Reflections on The Night Journey: an Experimental Video Game. By Tracy Fullerton

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1 ReflectionsonTheNightJourney: anexperimentalvideogame ByTracyFullerton TracyFullertonisanexperimentalgamedesignerandanAssociateProfessorinthe InteractiveMediaDivisionoftheUSCSchoolofCinematicArtswheresheisthe DirectoroftheElectronicArtsGameInnovationLab,adesignthinktankthathas producedanumberofindependentgames,includingcloud,flowandthenight Journey(discussedinthisarticle).SheisalsotheauthorofGameDesignWorkshop:a PlaycentricApproachtoCreatingInnovativeGames,adesignbookformalizingthe creativeapproachusedinthegameinnovationlabanduscgamescurriculum.in Decemberof2008,shewasinstalledastheElectronicArtsEndowedChairin InteractiveEntertainmentatUSC. Gamesasanaestheticformareatamomentofcrisis.Ashasbeenoftenpointedout bythepopularpress,thedigitalgameindustry,onlythirtyoddyearsold,has quicklybecomeapowerfuleconomicforceintherealmofentertainmentmedia, surpassingtherevenuesofthefilmindustry sboxoffice.ihaveremarked elsewhereonthefactthatgamesareplayedin90%ofu.s.householdsandyoung peopleintheu.s.spendanaverageof20minutesperdayplayingvideogames. 1 But,whilethesearecertainlyimpressivefacts,theyhardlypointtogamesasan importantartisticforce.gamesareconventionallyseenasentertainmentfor children,lackinginartisticmerit,andpronetounrepentantviolence.theylagfar behindmediasuchasfilmandbooksintheirrecognizedculturalvalue.bymany accounts,thepredominantentertainmentformofthecomingcenturywillbedigital andplayfulbutalsovapidandviolent.infact,theveryevolutionofthegameformis imperiledbyitslimitedculturalstatus,bytheexpectationsofitscoreaudience,and bytheexclusionarypracticesofitschiefcreative s.arecentarticleinthelondon ReviewofBooksequatesthearcaneandinternallyreferentialdesignofmodern gameplaytothatofopera. JohnLancasterwrites, StanleyCavelloncepointedoutthattheconventionsof cinemaarejustasarbitraryasthoseofopera.boththoseobservationsarebrought tomindbyvideogames,whicharefull,overfull,ofexactlythatkindofarbitrary convention.manyoftheseconventionsmakethegamemoredifficult.gamingisa muchmoreresistant,frustratingmediumthanitsculturalcompetitors.oldermedia havelargelyabandonedtheideathatdifficultyisavirtue;ifihadtonameonehighculturalnotionthathaddiedinmyadultlifetime,itwouldbetheideathatdifficulty isartisticallydesirable. 2 Butthereare,today,anumberofdesignersofgameswhoarestrugglingagainst theseinherentchallengesingamedesigntoarticulatethenatureofthecreative processthatgoesintoludicsystems notjustthevisualdesignsandthesoftware development,butthecreationofrulesetsthatcontainthepotentialformeaningful

2 play andtotakeownership,authorshipreally,ofthedense proceduralrhetoric 3 producedbytheplayofgames.thereis,forexample,anemerginggenreofsocial issuegames,or seriousgames thataddresstopicspreviouslytabootoplayful practice.gamesaboutpoliticalissues,healthpractices,tragicevents,etc. 4 Thereare alsoexperimentalgamedesignerssuchasjasonrhorer,whosegamessuchas PassageandGravitation,dealprocedurallywiththemesoflifeanddeath,the balancebetweenhomeandfamilyandartistsambition. 