control over our experience – is it any and the impact of his contributions, wonder that people become so involved? overshadowed by the later failure of the Virtual Boy, against the massive success Frequently, we hear conversation about Because the human input into the of his earlier works and inventions. how much of their lives people inject into entertainment experience is the novel In response to “Searching for games. Parents worry when little Johnny half of games’ fun equation, it often Gunpei Yokoi” from The Escapist Shigeru Miyamoto always got the credit doesn’t want to go outside, but would garners the most attention. The part Forum: Absolutely brilliant article. Such because his games sold more and he rather stay in by himself and play a where games reach out and touch our a well written homage to an oft- made the game that became the game. Family and friends worry when lives is so often ignored. Perhaps it’s that unheralded figure in the gaming world. company mascot (and admittedly, is they don’t hear from their child/sibling/ the line between what we do in games Few people realize who this man was responsible for several gaming mega- parent who was last seen wandering the and what games share with us is so franchises), but one has to wonder just plains of Azeroth. A newspaper gets wind vague. But those things are present … how much he gleaned from Yokoi’s of someone who has made themselves what are they? experience and tutelage. If Miyamoto sick - or worse - playing too long at hadn’t studied under Yokoi, would Mario some game. It is this question that has brought up or Zelda as we know them even exist? today’s issue of The Escapist: How do And while these cases are the extreme, games affect our real lives? From - armitage they are extreme versions of similar bringing us into a loving relationship feelings anyone into games has felt. I after years of no luck in the real world, In response to “Searching for occasionally worry about myself when to helping us learn to survive and use Gunpei Yokoi” from The Escapist my workday is too frequently punctuated military equipment, games have become Forum: The problem of “condensing” with thoughts pondering new ingredient important, not just to our entertainment information about the Japanese creators combinations for Dragon Quest’s needs, but throughout our daily lives. of early video games is widespread in Alchemy Pot. I’m sure you have your Find out more in this week’s issue of The videogame writing. It is monumentally own version. What’s the common theme Escapist, “Through the Looking Glass.” easier to browse through the available here? That we are obsessing, thinking, English sources of information on people pondering over the things we can do in Cheers, like Yokoi and compile them for an article the game world to progress, to enjoy, to than to actually add something new to learn. There is no other type of the story of their lives. entertainment that allows so much I understand that there is an exceedingly daunting language barrier, but if you really want to get to know people like In response to “The Indie Guru” Yokoi, then it is possible to do an from The Escapist Forum: I enjoyed interview. You don’t even have to go to the article and finding out about Steve Japan, people there have phones and Pavlina’s site. email. To say “The only hard proof we have that Gunpei Yokoi graced this As for your endeavour to Malaysia, this mortal soil is a few faded black and Malaysian reader wishes you well and white photographs” is just wrong, and a frankly speaking, it’s not the desert that bit insensitive. What about his family? people make it out to be. Networking is What about his co-workers? I’m sure easy here once you’re here and the Shigeru Miyamoto has some ripping good community as a whole is a small group yarns about him, why not ask? The altogether. And for the person who said history of early Japanese videogames is that there may be problems in certainly shrouded in mystery--but communication, there’s more imported videogame writers often just accept this, sitcoms than there are local sitcoms in and, even more often, present it as the local language. some sort of exaggerated conundrum for dramatic effect. -Myremi

I’d also like to point out that this sort of In response to ‘A Natural Born article seems to reveal an uncomfortable Inventor” from The Escapist Forum: trend in videogame journalism (a double Who are we to argue with the father of standard?), whereby American and video gaming? European videogame authors (even those mysterious programmers of the - Ramification golden-era) get interviewed and profiled, but Japanese authors receive a nostalgic The children of video gaming, of course. and mysterious homage. Just look at the other articles in this month’s issue. - Meophist

-S. Claiborn As you maneuver your tank across the fuel, motor oil and propellant, you can’t field of battle, one eye on the threat wait to do it again. indicators, one eye on the horizon, you feel an icy sliver of fear deep in your gut. JTEP (Joint Training Experimentation You know this isn’t real war, you know Program) was created for the California your enemy is virtual, but the tension National Guard by SRI International, and Virtual Bullet, feels the same. The threat, real. since 2003 has been used in a variety of Although the enemy is simulated, he’s live exercises using existing military not dumb, and it will take every ounce of vehicles retrofitted with computer your skill to search him out and destroy simulation equipment, GPS transceivers, him before he does the same to you. speakers and flashing lights. The goal, VIRTUAL according to JTEP Program Manager John Your objective: Maneuver your tank from Shockley, is to “enhance the overall Point A to Point B and destroy him. Your guard training experience and training reward: survival. It may sound like just value. [These] are real vehicles, they’re another mission in just another game, but doing real maneuvering, they’re doing this is no game. You are a member of the real radio communications, all that. We California National Guard, and this is JTEP. just simulate the bullet.”

