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University of Huddersfield Repository Betts, Thomas An Investigation of the Digital Sublime in Video Game Production Original Citation Betts, Thomas (2014) An Investigation of the Digital Sublime in Video Game Production. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/25020/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ An Investigation of the Digital Sublime in Video Game Production Thomas Betts U0975371 Submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy November 2014 1 Abstract This research project examines how video games can be programmed to generate the sense of the digital sublime. The digital sublime is a term proposed by this research to describe experiences where the combination of code and art produces games that appear boundless and autonomous. The definition of this term is arrived at by building on various texts and literature such as the work of Kant, Deleuze and Wark and on video games such as Proteus, Minecraft and Love. The research is based on the investigative practice of my work as an artist-programmer and demonstrates how games can be produced to encourage digitally sublime scenarios. In the three games developed for this thesis I employ computer code as an artistic medium, to generate games that explore permutational complexity and present experiences that walk the margins between confusion and control. The structure of this thesis begins with a reading of the Kantian sublime, which I introduce as the foundation for my definition of the digital sublime. I then combine this reading with elements of contemporary philosophy and computational theory to establish a definition applicable to the medium of digital games. This definition is used to guide my art practice in the development of three games that examine different aspects of the digital sublime such as autonomy, abstraction, complexity and permutation. The production of these games is at the core of my research methodology and their development and analysis is used to produce contributions in the following areas. 1. New models for artist-led game design. This includes methods that re-contextualise existing aesthetic forms such as futurism, synaesthesia and romantic landscape through game design and coding. It also presents techniques that merge visuals and mechanics into a format developed for artistic and philosophical enquiry. 2 2. The development of new procedural and generative techniques in the programming of video games. This includes the implementation of a real- time marching cubes algorithm that generates fractal noise filtered terrain. It also includes a versatile three-dimensional space packing architectural construction algorithm. 3. A new reading of the digital sublime. This reading draws from the Kantian sublime and the writings of Deleuze, Wark and De Landa in order to present an understanding of the digital sublime specific to the domain of art practice within video games. These contributions are evidenced in the writing of this thesis and in the construction of the associated portfolio of games. 3 Acknowlegements I must first thank Professor Steve Swindells for his attentive supervision, mentorship and insights, helping me overcome the various issues that inevitably punctuate any long-term research. I have benefited greatly from his open mind, artistic sensibility and academic rigour. I must also thank both Derek Hales and Professor Monty Adkins, my co-supervisors, both of who provided me with many hours of valuable discussion and argument. They both supplied an ongoing stream of encouragement and literary resources which helped to keep the research process fresh and relevant. I must also thank my peers from the world of game design, discussions with Ed Key, Jim Rossignol, David Kanaga and Professor Dan Pinchbeck have helped me to verbalise aspects of game design and philosophy that would have been impossible otherwise. In addition I would like to thank the wider independent game community for events such as Wild Rumpus (27th Sept 2014, San Franciso), Indievelopment (25th April 2013, Amsterdam) and Game City (18th October 2013, Nottingham). These occasions provided me with the opportunity to engage with gamers and designers in playful and thought-provoking surroundings. Both Jonathan Pilcher and Noel Murphy deserve special recognition for the music they contributed to the games and their willingness to work within the odd constraints I set them. Finally I must thank Johanna Summers for her help during the final year of this research, my father Richard Betts for his proofreading, my children Ed and Evie for their playtesting skills and their mother Nicky Doyle for her ongoing support. 4 Table of Contents 1. Introduction....................................................................................................6 2. Literature Review.........................................................................................12 3. Peer Practice Review...................................................................................42 4. Research Methods: An Approach to Processes and Practice.......................56 5. Introduction to the Games and the Portfolio................................................76 6. Game 1: AvSeq............................................................................................81 7. Game 2: In Ruins.........................................................................................96 8. Game 3: Permutation Racer.......................................................................108 9. Findings and Conclusions..........................................................................121 Appendices.....................................................................................................132 Bibliography..................................................................................................156 5 1. Introduction 1.1 Personal Rationale This research is an artistic investigation of the digital sublime in video games. It uses concepts from literature (Kant, 1951; De Landa, 2011; Deleuze & Guattari, 2004) and games (Key & Kanaga, 2013; Steenberg, 2010a; Persson, 2009) to create a definition of the digital sublime and then explores this definition through the artistic production of three video game projects. This research is an auto-ethnographic activity, based on self-observation and reflexive investigation (Maréchal, 2010). It does not attempt to provide philosophical proof of the digital sublime, rather it presents new concepts and methods to developers and artists in order to extend the creative palette of game design through the consideration of code as an artistic and philosophical medium. The conclusion of this research shows that although the existing barriers within game design and game culture can make the communication of philosophical concepts difficult, using code and video games as a medium for such concepts has enormous potential for both designers and artists. The research operates from the perspective of an established art practitioner and experienced programmer, and the lines of enquiry I am pursuing reflect this cross-disciplinary position. The hybrid form of artist-programmer practice is a growing field (C. A. McLean, 2011) and the results of this thesis will aid other artists and designers working in this cross-disciplinary zone. This aid will be presented in the form of new design methods, new programming techniques and software demonstrations. As an artist-programmer1, code is my creative medium, and although my work is often formal and computational its aim is to create artistic experiences rather than engineering solutions. It is important to note that this thesis is not driven by player feedback or industry requirements. Instead this research is focused on the development of digital games as an artistic medium and seeks to develop new and innovative creative coding techniques. I have already established a significant reputation in these areas2 and my work has been reviewed in multiple publications (Greene, 2004; 1 An artist-programmer is someone who creates art through the medium of computer code; see section 4 for a more detailed discussion of this term. 2 See Appendix D for a list of relevant exhibitions, performances and presentations. 6 Bittanti & Quaranta, 2009; Reas, 2010). My practice has always focused on procedural3 and generative4 processes (Angelides, 2013). These processes are built around algorithmic techniques that generate digital forms using mathematical functions (see section 4 for more detail). The results of my work have always reflected qualities that could be considered sublime, particularly

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