I am storyteller, and story interests me like nothing else. I’m interested in narratology. I’m interested in drama. I’m interested in the communication of perception, and vice versa, the perception of communication. I’m interested in how we craft perception through narrative. I’m interested in how we develop meaning through interaction. How do we interact with cultural artifacts? How are cultural artifacts representative of certain narratives? What are some artifacts that invite interaction – interaction that inevitably generates new narrative? Is consumption alone a form of narrative? Is interaction the purest form of narrative? How does the consumption of and interaction with culture define us, or, rather, how do we tell our stories through consumption and interaction? And, above all, how can our interaction with tools and artifacts generate new narrative? And on and on.
Retrieved from Gizmodo (c) Newscom/Photshot. This toy, another cultural artifact, can be used to generate narrative, or, in this case, the re-creation of a different artifact, commoditized in a new form.
Perhaps video games represent the best way to look for answers to some of the questions posed above. If a game isn’t a cultural artifact itself, the elements of the game, the tools used to achieve the goals of the game, in my opinion, have got to be considered so. These elements could be the rules, the story (if any), the graphics, the actual code, the gameplay mechanics, the level design, the console, the controllers, the music… you name it. The great thing is that these artifacts, when interacted with, generate narratives. The paths to the generation of these narratives are as numerous as the amount of opportunities there are for us to give input, the degree to which a game is programmed to respond to that input, and how many different ways we respond to stimuli in return from the game. In essence, I would argue, and I’m certain others have already said as much, that each time you play a game you create a new story. So this is why the design of these video game artifacts is so critical. Not only can the design of an artifact be representative of some narrative, some meaning or potential meaning, but its design also sets the parameters for the generation of any new narrative.
Game controllers are artifacts that might be most indicative of this narrative-making concept. While they may possess their own cultural meanings as disconnected objects, when used for their intended purpose as input devices they become absolutely vital to any generation of meaning when playing their attendant video games. Everything that the input device is capable of doing can craft meaning. This conceit is further enhanced by all the potential combinations of controller input a player can feed the device. If the controller also possesses a form of sensory feedback, or haptic response, then increased meanings are achievable. The guitar game controller from Guitar Hero is a perfect example of both a disconnected object with standalone meaning, but also an input device capable of generating additional meaning as intended by its design. It’s representative of some thing (guitar) and its also a device used to re-create a representation of some thing (a rock song in the game).
Retrieved from the blog A Musical Promenade.
The design of game controllers is paramount to the overall narrative-making experience. Controllers have come a long way, from simple joysticks to the guitars from Guitar Hero to Nintendo Wii’s “Wiimote” (the subject of this proposal) with its motion sensor capabilities and limited sensory feedback. These devices are the mechanisms through which we create narratives using the elements of the video games they are designed to control. “Force feedback”, or haptics, is becoming a ubiquitous factor in game controller design. I came across a video from Popular Mechanics detailing a new type of game controller, the Falcon. The Falcon appears to be creating significant buzz in the industry. It is manufactured by Novint.
Devices like this one, which are giving gamers more and more opportunities to experience sensory feedback in gameplay, will change the way narrative is experienced within future video games. Ultimately some types of interactive experiences, such as role-playing and performance narrative, will also be changed by things like the Falcon, as well as the Wiimote and other devices. Perhaps Janet H. Murray’s vision of “Hamlet on the Holodeck” is slowly becoming more and more possible (please google ‘holodeck’ if you’ve never seen Star Trek – the holodeck is fictional, but it’s a potential pinnacle to the idea of a fully realized immersive virtual reality experience: a completely touchable haptic environment, which we might see some distant future day). Indeed, the holodeck model is becoming less and less far-fetched as technologies like the Falcon or the Wiimote are introduced. 3-D imagery, virtual reality headsets, and even holograms exist in some form today. In this author’s opinion, motion sensing input devices like the Wiimote are the current plateau technology in gameplay has reached on the road to a fully immersive experience. Haptics is the missing link to creating truly immersive spaces. And, like in real life, these spaces will provide for the creation of new narrative and narrative forms. The way these devices are designed, from the way they look to the way they feel, help to dictate the way users employ these devices, these cultural tools, to tell a story.
Therefore, I propose doing a case study of the Wiimote game controller by Nintendo. I might answer these questions: How is this controller changing gameplay today? What are its pluses and minuses in terms of its intended design objective? How does the controller represent a next step towards true immersion play? What are the potential ramifications? I will perform a critical analysis outlining the following three areas:
- Form and function: does it accomplish what it was designed to do?
- Usability: what are the potential uses of the device apart from it’s intended design?
- Other considerations: does it deliver any viable sensory feedback?
These questions will help me answer what the Wiimote represents as a gaming communications tool. I will interact with the device in person and record observations. I will research some secondary resources and report findings as well. My central hypothesis will probably conclude that the device is a current highpoint or highlight in the world of interactive immersion, but what I will need to discover is if the design facilitates the successful completion of some degree of immersiveness in an intuitive way. This will include a mixture of objective and highly subjective interpretations in a simple qualitative research: what does the device achieve?
For general background on this proposal, here are some pertinent sources used which may or may not find their way to my final analysis:
Felluga, Dino. “General Introduction to Narratology.” Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. July 17 2002. Purdue U. Retrieved 10/23/2008. from http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/narratology/modules/introduction.htm
Novint falcon haptics controller could be wii 2.0: Gadget of the week – popular mechanics. Retrieved 10/23/2008, 2008, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4216447.html
Wikipedia contributors. Haptic technology. Retrieved 10/23/2008, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/haptic?oldid=245855254
Wikipedia contributors. Wii remote. Retrieved 11/13/2008, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Remote
Murray, J. H.,. (1997). Hamlet on the holodeck : The future of narrative in cyberspace. New York: Free Press. Retrieved from WorldCat
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Tags: game controllers, interaction design, narrative, nintendo, Novint Falcon, video games, wii, wii remote, wiimote