http://www.flowlab.io/game/play/771503
Preface to 3001 A Space Story
My game is supposed to represent an emergent system, one that arises out of a single urge: progression. I wanted to represent that urge through the act of play. More specifically, the act of playing a 2D platformer. As such, I wanted my game to utilize all the tropes that we are accustomed to expect in a game of this genre, and even bend them a little. I hope that my game brings these tropes into consciousness, while also bending them slightly, making a larger commentary on the idea of progression in play itself.
The idea for this game came to me while I was developing a basic platformer, so I could learn the basics of the program I was using, Flowlab. I created two levels and connected them with an object that would bring the player to the next level when touched. I had no third level to connect the second level to, so I just connect the second one back to the first. For some reason this reminded me of one of my favorite movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey. I always interpreted the ambiguous ending of that movie as an emergent system, where Dave transcends and becomes the interstellar force that places the first monolith that starts the movie. This of course is just my interpretation, but regardless, I then had the idea to adapt this movie to the pixelated screen.
I then created a mock up of the first level, a recreation of the first scenes in that movie. I created all the sprites and designed the level to look like the movie, but I didn’t know how to tell the story of that opening scene within the gameplay. In the movie, the early-human apes have conflict over a water source, and the larger and more intimidating apes scare the others away. The group that is kicked out is later visited by the mysterious monolith, which imparts hidden knowledge to one of the apes. He then learns how to use tools, using a bone to smash things. With this knowledge he returns to the water source and beats one of the rival members, scaring them away and reclaiming the territory. Unsure of how to tell convey this scene in a 2D platformer, I recalled the standard tropes of the genre. In platformers, the player usually moves right and jumps on enemies to kill them. So here, the tool of domination was the ability to jump. So I took the significance of the bone-tool, and placed it in that ability. In order to make the player feel weak without that ability, I needed them to fail without it, so I designed the first encounter to be impossible. Upon starting the game, the player would seek to progress, inevitably moving right, but that progress would be halted by an enemy ape which you could not kill. After enough tries, the player would decide to seek progress elsewhere and move explore the left. Here they would learn how to jump, allowing them to progress through the rest of the level. I wanted to convey the confusion and frustration that comes from an obstacle, and the aha moment that comes from knowledge gained through exploration.
The game then becomes one of domination which is common of games in the genre. The player kills all enemy apes and reclaims the water source for their fellow apes. This is very much a standard game, but also a standard, instinctually rewarding form of progression. Throughout the rest of the game, this form of progression does not return, and instead the player uses their ability to jump for progression, but not domination. As a game, this is much more boring. The player progresses, but with very little threat against them, making that progression much less satisfying. This way another deliberate choice on my part to convey the commentary that Kubrick seems to be making. Our drive towards progression has ultimately brought us further from what makes us human in the first place. The gameplay is somewhat a bore, but the characters in the movie seem profoundly bored with space travel as well.
This is of course until players reach Jupiter and come against HAL. HAL halts the player’s progress not through violence, but through imposition. He controls the doors, not allowing the player to move right, like they are inclined to do. The player must then negotiate a series of tasks in order to overcome him, which allows further progress.
The final level of course flips the idea of progress on its head entirely, placing the player in a room where they can do nothing. With their agency stripped the them, they might run to either side or jump around, but their attempts are fruitless. I wanted the player to feel confused here, and make them question the level and their purpose within in. That questioning would then turn inward, perhaps asking themselves why they are playing my game in the first place. Their reward for this is essentially nothing, and after the level plays itself out, the game restarts. Much like life, progress is subjective and perhaps life should be considered more than a series of objectives to conquer.
- Topic Proposal, containing a topic, a working thesis, and at least one primary (game object) and secondary source shared via the weekly blogs, no later than 1159 11/29 (5/5%)
- Presentation of topic proposal, in class 11/30 (5/5 %)
- Defense of topic proposal in conference with me no later than 11/29 (5/5%)
- An initial draft project in the format it will be submitted (either google docs or web page) linked from the blogs no later than 12/5 (5/5%)
- Commenting on two other writing projects via the blogs, on or before 12/8 (5/5%);
- A draft conference with me, on or before 12/8, show substantial progress on a drafted project (0/5%)
- A near-final draft, shared/linked from a post on our shared blog, on or before 12/13 (5/5%);
- A final round of commenting on two drafts, due on or before 12/15 (5/5%)