5 Also,JenovaChen,my formerstudent,whosegamessuchascloud,flow,andtherecentlyreleasedflower, createplayfulworldsaroundthethemesofpeacefulnessandwonder,lonelinessand joy. 6 It snotunusualforanemergingformtoquestionitsunderlyingmerits,itsaesthetic potentials.earlyfilmtheoristssuchasrudolfarnheimposedtheinevitable questionofwhetherfilmcouldbeconsideredanartinthemid 20 th century,and thatquestionisechoedtodayindiscussionsofgameaestheticsandgamedesign. Ratherthanattempttofindadefinitiveanswertothatpotentiallyparalyzing question,someexperimentalgamedesigners,myselfincluded,aresimplyassuming thatasolutionliesalongthepathofpractice;thatbymakingattemptingtogames thatarepurposefullyexpressiveandimbuedwithaestheticintent,thatwecanfind thelimits,orthelackthereof,intheformthroughexperimentation. OverthepastseveralyearstheteamatTheGameInnovationLabatUSChasbeen deeplyengagedinthischallenge.wehaveproducedresearchgamessuchascloud, whichpositedthepossibilityofagamemechanicthatexpressedpeacefulness, wonderandawe.anotherresearchgame turned commercial product,flow,puts thepaceofprogressionintothehandsoftheplayer,creatingarelaxing,joyful, experience.andforthepastseveralyears,workingwithmediaartistbillviola,we havebeenexperimentingwiththeboundariesofvideogameaestheticsand technologiestoexploretheuniversalstoryofanindividual sjourneytowards enlightenment. TheNightJourneyProject TheNightJourneyprojectwasconceivedanumberofyearsagobymediaartistBill Viola.Viola,whoseworkhasbeendescribedasthe pursuitofenlightenment throughattentiontotranscendentexperience, 7 beganworkinginvideoartinthe early1970s,whenthemediumwasjustemerging.whilehewasstillattendingart schoolatsyracuseuniversity,hewasshowinghisworkinexhibitionswithpeople likenamjunepaik,brucenaumann,richardserra,petercampus allleadingearly videoartists.earlyon,violarealizedthatthe otherhalf oftherawmaterialof videowas thehumanperceptionsystem theviewer,ortheviewingexperience theotherhalfofthesystem.it sthedynamicinteractionbetweenthesetwo systems,notjustthetechnologyandlanguageofvideoalone,thatisthe fundamentalnatureofthemedium. 8 Thisrecognitionoftheviewer/participantiscriticaltoViola swork,whichincludes video,installationsand,recently,avisualizationofthewagneroperatristanund

3 Isolde.TheNightJourneyprojectsprungfromtherealizationthatcomputersand videogameswerepartofamajorhistoricalshiftinimagery.asearlyas1985,viola wasalreadythinkingaheadtowardstheleveloftoday scomputergraphics: Isee thetechnologymovingustowardbuildingobjectsfromtheinsideoutratherthan fromtheoutsidein soonimageswillbeformedoutofasystemoflogic,almost likeaformofphilosophy awayofdescribinganobjectbasedonmathematical codesandprinciplesratherthanfreezingitslightwavesintime. 9 ViolabeganworkingtodefinetheNightJourneywitharesearchgroupfromIntel, includingkevinteixeira,in1998.thespecificationwrittenbyteixeirawasa startingpointforusatthegameinnovationlab,providinggoalsforinteractivity, visualconceptsandscenarios.oneimportantideadescribedinthisearly specificationwas explorablevideo, whichbecameatouchstonefortheteamin creatingthevisualfeelforthegame. 10 TheaestheticaspirationsforTheNightJourneyprojectweredevelopedinaseries ofpreliminarycreativemeetingsin2005inwhichwediscussedbothbillviola s inspirationforthepieceintheilluminatedmanuscriptsofhistoricalmysticsaswell asthepotentiallyinnovativenatureofthegameplayasitmightrelatetothejourney ofenlightenment.severalhigh levelgoalsemergedfromthesemeetings,which haveguidedthedesignprocess.thesewere: 1) Thedesiretoevokeintheplayer smindasenseofthearchetypaljourneyof enlightenmentthroughthe gamemechanics oftheexperience i.e.what theplayerisdoinginthegame. 2) Thedesiretocreateaworldof explorablevideo, integratingtheworkand sensibilityofviola spriorartintothegameworld. 