Interviewing the Embodiment of Political Evil

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7 Slavoj Zizek, 'Cyberspace and the Virtuality of the Real - Slavoj Zizek.pdf', 1. 8 Edward Castronova ... Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili. Herz, J. C. 1997.
DRAFT OF: Pérez Indaverea, M. A. and Pérez Indaverea, M. L. 2012. “Urban Visions in Videogames: London and Paris”. In Cultural Perspectives of Videogames: From Designer to Player. Eds Adam L. Brackin and Natacha Guyot. Pp.115-127. Oxfordshire: Inter-disciplinary Press. ISBN: 978-1-84888-161-7.

Urban Visions in Videogames: London and Paris Mª Aránzazu Pérez Indaverea Mª Lourdes Pérez Indaverea

Abstract Videogames have been developing their own language for over fifty years now. This has been clearly conditioned by technical advances, but also by the influence of the language of cinema. Just as the Seventh Art did and as soon as the graphic processors allowed them to do so, videogames were inclined to use cities as one of their favourite scenarios. What we intend to prove in this paper is that the change in perception and narration brought by videogames has been also accompanied by a change in the vision of cities. Our objective is to find out what their real contributions to this have been. In order to do so, we are conducting a comparative study of the representation of London and Paris in videogames. We have chosen these two world capital cities because having two physical references with a well defined imaginary and a great presence in media will make the comparison easier. We are applying a double methodology: on one hand we are first doing a technical analysis and on the other a historical artistic one. This qualitative approach will let us have a critical vision of the works in their historical moment and the vision they offer. It will also show if there has been an evolution in these depictions, always using a cultural frame as a background. This will let us compare it to other manifestations. We believe that this research is of great interest since videogames have become, in the last decade, one of the most prominent cultural industries and the one which generates more income. Therefore, they are having an impact on our imaginary that may influence the way we see our physical environment. We intend to find out how this is done and what can be expected in the near future.

Key Words: City, videogame, London, Paris, interactivity, urban representation, virtual, imaginary.

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__________________________________________________________________ ***** 1. Introduction Videogames are cultural products1; technological consumption goods but additionally, manifestations of a society in a specific period of time. Therefore, they are part of the ‘knowledge, beliefs and behaviours’ used by our society to communicate and meet some of our needs 2. One of their main features and differences, when compared to other types of games is their use of fictional worlds3, which work as allegories of the physical one4. What we aim to study in this paper are the representations of these digital worlds when cities with physical existence are used as scenarios. We have a two-fold purpose: showing how videogames have evolved towards the elaboration of a particular language for depicting urban landscapes; and consequently, how they increase the images of the cities portrayed by providing multiple images of them. 2. Structure and methodology We are studying the depiction of cities in videogames with a qualitative approach in a double and complementary perspective, technological and artistic historical. In order to do so, we have chosen two cities, London and Paris. This allows us to make comparisons between the digital and the physical cities and to look for further references in other cultural manifestations as both have a broad imagery associated to them. Since the evolution of technology has been parallel to the development of the language of videogames, we have decided to start our study with the use of 3D in space representation. Even if the first game in 3D was released in 19925, the memory and processor capacities did not allow cities to become immediately navigable 3D scenarios. As a result, the games we analyse have been chosen in a range from 1997 to 2011, picking seven significant ones for each city. By doing this, we have tested if there has been an evolution in the representations. In order to do so, we have built a canon of games based in their impact in videogame history. We have built the canon taking into account the number of units sold, significant advances in game design and aesthetics, and industry recognition. We also gave preference to games that showed both of the cities we wanted to study, since this allows a clearer comparison of their representations. Nevertheless, before analysing them in chronological order, there are a series of theoretical considerations about world games and the depiction of cities in this media that need to be pointed. We study these urban landscapes from our own playing and observation experiences, doing both a technical and art historical analysis. This allows us to compare the two European metropolis representations, extract general conclusions about their use and depiction, plus search for influences. We conclude with a critical analysis and propose lines for further research.

