Tetris Appraisal and High Score

Screengrab of High Score:

Student Name -- Evan Elden Eller

Today’s Date -- 10/29/2010

Game Title Examined -- Tetris

Year of Publication -- originally developed for the PC in 1984, released on the Game Boy in 1989

Game Publisher -- Nintendo, Atari, EA, etc.

Game Developer -- Alexei Pajitnov

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero) -- puzzle

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?) -- a flat 2D rectangle, basically a "well"

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character. -- side-view of 2D well of falling blocks

Gameplay – what does the player have to do? -- The player has to organize falling blocks into lines. By maximizing the efficiency of the storage (not leaving "air bubbles"), you make the blocks disappear. You organize them to delete them, and they fall down forever, and this gets faster and faster.

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe. -- Well all you can do is rotate and move the blocks around, so I think you'd discover the goal pretty quickly without instructions.

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?) -- Random. The blocks appear in a random order every time.

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published? -- Originally the graphics were basically ASCII characters, and then solid colors without outlines. The IMB Pajitnov used was definitely very limiting by today's standards. But I believe Tetris has withstood the test of time, especially with its music.

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

1. ease of play -- It's very easy to learn, definitely a "pick up and play" title for anybody.

2. enjoyability -- It's very enjoyable, but in the later stages it requires so much focus that it becomes very hard work.

      c. level of engagement/immersion -- All the way immersed. This game sucks me in and puts me in the zone, and it's hard to stop playing. But then, the only thing harder than stopping... is continuing.

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when? -- I played this game in 1989 when it came out with the Game Boy. I've probably played it every year since, either on the Game Boy, NES, SNES, web browsers, phones, the DS, or the Wii.

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this? -- Tetris doesn't remind me of anything else. But any other game that has falling blocks of any kind reminds me of Tetris. These include Dr. Mario, Puyo Puyo, Lumines, Meteos, or the official Tetris clones like Hatris and Wordtris.

Notes on the Tetris Effect -- I do believe "the Tetris Effect" is real, and by that I mean that I do believe that Tetris has beneficial effects. I'm not exactly sure what they are, but I think that playing Tetris makes me use certain parts of my brain that I don't use too often, and it makes me focus very hard on using them for a very long time, so I just assume that it's a healthy exercise.

After playing Tetris for a long period of time, I usually start feeling relaxed as I get "in the zone." But if I play Tetris for over an hour, or I play it right before I go to sleep, I WILL have Tetris dreams. It never fails.

My Highest Donkey Kong Score: 72,200

This is the greatest Donkey Kong score I've ever achieved.  The NES version is much easier than the arcade version, since it removes the pie factory level with the conveyor belts.

If this was accomplished on a real NES instead of a browser-based emulator, and it was videotaped and verified, it would be the 12th highest NES score at Twin Galaxies.  (As of now the 12th place is only 44,300.)

Halo 3: Map and Responses to Scott Rogers

The Sierra 117 map of Halo 3 is mostly confined in very narrow hallways, comprised of thin ravines and a few caves.  The map opens up at a few points to allow for firefights, but it immediately returns to cramped, claustrophobic caverns.  This limits freedom and mobility, but you always know exactly where to go, and there are always small clusters of enemies in front of you to guide you.  Later in the level, a helicopter is shot down in front of you, crashing just beyond a mountain.  This was the level's only weenie.

Enhanced Weenies and encountering player movement -- The only large visual element that motivates the player is the helicopter crash.  This happens directly in front of you, motivating you to find the crash site and see if there are any survivors.

Using lighting to encourage player movement -- It is very dark in the caverns, but there are small cracks that let sunlight through.  These cracks are strategically placed to allow the sunlight to act as a spotlight, guiding the player towards the way back out.

Presented Path vs. Exploration -- The only room for exploration was on the coast on the upper left corner of the map.  There were some rocks you could jump around on by the ocean, and this is where we found a small golden skull.  Other than this, the whole map was thin and linear.

Warning/Foreshadowing -- The large enemy located towards the bottom of the map rips apart a fellow human right in front of you.  This is a warning that up ahead things aren't going so well for the humans, and your help is needed.  This leads into the helicopter crash that happens in front of you.

Map and Discovered Information -- At one point you find some alien weapons, showing that they've been starting to set up a base here, and stocking up on weapons for a big fight.

The Clear Path Out -- The lighting in the caverns showed a clear path out.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Map and Responses to Scott Rogers

This first level takes place in a forested area complete with mountain ridges. The goal of the game is to secure an informant who is positioned at the upper left hand building. Starting from the bottom right, the player climbs a small hill and is able to see a radio tower of some sort. The player is inclined to wind around the mountain trail to approach this weenie. From this point, the player has a vantage point over the rest of the level. The player rappels down a wall and continues onto the building from this point. Several other weenies include the cobblestone bridge near the beginning, the 'Kodak moment' on the ridge, and a smaller radio tower at the end of the level where a chopper extracts the player from the level. For the most part, the player is able to find his/her way by following members of the squad of soldiers and gunning down enemies. Most of the beginning is shaded and shadowy, whereas the player moves onto a more open area with more lighting as he/she approaches the end of the level. There is almost no variation in mobility; most of the level is linear with the exception of the end, where the player may navigate around several blown up cars, buildings, haystacks, and crates.

