super hard or challenging, we actually ENJOY this aspect? In the book, that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. Though I'm just a few chapters into it, some possible answers have come to light. One is that the medium of the video game is interactive. Unlike movies and books, video games interact with the most important person on this Earth: YOU. Sure, a book can be challenging to read. You may feel victorious if you've just learned to read and completed a book or story way above your reading level. Though the feeling of success and the success itself is real, it doesn't quite hit that part of the brain that deals with rewards nearly as much. The book wasn't trying to trick you. Once you've learned to read, the words never change. When playing a video game, your skills and your skills alone, determine your success. Games try to trick you. Even in situations such as simulations, YOU are the one making the choices. It's YOUR skills determining the outcome. When the game challenges you and you overcome that challenge, that rewarding feeling is very real. With all of the challenges you face, this interactivity of YOU making decisions and outsmarting the game gives the successful feeling. So, what happens when a game doesn't challenge you? Most of the time, we don't like it as much. While we may enjoy it and give it good reviews, players in general enjoy a game more when they've failed at least one time in the game. This comes straight from a research study by Juul himself, who created a small game with the help of an independent gaming lab. The participants played the game and were asked to rate it. The players who rated it the highest were the players who failed at least once. Out of the players who failed, the highest ratings came from players who admitted to having made a mistake in the game, not citing the game's behavior or design for their failure. Another intriguing reason as to why players "like to fail" is that failure leads to success. When we fail at a certain part of a game, players feel as if they need to correct their error. We know it may have been a bad jump on our part or faulty game design. Either way, we strive to correct this error, leading us to play sections of a game over and over again until we finally get it right. When we finally do get it right, we have learned and adapted to the gaming environment. The key words here are learn and adapt. As humans, we enjoy learning. Whatever we learn, we take pleasure in it. So, failure is a key component of gaming. What do you think? Am I just spouting nonsense? Or, do you agree with me? Have a differing viewpoint? Please comment and share this post if you enjoyed it.

It just isn't right.

One of the most disappointing things that can happen to a gamer is the let down of a brand new game. Sure, game's can be over-hyped, but when a game that's supposed to bring back memories of yesteryear gets trounced in its launch, it's difficult to move past that. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is one such game. Right out of the gate, players couldn't do the one thing everybody looked forward to the most: multiplayer. Add in the bevy of bugs found in the campaigns and a disastrous launch is sure to follow. But, the real issue is the simple fact that the game is broken. It is not okay for any game to ever be released in this type of condition. It's not okay to sell a product that can barely be used by its customer. It's not okay, and it's not right. Game developers aren't stupid. Programmers possess a wealth of knowledge I'll probably never know. But, what I do know is that it's not right to release a game in this condition. As with any creative endeavor, the product is constantly evolving. I get that. However, a company can't sit there and tell me the game was heavily tested when I simply press the "Y" button on my controller and my game crashes. You can't tell me the product was tested correctly when matchmaking can't create an even number of people on teams. It's not right. Just like it's not right to release a new car to the market when people know there's a faulty part. Now, with all that being said, it should be noted that many developers are constantly under the gun to release games within a hurried and short time frame. Sure, we have a ton of glitches, but maybe this was in the process of being tested? I don't know. Any way you look at it, 343 and Microsoft are responsible. 343 is trying to make amends with the fans, updating us constantly on the progress of their patches. When this game works to full capacity, it will be a collection that will be played by droves of players for years and years to come. It's just a shame that it has started rough. It's a shame it didn't start out okay. It's a shame it didn't start out right.

Assassins Creed: Have Aliens Gone Too Far?

Today, I would like to unearth a debate that might be brewing in the minds of some Assassin's Creed fans. If you've read my blog or freelance articles, you know how big of a fan I am of the Assassin's Creed series. This series is the first of its kind, mixing history with fiction under the banner of a fight against the real-life Templars. The first game in the series focused heavily on the historical aspect of the Assassins. Protagonist Altair is tasked with slaying a number of targets believed to be greedy and self-absorbed members of the Templar Order. When the game comes to an end, the player learns the artifact he has been chasing after is not of this world. It can control people's minds, an idea many would term "science fiction". With the closing of the second game in the series, the appearance of the holographic projection of a woman calling herself "Minerva" warns the player of an impending apocalypse. It seems the more games are released in the series,the more science fiction plays a role in the story of the Assassins and the Templars. By the time the player plays Assassin's Creed III (the fifth entry in the series), the story has branched out to stopping the end of the world with the help of "gods". So, here's my question: Would the series be better off specifically sticking to historical elements to tell their story? Or, does the parallel story regarding Desmond and these "gods" and the apocalypse enrich the story? Some people believe the story would have been fine without the presence of aliens and alien technology. Why not keep the story between the Assassins and Templars? Why not stay within the realm of reality? Why add this sci-fi element? Are the writing teams on these projects going too far with the other-worldly angle? Feel free to comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Sean P.