3) Theimportanceofcreatinganexperiencethatwouldappealto(andbe accessibleto)bothartpatronswhomightplayitinagallerysetting,andalso gameplayers,whomightaccessitthroughanotherfromofdistribution. Theprocessofsettinghigh levelplayerexperiencegoalsaspartoftheartistic processforgamesisanintegralpartofa playcentric designprocess,whichihave describedelsewhere. 11 Ingeneral,thekeydifferenceintheplaycentricapproach andatraditionalgamedesignprocessisinthetypeofdesigngoalswhichareset andthemethodologyforreachingthosegoalsduringtheproduction. Play centric designisdesignandtechnologyattheserviceoftheplayerexperience. 12 Throughoutthedesignanddevelopmentprocess,prototypingandplaytestingare usedtoconfirmthealignmenttoaestheticgoals,measuringactualplayer experienceagainstthehigh levelgoals. TeamandInspirations Aftertheinitialsetofmeetings,TheNightJourneyteambeganconceptworkinthe fallof2005.together,werepresentawindrangeofbackgrounds,skillsand interests.ofcourse,thereisbillviolahimself,andhiscreativepartnerand

4 executiveproducerkiraperov,bothwiththeirvastexperienceinmediaandfineart, butalsodeeppersonalconnectionstothesubjectmatterofthepiece.ourearly conceptteamatthegameinnovationlabalsoincludedscottfisher,apioneerin immersiveworlddesign,andandreaskratky,amediadesignerwithafocusonnew formsofcinemaandmyself,agamedesigner,originallytrainedasafilmmaker.of specialnotearetheinspiringcollisionsofexperienceandunderstandingcreatedby thebackgroundsandskillsofcoreteammemberstoddfurmanski,kurosh ValaNejad,andMichaelRossmassler. ProgrammerToddFurmanskiwasastudentatUSC,oneofthefirsttograduatefrom thefledglinginteractivemediam.f.ain2005.todd sthesis,onemergent generationoflandscapes,architecturesandrelatedcreaturesindigitalworlds seemedanexcellentfitforsomeofthequestionswewereaskingintheinitial conceptmeetingsforthenightjourney.forthisproject,toddwouldwindup creatingasetofproceduralvisualtools,whichdrewinspirationfromtheprior worksofbillviola.togetherwithanotherkeyteammember,artdirectorkurosh ValaNejad,whobuiltanarchiveofvisualreferencesforthe3Dobjects,scenesand presencesinthepiece,thetwowoulddeveloptheuniquelookandfeelofthe landscapeandobjects,creatingabridgebetweenthe real andthe imagined, memoryandexperience.kurosh sbackgroundinimmersiveenvironments,terrain design,architectureallcomplementedtheworkthattoddhaddone,sothatkurosh, assistedbygraduatestudentmikerossmassler,wasabletoactualizetheideas behindtodd sexperimentalvisualtoolsandprocessesintoaviablerealtime experienceforthenightjourneyworld. Asthegamedesignerfortheproject,Idrewonmyownbackgroundincreating playfulsystems,butalsoonmyearlyloveofcinemaandvisualplayonthescreen.a gamedesignertriestocreateanelegantsetofrulesandproceduresthatwill constraintheplayerjustenoughforthemtofindtheopportunitiesforplay.here, thechallengewastodiscoverrulesandproceduresthatmightevokeasenseof spiritualexploration,meditativereflection,andeventualtransformationatthecore ofthearchetypaljourneyofenlightenment. ThegamedesignexplorationsarosefromacentralquestionthatIaskedofBillViola earlyinthedesignprocess:whatisthe gamemechanic ofenlightenment?how canweabstractandsystemizesuchanintenselypersonal,yetarchetypal experience?wedidnotwanttomakeatypical quest based mechanic,inwhich wetoldtheplayerswhattolookforandsetobstaclesintheirpath.rather,we wantedtheactofquestioningwhattheywerelookingfor,andhowtheymightfind, andwhattheirrelationshiptothegameworldwastoformthecentralcognitiveand emotionalactivityofthegame.wespentasignificantamountoftimebuilding paperprototypesandroughdigitalprototypeslookingforproceduralopportunities toexpresstheseideasthroughthegameplay.