What the heck are Weenies? -- Large visual elements used to draw you into or around a particular space. In Modern Warfare, the tutorial stage and the first level have no weenies, but the second stage includes a very large power station in the distance.

Using lighting to encourage player movement -- In the second stage, there are many small houses, and only a few have lights on. These lights let you know which houses have enemies in them, and you sneak up and take them out.

Presented Path vs. Exploration -- This level does allow some exploration, as it doesn't keep you trapped in a small cavern.  But your freedom to explore is still limited by a rather small playing field.

The Power of the Path - the illusion of Freedom -- It makes you feel like you can run and explore anywhere you want, but you're supposed to be following your teammates and finding the enemies.

Moral Story Telling -- You can't shoot "the good guys."

King of Kong Quiz

1. Mitchell is unabashedly cocky and fond of self promotion, proclaiming himself the "Sauce King" of Florida for his successful line of homemade hot sauces. Next to his family, Mitchell considers his arcade scores his greatest achievements in life. How typical are these types of values and attitudes among 'core' gamers and how important is it to understand these values if you are a game designer? What *are* these values, exactly?

I don't think these values are the same for everybody, but the way I see them is an appreciation for competitive gaming, and a thirst for competitive gaming.  The typical game player might see a game like Pac-Man, try it a few times, and then ask their friends "Hey how far did you get?  Did you get the fruit?  Did you eat a ghost?"  But a "core" gamer would say "What was your score?  How fast did you get there?  How long can you go without dying?  I bet I can beat you."  I think that's the main difference anyway, and once core gamers feel like that they start paying attention to all sorts of details.  They compare achievements and trophies, they do speedruns, they play games on harder difficulties to challenge themselves, etc.  They're always seeking a greater challenge and better competition.

I think it's important to understand these values to design games, not because core gamers are the biggest audience, but because when they love a game, they'll play it a million times and share it with all their friends so they can compete against each other.


2. Steve Wiebe has been laid off as a Boeing engineer, and now spends his time as a science teacher. His friends and his wife, Nicole, describe him as a tragic figure who always comes up short, despite being proficient at music, sports, art, and mathematics. Is Weibe's 'tragic' aspect typical of core gaming 'types'? What role does self esteem (high or low) play in the culture of hard core gaming and such subcultures as competitive vintage or 'classic' game playing? How would you best describe the relationship between low self-esteem and videogame mastery?

I don't think low self-esteem and video game mastery are related.  I think those aspects of Steve Wiebe are just great character development for a tragic hero vs. an evil nemesis story.  I think the "tragic" qualities of Wiebe and the "evil" of Mitchell were both horribly exaggerated for the sake of the film's narrative.  If anything I think that being successful at video games or successfully finding friends in a video game community improve the self-esteem of gamers.


3. Despite Wiebe's protests that his own first score was disqualified for being submitted via unsupervised videotape, Twin Galaxies accepts Mitchell's score over Wiebe's and proclaims that Mitchell is still the record holder. How valid do you think videotaped gameplay should be in establishing videogame playing records? If valid, why? If not valid, why not?

I think videotaped gameplay should be accepted across the board or disqualified across the board.  I think their reasoning for discounting Wiebe's score was just a petty conspiracy theory.

I do think gameplay videos should be counted because not everybody can make it to a live event at a Funspot or somewhere like that.  Allowing videos to be mailed in allows Twin Galaxies to get scores from all around the world, raising the stakes and the competition.


4. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, wondering "Who would have guessed that a documentary about gamers obsessed with scoring a world record at Donkey Kong would not only be roaringly funny but serve as a metaphor for the decline of Western civilization?" What do you think of the film? Is it an accurate portrayal of what makes videogames so compelling for those who play them?

I enjoyed the film, but I think Travers is really giving gaming the short end of the stick with that comment.  There are documentaries about several other niche hobbies, such as Civil War reenactment groups, expensive animal funerals, or stamp collecting, and I don't think any of those are metaphors for the decline of Western civilization.  People have always liked weird things, but gaming isn't even weird anymore.  It's the world's most profitable entertainment medium.