by Russ Pitts As your tank eases over the next hill, Shall We Play a Game? GUN you see him; hull down a quarter mile The idea of learning to fight war by away, waiting for you. The next few playing soldier is not a new one. The first seconds feel like they’re happening in wargames (that we know of) were slow motion. You see the flash a half- conducted in the 19th century, to better second before you hear the shot. You understand tactics and strategy, and don’t see the projectile, but a second similar wargames are being played by later you feel it. Alarms go off, the lights soldiers the world over. The idea of dim and the sound of the explosion learning war by playing a computer almost ruins your new speakers. You’re game is also not a very new idea, dead. The game is over. And as you although the depth and breadth of climb out of your tank, your nose simulations have increased exponentially stinging from the acrid smell of diesel in recent years, following the production space to become a warrior. Perhaps, as a fighter pilot, and no computer in the of even faster, better computers. the inverse of Ender’s Game, the idea of world can completely simulate the real becoming a fighter pilot in space seemed thing. Yet. But there is one area of The concept of all-out war waged via a touch far-fetched, but using a military training that not only benefits computer terminals entered the public videogame as a flight simulator? Well, from computer-enhanced simulation, it consciousness in the mid-’80s via Orson we were already there. Or at least the also demands it. Scott Card’s stunning science fiction novel, military was. Albeit in tilt-a-whirl style. Ender’s Game, in which a group of young Remote Control boys are trained in war, using a type of Aside from being crude, large and fairly “The UAV (Unmanned Arial Vehicle) virtual reality simulator. Needless to say, basic, military-grade simulators in the Training Center’s simulators are said to when Card wrote his novel, the idea of late 20th century were also exorbitantly be so realistic, it would be difficult to training boys to fight war may not have expensive. Which, considering the distinguish, without previous knowledge, seemed far-fetched, but the technology military’s annual budget, may not seem between them and the actual ground did. Computers at that time were barely like much of a problem, but when the stations,” writes Patrick Chisholm in a capable of drawing pictures, and military cost of running a simulator exceeds the November 2005 article appearing in simulators often filled entire rooms and cost of burning a jet engine for a few Military Training Technology. provided little more stimulation than was hours, why not just go up? Simulators, to be had from a tilt-a-whirl. therefore, have most often been UAVs are basically miniature airplanes relegated for use simulating high-risk controlled via remote control, from a Much closer to home (and in the same tasks (such as space flight) or for when computer station, and until fairly genre) was the popular filmThe Last hands-on training is neither possible nor recently required, as with actual Starfighter, in which a young man living desirable. Like for practicing nuclear airplanes, a working UAV to train pilots. in a trailer park learns to pilot a bombing runs over Moscow. But with UAVs in increased demand in spaceship by playing a videogame. As it Afghanistan, Iraq (and everywhere else turns out, the game is actually a Besides, there are aspects of flight that the Army is currently operating), the simulator, and by playing it he earns the cannot be accurately simulated, such as machines themselves have been too golden ticket to ride the real thing for g-force, the way sunlight glares on the busy conducting operations to sit around free and save the galaxy. “Greetings, canopy or the “feel” of the stick as idle while rookie joystick jockeys learn Starfighter. You have been recruited by pockets of ionized air pass over the the controls. Enter: the UAV Training the Star League,” the machine intones, control planes. The ability to learn and Center at Fort Huachuca, AZ. as a spaceship lands behind him, and he adapt to these and other various, minute is whisked away to the far reaches of sensory inputs is what makes or breaks sponsored by The simulators at Fort Huachuca, are a pilots. They just need to be good at mix of proprietary systems and off-the- playing what’s essentially a very shelf PCs (“ruggedized Intel PCs running expensive game. Microsoft Windows 2000 using game level Nvidia™-based graphics cards”), “In the Army, UAV trainees are not built into stackable shipping containers, required to have previous schooling in deployable almost anywhere in the aviation,” writes Chisholm. “Army UAV world. The software, however, is another trainees are often right out of high story entirely. Designed by MetaVR, the school. … After 21 weeks and two days simulation software, called VRSG (Virtual at the UAV Training Center, graduates Reality Scene Generator) is, according to are certified by the Army to fly UAVs.” MetaVR, “a real-time computer image generator that enables users to visualize Which makes it sound so easy, anyone geographically expansive and detailed could do it. And that’s exactly the virtual worlds on commercial off-the- message the Army is trying to send. In shelf PCs.” Which, if you compare spec 2004, the Army sponsored UAV sheets, is essentially what passes for a demonstrations across the country at (of videogame in non-military circles. all places) NASCAR races. The Army supplied the tents (emblazoned with “Go The system works like this: Two Army!” banners), MetaVR supplied the operators per UAV sit at a control MUSE (Multiple Unified Simulation terminal that looks almost exactly like a Environment) systems, and thousands of laptop with a joystick, built into a green race fans got to feel what it would be like plastic road case (because that’s what it to fly an actual UAV. Whether or not any is), and “steer” their UAV using of the thousands or so citizens attending telemetry and video fed to them through heard the message “Greetings UAV the laptop screen. One “96 Uniform,” as Fighter …” and was then whisked away to the Army calls them, flies the vehicle; be fitted for a uniform, one would the other mans the surveillance and/or imagine, is classified. What isn’t weapons package. Neither of them classified is how accurately the MUSE actually has to see the vehicle they’re system replicates the experience of flying. They also don’t have to be real flying a UAV. From the MetaVR website: “When the In other words, simulating bullets and round, a tank round, we know where system operators are not flying the actual battlefields saves money and, obviously, he’s pointing, and we simulate the UAV, they can fly a simulated UAV using lives, but it also creates the possibility