5 TheGameWorld TheNightJourneyisa3Dfirstpersongame,andlikemostsuchgames,isorganized aroundanavigablelandscape.unlikemostgames,however,thenightjourneyis notbrokenintoaseriesof levels, butisinsteaddesignedasaprogressive layering ofexperiencesoverthecourseofplay.whileexperiencedasmysterious andobscure,aswillbeshownbelow,thereactuallyisasimpleunderlyinglayoutfor TheNightJourneylandscape. Theplayerbeginsintheintersectionoffourkeygeographicalspaces:forest, mountains,desertandsea,eachwiththeirownsenseof infinity stretchingoutto thehorizon,andeachwiththeirownthematiccore.intheforest,wefindthe encounterwithwhatbillviolahascalled theirreconcilableothernessofan intelligenceorderedaroundaworldwecanshareinbodybutnotinmind. 13 While inthemountainswefollowthetraditionofdiscoverythroughwithdrawal, epitomizedbymysticsincludingst.anthonyandst.johnofthecross.asbillviola hasdescribed, Iwanttogotoaplacethatseemslikeit sattheendoftheworld.a vantagepointfromwhichonecanstandandpeeroutintothevoid 14 Eachofthe keyareascentersaroundsuchanexperience,eachdifferent,andyetalltiedtothe traditionsofthespiritualquest. Inadditiontothefourkeygeographicareas,thereisalsoaverticalpolereachingto theheavensandfallingthroughthelandscape.these 6degreesoffreedom (Figure1)weresketchedoutbyBillViolaearlyinthedesignprocess. Figure1: 6degreesoffreedom intheworld,designsketchbybillviola(left)and earlylandscapedesign(right). Theplaybeginsatasingularpointofday,whichisnotdayornight,buta mysteriousmixtureoflightnessanddarkness.thesun,sinkingbelowthehorizon, stilllightsthesky,asdoesthemoon,alreadyrising.astheplayerbeginstheir journey,theyfalldowntheverticalpoletothe landingspot. Throughoutthis initialfall,theyhavecontroloftheirgaze,butnottheirimminentdownwardmotion. Atthehighestpointofthefall,theplayercanseeoutacrosstheimmensevistaofthe gamelandscapeinalldirections:ahuge,unknowablespacethatwouldtake lifetimestoexplore.uponlanding,theplayerisfreetotraversethegamelandscape

6 inanywaytheyseefit.iftheywerelookingcarefullyduringthefall,theymayhave seenseveralpointsoflightoffinthefarcornersofeachofthefourareasofthe landscapeandmayheadinthesedirections. Alongtheirway,theplayerwillencounterotherpointsofinterestandexploration. Thebasiccontrolsconsistof looking, moving and reflecting. Theseare accessedusingaplaystation2gamepad,withlookingassignedtotherightthumb stick,movingtotheleftthumb stick,andreflectingtothe x button.reflectingisa wayofinteractingwiththeworldthatevokesalayeringofimagery,andconceptual space,uponthe3dworld.whenplayerschoosetoreflect,theworld transforms undertheirgaze.reflectingalsotransformstheplayer,thoughtheymaynotrealize thisimmediately.themoretimeaplayerspendsreflecting,thefastertheywillbe abletomovethroughtheworldandthehighertheirviewpoint,untilfinallythey losetheirconnectiontotheearthandbegintoglideoverthelandscape,barely touchingthetipsofthetreesattheirhighestlevel. Figure2:Overheadviewsofthegamelandscapeattwostagesofdesign,withthe seaatthetop,desertatthebottom,mountainstotheleftandforesttotheright.at centerisaseriesofcanyonsthatformamandalawhenseenfromabove. Reflectingwillalsomaintainthefadinglight,keepingdarknessfromapproaching. Byreflectingonspecificpointsofbeautyandinterestinthelandscapeandallowing thesepointsto fillthem withlight,playerswillbeabletokeepdarknessatbayand traversethelandscapeamuchlongerperiodoftime. Eventually,however,darknesswillfall.Attheendofthisextended twilight, when theskyhascompletelydarkenedtoblack,theplayerwill fallasleep. Whenthey sleep,theywilldreamoftheirjourney,aprocedurallycreatedvideopiecebasedon theirtravels.afterthisinterlude,theywillbetransportedtoanewareaofthe landscapeandgentlydroppedbacktoresumetheirjourney. TheoverarchingstructureofTheNightJourneyisacycleoflossandrebirth.Unlike mostgames,inthenightjourneylossisnotaconclusionorevenapunishment. Theslow,extendedexperienceoflossis,rather,anotheropportunityforreflection ofamorepersonalsort.bytakingthecommon,mostlyunexploredessenceofloss invideogamesandmakingitacentraltotheexperienceofthejourney,wehopeto

