According to my mum,
the first time I ever played a game was when I was about 2 years old. It was at
my father’s office. Dad’s an awesome engineer and always had access to the
newest hardware around his office. Well, this one time, he had an interesting
piece of software to show me. The
game was Prince of Persia (1989). Even
though that was about 22 years ago now, I still remember it vividly. Odd isn’t
it? I’m no neuroscientist or an expert on how our memory works but doesn't it
seem a bit strange that one would remember something like that. Seems like such
a small and trivial thing to recall with such impeccable clarity. Do you
remember the first book you read? The first comic book you consumed? The very
first movie you ever saw in the theatre? I’m curious to know, because I don’t remember any of
mine. It’s all a blur to me. I could guess but I doubt I’d be particularly
accurate. I do know what my first game I ever played was though and I think I
know why it left such a powerful impression on me.
Source: http://lparchive.org/ |
I
used to visit my dad’s workplace rather often after that. I guess I was already
hooked, way back then. This medium had caught me in its net and wasn’t letting
me return to the predictable ocean I was chilling in before. Oh no, I was
introduced to a whole new world and it was exciting as all hell. When I was
there, I’d play for hours and hours. I’d get a bit further every playthrough.
I’d jump, climb, descend, avoid traps, get gored by falling onto a spike pit,
get sliced to pieces by an enemy guard, miscalculate a jump and plummet to my
death or simply get lost in this ridiculous castle maze I found myself in
(seriously, the fucking architect’s probably had a good laugh on my expense!).
As
I was trying to master the level and learn how to avoid becoming a permanent
part of the decor, I found a sword. I don’t know if I can really express
through words what I felt at that moment but ecstatic overjoyment of my
uncalibrated senses into sheer explosion of ludohappyness would probably sum it
up. Don’t worry about not understanding any of that; just know that I was in a
state of pure bliss. I had a sword. I could now be like one of those knights my
mom used to read me stories about. I could squint my eyes and pretend to be a
Jedi, minus the overpowered force powers. Most important of all however, I
could now proceed through the game.
Source: Wikipedia, Prince of Persia Page |
I
was
the one who found my way through this deathtrap of a wannabe tutorial stage. I was
the dude who found the sword and learned to use it. I was the guy who managed
to find secret rooms with health potions to help me through the game. There were
no annoying tutorial screen popups telling me how to play the game, no scripted
set pieces that teaches me each move separately as if I was an invalid or any frustrating
cutscenes that broke up the pacing of the game. I was the one who was learning,
not just how to play the game, but also to think outside the box and I was
rewarded for my active participation in this play experience we call a “game”.
I
think that’s why Prince of Persia has
stuck with me all these years. The fact that the player is an integral part of
the storytelling process and that the main means of communicating something to
the player is through gameplay, it was astounding. Remember, back then (the very early 90’s
to be more precise) elaborate cutscenes to explain the
plot of the game weren't exactly the norm. Hell, Prince of Persia didn’t
even have dialogue boxes! The only way of conveying anything, whether it’s an
emotion, plot point or state of the world, was primarily through gameplay but also with music and
mise-en-scene.
To
say that my mind was blown would be an understatement. I cannot believe the
potential that this medium has and I feel like it’s wasted nowadays with the safe,
bullshit cookie cutter games that hold your hand every step of the way and
coddle you like a child when you fuck up. Don’t you see, the player messing up
is not a fault, it can be a tool to teach him something, to touch him in a very
non creepy way, in a way that other mediums cannot. I guess that’s the reason I
started Terminal Obfuscation; to interact
with people about this medium, discuss narratives and game design, try to
educate myself and others to understand video games better.
Postscript: So me being late this time, and with being late I mean posting this shit an entire week after it should've been out, is because of uni stuff. And because of the fan in my computer dying. So it really isn't my fault this time!
... I'll try to do better, I promise!
Postscript: So me being late this time, and with being late I mean posting this shit an entire week after it should've been out, is because of uni stuff. And because of the fan in my computer dying. So it really isn't my fault this time!
... I'll try to do better, I promise!