Contextual Studies Research Task and Perspectives on Play notes

'Every instance of play carries with it the seeds of transformative play.'

Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

Transformative play: If we accept Salen and Zimmerman’s definition of play as “the free movement within a more rigid structure,” transformative play then constitutes the free movement that then alters that rigid structure for others. Rather than playing by the rules, the player changes them for herself as well as others, thus permeating the magic circle. Game mods, manipulating game engines and even partaking in imaginary games where the rules and context may be altered at any point are all examples of transformative play. 

Research Task:

In teams of 4 select 4 different games from different eras. Answer given questions on selected games then present your findings to your class.

The game I chose was Dishonoured (2012) after many recommendations from friends. Despite owning the game I have never played it so I thought it was a good excuse to 'find out new things'. 

When and where was the game made?

It was officially released on September 28, 2012. The full Arkane team worked on the game which involved offices in Lyon, France, Austin and Texas.

How did the cultural background of the game influence it?

Dishonoured was originally set in medieval Japan however Arkane moved the setting to London in 1666. The mood of the game was partially inspired by the works of nineteenth-century artist John Atkinson Grimshaw depicting London scenes at night. The game was also inspired by late 19th and early 20th century London and Edinburgh. Edinburgh provided a sense of containment and a variety of architectural designs which when combined with a futuristic vision were thought to create something new and exciting. In game characters were inspired by illustrations from adventure and pirate stories such as Captain Blood 1922 and the work of Charles Dana Gibson as well as mugshots from Edwardian London and Australia. 

John Atkinson Grimshaw: Nightfall on the Thames, 1880

Charles Dana Gibson

What happens in the game?

The game is set in fictional, plague-ridden city on Dunwall. Dishonoured follows the story of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles. He is framed for her murder and forced to become an assassin, seeking revenge on those who conspired against him. Corvo is aided in his quest by the Loyalists - a resistance group fighting to reclaim Dunwall, and the Outsider - a powerful being who imbues Corvo with magical abilities. 

Is play meaningful? How does the player’s interaction affect the rest of the game?

     The game is played from a first-person perspective and allows the player to undertake a series of missions in a variety of ways with an emphasis on player choice. Missions can be completed through stealth, combat, or a combination of both. Exploring each level opens new paths and alternatives for accomplishing mission goals with multiple outcomes. The story and missions are determined by the players actions. Magical abilities and equipment are designed to be combined to create new and varied effects.

  The player's actions are not judged to be good or evil, but instead are tracked by a "chaos" system that records the amounts of friendly fire, violence, and deaths the player causes. This modifies the game world, affecting the story without punishing the player or forcing them to choose one style of play over another.

   The game reacts to the chaos caused in scripted ways, such as changing dialogue, increasing the presence of rats and plagued citizens and adding new scenes. This can affect the active mission and future missions.

Does the game offer the player opportunities for transformative play?

Dishonoured features role-playing elements such as the ability to upgrade powers with the addition of the ability to make moral choices throughout the game with a focus on non-linear consequences. The game is designed to allow the player to complete it without killing any non-player characters including boss characters and mission targets. Each mission contains multiple ways to explore and reach targets. Exploration of levels is designed to support the character's abilities rather than specific paths that are aimed at a particular gameplay style. The game offers plays the ability to play the game in their own play style however is limited to the capacity of the game. The game offers mods over multiple platforms which would definitely enable transformative play.

 Where does the game fit on Caillois’ scale of ‘paedia’ to ‘ludus’?

Paedia meaning spontaneou snad Ludus meaning controlled play I would say that Dishonoured falls in a limbo between the two and it's definitely designed that way.  Whilst Dishonoured is a game which will always be at the mercy of the limits of game design it offers real time moral decision making which do affect the play style of the game. Whilst this is nothing new in modern games, think Skyrim and Fallout, they all share the same concept that there is an end game, which would definitely limit the paedia side of things. That said it cannot go directly under ludus because of the elements of paedia present. Dishonoured also features elements of Mimicry and Agon (dependant of your play style).