Video games are a waste of time for men with nothing else to do. --Ray Bradbury

i Video games are bad for you? That’s what they said about rock and roll. --Shigeru Miyamoto i i

e r o c THE VIRTUAL OTHER IN INTERACTIVE FICTION

How many worlds have you saved? How many identities have you assumed? How many times did you die jumping that chasm? Jumping in and out of parallel universes, the art that gamers consume is strange. They travel to alternate worlds, just like myriad bookworms and movie buffs, but these worlds are experienced in a truly unique way: they are interactive, which makes the game experience the product of both the creator and the consumer (to an ever-increasing degree), providing a unique perspective into our experience of the other. In this class we will survey, as broadly as possible, the realm of single player video games. We will run the gamut of interactive computerized fiction from text-based gaming like Zork and AD- VENT (as well as modern works), to the classics of the 8 and 16 bit era, all the way up to the latest and greatest works for modern consoles. However, our survey won’t be conducted in chronologi- cal order. Rather, we will split the class material into the study of various literary and artistic di- mensions, and compare and contrast said dimensions’ implementations across generational gaps.

Michael Herring Michael’s Office (Farris 322) Hours: Class Meeting Times MW 18:00-20:00 MWF MAC 303 13:00-13:50 [email protected] Presentations TBA Dr. Phil Frana Dr. Frana’s Office (McAlister 301B) Hours: Required Books MWF 8:00-14:00 Half-Real by Jesper Juul [email protected] TTh 10:00-13:00 A Coarse-Grained Look at the Semester’s Events novel and strange restrictions on both space Extra Reading Interactivity and time. The most obvious difference between Related Games: Chrono Trigger, Blinx: This is a (by no means exhaustive) list other fiction and interactive fiction is that... The Time Sweeper, Half-Life 2, and others. of games with which you should be well...it’s interactive. In this section, we will familiar. They are not prerequisites for examine games that were either pioneers of the class (or even official course mate- interactivity for their time, or use interactivity rial), but having played them will give in novel, odd, or otherwise noteworthy ways. Other Media you a better appreciation for the sub- ject matter at hand. Related games: Metal Gear Solid, Let’s talk about other media; things like SHRDLU, Super Mario RPG, Legend of Zelda: movie games, and game movies. Why do (They’d also be great games to con- Wind Waker, and others. they frequently fail, while book movies and sider for your literary analysis.) movie books enjoy more success? What about games that mimic other NES Graphics types of games? Or self-satirizing ones? What does it mean when the game makes explicit The Legend of Zelda I & II So important as to have half of the the fact you aren’t actually in its world? Crystalis field’s namesake, video games have been Related Games: .hack//INFECTION, Ninja Gaiden lauded for their compelling graphical capa- EarthBound, StarOcean: Till the End of Time, Final Fantasy bilities since the days of the Atari 2600. Enter the Matrix/Matrix: Path of Neo, King- Dragon Warrior When are graphics no more than flashy pix- dom Hearts, Advent Rising, and others. Mega Man 2 els? When do they genuinely add to the rich- ness of the environment? How can they be Super NES used to improve exposition? How do graphics affect our immersion into a game’s world? Rough Class Schedule Ogre Battle Super Mario RPG Related Games: Doom 3, Final Fantasy August EarthBound VI/VII/XIII and others. Introduction Zelda: A Link to the Past September Mega Man X Interactivity/Story Illusion of Gaia October Sound Graphics/Sound Music evokes strong emotional re- November PlayStation sponses. Good sound effects and voice acting Spacetime/Other Media Final Fantasy IX and Tactics mean the difference between playing a game December Metal Gear Solid and feeling as though you’re in the game. We IF Showcase, Analysis Presentations Xenogears will cover games with creative approaches to LUNAR: Silver Star Story sound, as well as exemplary musical scores, foley or voice. We’ll also cover audio input. Dreamcast Related Games: Chrono Trigger, Half-Life Assignments Skies of Arcadia 2, Rez, EarthBound, Life Line. Journal Entries (based on readings) Students will be given at least one Shenmue weekly question based on the content of the PlayStation2 Story assigned readings, relating to the student’s opinion of the discussed issues. Answers need Xenosaga It’s why you’re here, remember? Story is not be long; responses between one para- Grandia III what justifies those endless dungeon crawls, graph and one page are of suitable length. .hack//INFECTION why you’re compelled to care about your Video Game Literary Analysis Kingdom Hearts character and, increasingly, one of the most Groups of 1-3 students will give a 10-20 ICO important parts of video game design. minute presentation of a literary analysis of a Disgaea Related Games: Xenosaga, Final Fantasy video game. IF works are acceptable, but PC/ IV/Tactics, and others. console games are the preferred medium for Gamecube this assignment. Video Game Showcase Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door For the majority of the semester, Friday Baten Kaitos Spacetime classes will consist of a video game, either on Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life In this context, spacetime isn’t the same display or available for playing, that is rele- concept as approached in, say, Memento or vant to the current subject or recent lectures. Xbox Back to the Future. Video games make com- Fable plete, universe-altering interactivity possible. Advent Rising It’s how this interactivity is restricted that Ninja Gaiden makes each game unique. We will discuss Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic The dramatic possibilities in games are just starting to come through. If films can make us cry, shouldn't games one day be able to do the same? --Jesper Kyd

