Blockbusters, Massive Races, and Ambitious Narratives: How Video Games Move Between Culture, Industry, and Addiction | Culture

A small white line at one end of the dark screen. Opposite, another. Between them, the square dot moves from side to side, while a couple of numbers keep the dots up. That’s it. So, Pong not only did the player need some skill with the controller to move their row up and down trying to hit that little white dot; They also had to use their imagination to believe they were actually hitting the ball in a fast-paced game of table tennis.

More than 50 years have passed since the release of the first massively commercially successful video game, and practically everything has changed. Today, there are million-dollar success stories, online competitions involving thousands of players, sophisticated and complex plots, high-end consoles and controllers, and photorealistic graphics that hardly require imagination. Regardless, the underlying conversation still resembles a match Pong: two sides in a black and white argument. Just the opposite of the recently published essay Century of Video Games (Century of Video Games), by specialized journalists Jorge Morla of EL PAS and Borja Vaz of El Cultural, sets out to do. Below we present some key points of the book.

They are all around us

You don’t need to read 219 pages of the essay to understand the importance of the field. You also don’t need user numbers or sales figures. You only have to look around to see subway commuters tending farms on their cell phones; successful series and movies inspired by video games; exhibitions celebrating them; iconic characters in ambitious stories; huge creative processes that take many years, millions of dollars and hundreds of employees to develop; The participation of companies like Netflix, Google or Amazon, while countless small companies are making all kinds of risky bets from all over the planet.

The growing importance of video games is an undeniable fact. New generations are moving away from traditional and analog forms of culture and are increasingly adopting video games as a way to receive cultural influences, says Morla. And we see this effect in everything around us: from work to applications. They are not only the cultural artifacts that move the most money, but also the one that shapes the world the most.

The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption 2, Journey, Portal and Went home are just a handful of examples of the great, critical, wildly creative, ground-breaking, bold and non-conformist titles that the interactive world is currently producing. Anyone who thinks that playing with a controller is the same as shooting or scoring goals would be surprised to learn that they could also play a dictator’s customs officer. Papers, pleasesolve a marital crisis It takes two or examine recordings of detainees His story. The involvement of famous actors and writers in a video game is no longer news; nor is the fact that some titles are co-produced by museums and universities or focus on topics such as childhood cancer or mental health.

From youth to adulthood

The first video game, Tennis for two, was founded in 1958. The media is not even 70 years old. And yet, two-dimensional table tennis has made its way into soccer matches that aren’t much different from what you see in a stadium; all those princes and plumbers who used to jump from platform to platform to rescue maidens pale in comparison to today’s brave and strong female warriors; and while Pac-Man only knew four directions and an insatiable hunger, the protagonists of today’s titles talk and face moral dilemmas, the controller vibrates and rings and the player feels adrenaline, chills and even tears. In no other art field is the consumer so involved in the narrative structure, as the essay points out.

The book points out that this increase in depth also means an increase in complexity. While Pong only required turning a wheel to move a line up and down the screen, the PlayStation 5, Sony’s latest console, has 19 buttons on its controller. Just learning how to move a character is enough to discourage a first timer. Certain combinations even require special training. And there’s more: the most immersive entertainment is also the most expensive. Major releases can cost $80 and require at least $300 consoles, even though they offer dozens of hours of entertainment. On the other hand, here lies another obstacle: the very long or very difficult adventures that the most committed players love are a turn-off for those who just want some casual fun. Finally, age is also considered a limit: although it progresses, the essay sets the limit at about 40 years.

Urban legends and truths

Stereotypes associated with video games have been around almost as long as the games themselves. And while it’s probably true that many of the best-known titles contain heavy doses of violence or dull entertainment, almost all major blockbusters have undeniable cultural goals where these stereotypes don’t apply, except for violence, which is a resource like no other. and it needs to be normalized, like in literature or movies, says Vaz. Despite the lack of definitive studies, the alleged relationship between killing or injuring an air traffic controller and committing it continues to generate headlines and controversy.

Another common label, addictive, also has a double reading according to the authors. Although the scientific evidence is inconclusive, there is a potential number of players who gamble compulsively, where the activity takes a place in their lives that it shouldn’t, a disorder that harms them. []. Are video games to blame? Some yes. Others, never. It is very difficult to become addicted to a narrative game with a beginning, middle and end, the book develops. The biggest problem is that if we’re stuck in the same old tired conversations, we’ll never be able to delve into the narrative, aesthetic and mechanical innovations on offer, adds Vaz.

Overcoming problems

It takes a very skilled player to take on all the villains in the industry. Sexism, harassment and crunch (mandatory overtime), a very reactionary and noisy part of the audience, loot boxes that can force the user to spend compulsively, products that are released too early due to technical failures, or endless sequels. The essay mentions almost all of them and seeks answers that are as complex as the problems themselves.

It talks about how for years games were aimed at young white men who were the same as those who created them. And the power of money-hungry leaders, lack of originality and reluctance to take risks is undeniable. But the essay also mentions the war that broke out within the industry fighting for progress and inclusion. On the other hand, there is a very critical group that condemns reprehensible behavior (for example, cases of sexism by Ubisoft or Activision or reports on crunch), points out Morla. Complaints that he believes have greatly improved both aspects of video games. On the other hand, the book talks about a toxic audience and a very vocal minority, referring to those who follow the Sony-Microsoft dispute as an act of faith or who bombard The Last of Us, Part II negative reviews because its female managers were part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Sequels aren’t a problem as the mechanics get more detailed with each new installment. It is normal that sagas exist, reflects Morla. As for loot boxes, he points out that a distinction needs to be made between those that demand money and those that don’t, and believes that the former should be regulated: we need to keep an eye on the most abusive ones. Even more so when minors get access to them.

Let’s play

The essay includes a list of masterpieces described as modest, partial, and incomplete, arranged for difficult public access. Of these, Morla and Vaz highlight five that are easy to play: What Remains of Edith Finch, Inside, Stanley Parable, Braid and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

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