Power in Video Game Suikoden V: Its Relation and Exercises
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Passage2020, 8(3), 122-134 Power in video game Suikoden V: Its relation and exercises Muhammad Fazar Izzamuddin Tengku, Ahmad Bukhori Muslim English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia ABSTRACT It has been a recent trend for video games to include story as part of the gameplay to further enhance the players experience in playing. However, as any other form in literature which may portray social issues within the story, games also have the same possibility to portray social issues, such as power. Because of this reason, the present study aims to investigate how power manifests among characters in a video game, Suikoden V. The study uses a qualitative method, and uses the theoretical framework from French and Raven (2008) to categorize the data acquired. Foucault’s (1982) theory of power is also used to analyze the findings. The present study finds that power is exercised frequently by the people of authority and in higher position such as nobles and leaders. Power often exercised for two major purposes. The first is for the leaders to control the people, and the second is to construct identities which allow the leaders to control the people more efficiently. The findings revealed how the leaders are able to construct the society through the use of various types of power. Keywords: characters, power, power relation, video games, French and Raven, Foucault. Muhammad Fazar Izzamuddin Tengku Power in video game Suikoden V: Its relation and exercises INTRODUCTION Subject and Power (1982), however, points out that the pastoral power, which was supposed to be restricted in religious Power has been a subject that quite a institution, extended to the whole social number of academicians discuss and try to body itself. The church, instead of define. Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) believe exercising sovereignty, used salvation- that power is the ability to control that ones oriented power in which the religious have upon resources. This means those who doctrine appeals to individual’s will to have resources have power, while ones who sacrifice for salvation. Foucault further are dependent on power is powerless. states before asking “what” and “where”, Similarly, Hodgkinson and Meeth, (1971) we should ask “how” is power exercised to believe that power is associated with formal critically investigate the thematic of power authority in the society, and dependent on itself first. the position the person had in an organization or society. This implied Power could also be seen in various people who works in institution and contexts, from an employer ordering his organization have power since they have employee to do something, to more subtle resources. These definitions, however, ones, leading someone to do something disregard power influence in other aspects through persuasion and guile. Power outside institutional operation, systematic relation in novels, films, and games could operation of an organization or institution, be as obvious as that in real life because in the society where the one who exercise literature, according to Culler (1997), can power might be in different institutional mimic the society. Power in literature has operation than the subject, such as power been studied by many researchers. Wiguna exercise between friends working in (2013) analyzes power relation using different institutions. The definitions Foucault’s theory of power in a novel mentioned above are expanded by Harnett entitled Nothing but the Truth by Avi saying, “Power needs no institutional (1992), and finds that relation-based power sanction” (as cited in Barraclough & and knowledge-based power are frequently Stewart, 1992, pp. 2) as there need to be a appeared in the novel. Noelaely (2016) distinction between authority and influence. analyzes power relation in Pretty Little Influence, according to Harnett (as cited in Liars by Sara Shepards (2007) using French Barraclough & Stewart, 1992), implied the and Raven’s theory of power. She finds that act of persuasion, while authority relies on legitimate power occurs the most. role, such as supervisor or employee. However, Mustaffa’s (2017) study of French and Raven (1959) categorizes power in The War of the Worlds by H. G. power into several types to further cover Wells (1898) finds that the types of power fields that include the use of power, in that occur the most are coercive power and which they categorize power based on the informational power. This indicates that the resources it used. For example, legitimate types of power which may occur depend on power, as they define, is a form of power the theme the story. where the agent relies on institutional Different from the previous studies, sanctions to subject someone into their the present study would like to see power control. However, who is the institutional relation in games. Games nowadays often and what if the agent and the subject have include story as part of the gameplay to different institution? Based on this further enhance the players experience in definition, the agent should not have power playing. Hence just like other forms in over someone outside his institutional literature may portray social issues, games sanctions. Through looking at the history of too have the same possibility to portray the Christianity, Foucault in his book social issues. Corneliussen and Rettberg 123 Passage2020, 8(3), 122-134 (2008), for instance, find that constructions taking into consideration resources used to of power and hierarchy in World of exercise power. Warcraft similar to those found in the real world: colonial subjects and marginalized The previous studies also show that people, for example Troll, Orc, Goblin, and previous games studied are developed by Tauren are represented as uncivilized, western developers, game developing unorganized, and primitive. It is the companies based in US and Europe, such as stereotype used for people live in a village Electronic Arts and Blizzards. Thus, the ruled by tribal laws as opposed to people present study would like to contribute new live in a city ruled by presidential perspectives by analyzing Suikoden V, constitution. Mukherjee (2016) studies how released in 2006, which developed by players in Empire: Total War have to deal Japanese developer, Konami. As a part of with rebellion when the empire is Suikoden series, the game is well-known to struggling to build an industrial society. He have intricate political settings which allow further stated that this is how the game exercises of power throughout the story. situates the mindset of a colonizer into the Unlike other games, the political settings in mind of the players. In other words, the Suikoden series interacted with the game gives the players the ability to enact characters in the game itself, not only on power which equal to the colonizers public settings, but also the character’s themselves whether they chose to or not. internal situation. Hence, the present study This allows the player to be the colonizer chose the game as it is the most appropriate themselves and reenact the colonialization as the object of the study as it allows the even in present time. These findings prove present study to see how power manifests in that Pedercini’s (2016) statement, “game is both public settings and character’s internal not only a ‘cool and progressive’ pop situations. The game is a war-themed game culture artifact, but it also brings capitalism, which is expected to have acts that sexism, and militarism,” is actually true implement power. As most of the studies despite the numerous criticisms, such as by related to video games focus on games Murray (2018) stating we should not forget created by American and European the meaningful message inside a game. We developers, this study aims to see how should interpret the message in a power manifests in games created by meaningful way while analyzing the game. Japanese developer to fill in the gap. This Although the study of games itself still falls study specifically analyzes how power under game study, studies of video games, manifests in the world of Suikoden V Simon (2007) states that game study does through the characterization. not deal with game as cultural artefact, and METHODOLOGY rather, subjects that fall under that category still belongs to the field of cultural studies. Furthermore, O’Neill (1996) states that This research uses a qualitative method games cannot be separated from its since the methodology used is appropriate narrative, hence the present study would for analyzing interpretation and description. like to use elements of literature as means Qualitative method focuses on data, to collect data from the game studied in this description, and interpretation which research which the data would later be cannot be expressed using numerical categorized using French and Raven’s research method (Hancock, et al. 2007). (1959) theory of power and analyzed using The present research is a textual analysis Foucault’s theory of power. French and approach as it examined the manifestation Raven’s theory of power is appropriate for of power in the game through the words, this study as it provides a variety of phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and ideas in classifications in different situations by text. Textual analysis, according to McKee Muhammad Fazar Izzamuddin Tengku Power in video game Suikoden V: Its relation and exercises (2003), is a way for researchers to gather Furthermore, as games have no page information about how other human beings number to be used as marks for page, the interpret the world. It is relevant in this present study uses the setting of the event study as Schwartz (2004) states virtual instead as the mark for where and when the environments also reflect the real-life data is a collected in the game. environment. As one of the participants of Schwartz research pointed out, the way After the data are collected, the data some players of Suikoden did not see the are categorized and divided into their kobold race, sentient human-dog, as a respective categories in accordance to human reflects the colonizers perspective of French and Raven’s (2008) theories.