Well I guess that my “gaming journalism” fell through again. The site has appeared to die and the artist “quit” and the owner “disapeared”. So with out further adeiu here are the articles I wrote for it. I will probably update my website with them when I get around to it. Oh well this weekend should be fun and get my mind off of my 5th faild job at this.

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A Gamer’s War:

While reading TIME, the August 9th issue, I ran across the mandatory “OMG! Doom 3, better than sliced bread” article. I am not horribly interested in playing Doom 3 (if you knew the specs on my PC you would understand). So, have no fear, this will not be the umpteenth Doom 3 article out there. No, something else about the article caught my eye:

“The hard core has become the mainstream. This isn’t a subculture, it’s a culture. A generation is defining itself through virtual combat, without the casualties or consequences of World War II and the Vietnam War.” Interesting. The quote is mainly in reference to Carmack’s creation of a virtual battlefield.

Are we, as gamers, marking time in our lives in reference to games? Sure I remember where I was the first time I played Donkey Kong in an arcade. I recall the bike rides I took to play Mortal Kombat. I know where I was when I first heard about Metroid Prime. But this is the same with any generation in parallel to other events or hobbies.

On the other hand, the time that I defeated “the flood” in “the library” of Halo is not some defining moment. Having not played Halo in over a year now it is even hazy to me. I know that there was many times my team succeeded in capturing all the strategic locations in Day of Defeat (Half-Life mod). Recalling more than a handful of humorous situations would be a struggle for me.

None of the events that happen on a virtual battlefield would be more than a bore story to someone who did not know the games. Most stories from World War II or Vietnam would appeal to the average person. Why? Because the outcome of these events effected not only the people involved, but also the country they were in, and the country they were representing.

“The Wizard” is probably the only videogamer drama (if you can call it that). The Last Starfighter and TRON don’t really count… possibly Wargames. Compare that to the hundreds of war films out there. But is there more interest for gamer drama? With movies like “Bang the Machine” (http://www.bangthemachine.com/) not even seeing the light of day you have to wonder if there really is.

Are there people who are extremely serious about the events that take place on a virtual battlefield? Absolutely, or there would not be tournaments featuring $100,000 in prizes. (http://www.thecpl.com/league/) But is there anyone convoluted enough to claim that these competitions are defining a generation? I hope not.

Do people really have this opinion of gamers? Does Joe Average think that there is a generation of people who are in such anticipation that we jump out of our chairs and shout with joy on release day? That we line up, as if being drafted, to pick up our copies of Half-Life 2? Perhaps my friend will find time to write me a letter and get it to the post during the down time of Shellshock: Nam ’67. It is frightening to think there are people who may have these thoughts.

I really don’t think that these things are defining a generation. Sure certain things are defining certain aspects of a generation, but I don’t think that this will be the last generation either. Are we experiencing combat with out “consequences”? I am sure there are a few schools that would not agree with that. I don’t really think we are experiencing anything close to what could be considered real combat, no matter how life-like the graphics or interactive it is.

So I shall return to watching CNN’s coverage of the “war” in Iraq. Who knows, perhaps I can define myself through real combat. This will always leave the question: will I be better off? I doubt it, but I might as well give it a try, I read it in mainstream media.

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Self Controlled Horror:

Enter the Survival Horror: coined by Capcom, but mastered by Konami, (and filled in-between with, well, filler) this Genera*1 began in 1996. By the sounds of it, the designers are inviting you to turn down the lights, brew some coffee and get ready for a good jump. This is what most people got and the reason why they return for more. Familiar settings with unfamiliar creatures lurking in the dark and powerful ammunitions ruled for a time. Then Konami decided to throw the genera for a loop.

During the middle of the day, in a sleepy resort town you’re looking for your daughter after a car crash. Right away the shifting and slanted camera angles set your nerves up. Blood covering the ally and a strange fog doesn’t help you in this situation either. Fighting for your life will shortly ensue and … well find out for yourself.

That is the magic of the genera, finding out for yourself. Back in late ’99, shortly after Halloween, my wife got Silent Hill. I watched through the entire thing as she solved riddles and tried to track down Harry’s daughter. I was not watching because of the graphics, the story, or the gore. I was watching for the simple reason that my wife was too scared to play alone.

Through my viewing of it I became enthralled with the mythology of Silent Hill, and concerned for the characters. Watching my wife jump would also provide the occasional comic relief. The atmosphere, music, and sounds were perfect for this type of game. The bizarrely twisting and turning story also fit the genera. But, I still never understood why she jumped. Was there a reason behind running into a room only to look around and run out to prepare? Why did she, when confronted with a creature, decided to turn and run before coming back to fight it?

