A World of Auteurs

  It's a really good time to be a gamer or someone who appreciates gaming. Regardless of whether you care or not, gaming is up-ing it's stance as a higher art form. It was really only a matter of time. It's reminiscent of the point brought up by Scott McCloud in his wonderful book: Understanding Comics. The problem with comics (video games can take up this position as well) is that it's being judged by the old (because it's perceived as a new art). In other words, those arts that have already established themselves, such as film, literature, music, etc. Comics and gaming are being looked down upon by the other arts. The proof is in the pudding. Ebert, a man who has my immense respect and is also a role-model of mine, argued that video games could never be art. He's commonly known as the premiere film critic of, not only his generation, but the generations that followed, all the way up to today. He's since changed his stance a bit, saying we're just not there yet, and I more so agree with that position. I believe video games are at that point, that it is definitely art, we just haven't found our Citizen Kane yet. In the mean time, we settle for our Battleship Potempkin's and Nosferatu's.

Gaming is undergoing the same scenario presented to film during it's pre- “high art” era, which is convenient for gaming theorists. I feel like Francois Truffaut when he analyzed the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Particular game developers can now be cited as auteurs, evoking a sense of style found uniquely within the soul of one person. Think about prior film experiences. Couldn't one say that Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino have a certain style that they evoke? Same could be said for the likes of people such as Hideo Kojima, Goichi Suda, and Ken Levine. It's one of the reasons I'm excited for Bioshock: Infinite. Yes, the game is being pushed back, something that has yielded more negative results than positive in the grand scheme of things as far as games are concerned.

I'm looking at you Duke Nukem.

But people often forget the hits. Look at the development time of Team Fortress 2. When it was all said and done, Team Fortress 2 is often talked about when it comes to great FPS gaming. Same goes for the original Bioshock, which got pushed back just a little bit during development. Ken Levine had great reasoning, citing that the Big Daddies weren't the Big Daddies that we have come to love, that Rapture's textures needed one more coat of paint, and that Andrew Ryan's golf club didn't quite have the right swing yet. If that's the reasoning behind Bioshock: Infinite being pushed back I'm all for it. I'd rather play the completed game than some half-assed version.

The thing about the Auteur theory is that it is what it is: a theory. It's not some sort of proven thing, but at the same time, it's got some ridiculously strong points going for it. As before mentioned, look at the likes of certain film directors. Wes Anderson clearly has his own cinematic stylings. Same goes for gaming with the people also before mentioned. A common trend in the Suda 51 (Goichi Suda) universe is the bathroom save point. Both Travis and Shinobu use the bathroom (Taking a dump and showering respectively) upon saving the game in No More Heroes. Then there's also Garcia Hotspur who walks up to flying demons who take dumps when he approaches, creating a check/save point.

Really, the point trying to be made here is the correlation of cinema and gaming. Yes, gaming started off primarily as a form of entertainment. It's so much more than that now though. It's working really hard to push forward for that final claim as “high art,” but with it being judged by the other “high arts” it's rather difficult. It's fantastic that the auteur theory has made it's transition into the gaming realm, which is likely to open up the gates to other approaches. Why not the passion for perceiving? It's an idea originally thought of by film theorist Christian Metz. We can even expand on that. There's something inherent when people game. People appreciate music, because they have a beat in their body that can't be expressed otherwise. People appreciate paintings, because it speaks volumes to the eye. Gaming is a way to satisfy a lot of artistic urges. It can be more than just a passion for perceiving, since it doesn't only take note of sight and sound. It currently has touch going for it (although, in that aspect it's not being executed on a profound level i.e. motion controls are gimmicks).

This is both a positive and a negative, because the perceiving arts are often considered the “high arts.” The examples being paintings, cinema, literature, theatre, music, etc. The non-perceiving arts, such as culinary, perfuming, etc. haven't quite been up to snuff as far as great works are concerned. Video games seem to be cornered there because of it's touch approach. At the same time, it's a new experience, not completely understood yet. In the long run, the fact that it entices the sense of touch won't hinder it's argument as “high art.”

So here we are, the transitional phase. Things are coming to light as far as gaming as art is concerned, and we can appreciate it on a profound level, much more so than mindless entertainment.

Appreciated... If That's What They're Going For: Skyrim

My tackling of the subject matter is probably a little late. Skyrim is still being played, but not quite as much. I know some people run off of the occasional visit to the land of Skyrim, but it's not quite the obsessive 20 hour periods that put people into hospitals, because they didn't drink enough water.

True Story.

No, I won't share it with you, that stuff's personal. Wait... Do you think I'm the one who plunged into a chaotic dehydrated state? Nah, it's a friend. Really.

Established Un-reliable Narrator Achievement Unlocked.

I'm not here to talk about the real-world-bad-stuff of Skyrim, I'm here to talk about something I appreciate, if it is indeed what they're going for. That something is the Cave Allegory.

For those of you who don't know what the Cave Allegory is, I'll provide you with a quick summary:

1. It is an idea created by Plato
2. It illustrates education
3. The Story: People in a cave are chained and forced to look at a wall. Behind them is a fire which casts shadows. They see shadows of many things that represent the outside world. Eventually, one person is no longer chained and that person goes outside the cave, seeing real things, not just shadows. They go back into the cave and talk about their outside world experiences, thus sharing knowledge. In turn, the people chained before get free, in order to pursue the new knowledge people before them gained by going outside of the cave.

How does this apply to Skyrim? Well, whichever character you make, you don't really start leveling up until you venture outside of the cave. I mean this literally. In the opening segment, you have to escape underground... through a cave. There's even a sleeping bear to compliment it. It's strangely symbolic and alluding. What exactly does it say when you're leveling up getting out of the cave? Well, it says you don't start learning the truth until you explore things for yourself. It's no surprise, this isn't the first time Bethesda has done this. Look at Fallout 3 for example.

In Fallout 3, we begin the game underground in a vault. Everyone in your original understanding of the world lives there, and most importantly, learns there. When you're finally forced to leave, it's a struggle. It's an attempt to break the shackles. It's even tougher realizing you might not ever come back, especially if you've developed a liking to the people there. Once you break out the doors into the real world you're greeted by a bright light that blinds you for a bit. The world is, all of the sudden, real. This is the truth that some people in the vault had held you back from. As you explore the new world, you gain levels and experience new things. Eventually, you can make your way back to the original vault, which is a story arc I don't want to spoil.

Skyrim does this, but takes a more immersive approach. Think about the typical Skyrim experience: Play the game, stop playing, go out into the real world, talk about it.

We all experience different things outside of the cave. We come back to the cave to share those experiences with friends and family, who then leave the cave in pursuit of the same experience. This is education incarnate, according to Plato.

So, did Bethesda do this on purpose? I can never say for sure. In order to answer that, I'd have to ask the game devs myself. It just feels blatant. If you're playing Skyrim, there's actually a book that you can read that outlines the Cave Allegory.

Shit, if that isn't enough, then I don't know what is.

Still, I know I can't say for sure, but it is almost 100% certainty.

I feel this is a good start in my explorations for rhetorical gaming. After all, games are an art, they convey different messages and teach different things. This is just 1 pair of eyes looking at something I just appreciate. It's something that us gamers can talk about. It's an experience we share. If you have any neat experiences with Skyrim or even the Cave Allegory, I'd love to hear em!