engagement of him firing against the same hardware they use to operate that the soldiers using the virtual another vehicle, and then do a statistical the real system -- using the JTC/SIL training systems may not be as prepared kill assessment of those results.” MUSE, which replicates the air vehicle for the real thing should it ever come.. and datalink simulation software and Naturally, the only real solution to this In other words, a virtual bullet. But the MetaVR’s PC-based technology. Thus, an problem is to not use simulators at all, rabbit hole goes even deeper than that. operator does not necessarily know but barring that, making them as real whether the video feed is coming and as engaging as possible will have to “[In May of 2003] we used a constructive from a simulator or a real camera serve. This is easy for training 96 simulation called JCATS, a Joint Conflict video feed.” Uniforms. When the live feed and the and Tactical Simulation,” says Shockley, training video are both shows on the “and the issue that we had … was how Meaning, it’s possible to pump simulated same screen, through the same do you visually stimulate the live guys in video into the same terminal used in real equipment, it’s a lot harder to tell the the tank?” flight operations, almost exactly difference between what’s live and replicating the experience of real what’s Memorex. But what about tank The solution? Smart targets. operational flight. This, of course, and infantry training? How do you fool a creates a near-perfect training man on the ground that can see the “Tankers are used to dealing with what environment, but it also raises the target with his own eyes? they call pop-up targets,” he says. question of whether the pilot can tell the “They’re plywood silhouettes of an difference, and if the Army cares. “There are two … live instrumentation enemy vehicle [that] pop up out of the systems … that we use to do the ground and provide a signature that they Forced Feedback engagement simulation,” says SRI’s John can fire against. So [in May of 2003] we “We want to make sure that we use the Shockley. “The first one is called DFIRST, used those, [and] we used the JCATS to simulations in a way that helps the Deployable Force-On-Force Instrumented mimic their locations, and then we soldiers,” says SRI’s John Shockley. Range System, or DFIRST. … What that restricted the scenario so that the “We’re very concerned about making system does is it provides GPS-based [dummy] vehicles would be in the sure that they don’t get any negative tracking for the vehicles, and then it also defensive position - basically coming up training value from what we’re doing.” uses GPS pointing angle information to over a hill, firing, then going back. That measure where a tank’s turret is way we had visual stimulation that live pointing. … When somebody shoots a guys … could engage both ways. Now, in addition to the vehicle and environment game? I asked Shockley if anyone using only difference. Will some lucky and engagements being simulated, his simulators had stopped themselves, videogamer soon find himself completing [we’re] also simulating some of the realizing they were having more fun than a game and then, instead of a story cut participants so that the person operating they should be. scene, or rolling credits, seeing an a constructive simulation could be invitation to join the Army? According to controlling an entire tank platoon, “The very first exercise we did where we SRI’s John Shockley, such a scenario for example.” had simulated bad guys shooting back,” he isn’t too far from the realm of possibility. said, “we had a company of guard soldiers The result? out, and they were doing these exercises “I think there’s something to that with our system, and they’re out running [idea],” he says. “I really think there’s “[We] scored the first kill of a virtual around doing maneuvers. We were using something to that. You know, [as] the target firing back.” them, basically to make sure that the skills of simulation get better and better, system was tuned right and it was all a lot of the skills will be very realistic.” Real tanks, virtual enemies and the working properly, and it was toward the whole exercise can be integrated into end of the day. We said, ‘Gosh, guys, we Meaning the next game you play could one training platform and monitored - got everything we need, thank you very be far less than virtual. even altered on the fly - by a central much.’ And they said, ‘Well, can’t we go computer. If you think this is starting to out again?’” He said “No.” Russ Pitts is an Associate Editor for The sound a little too much like Ender’s Escapist. He has written and produced Game, you’re not alone. I asked John how much an operation for television, theatre and film, has been involving his systems would typically writing on the web since it was invented Greetings, Warfighter cost. What, in other words, is the and claims to have played every console The use of games as war simulators is a monetary difference between ever made. His blog can be found at definite improvement over sending videogames and war games? www.falsegravity.com. young men unprepared into the crucible of war, but it does raise the question of “For an individual exercise it’s probably in whether the lines will begin to blur. Will the few thousands of dollars. … [But] I’d the simulations themselves become so be really hesitant to say because it varies indistinguishable as to render the so much … depending on the scale.” difference meaningless? And what happens then? When games are used to So, significantly more than a quarter; teach war, will war itself become a which, at least for now, seems to be the out in all directions, but he cleaned up my belt. Pete was climbing the rungs to well enough. his mid-20s and had seemingly left his party years behind before they even For Peter, though, girls were a strange, started. His 21st birthday went by foreign object. Watching him try to without much fanfare (“I don’t really like navigate a party – or even a small get- the taste of alcohol, anyway”), as did his together – was like watching someone 18th (“Why buy porn when there’s so walk through a minefield. Whenever a much of it free online?”). He didn’t get girl struck up a conversation, he had the his driver’s license until he was on the same reaction: eyes to the floor, talking cusp of his 19th, when his parents forced so softly it’s hard to hear, and eventually him to (“Why can’t I just take the bus ending their talk abruptly with the around campus?”). excuse of needing to use the facilities. In college, he was the weird guy across “Pete, you have got to get out of this the hall that sat in his dorm room and slump,” I said to him one day. played videogames nonstop. Unlike me, (WARNING: Names have been changed “What slump?” he replied. he was “the