7 allowplayerstimeandopportunitytoreassessthequalityofboththeirplay,and theirloss,itstexturesandnuances. Shouldplayersreachthepointsoflightseenduringtheinitialfallthatareineachof thefourareas,theywillfinda St.John shut aspiritualhermitageintheformof anoldtrailer,acave,theruinsofabuilding,oranabandonedcabin, representing thetraditionofspiritualreclusethattheearthhasnurturedovertheages. 15 Each ofthesehutsexistsinmultiplemomentstime,onlysomeofwhichareactiveforthe player,whomustchangetheir one wayexperience oftime byreflectingonthe huts,cyclingthroughtheirstagesoflife,fromnewtoabandoned,rotted,to reclaimedbytheearth. Inseveralstages,eachhutwillcontainadoorwaythattheplayermayenter. Comingclosetothedoorway,theplayerwillhearthefaintwhisperedthoughtsof thosewhohavegonebefore.insidethedoorwaytoeachhut,theplayermovesinto acompleteemptiness.allsoundsofthenaturalworldfallawayinthesestark, emptyspaces.asbillhaswritteninthepast, Removingallcues,fromtheoutside, thevoicesoftheinnerstatebecomelouder,clearer. 16 Iftheplayerstandsstillwhile inthehut,allelsefallsaway,andtheyhearonlytheirheartandbreathsounds. Walkingforward,thesesoundsfadeaway,tobereplacedbyhushedfootstepsand faint,whisperingvoices.astheplayermovesforward,apointappearsinthe nothingness.astheymoveforward,thepointgrows,becomingadoorwaymuchlike theonetheyoriginallyentered.finally,theywillpassthroughthisdoorwayand returntothe natural worldofthe3dlandscape.thisistheplayer sfirst experienceofthe invisibleworld thatunderliesthenightjourneyandatthis point therealnatureofthepathandthejourneybeginstomaterialize. 17 Onexitinganyparticularhut,thatlocationisreclaimedbytheearth,exhausted; reflectingonityieldsnofurtherdoorways.however,theotherhutsandotherentry pointsintheworldarestillaccessible,openingthewaytothefinalexperience,in whichthe naturalworld ofthegamefallsawayandtheplayerlosestheir continualattractiontothephysicalworld. 18 ExpressiveGeography Mostfirstperson3Dgamesstrivetocreatearecognizable,geographically consistentterrain,whichtheplayer sanddesignershavecometothinkofas realistic. This,combinedwithinterfacefeaturessuchas mini maps, provides contextualizationandguidancefortheplayeringameworlds,animportantfeature whenthegoalsofthelevelarebuiltaroundmotivatingmovementfromonepointto another,andcreatingdramaticstagingformomentsofgameplay. ForTheNightJourney,weimaginedthegeographyasanexpressiveelement,rather thanapracticalone,changingwiththeplayer sperceptions,actions,withtime,

8 movement,perspectiveandoverallofferingthepotentialforadifferentinterpretive experienceeachtimetheplayeraccessesthegame.wewantedtobuildwhatbill hasreferredtoasa poeticlandscape. Senseofplacehasalwaysbeenofprimary importanceinmyvideowork, hesays. Sometimesthelandscapebecomesthe subjectofawork,othertimesitsharesthemomentinbalancewithanactiontaking placeinit,yet,alwaysitsenergyispresentandfeltforwhatitis thenaturalraw materialofthehumanpsyche. 19 Uponlanding,asdescribedabove,theplayerisabletolookaround,andtomoveat therelativespeedofahumanbeing.whilemost3dgames empower theplayerby allowingthemtomoveatrelativespeedsabout40 50milesperhouracrossthe virtualterrain,theplayerofthenightjourneymustbesatisfiedwithpedestrian speedscalculatedtoenforceourgoalsofmovingslowlyandlookingdeeplyateach momentoftheexperience.(thisrestrictionontheplayer movementisslowlyand subtlyreleasedastheylearntoreflect.) Figure3:The GreatTree andthemountainpeaks. Theunderlyingterrainitselfhasfixedlandmarks,inordertoallowtheplayer navigate,suchasthe GreatTree inthecenteroftheworld,whichisvisiblefrom manypointsinthelandscape.thistree,alongwiththemountainpeaksandthefull moon,allowtheplayerstosituatethemselvesrelativetomap,nomatterhowfar theytravel.thisisimportantbecausetheplayerofthenightjourneywillreceive no mini map toguidetheirprogress. Asmentionedabove,onewayfortheplayerto pushback thecomingdarknessis tofindand reflect onspecialpointsinthisexpressivelandscape.thesepointsare generallybasedonscenesfrompriorworksbybillviola,asisdescribedbelow.