The Play is the Thing

Why hello there young chaps! Welcome back to the blog that started it all. (Not really. I just thought it sounded cool. Probably not.) Anyway, my mind has been whirring around and around with topics I'd like to discuss. While I'd like to touch on them all, I think I know what needs to be discussed. Not only do video games thrive on this particular element, but other artistic endeavors as well. It sounds simple at first (and maybe it doesn't get more complex and I'm just reading too deep into it). Here it is: Play is the thing. That's it. Simple, right? The play is the thing. Say it with me now: "The play is the thing". So...wait what? What the hell does that mean? The play is the thing? That's so bland and boring! I was expecting some sort of secret to the universe or the keys to the heart of any girl (revealed later). The play is the thing. What do I mean by this? Imagine yourself playing a video game. I'm particularly fond of the Assassin’s Creed series. Say you're playing the best installment in the series, Assassin's Creed II. For those unfamiliar with Assassin's Creed II, many collectibles are strewn about each level and can be collected to unlock outfits, improve wealth, etc. Some people won't collect all the loot chests in the game (a loot chest contains money and various materials to sell). Some people might collect half of them; some might collect only what they need to get through the game. I tend to fall into the completionist category, so I try to collect all of them (a quite daunting task). Now, what's my point through all this "loot chest" talk? Well, the loot chests are widespread and, after a while, I don't really need the money anymore. I've built up such a horde of wealth, that the chests honestly won't make a dent in my bank account. However, I still go for them. I still want them. Why? Put simply: the play. I like the play of running around, finding the chest, opening it up, and taking what's inside, even if I don't need it. It's not the end result I'm interested in. I'm interested in the actual act of the play. The act of running up walls to get to the chests. The act of fighting off guards to enter quarantined areas for the chests. It's the play that keeps me going. If that example isn't concrete enough for you, here's another one. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a pretty solid RPG. Any Elder Scrolls game you play is probably going to be awesome. Since Skyrim is an RPG, naturally there's going to be a vast array of collectibles in the various sprawling cities one can travel. Things such as journal entries, books, weapons, chests, etc. all can be found littering the caves and dungeons and houses. For this specific example, let me narrow my focus down to books/journal entries. As any RPG fan knows, the journals and books found throughout the game add to the lush lore of the world's fiction. Books can be found documenting the history of the fictional population, or maybe even a book of rhymes and fairy tales. When the player collects these, they might read them (I always do). However, two years after playing the game, will the player remember more than 10% of the information they read? Unless you're some sort of savant or a die-hard fan of the chosen franchise, the answer is no. We'll hardly remember any of it. So, why is it worth picking up these cool books if we won't even remember them? I think you know the answer. The play is the thing. It's not the act of remembering it two years from now. It's the act, in the moment, of collecting the book and reading the book (or not if you don't like the books). The same goes for any other aspect of the game. Are you going to remember all of your encounters with every enemy? No. But, it's being in the moment that makes video games so great. It's being in the moment and physically playing and jumping and swinging that gives us the rush. It's the act of beating a challenge that drives us. The play is the thing. Next time you are playing a video game, stop and take a moment to take it all in. Immerse yourself in the act of playing. It’s what we crave.

Dawn of a New Year

Welcome to the New Year! It seems we have all survived the Earth patch 2.0.13 and are all moving on to 2.0.14. I hope everybody's patch downloads properly, since issues DO come up from time to time. So, a new year has dawned, and with that comes a flurry of New Year’s Resolutions. I don't particularly make a list or anything (hell, I didn't even celebrate New Year's Eve/Day this year), but I do want to improve myself in one major way: DOING WHAT I LOVE. Since I run a blog about video games, you can probably figure out that video games are a main focus of my life. Everything about them fascinates me. I play them, read about them, am an avid watcher of Twitch, am trying to collaborate on a book about them and am learning a programming language (Java). That's...that's a lot. BUT...I can proudly say I love it. You see, people (myself included) always tend to procrastinate and push things off till tomorrow. However, a vast majority of the time, tomorrow never comes. Doing it today and doing what you love is what life is all about. Finding the moments that make your jaw drop and cause chill to race down your spine. So, where am I going with this inspirational speech? Basically, I'm saying go for broke. You can't take "what if's" and "should have's" to the grave. However, these "what if's" and "should have's" are what fuel imaginations and you can play them (or read them or watch them). Video games are a gateway to a land of "what if's". Stories in general serve as this gateway, but video games let you interact with the content of the story/narrative in a stunning array of possibilities. What sets apart video games from the rest of the pack? YOU. You are the one behind all of it. You can go watch a movie and interpret it in your own way. Ultimately, however, how much control did you have over the characters? The story? The answer is none. Books act in a slightly different manner, because the reader can create the pictures of the characters and events in their minds. But, you still can't control any other aspects of the book. Video games allow YOU full control over the character. Even if it's a simple point-and-click game, YOU have to move that cursor to carry out the pointing and clicking. Even in simulation games, you are still manipulating conditions for the simulations. The power lies within yourself. As this new year is beginning, please remember that YOU control your life. Do what you love, and you'll never fail. Oh yeah, and keep playing video games!