gaming guy” (although I did to protect the innocent – and the “The one where you haven’t had a date enjoy a round of Worms on his PC, obsessed) in ... ever.” whenever I dropped by to visit). I He smiled. “I wouldn’t call that a slump; feared, however, that such obsessions Peter more of a plateau.” were going to land him in Steve Carell He hadn’t ever been with a woman. “Uh huh,” I responded. “Don’t you have territory. Now, I don’t mean that in a crude way to rise up somewhat before you can (although I suppose that does apply); I plateau?” “There’s nothing for you in that little mean he had never been out on a date. box,” I once remarked, on one of my He frowned at that. more lucid days. It wasn’t like he was an ugly guy, either. Always the smartass, Pete replied, In high school, Peter was lean, perhaps I usually let the issue drop, however, as I “Little? This is the Xbox! Trucks are even lanky, but had grown nicely into his was in a similar boat. My love life was jealous of it.” frame. His hair was a wiry mess of not quite as glamorous as I would have sandy-colored strands that seemed to go liked, but at least I had experience under Again, I let it drop. Who was I to judge? Annabeth “Tom, hey! Come up!” “What’s that?” she asked. I shrugged The last time I had seen Annabeth, she “Um, sure. On my way,” I responded, and said it had her name on it. She tore was angry. avoiding George’s confused gaze. As she it open, thanks to my helpful set of keys. buzzed me up, I grabbed a brown She dug through the packing peanuts, “Bastard!” package addressed to her, left in front of finally pulling out a copy of her future. her doorstep. Through the air, a box of clothing fell with Getting a Second Life a loud thump onto the cement walkway. When I entered her apartment, I saw Most people get games so they can Annabeth, apparently, was kicking out her the place scattered with the remains of enjoy them. You have a general idea of longtime boyfriend George. a year-long relationship, the glass front what it’s going to be before you shell out of a picture-frame smashed to bits on the cash for it. “Anna, baby, please, I’m sorry!” he yelled the floor. back up to her. Down came more clothes, Second Life, for Annabeth, was nothing and more obscenities. Now, at the time, I “You, um, got a package,” I remarked, of the sort. It was hard to navigate, the had no idea they were having problems. although she wasn’t listening. controls were somewhat foreign to her, Obviously that changed very quickly. and she wasn’t terribly interested in the “You bastard!” she screeched, hurling a nonlinear purposelessness of the world. “Anna, please, not the -” bundle of clothes to the pavement. She preferred high-action shooting Quietly viewing this spectacle, I gingerly games with an intellectual backbone, like But it was too late; the computer began cleaning up the room. the Half-Life series, or even something monitor landed with a sickening thud on with less outright violence, like Zelda. the pavement, circuitry cracking and An hour later, after more screaming and Still, she gradually began to take to it flying in every direction. I winced. more of George’s things littering the like a newborn duck to water. I realized that they both liked to see jazz George howled, creating a nice scene for street, he left and she finally relaxed performed live – or pseudo live, in this the sideways glances of neighbors and enough to sit down. We established what Little did I know, Peter had opened a case – so that would be my opening. passersby. a terrible person George was and how he Second Life account months before and After a few cautious phone calls, I shouldn’t have cheated on her with “that frequented the very areas Annabeth was managed to get them both into a quaint “Annabeth?” I call up. Her raven-haired skank,” and so on. Eventually, her exploring. When I discovered this, I jazz cafe that evening, overlooking a head poked out of the window. She attention was drawn to the brown box immediately knew I had to play pixelated beach. I was there, in all my looked harried, but managed a smile that had arrived. matchmaker. How to do it, though? glory, escorting Annabeth that evening. when she saw me. When we arrived, I spotted Peter’s From here, things were surprisingly noise from the computer distracted me. avatar, quietly sitting and watching the typical. They went out, found the same Peter had left Second Life on, and band start their set. I pulled Annabeth kind of easy conversation they had in someone had started to chat with his over and did a fancy-seeing-you-here their second lives carried over, and avatar. I sat down, examining the blonde before sitting us down at his table. They began to fall in love. Matter of fact, they character that had begun the conversation. started talking (which is much easier in a were increasingly nauseating as they got loud cafe or club using text chatting), closer to the big day. That’s right; they ME: Hi there. Who’s this? and they learned they had much in got hitched. They even had wax HER: this is Bella. is this Peter? common, especially their taste in games. representations of their avatars cast and ME: No, this is his friend Tom. He After 20 minutes, they began talking so placed on top of the cake. stepped away for a sec. much, I excused myself for the bathroom HER: oh, Tom! i’m his cousin. he’s and slipped out the door. I was not missed. Casual Conversation talked a bit about you. A month after that, I found myself at ME: Really? This cafe became their place. Every their house. Peter had gotten a much- HER: yep. said we’d get along too. Saturday they’d meet there, chat about needed promotion at his IT job and had ME: Working so far. ;) the world and life and jazz and purchased a brand new house in a little everything in between, until one day, development outside of town. It was “Tom, you coming?” came Annabeth’s Peter developed a sense of adventure. small, but it was their home. voice from the other room. I said I’d be a minute. PETER: so i think we should meet The buzzer on the oven dinged, and ANNABETH: meet? as in ‘meet’ meet? Annabeth jumped up to grab it. Peter As the dinner in the kitchen started to PETER: yea quickly followed, grabbing her waist and cool, I wondered if this accidental ANNABETH: hmm, i guess we could nibbling on her neck as they disappeared interaction was the first chapter in my through the kitchen door (like I said, own gamer love story, and I hoped it This four-line conversation was actually nauseating). was. And, as another chime sounded a not his, though. I was over at his place new message, I smiled. that night and jacked the computer for a “OK, dinner’s ready!” called Annabeth, minute, while he went to the bathroom. her voice shuddering from a stifled Tom Rhodes is a writer and filmmaker When he came back, he was steaming, but giggle. I sighed, knowing