BA6 | Advanced Game Studies #07

Topic Research | Part 2

Diving straight back into the quotes and article I was studying previously from the article named "Metaphor Meaning Matriculation" which can be found here << where I found a fabulous quote for my essay first, here's some more relevant quotes from Terrell. 

“In some ways I understand why the common perception of video games even within our industry is so misinformed. The video game medium is very new, very complicated, and very closely tied to technology, factors that make it difficult to get to the bottom of things. Like all fields outside of one's experience, the world is largely informed by the big announcements, sweeping trends, and the most aggressive, public advertising campaigns.”

When I read this by Terrell  I instantly came back to an initial conceptual thought I had concerning my topic theme. This was how games that actually do contain metaphorical narratives and meanings, such as Papo & Yo, are advertised from an entirely different perspective, as if the metaphorical deeper meaning behind the game, narrative and it’s play are only relevant to the audience that discovers them while playing. The ideas aren’t necessarily thrust in the audiences face; just look at Journey for example!! :D  

Part 4 of the blog articles focused on the opinions of metaphors and descisions made in game design. A quote that suck out for me to finish this post on was:

“I don't think "hidden meanings" are so much "hidden" as they are "quiet;" like a soft voice in a group conversation, you hear it initially, it just takes a bit of focus to isolate its effect in your mind. Along the same lines, we already know that video games have powerful ways to effect us and convey information. It's just a matter of being clear about what's going on.”

I like this quote from Terrell because it sums up my initial research stage; metaphors in games, metaphors being conveyed via play and narrative, trying to communicate a deeper story in a video game shouldn’t be a rare tactic. The developer just needs a clear vision of what they are trying to communicate and in return, the audience playing will comprehend the metaphoric narrative “hidden” in the game and play.

This concludes my first initial research blog post which I have found incredibly helpful as a stating point for whats to come. As stated previously, my topic idea for contextual studies is studying how games can be used as a medium to convey deeper meanings than may appear at first, or just generally. This study by Terrell on the use of metaphors in games helps indefinitely because it gives me an entry level into exploring how the medium of play can be used to tell a different story to its audience.