9 Figure4:Owlinatree. Figure4showsanowl,whichwillrespondtothepresenceoftheplayeriftheywait longandpatientlyenough.figure5showsavulturecirclinglazilyovertheplayer. Iftheplayerreflectsonthesepoints,theywillberewardedwiththelayeringof visualimageryaswellasasubtlechangeintheirrelationshiptothegameworld. Figure5:Circlingvulture. Theconceptofagameenvironmentthatrequiresinterpretiveprojectiononthepart oftheplayerandorganizesitselfgeographically,visuallyandaurallyaroundthe senseofaporiaandepiphanyembodiedinthearchetypalspiritualjourneyhas becomeveryexcitingtous.wefeelthatthisconceptofcreatingan expressive geography, bothinteractivelyandvisually,isanimportantpartofachievingour firstaestheticgoal:toevokeintheplayer smindasenseofthearchetypaljourney ofenlightenmentthroughthe mechanics oftheexperience i.e.whattheplayeris doinginthegame.also,wehopethisrepresentsastepalongthepathofpractice thatwillleadgamestoanewpotentialforexpressivenessandawiderbreadthof playfulexperiences. MechanicofEnlightenment Oneofthekeygoalsforthegamearisingfromtheinitialdesignmeetingsisthe notionthattheproceduralmechanicsandthemessagecommunicatedtotheplayer throughtheirinteractionwiththesemechanicsshouldexpress,insomeway,the sensibilityofthespiritualjourneywithintheplayer.

10 Manygamesusearisk/rewardsystemformotivatingplayerinteraction.Typical examplesofcoregamemechanicsthatinvolveweighingriskvs.rewardinclude combat,resourcemanagement,puzzle solving,construction,etc.thegoalsofthe NightJourneyprecludeusingtheseexistingmodelsasthebasisforacoremechanic; rather,webegantolookformechanicsthatmightofferan action/reward cycle, ratherthana risk/reward cycle. ExamplesofsuchmechanicsincludepriorgamesbytheUSCGameLab,including CloudandflOw.Inthesegames,riskisminimizedorabsent,butactionisstill rewarded.inactionisnotpunished,andplayersarejudgedundernotime constraintorscoringsystem. 20 Othergamesthatwefindworkonthispreceptof action/reward vs. risk/reward includesuchdisparatetitlesasmystandits sequels,secondlife,nintendogs,andanimalcrossing.inthinkingabouttheappeal ofthesegames,theteamrecognizedthatbydiminishingthenotionofrisk,they invitedplayerstoexplore,bothgeographicallyandconceptually. Asmentionedabove,thecoremechanicsofTheNightJourneyareexploration,and reflection;basically,theplayercanlook,moveandreflect.theuseoftheseactions leadsanunderlyingtransformationoftheplayerthatrepresentstheemotional experiencewhichatthecenterofthearchetypalspiritualjourney. TheNightJourneyisadistinctlyvisualexperience,andlooking,whileatfirsta seeminglysimplemechanic,isactuallycentraltotheoverallprogressionof experience.theplayer,fromthemomenttheyenterthegame,cancontroltheir gaze lookinginalmostperfectfreedomaroundthevirtualspace.thisfreedomof control,aswillbeseen,issomethingthatwillundoubtedlybetakenforgranted,and yetmustbegivenupwillinglyinordertoprogressinthegame. Movingisalsoasimplemechanic,easilyseenastypicaltotraversalof3Dworlds. However,inthecaseofTheNightJourney,thismechanicisalsocentraltothe overallprogressionoftheexperience,deeplytiedintothemechanicoflooking.at thebeginningofthegamemovementisslow noticeablyslowforthosefamiliar with3dgames.movingattherelativespeedofahumanwalkingpace,theplayer maynowexploreanyandallofthethemedareasdescribedabove. Reflectionisanactiveexperience,inwhichtheplayerwillinglygivesupcontrolof bothmovingandlookingandbythatreleaseofcontrol,gainsanewperspective, and,infact,transformsthemselvesinrelationshiptothe natural worldofthe game.theplayergainsnewperspectivewithavisualrevelationofthepoeticworld underthesurfaceofthislandscape,throughtheseamlessintegrationofvideo texturesintothe3dworld.also,lessapparenttotheplayer,theythemselvesare alsotransformedbytheactofreflectioninrelationshiptotimeandspaceinthe worldofthegame.theplayercannowmoveslightlyfaster,andalso,thedarkness isapproachingslightlyslower.thesechangesmaynotbeapparentimmediately,as theyaresubtleeffects,buteventually,theplayer smovementwillincreasetothe