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Image 1 - Analysed games timeline 3. Urban game worlds: Transparent cities Before presenting our analysis, it is necessary to remark certain aspects of the depiction of cities in videogames. Videogame worlds are designed by multicultural and interdisciplinary teams; therefore they are a syntax of different points of view aiming to offer a concrete ambience conditioned by gameplay. If the game creates interest and the rules and objectives are intuitive and relatively easy to understand, players will suspend temporarily the rules of their physical environment, generating a ‘magic circle’6 where only the laws of the game work. They will be ‘immersed’, forgetting that their interaction with digital cities is mediated by technology, phenomena denominated ‘postmodern transparency’7 . This has lead designers towards a tendency to apply the rules that determine physical world in gameworlds. The influences between physical and digital worlds have started to be reciprocal, their barrier is becoming porous 8. This calls for a detailed study of how urban landscapes appear and are used in videogames. The interaction between players and digital environments is conditioned by avatars; their abilities and limitations determine the way players experience space. Moreover, the representation or absence of avatars will modify the perception of the city: there will be either an identification with the character depicted in the screen and how (s)he relates to the environment, or an assumption of a direct urban experience. In fact, the player’s contact with the city will be always different as (s)he is able to choose where to focus the camera while creating in a way his/her own editing9. Even though there has been a progressive tendency towards more expansive and detailed environments conditioned by technology, designers tend to limit the size and the interaction with the worlds. Besides avoiding the consumption of technical resources, these types of incoherencies have a clear purpose of avoiding that players get disoriented 10. 4. Cases of study We examine first games depicting London and then, the ones that show Paris. For each, we focus in the most significant aspects the representation of the city through six categories: 1) Recognizability of the city. 2) Gameplay 3) Landmarks depicted. 4)Technical features. 5) Aesthetical features. 6) If the city is lived and

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__________________________________________________________________ how. To clarify the research, we close this section with a table that synthesizes the analysis of the total games studied. 4.1. London in videogames All the analysed games that depict London indicate by stage titles which levels take place in the city. Some of them have an introductory video for contextualizing players, like the driving simulators with a flying trail over the circuit. Above all, the city is recognisable because of the depiction of its icons such as Big Ben or the red telephone cabins. Most of the scenes occur in a realistic contemporary London but three cases depict different times. First, Resistance Fall of Man presents an alternative past where WWII has not happened. The city is slightly different to the physical one but players still can find famous landmarks although covered in dust. Then, Hellgate: London shows a post-apocalyptic future where the city is sieged by demons; nevertheless, the metro stations match the real ones and iconic elements standstill but reduced in size and simplified in a Tech-noir aesthetic. The third, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (CoD:MW3) depicts different parts of the city in a near future without noticeable changes to contemporary London, although the underground map does not correspond with the real one. The Tube is used in several titles as a scenario for a level itself or link between stages. In Hellgate: London it also works as the world map, situating players. The landmarks of the city centre are depicted once and again in the games, such as Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Big Ben or Covent Garden. These locations are always realistically represented due to the application of bigger and more detailed textures than the rest of the buildings and props of the scene. Although polygonization of these iconic elements was conditioned by the technology of the moment. The analysed games belong to different genres, from racing to shooters. This variety allows players to move around the city in different ways by different means of transport, and doing different actions such as climbing buildings or driving a car. The space that players can explore is usually limited by plots. While Tomb Raider 3 only shows the surroundings of Saint Paul's Cathedral, in the two games fully located in London the avatar can freely move around the partially represented city. The user interface display (UID) is minimal in all cases, allowing the player to observe the whole scenario; and when not necessary, the UID temporarily disappears in some of the games. London is depicted in these games through contrasts between an industrial and a monumental city. The typical brick houses appear simplified in all but racing games. Meanwhile, iconic buildings and monuments have very high textures and polygons breaking the monotony of the city while becoming reference points of action. Relevant for the depiction of London are both the lighting and meteorological conditions. We generally find dull scenes, with grey and cloudy skies11. In some cases it even rains; in Tomb Raider 3, modest black particles emulate rain. Static lights are used for giving deepness to scenes and dynamic lights appear in the