I’d have to put currently living in Ohio. He can be felt better after he realized he had a date. up with their antics for the rest of the reached through Tom [dot] Rhod [at] night. I stood and began to follow, but a Gmail [dot] com. In November 2005, days after France highlighted the issue that has troubled burned, a 27-year-old French industrial the young medium from its start. designer named Alex Chan created a media sensation with his machinima film *** “The French Democracy.” The media’s acceptance of “The French Made in about five days for zero cost Democracy,” contrasted with their (except the price of the engine, widespread hysteria about videogames, Activision’s game The Movies), confirms a gaping cultural divide. “Democracy” depicts three dark-skinned Reporters treated machinima with young men who endure daily automatic respect, because society has discrimination in the Paris ghettos. When accepted film as a meaningful art form. they hear about two teenagers who, while But in the public mind, games are by hiding from police, were electrocuted in a definition frivolous; a game with a transformer station – the real-life serious instructional or artistic purpose flashpoint for the 2005 riots – the men faces skepticism, even hostility. After the join the violence in the streets. As told by scandal at the Slamdance indie film the Associated Press – and The festival’s 2006 Guerrila Gamemaking Washington Post – and MTV.com – and Competition, Slamdance organizer Peter Business Week – the 13-minute film was Baxter told The New York Times, Chan’s attempt to correct what he saw “Absolutely, games should be judged by as biased press coverage of three weeks different criteria than film. I just don’t of civil unrest in ghettos across France. accept a direct comparison.” “The main intention of this movie is to bring people to think about what really The double standard has benefited “The happened in my country,” Chan told the French Democracy,” because its impact is Post, “by trying to show the starting more conceptual than artistic. Quite point and some causes of these riots.” roughly made, the film carries the passionate sincerity of a hand-lettered “The French Democracy” marked the broadside. Its widespread recognition popular news media’s belated discovery proves you don’t need high-powered of machinima. And, significantly, the film graphics cards and a team of hundreds to join the world’s ongoing conversation. Even its artistic limitations are hardly If you shoot a high-def film with a Canon Ideas are not only cheap; they run on deal-breakers. Like machinima, several camera, Canon doesn’t own your movie. low-end hardware. other forms of drama permit little or no If you publish a book or magazine that facial expression, yet have nonetheless uses fonts owned by Microsoft and It’s encouraging that everyone produced major masterpieces. For images corrected in Adobe Photoshop, automatically treats “Democracy” as a instance, the actors in ancient Greek plays neither Microsoft nor Adobe owns your film. In a way, it’s also surprising, wore masks, as did the performers in publication, because their licenses because, considered strictly as film, Japanese Noh drama. And from the 1920s specifically grant you ownership. But if machinima can make you squirm in your through the ‘40s, America’s most popular you make a machinima film usingThe seat. See, for instance, “A Few Good G- dramatic form was not film, but radio. Movies, Activision (the publisher) Men,” award-winning machinima by controls it. Activision controls everything. Randall Glass that uses Valve’s Half-Life In terms of the skills required and the 2 Source engine to render the climactic effects produced, machinima somewhat Artist and media maven Tony Walsh, on his scene from the 1992 filmA Few Good resembles puppetry. Though puppet blog Clickable Culture, analyzed the End Men. Glass’ work is polished, even artful, theater in the West has a reputation User License Agreement for The Movies: yet it points up the painfully limited hardly more elevated than games, in Asia range of facial expressions available in it’s a respected art-form with a long and “While users retain ownership of this state-of-the-art engine. We are prestigious history. In Indonesia, movies they create, Activision years away from game engines that offer puppeteers called dalang enjoy high exclusively owns ‘any and all content figure models as rubber-faced as Jim status as masters of wayang drama. And within [users’] Game Movies that was Carrey, not that anyone looks forward to the leading work of Japanese theater, the either supplied with the Program or that exact possibility. Chushingura (The 47 Ronin) – as revered otherwise made available to [users] by there as we revere Shakespeare and Activision or its licensors...’ This means Fortunately, machinima has inherent Ibsen – was written for bunraku puppets. that any movie containing anything virtues that film is hard-pressed to less than 100% user-created content match. Aside from its uniquely fast No, the main issue facing machinima is (an impossible feat, as far as I can tell) production time and low cost, machinima neither technical nor artistic. As any is under Activision’s control. [...] ‘The also shares the advantages of other machinima maker can tell you, the main French Democracy’ might be a computer animation, such as visionary issue is copyright. milestone in machinima history, but design and fluid camera work impossible since Activision owns the content of on a practical set. *** the movie (the character models, environments and other material), the “[Fred] Von Lohmann and [the work? ... [A]s a supplier of technology, publisher could order the movie Electronic Frontier Foundation] do they get to dictate the how, what and removed from internet sites.” represented the fourth speaker, Jon why tech is used? ... I believe it is in the Grigg, a filmmaker who had dealt with interest of the developers to handle the What’s more, if you upload your film to an unresponsive game company, ‘how’ specifically and not become mired the officialMovies site, Lionhead Studios Valve. Grigg had contacted Valve in the ‘what’ or ‘why.’ The developers, can do anything they want with it. numerous times to get permission for and technology, are enablers.” Counter-Strike machinima for his film The same restriction holds true for ‘Deviation,’ with no response. He It’s possible to negotiate these obstacles. machinima made using other game needed the permission in order for Rooster Teeth Productions, which makes engines – or, more accurately, there’s no Atom Films to carry and distribute his the popular Red vs. Blue series using case law to disprove the publisher’s work, and for him to be able to make a Microsoft’s Halo engine, signed an claim on derivative works. If you make a profit. While Grigg ultimately received agreement with Microsoft that permits it commercial DVD of your Sims 2 videos, permission, Von Lohmann noted that to sell DVDs and merchandise. (See “Red maybe you can sell it on Amazon, maybe game companies do not have a stance vs. Blue Makes Green,” The Escapist not. To find out for sure, pay your lawyer on machinima yet, and it’s up to the issue No. 68.) a million bucks and sit in a courtroom for machinima community to sway things three years. their way.” But in practical terms, these issues will be solved only with successful *** The copyright issue looms large among Photoshop-style dedicated machinima machinima creators. Paul Marino is applications. We’re finally starting to see “French Democracy” maker Alex Chan Executive Director of the Academy of a few, including Reallusion’s iClone and spoke on the “Machinima With Issues” Machinima Arts and Sciences and author Short Fuze’s Moviestorm. Both offer panel at the second annual Machinima of 3-D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art sensible EULAs that don’t grab ownership Festival, held in November 2006 at the of Machinima (Paraglyph Press, 2004). of your film. Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, On his blog, Thinking Machinima, Marino New York. Another, perhaps more first praised “The French Democracy,” Looking further out, Lucasfilm’s arresting panel topic there was “Will I then speculated, “Will a machinima Industrial Light & Magic special-effects Get Sued?” Gamasutra’s Raina Lee surface that forces a game developer to house is developing Zviz, an in-house covered it: issue a damage-control press release machinima app for pre-visualization. In stating they have nothing to do with the an interview with trade journal VFX World, ILM R&D Director Steve Sullivan art in machine-agnostic terms, you are long as the publishers own everything Allen Varney designed the PARANOIA describes Zviz features that make a not an artist and shouldn’t declare through their grasping EULAs, dangerous paper-and-dice roleplaying game (2004 machinima buff’s thumbs itchy: yourself to be one; you are a hobbyist legal issues overshadow everything. edition) and has contributed to computer simultaneous multiple takes and shots in and a slave of the hardware.” games from Sony Online, Origin, memory, lenses, real-time game-engine Copyright problems aside, it’s hard to Interplay and Looking Glass. lighting and physics, free-floating camera Meanwhile, Activision released one envision a machinima movement with or dollies and cranes, in-world sketching much-needed Movies expansion (Stunts political clout. What is the usual fate of a and asset annotation, flipbooks of facial & Effects) in mid-2006, and a Macintosh political work produced outside the expressions, three-point editing, audio version in January 2007. Otherwise the existing power structure? Such works ... . “We have an internal system game is basically dormant and likely to aren’t inherently, inevitably working now,” says Sullivan; Lucasfilm is remain so, inasmuch as Microsoft bought marginalized, but history shows that’s using it for the new Clone Wars animated Lionhead Studios in April 2006. the way to bet. “The French Democracy” series. “We have no plans to market it is to machinima as, say, Democracy Now now, but it needs to be consumer Alex Chan has not yet submitted another is to American television. They are both friendly. ... The target audience was also film to theMovies site. (Under the commentators in the wilderness, exiled 12-year-old kids. George [Lucas] wanted handle “Koulamata,” he had posted three by systemic pressures that have no a system that could teach people how to prior machinima learning projects before technical fix. make movies: something that changes “French Democracy,” but he later how things are done.” removed them all.) Other players still In the online magazine PopMatters, Josh upload nearly 100 movies daily. A few Lee wrote, “‘The French Democracy’ But all these platforms are proprietary are ambitious, such as “Dark won’t win any awards at Cannes, but it and, in some cases, vaporous. Ideally, September,” about 9/11. But it’s fair to covers [its] political and psychic territory the world-killer machinima app should be say the community has not grown with an immediacy that’s as moving as it free or open-source – and in the long politically active, let alone radical. is alarming. It seems a little strange, term, it must be cross-platform, or every though, that while ten years is plenty of generation of machinima will eventually The media perceived “Democracy” as the time for there to be waves of simpler, get pushed off the pier of history into the harbinger of a new, powerful vector for cheaper filmmaking tools, it is not long sad sea of abandonware. In linking to a social commentary. This may yet prove enough to have any effect on the issues report on the January 2007 “New Media true, but if so, it will take time. Today’s that filmmakers need to bring to the and Social Memory” meeting, futurist diverse machinima communities aren’t public’s attention.” and science fiction writer Bruce Sterling notably political; the political class remarked, “If you’re not thinking of your remains ignorant of the form; and as Watch this video. spectacular combos. But how did we always know who to cheer for? And how I was there, three years ago, when that did race tell us who to cheer for? video happened. It happened at Cal Poly Pomona, as part of Evolution 2004, the Maybe we should rewind a bit. biggest fighting game tournament in the United States. I was eating a Famous Street Fighter II was widely credited with Star from Carl’s Jr. at the time. providing a much-needed shot in the arm to the arcade game scene back in the early The match would later become legendary, 1990s. The graphics were awesome, and immortalized on YouTube and occasionally the head-to-head gameplay hadn’t quite parodied: Justin Wong, an American caught on full force until then. But, perhaps player known best for winning four more significantly,Street Fighter II consecutive national championships from demanded a social experience. In order to 2001-2005 in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, was get better, you had to play against pitted against Daigo Umehara, arguably someone else, and - unlike Xbox Live - you Japan’s greatest Street Fighter player, in had to play with someone who was the tournament semifinals forStreet actually standing right next to you. It Fighter III: Third Strike. Watching Daigo caused communities of players to form coolly parry Justin’s 15-hit super combo around local arcade machines, and those and retaliate with his own counter to win communities would interact with the round with zero life remaining ... well, communities around other arcade machines you just had to have been there. and have tournaments, and so on.