11 pointwheretheybegintohavealessstablerelationshiptotheground,andatthis point,mostplayersrealizetheyhavetransitionedtoanotherstatebasedontheir actions. ReferencestoPriorWork AnarchiveofworkfromBillViolawascreatedduringthedesignresearchphaseof thisproject.whilenotexhaustive,thisarchivedidpointtoanumberofstylistic motifsthatcouldbereplicatedaseffectsinthe3denvironment.forexample,a numberofthepieceswereshotwitha tube camera,aformofearlyvideo technology,whichcreateddistinctiveartifactsintheimages.thesewerecausedby theuseofapickuptuberatherthanacharge coupleddeviceofcurrentvideo cameras,andtheblurandburntheycausedwereadesiredeffectintheimageswe wereattemptingtorecreate. Figure6:ReferenceimagesfromBillViola sarchiveusedtodesignvideoeffectsfor the3denvironment. Thedecision,madeearlyintheconceptphase,toimplementourentire3Dscenein blackandwhitemadeitpossibletomixvariousvideoreferencesfromdifferent timesandenvironmentswithagreatersenseofcoherenceandsoservedaprimarily aestheticpurpose.onatechnicallevel,italsoallowedfortheuseofasetofcustom post processingmethodsthatmimickedthefeelofvideoartifacting.earlyworkin theprocessincludedthecreationof3dobjectsandspacesbasedonthosefoundin thearchiveimages.so,forexample,thecaravanofpeopleorthehutinthe wildernessseeninfigure6weremodeledandanimatedtobeincludedinthe3d environment. Abasicproblemwiththisapproach,bothtechnicalandaesthetic,wasoneof aestheticintegration:thevisualqualityofthevideoreferencesfrombillviola s workwasatoddswiththedistinctiveattributesofareal time3denvironment. Traditional3Dgameenvironments,eventhatusingadvancedrenderingtechniques

12 suchaspixelorvertexshaders,havearecognizable lookandfeel thatisquite differentfromthatofvideoimagery.likeearlierattemptstomakevideolookmore likefilm,usingpost productioneffectstosimulategrainorscratches,theaesthetic goalsheredemandedanewtechniqueforrenderingthe3dsceneinsuchawayas tobringitsvisualqualitiesinlinewiththoseexpectedfromvideoimages. Thespecificsofthisproblem,andoursolution,werealsotiedtoaspecificartist s visualstyle;so,insteadofstrivingtoreplicatedrealistic,highlydetailedvideo imagery,theprojecthasfocusedonproducing3dvideoeffectsthatmimicartifacts suchasblur,burn,glare,andinterlacing,whicharesuchanessentialcomponentof someofbillviola spriorwork. Conclusion Currently,wearefinalizingworkonTheNightJourney,andaswedoso,itoften seemsthatourproductionprocesshasonlycontinuedandextendedtheoriginal discussionastohigh leveldesigngoals.unlikeatypicalgamedesignprocess,which wouldbefocusedoncompletingfeaturedevelopmentandtuningleveldesignatthis point,orevenaplaycentricprocess,whichwouldtendtohavefairlystablehighlevelgoalsandaflexible,iterativemethodologyforreachingthosegoals,thenight Journey sdesignprocesshasbeenanongoingphilosophicaltrekthroughout.our firstquestionscontinuetoreturninnewformandourdesignsareconstantly informedbywhatbillvioladescribesasquestioningthe ontologicalconnection betweentheimagesandthegameplay. Inmanyways,thisisoneofthemostimportantinfluencesofViola sartisticprocess ontheproject.inspeakingabouthisworkhehassaid, Isometimesthinkofmy workas rationalinspiration. Idon tlikethewaythingsaredoneinfilms:an inspirationgetswrittenupandsetoutasasortofblueprint.theactofshootingthe filmbecomesamatteroffollowingtheblueprintandreconstructingtheoriginal inspiration.eventhoughsomeofmyworkispreciselypredetermineddowntothe individualshots,theexperiencei mhavingwhilerecordingisstillconnectedtothe work.it sreallythereasonwhyidoit,ultimately.itisimportantformenotalways toknowwhatiamdoing. 21 ThisseemingtensionbetweenthegamedesignprocessandViola sdescriptionof hisprocess,whileatfirstdisconcerting,nolongerconcernsus infact,theentire teamhasbecomeclearerandclearerastothebenefitsofthisextremelyiterative, artisticprocessasweproceed.itisnotajourneyofmilestonesanddeliverables,but oneofdiscoveriesandinsights,muchliketheonewearetryingtocreate.inmany ways,itisaproductivemergerofgamedesignmethodologiesandoneparticular artist sprocess.wheneverwevoicetheconcernthatanewideamaynotbe doable wereceiveahappyconfirmationfromviolathatthisishowweknowitis worthdoing, becauseitisuntriedterritory.

