Gamers Can Read #2
In this issue of Gamers Can Read, we’ll take a look at The State of Play: Creators and Critics on Video Game Culture which consists of a collection of essays from 16 prominent figures in the video game world. It was released in October 2015, edited by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson and published by Seven Stories Press, who I’ll have to thank for making this review possible.
Each contributor develops on an aspect pertaining to video game that they deem worthy of discussion. However, there is no specific unifying theme that binds each successive chapter. At best it feels like a logical flow of ideas around related topics with different approaches but at worst it gives the impression of a disorganised collection of writings that bear the word video games as the only common feature. Nevertheless, all chapters share the same goal, the one stated in the very title of the book and each contributor does a good job at that.
The book embraces the different writing styles of each contributor, from Anna Anthropy’s interesting "Choose Your Own Adventure" style to cheeky letters between Cara Ellison and Brendan Keogh. It makes a captivating read as each contributor shares their own experiences with video games, be it how they grew up with them, how they helped shape their career or allowed them to express themselves.The first two chapters give an insight as to how video games impact contemporary literature. Leigh Alexander’s Advent chapter gives an insight as to how biographies and narrative books will inevitably include gaming material with personal and intimate accounts about the of role video games in someone’s childhood and memories. Then there’s Ian Shanahan’s anecdotal piece, Bow n****, that sprouted the New Games Journalism writing style which is the norm today in video game journalism. Zoe Quinn’s input, written in the second person, aims to put the reader in her position as she shares how making Depression Quest allowed her to express herself, pass on her feelings and at the same time educate others about a serious condition like depression. In so doing, she showed that games can be informative and do not necessarily have to be fun. merritt kopas depicts games as a way to bring queer sexual content to the foreground, make it less taboo, more acceptable in our so-called modern age. Such articles allow the reader to see how video games have and will influence popular culture and vice versa.
However, to most people who are in touch with video game culture, some of the articles might sound all too familiar. In particular the Gamergate controversy expanded by four of the contributors. Most of us are already familiar with Zoe Quinn's and Anita Sarkeesian's ordeal in that matter and the origin of the ensuing controversy as depicted by Dan Golding. These articles nevertheless serve as a reminder that the gaming community as a whole has yet to fully mature if part of the community fails to accept and adapt to change in the field as it broadens every year. As Sarkeesian and Cross put it: “If gaming can change the world, it will do so as a sort of moral playground for relearning how to be human in a virtual universe."
Some contributors also touch on aspects that many of us fail to notice or do not give a second thought about. Evan Narcisse points out to the lack of proper representation of black people in video games either aesthetically, as he illustrates with the natural hairstyle, or in respect to their character. For long, games with black protagonists or companions “have relied on tropes and stereotypes that are embarrassingly retrograde.” He further adds that “one of those shortcomings (of video games) is the lack of the diversity of the people who are making and are portrayed in video games.” However he concedes that there has been progress as of late, with great examples being Assassin’s Creed and The Walking Dead that tackle the issue of stereotypes and puts the player in charge of a black protagonist. As Evan puts it: “(The characters) are black but not centered by any definition of blackness.” Continuing on stereotypes in video games, Hussein Ibrahim discusses about the depiction of the typical Middle Eastern terrorist from the point of view of someone from that region and what video games portray incorrectly about the culture and why it is wrong for the player. An important conclusion that can be made from these two articles alone is that if video games are to represent creative art, there is still room for growth; there is a need to portray color not only as race, more of an aesthetic feature and allow the players to make their own conclusions. As for David Johnston, the creator of two of the most played online maps (de_dust and de_dust2), he gives first-hand account on level design, its inspirations and importance. His essay really puts in light the minutiae of video game design that many take for granted but which are explicitly introduced by level designers for a purpose. Those inputs by the contributors make the book all the more captivating and strengthens the notion that there is a lot more to video games than meets the eye.
There’s a lot going on in video games right now. It’s more than just a hobby and far from being a ‘waste of time’. As gamers we know this all too well. This book emphasises this point. A lot of what is found in the book has already been discussed online or is obvious to gamers. However it might not be the case for people not in touch with video game culture. For the latter, The State of Play makes a good introduction to where video games stand today. However, with the plethora of experts within the video game community it boasts, more would be expected and more could be delivered.
This is Gamers Can Read a column where we review non-fiction video game related books with the aim to familiarise the gaming community here at GBAtemp.net to such literature. Feel free to share your views on the review and the books in the comments.
Previous entries:
Gamers Can Read #1
Previous entries:
Gamers Can Read #1
