Different Portals: The Future of the Game Form and the Connection to Film

As noted in last weeks post the game industry takes a considerable amount of cues from the film industry. This is apparent in the most basic form of a singular video game narrative. Since the dawn of games, the industry has looked towards film for guidance. This has resulted in the medium being somewhat lost. The narrative experiences of games have, decidedly, come a long way. Games, as an industry, have grown considerably. (See below) With pinnacle narrative games like Metal Gear Solid or Fallout, it is hard to argue that games haven't found a narrative niche. However while these narrative experiences offer quite a bit, the medium still hasn't fully found it's potential.

The number one game, in sales, from last year was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It sold over 7 million units and grossed over 1 billion in 2011. That is nearly a quarter of the money made in the game industry in 1995. This is largely due to the multiplayer aspect of the game, rather than the narrative experience. When analyzed from the critical film perspective, the narrative experience of Call of Duty is akin to a Transformers film. Full of explosions, adrenalin charged moments, and mass appeal, yet lacking in the artistic value that critically acclaimed films offer. Both the Transformers films and the Call of Duty games make a staggering amount of money. However, this is viewed as critically valuable in the game industry. In the film critic community, the money made by a film is ignored and the film is judged based on the artistic merits it holds. In the game industry, these games garner awards from numerous critical circles. Call of Duty's exciting moments are entertaining, but worthy of awards?

MW3 is one of the most realistic military games out there. From the guns, to the sounds, to the actual landscapes that you play in; everything is researched by a team down to the most miniscule detail so that the gamer has a sensation of war. Gameplay borrows content from films and real life events and actions. How a soldier moves, how a gun shoots and how a helicopter functions are all aspects of the game. The game industry is clearly taking the gritty cues of modern war films as the aesthetic of first person shooters. Yet it seems to miss the anti-war message found in some of the most successful war films, such as Saving Private Ryan. Thus are we, as gamers, rewarding the game industry for taking the most basic, instant gratification aspects of film whilst ignoring the deeper value of the medium?

What may be even worse for the medium than simply lacking a message, is that some gameplay elements may actually undercut the implied message. As noted in a recent episode of The Indoor Kids, Bioshock is, at it's core, about determinism. Yet this message is undermined by the fact that the main character spends an enormous amount of time killing people. It simply detracts from the message and contradicts it.Thus, there is a disconnect between the form of the gameplay and the content of the narrative message. With that being said, games are still in the very early phases of development. It is understandable that gaming hasn't realized the potential of the medium. Unlike films, games have the opportunity to create an instant connection between the character and the player. The industry has thus far focused on the experience of the player and the opportunity to instantly gratify that player with flashy action sequences rather than formulating a way to get the message across in both a narrative and gameplay driven form.

That isn't to say that all games have fallen subject to poor form and content synthesis. Nor does it mean that the narrative merits of games like Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid, or Fallout (All brilliant narrative games) are somehow invaluable. Those game should be, and often are, recognized for their achievements in raising the bar for narrative experiences. However, they fail to realize the full potential of their medium.

A game that does pulls off the form and content synthesis is Portal 2. Portal manages to take the narrative message of free will and presents it with the gameplay that presents free will. The very way you play the game mirrors the narrative. The game offers you countless ways to complete a puzzle, forcing you to utilize your free thought to formulate an escape, much like the main character Chell. Not only are you Chell, but Chell is you. She is what you make her. Unlike in Red Dead Redemption, where you have freedom to make John Marston whoever you'd like but are still limited by the narrative choices of John, Chell offers a direct link into the game. You ultimately learn as much as she does in the narrative by utilizing the free will that sets you apart from every other character in the game. You are a human, not a robot. Thus, you have the ability to do what you want. It is an interesting parallel to characters you play in other games. John is a robot who is bound by the choices programed by the designers of the game. While the player can utilize their free will to do whatever they desire in the game portions, the cinematic of the game are decidedly John's choices and not yours.

John, while he is a compelling character looking for redemption, doesn't always match up with the actions of the player.This can cause a disconnect between the character and the player, causing a rift in the emotional tension.

This is a direct relation to film. You can build rapport between an audience and a character, but that character is ultimately a programmed individual. Gaming has largely taken this aspect from film. What sets Portal apart is the ability to be in the game and relay the narrative message directly through both the events in the game and the gameplay.

While the game industry looks towards the film industry for an evolution of its medium, it has yet to realize the very things that make films so successful as an artform. Rather than focusing on the exciting instant gratification of the Transformers films, it should look for the introspective artistic value found in a Kubrick film. The game industry is evolving immensely on the front of narrative experiences, it has quite a way to go in terms of merging form and content. It has yet to really realize its potential as a unique art form. However, with a game like Portal 2 standing as a successful artistic experience, the future looks bright.