13 TheNightJourneyisanongoingprocess,eveninitsfinalstages,anditremainstobe seenhowsuccessfulitsdesignelementswillbeintheend.however,theinternal playtestingwehavedone,andthelimitedpreviewswehaveshownatsiggraph 2007andtheindependentgamefestivalIndiecade,haveshownpositiveresults. Theteamitselfhasalreadyfounditsownsuccessinthesensethatwehavefounda commonterritoryforcollaborativeworkbetweenthedifferentprocessesofthe variousartistsinvolved.overall,wefeelthatwehavefoundthebeginningsofa fascinatinginterplaybetweentheprocessofgamedesignandtheprocessofone particularvisualartist.asopposedtothefocuson fun thattraditionalgame designusesasabenchmark,thelearning basedgoalssetby serious games,or eventhehigh levelexperiencegoalssetbyourownplaycentricmethod,webelieve weareonapathtodiscoveringhowaestheticgoalsandthe voice ofaparticular artistmaybeintegratedintoagamedesignthroughacollaborative,iterative process. Whilethesediscoveriesandreflectionsmayonlydirectlyaffectourownteam s work,thefactthatwedothisworkatthedawnofwhatgamedesignereric Zimmermanhastermedthe LudicCentury 22 givesushopethatthispointstoa potentialforfruitfuloutcomesfromthecurrentcrisisofthegameform.an opportunityforgamedesigners,artists,technologistsandplayerstoredefinethe boundariesofplayfulexperienceanddiscoverwithinittheinnatebeautiesofthe humanexperience. 1 TracyFullerton,GameDesignWorkshop:APlaycentricApproachtoCreating InnovativeGames.Elsevier,Burlington,MA,2008,p.xix. 2 JohnLancaster, IsitArt? inlondonreviewofbooks,vol.31/1. 3 IanBogost,PersuasiveGames:TheExpressivePowerofVideogames,MIT,Boston, MA, rohrer/ WilliamJudson, BillViola:AllegoriesinSubjectivePerception inartjournal,vol. 54/4,Winter,1995,p RaymondBellour,BillViola, AnInterviewwithBillViola inoctober,vol.34, Autumn,1985,p Ibid.,p KevinTeixeira,BillViola. TheNightJourney:DesignOverview&Content Assessment,Rev.4.0October9,2002 Internaldocument, Fullerton,p.10.

14 12 TracyFullerton,JenovaChen,KelleeSantiagoetal. ThatCloudGame:Dreaming (anddoing)innovativegamedesign SandboxSIGGRAPHproceedings, BillViola,RobertViolette,ReasonsforKnockingatanEmptyHouse:Writings ,MIT,Boston,MA,p Ibid.,p Teixeira,Viola. 16 Viola,Violette,p Teixeira,Viola. 18 Ibid. 19 Judson,p Fullerton,Chen,Santiago,etal. 21 Bellour,Viola,p EricZimmerman, TheLudicCentury:IntheFuture,EveryonewillbeaGame Designer IMDForum,1/14/09.