But being in that crowd was a funny This, by itself, isn’t notably different from thing. Somehow, the crowd always knew any other game. There are competitive who it was rooting for, and, more communities around pretty much any curiously, why. I knew, too, as part of game out there, from Gears of War to the crowd, but I couldn’t quite articulate Scrabble. But what is notable about it. Sometimes it made sense to root for Street Fighter II is, unlike Gears of War, Justin, sometimes it didn’t. Of course, the only thing it takes to enter SF2 the crowd loves upsets, underdogs and community is the willingness to put up a quarter, wait your turn and get your ass Sunnyvale Golfland, located in the South People don’t always agree on why beat. Unlike computers or videogame Bay Area; and so on. In this way, race “Asians are better at videogames,” but it consoles, which require a comparably held certain implications within the remains a particularly complicated issue massive outlay of cash to start playing, Street Fighter II community. in the Street Fighter II community, no the barrier to entry for Street Fighter II doubt because this perception of Asian is simply $0.25. And since it’s hardly a Many veteran arcade gamers, and Asian-American players is reinforced secret that people of color in the United particularly those who were around by the very real presence of international States, generally speaking, tend to be during the early ‘90s, can recall a competition from Japan. Very, very good less economically well-off than white stereotype of an Asian or Asian-American international competition. Americans, the average Street Fighter II kid, usually a male, who is unusually gaming environment tended to be a few gifted at videogames. He is young; he We could simply watch the Justin vs. shades darker than, say, the equivalent can be loud and vivacious or soft-spoken Daigo video as another instance of computer gaming circles of the time. and patient. He is known simply for his amazing gameplay. We could also watch skill; his fingers glide over the buttons it as Justin Wong, a Chinese-American, This legacy has stuck with Street Fighter of the arcade machine with practiced playing and very narrowly losing a game II. Evolution attendance seemed to be agility and impeccable reflexes. Black, of Street Fighter III: Third Strike to roughly equal parts white, black, yellow, white and brown players dutifully line Daigo Umehara, a Japanese national brown and so on. Since these their quarters on top of the machine, player, and begin to unpack the elements communities are built around physical each waiting for their chance to defeat of race and nationality within. Justin locations, Street Fighter II players him and prove themselves to the rest of Wong is, in some ways, the textbook become accustomed to building class the group, but they’ll inevitably find example of the Asian arcade-whiz-kid and race into their common-sense themselves digging in their pockets for outlined above: He’s significantly knowledge. Like Evolution, tournaments another quarter after two short rounds, younger than most of his opponents in that we held at the UC Berkeley arcade perhaps three if they get lucky. He is the American Marvel vs. Capcom 2 were attended by all kinds of people, but found in arcades, movie theaters, family scene, where he made a name for it was a fair bet that most of the college- restaurants and 7-11s across the himself. But his reputation as a dominant age Asian and white people either came country. When he is defeated, it is force is equaled by his reputation as a from UC Berkeley or another nearby usually by another Asian player, most boring player. school; black players mostly came from likely a close friend or maybe even a Oaktree Arcade, located in downtown cousin of his, who plays the game with He is not a crowd-pleaser. A Shoryuken. Oakland, which is predominantly black; him often enough to win. com forum thread entitled “I Think I older Asian players mostly came from Have A Plausible Reason Why Justin Is The Greatest!” yields the following dominant Asian player, aggressive, risk- insights: “Justin Wong has god-like taking, occasionally rash and, execution, awesome mindgames, and ultimately, American. unrivaled blocking skills,” “justin wins because hes a fuckin robot,” “Justin is Even though Justin is presumably the best at mvc2 because hes a demon American by nationality, his play-style from the 7th layer of hell in human suit.” has been attached to words normally Like the archetypical Asian whiz-kid, any reserved for Asian players, painting him discussion about Justin’s ability in Marvel as “less American” than his non-Asian vs. Capcom 2 evokes comparisons to opponents. And so, when people boo and superhuman abilities. Justin has robotic hiss while he cleans up Evolution’s precision, mechanical reflexes and a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournaments, they methodical style of play that simply don’t just boo and hiss at Justin Wong, grinds down his opponent. they boo and hiss at Justin Wong, an Asian player dominating non-Asian and But these adjectives - “mechanical,” therefore American opponents. Justin is “methodical” and “robotic” - don’t merely the Yellow Peril. apply to Justin. The depiction of Asian and Asian-Americans as tireless workers The reason the Justin-Daigo video helps is not new to Street Fighter. This kind of us understand all these intricate description, generally known as the constructions of race in the SF2 “Yellow Peril,” has a long history ranging community is precisely because they are from American World War II-era not playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2. MVC2 propaganda to the American-Japanese is mostly played in the U.S., probably automobile rivalry of the 1980s. So while because the comic book heroes from the Justin is seen as robotic and methodical, Marvel Comics universe aren’t popular in Japanese players are viewed similarly. any of the other countries in which That is to say, the Street Fighter Street Fighter games are widely played community’s common sense places the (most notably, Japan). There is no robotic, methodical Asian player as the Japanese threat in MVC2 to displace dominant force, opposite the underdog. Justin’s position as an Asian robot. The underdog is, in opposition to the In Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Understanding why and how people like however, Japanese players like Daigo are Justin Fong bounce back and forth the robotic and mechanical Asian between American hero and Yellow Peril, players. Virtually everyone who chimed in a videogame community no less, is in on the “Amazing Daigo Comeback” key to finding a way to overcome racial thread from the Shoryuken.com forums issues. Maybe that’s another edge the call Justin “cocky,” “flashy” and Street Fighter arcade scene has over the “impatient” - terms that seem to Gears of War online model: We actually resonate with the underdog, “American” have to face the people we demonize. position Justin’s opponents occupy when he’s playing the American-friendly MVC2. Pat Miller has been doing this for way too As long as Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is in our long. Stop by his blog, Token Minorities, Dreamcast, Justin is dominant and un- for more on race and videogames. American, but once we switch the game to Third Strike, Justin is representing the good old U.S.A. against the real Yellow Peril, Daigo Umehara, who has come all the way from Japan to take our money in a Street Fighter tournament. Depending on what game he’s playing, Justin is alternately Asian or American as they correspond to “winner” or “underdog.” Perhaps more significantly, though, lines of race and nationality are crossed here, and Asian is posed against American - not white or black, but American.

