Metaphors We Game By - Part II

If you haven't already, be sure to read part one of this article first. It sets up the concepts I refer to here in part two.

Lets go back to ‘systematicity’, and the entailments of the GAMES ARE COMPETITION metaphor. These are, I’ve claimed:

GAMES CAN BE WON OR LOST

GAMES ARE ENTERTAINMENT

GAMES HAVE RULES

I would argue that how closely a game adheres to these entailments influences its reception within the video game community. For example, Mortal Kombat (2011) was criticised because its final boss, Shao Khan, suffers from ‘SNK Boss Syndrome’. This is when an enemy character is difficult to beat because they are able to do things (such as unblockable attacks) that other characters are not. Shao Khan is therefore difficult because he breaks the rules of the game, and players reacted poorly because this deviated from the entailments of GAMES ARE COMPETITION, which is key to their concept of what a game is. Compare this with a game such as Ninja Gaiden. Universally seen as extremely difficult, Ninja Gaiden is nevertheless warmly received because its challenge is fair. Gamers don’t mind the game’s difficulty because it sticks to its own rules, and is therefore in line with the metaphor.

PS3 Review: Tomb Raider

I’m not proud of this, but I’ll be honest and say that I wanted to dislike Tomb Raider. I’ve never been a fan of the franchise in the past, and the knuckle-headed pre-release PR, coupled with my general dislike for reboots meant that I was positively looking forward to this game being mauled by the press. Imagine my annoyance, then, when I found myself enjoying Lara’s origin story more than any other game so far this year.

Metaphors We Game By - Part I

This will be a two-part article. In part one, I’ll introduce the concept of metaphor as it’s understood in cognitive linguistics. The second part will consist of a more critical look at the metaphors below, including a discussion of how the concepts they entail inform debates that are currently raging in the world of video game criticism. You may need to read this a couple of times to fully get the concept - I certainly did!

One of my all time favourite books on linguistics is “Metaphors We Live By”, in which Professors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson examine the links between metaphors, language and thought. This article on metaphor in gaming follows the template set out in the first three chapters of their book.

PS3 Review: God of War: Ascension

God of War: Ascension has everything going for it. It builds on an established character and mythology, and its beautiful graphics and lavish orchestral soundtrack demonstrate sky-high production values. In spite of this, however, a combination of missteps in design and problems carried over from previous games means that, although Ascension is fun to play, it’s rather difficult to get excited about.

In Defence of Derivative Games

 

If you stick with this blog, as I post more frequently you’ll begin to see that I respect straight-talking, honest people in the video games industry. Well, Zynga’s Dan Porter was at least being honest, if not especially admirable, when he reportedly said, “Zynga is often accused of copying games, which is mostly true”. Not surprisingly, this bone-headed statement generated controversy, and this in turn got me thinking about the issue of derivative game design. With its connotations of a lazy, cynical creative process, no criticism is more damning than calling a game derivative. But is a derivative game always a bad one?

PS3 Review: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Metal Gear Solid 4 

PlatinumGames was an inspired choice of developer to help Konami save Metal Gear Rising from development hell. Creators of some of this generation's most revered action games, the studio seemed an obvious fit for a hack and slash spin-off staring the cyborg ninja, Raiden. But what have they brought to the Metal Gear series besides a painful subtitle? Read on to find out.

Welcome

Welcome to the Ludolinguist blog! Ludolinguist basically means 'linguist that talks about games'. Linguistics is the study of languages, and ludo is Latin for 'game' (Ludology is what people who take themselves just a little too seriously call 'game studies'). I studied linguistics at university, and have been playing video games since I was five. 

Don't worry; this blog won't be filled with overly technical analyses of the dialogue in games. I don't want to be a bore for people who don't have a background in linguistics, and I won't use specialist terminology without explaining clearly what it means. Instead, what I will aim for is fun, succinct essays about language and gaming. I may occasionally post things that are only about gaming, with no link to language, but I won't ever go off in the other direction. In addition to regular articles on language and games, I will also post reviews.

Some of my articles will take an idea or observation from linguistics and apply it to a particular game or group of games. For example, I may write an article on 'code switching' (the term linguists use for people who speak multiple languages switching between them), and how games such as Assassin's Creed II use this phenomena to give a sense of authenticity. I also plan to shine a harsh light on some of the sillier video game PR out there. All too often, an obsession with empty jargon obscures the substance of announcements in the video games industry. With this in mind, look out for regular posts examining the meaning (or lack thereof) of 'Bullshit Gaming Buzzwords', as well as eviscerations of stupid press releases whenever they happen.

The plan is to post reviews on Tuesdays and mainline articles on Fridays. As well as reading the blog, you can also follow me on Twitter: @ludolinguist.

Enjoy!

-Sam


P.S. My website was put together by Kate Walker. If you like great writing, photography and art, you should really check out her website, Marquee Lights.