The Language of Videogames: Part 1 A cognitive look at how videogames work and how we understand them

So when I started this blog I said I would update approximately every week. Obviously that hasn’t happened. It was just an exceptionally difficult time for me for a while there. But it is all better now and I feel like writing again. So please accept this apology and enjoy what comes next because even though I haven’t written in a while I have not stop thinking about games. Turns out you can get books on game theory from the local library. And they have been very informative. What follows is a summation of what I have learned from the books and my own thoughts on gaming.

(The main influence on me for this was What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy: Second Edition by James Paul Gee. It is wonderful read that really opened my mind beyond the standard levels of analysis. Learn more about it here.)

And now …

A little while ago I invited a friend of mine over to play Journey. It’s a simple yet powerful game that will leave the player in a different emotional state then when they started. Journey is one of the finest examples of videogames as an art form. I wanted to share that with my friend. Journey has a simple control scheme of four inputs: look around, move, jump and sing. That’s all. However what makes Journey special is the emotional sense of triumph and freedom that is given to the player. Journey is short, easy and above all else; a masterpiece. How could I not have her play it?

(Brief aside: I will be the first to admit that I can be arrogant. My friend and I do not often agree when it comes to videogames. I believe in their power as an artistic medium. She sees them as only glorifications of violence. To say I didn’t have ulterior motives when inviting her to play would be a life. I had hoped Journey would convince her that videogames are alright.)

For two hours we play the game. From the sandy begins to the snow light ending it is near total silence in my house. We are absorbing the game and being absorbed by it. As the game ends, even though it is my second or third time seeing it, I cannot help the small joyous tears that form in the corners of my eyes. Every time it brings me to such an emotional reverie that just cannot help it. Through the slight distortion of tears I look over to my friend to see if she is affected the same way. She is calmly watching the credits sequence, no major emotional impact. I am taken aback and she is confused. Why is there such a discrepancy between the reactions of two people who experienced the same thing?

That difference lies within our separate understanding of videogames. I experience with Journey was with what I understood to be a finely crafted experience. For her it was a sting of difficult to understand environments, getting turned around and stuck. We had totally different experiences biased upon our understanding of what a videogame is and how it works. And this caused something in me, the planting of a small idea seed that needed time and space to grow:

Just how do we understand videogames and how in turn does that affect our experience with them?

The best answer that I can think of is that videogames are a language. I say this for very specific reasons. Like all languages videogames have their own intricacies and vernaculars. Videogames can be taught and experienced, yet you must be fully immersed in them before you can be considered fluent. And just how an underdeveloped understanding of a language can hamper your comprehension of what is being said, so too can a lack of understanding about videogames hinder your comprehension and enjoyment of the game.

Over the next six parts of this overview I hope to explore and explain the language of videogames, how they work and how we understand them. Part two will be posted sometime tomorrow.