Of course, when race and nationality enter the fray, there’s no easy solution to any problem, especially problems like stereotyping and rank classification. Imagine the aftermath of a British not just time-wasting,” I interject, Christmas. Evening is drawing in, elderly beginning a spiel which any long- relatives’ snores are muffled in the fetid, suffering enthusiast will recognize. post-Christmas-dinner air, and the talk “Games are incredibly complex now, turns to the rapid advance of technology. they’re compelling, they’re edifying. We My mother wonders at the speed at which haven’t been spending our time just email and text-messaging appear to have making more and more versions of overtaken all other forms of Tetris. People are creating real art, these communication, my dad complains about days. Games are as intelligent a leisure not being able to work his new television, pursuit as anything else.” and slowly but inevitably, the subject of the recent Wii launch comes up. Drifting The living room resounds with familiar, slowly back to consciousness from my tolerant laughter. My aunt shakes her over-indulged, semi-comatose state, I head, smiling, and leans forward in her listen, as my aunt explains her confusion. chair. “Come on, Kelly,” she says, looking about as mischievous as a middle-aged “I cannot grasp how releasing more and and middle-class Edinburgh woman can more of these games consoles makes manage, “you can’t possibly say things any difference,” she says. “Surely it’s like that and expect to be taken just the same old thing, you know -” she seriously.” sticks her hands in the air, forefingers outstretched, “- blam blam, vroom And yet I do take games seriously, and vroom. Same kids wasting the same so do thousands and thousands of amount of time, only it’s more expensive others. Too seriously, much of the time. for their parents!” Every facet of the entertainment industry has its fanatics, but seldom are they as Everyone laughs, throwing me the enthusiastic, vocal and extraordinarily occasional glance, expecting me to leap organized as videogame fanatics. into the defensive. I rise to the bait. Talented enthusiasts pour hours upon Foolish, I know, but I can never resist; hours of their time into fansites and my family does this to me with databases, mods and skins; fanboys monotonous regularity. “It’s really, really scream at each other over forums about whose console or series or whatever is men shooting other men in virtual space best; we argue ourselves hoarse over in an enormous variety of ways; the upcoming releases and forgotten eternal quest for the next meaningless treasures, games’ merits and failings and shiny thing, or higher number; a sea of potential, over minutia; Ocarina of Time sheer, mindless drivel punctuated by the vs. Majora’s Mask, Morrowind vs. occasional example of something more Oblivion. We stand up for gaming as a worthwhile, so infrequent as to be worthwhile pursuit, band together to irrelevant. defend it, whether in front of our families, obstreperous newspaper This is a crisis most gamers in my columnists or Jack Thompson. We, as acquaintance seem to go through with intelligent people, love games, and it is a distressing frequency. It passes, of love that is often complex and un- course, usually when the next exemplary frivolous. We are not a clamoring mob, title arrives to remind us why we love hypnotized by flashing lights and high games in the first place (last year’s was scores into wasting our lives in front of a Okami, for me). But I still never come screen. We engage with games on a out of it with any sense of clarity about significant level, and that often has a exactly why games have influenced (and considerable impact on our lives. continue to influence) my life more than any other medium. I want to know why All of which begs the question: Why on people who love games seem so much Earth do we bother? more enthusiastic about their hobby than their film- or book-fan equivalents. Once or twice a year, mired in the repetitive, cynical profiteering rubbish It is quite possible to be seduced into that seems to constitute so very much of entertaining the notion that gaming must videogaming as a whole, I ask myself have something over its entertainment that question. Cast a relatively neutral contemporaries in order to inspire such eye over our industry – an eye like my devotion. But that analysis strikes me as aunt’s – and it can be difficult to see why self-indulgent. Every once in a while, anyone takes us seriously. Games are when a new landmark of interactive pointless, meaningless and ridiculous; entertainment comes along, it’s easy to believe games can touch us in ways justify them in writing and conversation. Games are a new, exciting, multi- nothing else can, but even assuming that Perhaps my fanaticism is awakened – faceted, complex and challenging to be true, it is foolish to think games even exacerbated – by the fact I am passion. We feel compelled to treat them are intrinsically better than books, film always being told it’s not justified. as something more than toys because or television and therefore inspire a they are more than that. Ultimately, we greater degree of fanaticism. Actually, that seems rather likely; are so passionate because we are among perhaps it’s underdog syndrome. There the first champions of what is still, in Indeed, our medium’s negative aspects is no denying that games and gamers many ways, an emergent art form, and are blindingly obvious, glaring from are victimized in the modern media. we are often called upon to defend it. As every piece of licensed trash or gore- Whoever heard of a film buff being the rest of the world comes to take soaked tabloid bait lining the shelves of forced into a corner and made to defend games as seriously as we do, I would not the world’s Wal-Marts. There are his pastime from accusations of be at all surprised if our fanaticism were particular shining examples that stick out dangerousness or, possibly worse, to diminish. But with any luck, our from the rest, games of merit that do worthlessness? Either is insulting to passion won’t. much to negate the influence of the anyone with any passion for games, but endless dross, but these alone cannot be without such harassment, there would solely responsible for inspiring be nothing for us to rile against; no fanaticism. It is gaming as a whole that reason for us to convince ourselves and Kelly MacDonald is interested in we love, not merely the occasional others so vehemently of games’ everything from rock’n’roll to German exemplary instance of it. intellectual worth. literature, but videogaming was her first love. She sold her soul to game It’s possible the very ubiquity of crap, However, in casting ourselves as journalism when she was 16. rubbish or pointless games fuels some of underdogs and characterizing our our fanaticism. We are desperate to inexhaustible defense of games as a champion games that display the natural reaction to a skeptical and potential of the medium, waving our dismissive general population, we are in copies of Planescape: Torment and Half- danger of overlooking the most obvious Life 2 in the faces of people who don’t reason for our often-unreasonable love know games can be edifying as well as of games: As a medium, they are entertaining. I know my own intellectual entirely deserving of our attention. enthusiasm for games is sparked by my consistent need to discuss, defend and EDITORIAL PRODUCTION BUSINESS Executive Editor Producer Publisher Julianne Greer Jonathan Hayter Alexander Macris

Content Editors Lead Artist Account Executive Joseph Blancato Jessica Fielhauer Rebecca Sanders Russ Pitts Layout Artist Chairman of Themis Group Contributing Editors Jason Haile Thomas S. Kurz JR Sutich Shannon Drake Lead Web Developer Whitney Butts Research Manager Nova Barlow Web Developers Erik Jacobson Contributors Tim Turner Kelly MacDonald Pat Miller IT Director Tom Rhodes Jason Smith Allen Varney

Issue 88 © 2007. The Escapist is published weekly by Themis Group, Inc. Produced in the United States of America. To contact the editors please email [email protected]. For a free subscription to The Escapist in PDF format please view www.escapistmagazine.com