Gaming narrative is something we stress a lot in the Game Art and Design major. Everything from design choices to environmental storytelling, everything should lend itself to the greater narrative. It can tell you a lot about the people that lived here before you, or what you would do next. There are many great examples of game narrative that I can think of right off of the bat. Journey, Bioshock, and the new Laura Croft.
These games are the ones I have been fortunate enough lately to play so I have first hand knowledge of examples of narrative in each game. Bioshock Infinite for example is the latest game that I have played. As soon as you start the game you are on your way with two other people in a small rowboat, in the middle of a storm, to get to a lighthouse. They leave you there and it's up to you to figure out why you are there. Everything inside the lighthouse tells you not only why you are there but especially what will happen if you don't do what you are being asked too. Several bodies can be found in the lighthouse with a strange chair at the top of the tower where the light should be. You get in the chair, obviously, and are transported to a wonderful city in the sky. It seems to be a new and amazing place, but only though your journey do you discover how twisted this city really is. It has a lot of environmental storytelling from statues to stained glass. There are records places strategically around the environment to let you hear different characters perspectives on their lives or situations. It's a really great way to add to the story if you like delving into narrative. Overall this game is very well done and captured my imagination. If you are interested in great narrative and moral decision making this game would be a great play for you.
The new Laura Croft has environmental storytelling of the civilization on the island that you are now stranded on. Laura, a thrill seeking archeologist by nature, tells you about different markings on the walls or how to navigate certain areas. This is quite literall narration but it gives me a greater appreciation for certain details in the game like who was living here before, and how did they get here? There are also little additions like the adde bonus of finding objects. You can find objects in the game that have factual historical relevance. You can go and look at them in game and Laura would tell you a detailed summary and what it is and what it was used for during the Edo period. I found it very interesting to learn factual information inside of a fictional setting. If game the game more realism to me, and made me want to hunt down these other little pieces of narrative.
Monday, April 22, 2013
3 movies - Kurosawa
I was only able to watch two movies by Akira Kurosawa but they were both amazingly well done. The movies I watched were:
7 Samurai
Ran
7 Samurai was in black and white, but Ran was in color. You could really tell that Akira worked in black and white before based on the composition of the shots. He never relied on color to make a character read well or pop against a background. There is a specific scene where you are looking down on one of the main characters and he is framed by the ruined castle and basked in sun. He wears dark clothing so that he sticks out really well against the sunlit ground.
Akira also likes battle themed movies, both of which are japanese. He was very true to the culture and themes of japan and it was very interesting to see what the culture was like back then. Compelling story lines with a heavy cultural background are the backbone of Akira Kurosawa.
7 Samurai featured many different characters and wove them into a deeper storyline where they had to work together to try and protect a small rice village. Ran also featured many different characters and constantly switched between them. They all wove together by the end though.
Personally I think Akira has a tendency to be very dramatic and kill his characters off at the end. Almost everyone from 7 Samurai and Ran was dead by the end in some catastrophic battle. Ran's end scene was a 20min long gorilla samurai warfare onslaught, where 7 Samurai had the thieves attacking from all sides and breaking down the samurai's defenses.
Both very good, very well directed movies. I really like Akira's style of drama and engaging storytelling.
7 Samurai
Ran
7 Samurai was in black and white, but Ran was in color. You could really tell that Akira worked in black and white before based on the composition of the shots. He never relied on color to make a character read well or pop against a background. There is a specific scene where you are looking down on one of the main characters and he is framed by the ruined castle and basked in sun. He wears dark clothing so that he sticks out really well against the sunlit ground.
Akira also likes battle themed movies, both of which are japanese. He was very true to the culture and themes of japan and it was very interesting to see what the culture was like back then. Compelling story lines with a heavy cultural background are the backbone of Akira Kurosawa.
7 Samurai featured many different characters and wove them into a deeper storyline where they had to work together to try and protect a small rice village. Ran also featured many different characters and constantly switched between them. They all wove together by the end though.
Personally I think Akira has a tendency to be very dramatic and kill his characters off at the end. Almost everyone from 7 Samurai and Ran was dead by the end in some catastrophic battle. Ran's end scene was a 20min long gorilla samurai warfare onslaught, where 7 Samurai had the thieves attacking from all sides and breaking down the samurai's defenses.
Both very good, very well directed movies. I really like Akira's style of drama and engaging storytelling.
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