5. On November 10, 1981, Walter Day opened an arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa called Twin Galaxies. Though it was a modest arcade of merely 22 arcade games, it soon became known as the International Scorekeeper for the burgeoning video game industry. Under Day's direction, Twin Galaxies set rules for gameplay on hundreds of games, while maintaining a records database of competitive high scores. Twin Galaxies is considered by gaming historians as being the first organizer of professional gaming, putting competitive electronic gaming on the world map. How important do you think organizations like Twin Galaxies are in the vintage arcade gaming community? Could such communities exist without such organizations? What role does Twin Galaxies play ultimately, and why is this significant to the film and its story?

I think Twin Galaxies is very important.  Walter Day told us it was important, and we were all suckers, so we believed him, and now it's important because almost everybody trusts it.  I think successful gaming communities can and do exist without such organizations, but I think Twin Galaxies has done the industry a great service by becoming a trusted scorekeeping database.  Now they're even in the Guinness Book of World Records, trusted by the world, and it's still just Walter and some friends.


6. The film depicts Wiebe's skill at Donkey Kong being linked to his ability to deeply understand the title's game mechanics, particularly the way that rhythm and timing work to ensure a successful outcome. The film in one scene compared his love of drumming and his abilities at basketball as well as his musical talent as part and parcel of his gift at playing Donkey Kong. How would you best describe this set of inter-related skills? Have you experienced anything like this yourself when playing games? Have you been able to associate the skill of playing games with similar related skills and talents and how would you best describe the nature of this set of inter-relationships between skills/passions/abilities?

I think a sense of rhythm is very important and beneficial to becoming a good gamer.  Even when games don't seem to be based on rhythm, they always are.  In any particular game, there is the amount of time it takes your finger to press the button, and the amount of time it takes for the action to occur, and a good player will master the timing and start to play the game as if it's an instrument.  I definitely think learning how to play music has improved my gaming, and that my gaming has improved my musical abilities as well.


7. In the film, Wiebe, while playing the game says hello to Mitchell. Mitchell didn't respond. As he's walking away from Wiebe, Mitchell says, "There's certain people I don't want to spend too much time with." Mitchell offered no explanation for his behavior towards Wiebe but did later explain that at the time of filming, he had not played video games for "more than a year", and that the filmmakers had not given him enough advance warning to train for a public record-breaking attempt. Seth Gordon, the film's Director, in referring to Mitchell's character says that Mitchell "is a true puppet-master", "a master of information-control". What do you think Gordon means by this? What role does such behavior play in general terms in videogame culture?

I don't think such behavior really plays a role in the overall "videogame culture."  I just think that in this instance, Mitchell was intentionally being rude and then intentionally downplaying it later.  He's definitely a master of information control, as shown in the scene where he gives a video tape of his new high score to a woman to deliver to Walter Day at Funspot in front of Steve Wiebe.


8. What did you think of the film? Is it really only about the game "Donkey Kong" and those who seek to hold the highest score or is it really about something more?

I think the film is definitely about more than Donkey Kong.  It's about people's drive to succeed against all odds, even at their family's expense.  You've got the world's greatest classic gamer, whose wife has never even seen him play, competing against a guy whose wife and kids are begging to stop.  And the way the story is told, you end up rooting for the guy who's tearing his family apart.


9. Have you ever played "Donkey Kong"? What was your memory of playing it? Where were you, when was it?

Donkey Kong was one of the first games I ever played on the NES growing up.  I was probably 4 or 5 at the time.  When I started playing games in the 80s there were already a few dozen good platformers out as it was quickly becoming the dominant genre.  I was playing games like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Castlevania, but Donkey Kong was still one of my favorites.  I didn't know at the time that it really started the whole genre and was still one of the best.

Grand Theft Auto 4 Appraisal

Student Name: Evan Elden Eller


Today's Date: 10/01/2010


Game Title Examined: Grand Theft Auto IV


Year of Publication: 2008

Game Publisher: Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive

Game Developer: Rockstar North

Game Genre: Third-person adventure/shooter, "sandbox"

Type of game "world" or environment: 3D world

Perspective taken by player: third person, but it can be changed to first person when operating a vehicle

Gameplay: Walking, running, stealing cars, driving, moving from location to location to talk to people and receive different missions, mostly involving chasing, escaping, finding and killing an enemy, or moving things from location to location.

Is the gameplay intuitive?  Not at all.  You just kind of walk around and do whatever you want, and there are too many buttons.  The buttons also do different things if you're in a car or on foot, so you have to pause the game and read the controls a few times.

Is the gameplay patterned?  The missions will be the same missions in the same places in the same order.  However, the city is constantly changing, with random traffic and random pedestrians getting in your way.  The police will also be in random areas, and they can try to stop you if they witness you doing something illegal.

Pinball

Here are three online pinball games. For each I will show a screenshot of the board, a picture of the board with the key elements of the playfield highlighted, and then a picture of just the elements over a black background. For each of these I will be using this color key:



First I played Rat'N'Roll.





Next I played Pepsi Pinball.





Then I played Short Circuit Pinball.