A Tentative, Fine-Grained Look at the Semester’s Events August 25 Administrivia Intro. Who I am, who you are, what’s ahead. (or, “it wouldn’t be a syllabus without it!”) August 28 The history of the video game, and of interactive fiction. Grading/Attendance August 30 Four or more unexcused absences will automati- Discus half-real, Chapter One. What are video games and IF? Are they different? cally result in a lowered grade. If at all possible, September 1 inform Michael or Phil in advance of your ab- Discuss Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Changed Gaming Forever. sence. September 4 Labor Day, class will not meet. Plagiarism September 6 Plagiarism’s bad, mmkay (Parker/Stone 1997)? Discuss A Giant in the Making. [Un]Fortunately, there isn’t yet a large body of September 8 work in this field from which to plagiarize. That being said, submitting work that isn’t yours, be it Showcase: Shadow of the Colossus. stolen via the Internet or otherwise, is academic September 11 sin numero uno and grounds for disciplinary Discuss half-real Chapter Two. action. September 13 half-real Chapter Two, cont. What isn’t a game? Why not? Disabilities September 15 The University of Central Arkansas adheres to Showcase: Super Mario RPG and Metal Gear Solid. the requirements of the Americans with Disabili- September 18 ties Act. If you need an accommodation under Discuss Story Mechanics as Game Mechanics. the Act due to a disability, contact UCA’s Office September 20 of Disability Services at 450-3135. Discuss 8-Bit Lit: Behind the Worlds of Power Books September 22 General Conduct Showcase: Xenosaga: Der Wille Zur Macht and Final Fantasy Tactics Check your student handbook for up-to-date September 25 policy concerning student/faculty conduct. Fail- Discuss half-real Chapter Three, Rules. ure to follow said policy is grounds for discipli- September 27 nary action. half-real Chapter Three, cont. September 29 Showcase: Duck Hunt, Burnout: Revenge October 2 Discuss Pushing the Envelope for Game Music Extra Reading October 4 Discuss Monsters of Photorealism These are some books we may read from during October 6 the semester. You are not required to purchase Showcase: Final Fantasies IV, VII and XII these. October 9 The Medium of the Video Game by Wolf Discuss Don’t Go Down Memory Lane? Smartbomb by Chaplin & Ruby October 11 Twisty Little Passages by Montfort Discuss Square’s Key to the Kingdom The Video Game Theory Reader by Wolf et al October 13 Unit Operations by Bogost Showcase: Kingdom Hearts 2 October 16 Discuss half-real Chapter Four, Fiction October 18 half-real Chapter Four, cont. October 20 No class. October 23 Discuss Chronicling Riddick: Star Treatment October 25 Discuss Who Wants to Play Oedipus? October 27 Showcase: God of War October 30 Discuss half-real Chapter Five, Rules and Fiction November 1 half-real Chapter Five, cont. November 3 Showcase: Rez November 6 Discuss The Lester Bangs of Video Games November 8 Discuss Northern Lights, “The Future of Q Entertainment” November 10 Showcase: Ninety-Nine Nights November 13 Discuss Episodic Gaming in the Age of Digital Distribution November 15 Discuss Jaded Beauty. November 17 Showcase: Beyond Good and Evil November 20 Showcase: Half-Life Episode Two November 22 No class. November 24 No class. November 27 Outro. Where are games going, in the long term and in the short term? November 29 Presentations. December 1 Presentations. December 4 Presentations. December 6 Presentations. December 8 UCA-wide study day. There is no final in our class.