Back in the day, I wrote a very theoretical article about simulation and video games, actually using Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as a case example. I mention this because the notion of simulation got my attention as I returned to Liberty City, I first took Niko to play pool with Roman (I lost). It seems that these casual 'activities' with friendly or romantic characters are there in order to support a more overarching sense of a seamless world, and they do seem to work to that direction. At least that is my tentative observation. We'll return to this.
After the activity with Roman I had Niko call Michelle for another date. Now there were many more options to choose from, so I decided we should go to a bar for a few drinks. I was quite disappointed that the bar did not figure in the game design at all: the couple entered the bar, and after a fade to black, I was awarded a drunken, babbling Niko to control. The simulation was simple but impressive enough, with wobbling controls and horizon. A funny thing happened once I decided to avoid drunk driving and tried to get a cab - true to the game series, Niko pulled the driver from the car and got seated behind the wheel of the taxi, with Michelle obediently running to take a seat next to Niko.
In the end, what followed was a blurry journey to take Michelle home. As a gentleman, I did not 'try my luck', as the game suggested, when reaching her place. What was interesting with that possibility was the social schema that the design of the simulation followed, i.e. that moment at the end of the date, where the couple either parts, or stays together for the night. In the article I mentioned at the beginning, I wrote thatanalyzing the causalities of actions within the simulation produces observations about the politics and rhetorics of a particular simulation
The point of interest here is how GTA IV represents and simulates social and sexual relationships. We will see. However, whether it was due to the gentlemanly choice I made or not, Niko sobered up immediately after dropping Michelle off! One wonders how to interpret that kind of simulation logic.
Another observation: I just read that the Zit function, with which one can buy songs played on the radio stations, is only available to US players from the start. What a disappointment - I love the funky stuff at K109!
Under simulated influence
Social Clubbing
I just linked my Xbox Live ID to the Rockstar Social Club. Needless to say, this opens up a new dimension to the study. Now, I will enter Niko's shoes for another play session. It will be interesting to see how the Social Club integrates to the play experience - if it does - and how it manages to tap into the social media phenomenon of today.
Dating as design for characterization and casual game play
I had Niko take the Michelle character for a date. It's an interesting feature to the game. It seems that dating basically facilitates less goal-orientated bouts of gaming, which could be described as 'casual' (the date was a bowling session, essentially a mini-game), especially when compared with the driving and fighting missions. The dating scenario also allows the designers to round out the characters through dialogue. In general, dialogue in games can be seen as a particular mode to distribute information about goals, etc., and it is interesting that in GTAIV it seems that players are able to make choices regarding the direction or length of conversation only through the cell phone conversations. So, in effect, the dialogue between characters can be seen as a means for the designers to communicate matters they see crucial in terms of player experience.
Another theme of my analysis of GTA IV is how the goals have been designed, and what kinds of goals are there in relation to each other. The date's design, in terms of goals, was one where getting some new clothes for Niko was imposed as a sub-goal, which was instrumental for Michelle to give Niko a call. The shopping part has been with the series since Vice City, and I like it - along with the cars, it supports a sense of masculine vanity, still motivated by the world the game creates, i.e. it is acceptable to dress up for women and to look cool, and so on. Diegetic coherence, I would say.
It was also fascinating to see what happened after I decided that Niko will not change his plans to go to pick up Michelle, even if Roman had called for help. It turned out that this decision only delayed a confrontation with loan sharks.
On other fronts, Niko has taken a few punches but landed even more, had his first car chase, and couple of burgers - the weird dialogue by the burger joint waitress is on feature with which to raise eyebrows, i.e. elicit emotions - , and his first chance to sleep. The car is a bit of a wreck, so I should get that repaired.
Now his puppet master needs some food as well.
"Hey, it's that Kanye West song!"
In this design research endeavor of mine, one goal is to look at GTA IV as a design object, and try to understand in a lucid way, how do its different design solutions affect my experiences as a player - and, at least hypothetically, play experiences in general. The first note regarding these aspects has to do with the soundtrack of the game:
I'm progressing through the first small missions, driving the car around and learning to use the cell phone, which is a new feature in the series. Thinking about its newness lead me to recollections of the earlier GTA games. This sort of remembering was amplified by one of the distinctive features that GTA III introduced, namely the radio stations one can listen while driving the car around. I was switching the stations back and forth, then settling on one. After a while, there was a Kanye West song I knew and liked, 'Flashing lights'. It instantly evoked a positive emotion, 'wow, this is so cool', and the whole atmosphere of the GTA series was evoked instantly in my head. It felt like returning back home, in this unfamiliar, artificial world, which has nothing to do with the comfort of home. But this is how games, and other objects of popular culture create emotional attachment: through conventions and expectations, and our evaluations of how they are met in the actual (play) experience.
After a slowish, uneventful start to the game, it was Kanye West who got me excited.
The journey has begun
The game is running on my Xbox 360. Here we go!
I was not able to start instantly after the game was published, more than a week ago. Partly this has to do with my intention to capture my play sessions on to a computer hard drive , but it will have to wait, at least for now, as I would have needed to buy new hardware for that as well. At this point, I will have my laptop with me, trying to make notes as I go along. This is also an experiment regarding method, and I will most likely make adjustments, and settle into a certain rhythm and format of postings after a while.
I am writing this while getting introduced to Niko, the main character, and his dubious cousin. I have reached the first save point of the game, i.e. where my progress is saved. Niko is stepping around anxiously as I write, while Iggy Pop and the Stooges wish to be somebody's dog in the background. Niko's task now is to go see Roman. Let's do it.