When the fear was too great and one thing mounted upon the other she would turn the game off. Breathing fast, and a little jittery, she would ask if I wanted to watch TV or a movie. Did it really scare her that bad? It was just a game…

None of these answers can be found by the viewer. Even if you do get answers, they will not make sense. I continued this way for 3 games and about 4 years. I once, while trying to figure out these things for myself, asked why she keeps playing if they scare her so. She replied with something to the effect of, because they scare her so.

Still not in full understanding I decided to give the games a go myself after 3 had been released — and completed by my wife. Thinking that these games could not possibly startle, scare, or unnerve me I tried to help the game out a bit. I played at night, turned out the lights, and opened the windows a crack. Warming up the Playstation 1 I started in order, Silent Hill 1.

Looking back, helping the game was not really necessary. In this day and age of realistic graphics and lighting effects, I expected the blocky polygons of the Playstation 1 brethren to distract from the experience. Not the case at all. After about 30 minutes I understood why my wife wanted me in the room.

A strong breeze would kick up outside and make me jump out of my skin. The game had my nerves so wound up that, at any other time, I would have been ready for a real fistfight. White knuckled and teeth gritting, I would aim for the next area.

You could find your safe place and wait there if you wanted. You have a radio that tells you if anything is coming. The pace is self-controlled. I do not have to take too much in at once. The Hospital was the next place to go, I had no other clues. While heading there I wonder why it seems like the edges of the world have caved in. Where did all the residents go anyway? Oh no… my radio is picking up static again, but from which direction!

After I finished my first night in town I realized why my wife played these games, and why she was so damned jumpy.

The story in Silent Hill 2 was by far what made me an enormous fan of the series and the mythology surrounding the sleepy resort town. As James I search for my dead wife. Perhaps she would really be here… in Silent Hill.

Now James is one messed up individual, and it shows. Unfortunately I am not going to go into the psychology of James or the plot, but it has been done by others*2. The characters in this one really steal the show. They invite you to travel deeper and further into the surreal. The trip is a wonderful, if you can call it that, one to take.

By this time the town’s role is more prominent. Pulling and pushing at your nerves you try to get from one location to the next only to have Silent Hill throw in new perplexities. My nerves were just as on edge as with the first game, perhaps even more so. But this damn town, what the hell is wrong with it, and why does it call me.

The location takes up its largest role in Silent Hill 3 by summoning Heather back after she’d been gone so long. While 3 leans more toward the action department than previous installments, the scare factor is still there. If you’ve played it you probably have quite a few images burned into your memory. Need I mention rooms with large mirrors?

Silent Hill 3 one of the weakest Silent Hill experiences, at the same time it the most overboard. Pushing the limits of your sanity, you will try to tie up all the loose ends left dangling from Silent Hill 1. Even as said by the director, the level of ingenuity is quite low in this game. Not as much thought went into the creation of characters, creatures, and locale. Parts of town are still the same as they were for James (if you know the background you should understand this would not be the case). Still it does progress the mythologies and make things whole.

On September 7th, this year, the world will re-enter a gaming state of mind without comparison. We will be hit in one of our most secure places, our room. Were we to be trapped in our room would we go mad? I look forward to finding out the answer to this question in the not-too distant future with Konami’s release of Silent Hill 4: The Room.

When you prepare for your next visit to your favorite sleepy resort town there are a few things to remember and consider.

There are moments in all of these games where the fear is so intense that you will more than likely be physically shaken when your done with it. More than once did I pause to go outside, wander around, or just calm my nerves. Actual fear about… something. It’s not like you really die if you die in game.

The quickest way to get over a fear is disassociation. With your ties – or connection - to the character the sensory connection and control will extend into emotion. This emotion is potent and will grip you.

Total emersion through Virtual Reality is used in psychology. This is how powerful emotion can get through a “game”. Psychologists will even go a far as to say that better GFX/controllers/audio will better in aiding this “fear”.

The classifications of visual/kinesthetic/auditory are used in psychology to identify people. They will order these on how you process, identify, and learn information. These games are clearly geared towards visually predominant people. The better you can connect all these senses the higher your experience will be. So turn out the lights, crank up the volume, grab your controller, and enjoy the total experience.

*1: Prior to 1996 there were games released which could easily have fallen under the genera of survival horror. Alone in the Dark comes to mind as one.
*2: President Evil wrote an excellent plot guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/30429.html

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I would enjoy any comments on these be it criticism or praise. I spent a fair ammount of time on them to just have them go to waste.