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__________________________________________________________________ newer games in order to emphasize actions. This use of lighting reinforces dramatic qualities. Grey colours dominate the visions12, punctually broken by advertisements, red objects or bright particles representing magic, technology or violence. The colour spectrum can be even darker in night-time levels, when the streets are quiet, and besides the music, the only noises players hear result of the actions of their avatars. Games depicting not present time, use shaders/filters for tainting the scenes of ochre and gray ranges emulating war films. The influence of cinema aesthetics is remarkable in The Getaway, a story that follows British Gangster films. London tends to be represented as a lived-in city where non playable characters wander around its streets and underground. While in CoD:MW3 there's a scene dedicated to a family of tourists, in Tomb Raider 3 players cannot see anyone, only listening to the traffic noises when close to the ground. Sounds are key elements for pointing out that we are in London, all the analyzed games include speaking characters with different British accents. 4.2. Paris in videogames As in London, Paris is presented in the analysed games to the players with an introductory screen or video. Nevertheless, in Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus an opening CutScene that leads to the tutorial stage introduces the city. Furthermore, this game shows the city in a cartoon-like aesthetic which is unique in this analysis. This appearance is achieved by the use of a Toon Shading and mixing 3D and 2D. The rest of the analysed games depict Paris in a realistic way through different times: two in the present, two in the past and two in the future. Contemporary scenarios are characterized by Haussmanian boulevards and buildings. In the case of Onimusha 3, although the game shows the current Paris, it is altered by demonic elements. Paris is mainly shown with realistic graphics but a variety of aesthetics. Two games try to show a faithful representation of the city modified by attacks; Resistance: Retribution shows ruins, but depicts a limited and free interpretation based in a couple of iconic elements of the city. Two other games focus in iconic and historical elements to create imaginary stages that allude to the history or life of the city, like Le Penseur of Rodin or the cafés. Finally, the rest of the games offer a version of Paris filtered by alternative aesthetics that suit plots and gameplays, one cartoon-like and the other tech noir. The predominant genres of these games are stealth, shooter and action. Some games such as CoD:MW3 adapt their gameplay to different contexts, for example swapping from ground to air actions. This air perspective allows players to have a panoramic view of the city. Nevertheless, Onimusha 3 use fixed cameras that play with low angles, to define the visible areas representing city icons with a sense of magnificence while allowing high quality textures offering great detail in the representations.

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__________________________________________________________________ Iconic Parisian elements are continuously present. The Tour Eiffel is depicted in five of the analysed games, it is a key element in the stages and even in some games. The Champs Elyseés and the Catacombes appear in three of the titles. None of the representations of the catacombs is faithful to the original ones but they play the role that underground played in London. Catacombes are represented like stone labyrinths full of bones with a repetitive abuse of the same tiled textures. Notre Dame, the Opera National and the Metro appear just in one game each and with their interiors modified. Opposite to London, Paris only appears as lived-in city in two games and in both of them the non player characters are mainly tourists. Other titles suggest the presence of inhabitants by details like lights in some windows or showing them only in closed spaces. In general, players find an empty city, suggesting that inhabitants had to leave. This can be justified by limitations of consoles/PC. Actions take place during night-time, only CoD:MW3 and partially Onimusha 3 show Paris in daylight. In Onimusha 3, weather and time change along a day, parallel to the progress of the player, and being a metaphor for the advance of the enemies. The colour spectrum differs to the colours of the physical city, adapting itself to the different aesthetics. The colour range goes from cold colours to soft tones that contrast with bright colours that highlight danger and special elements. Like in London, sound fills the scenes with dramatic qualities and local characters speak with French accents facilitating immersion. Game UIs are also minimal, with the exception of the complex Deus Ex UID. Paris is represented as a city in decadence. Only players can save it from its fate. Even if players succeed the city it can be highly damaged, like in CoD:MW3 where the Tour Eiffel collapses.

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__________________________________________________________________ Table 1 - London analysed games(1/2)

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__________________________________________________________________ Table 2 - London analysed games(2/2)

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__________________________________________________________________ Table 3 - Paris analysed games(1/2)

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__________________________________________________________________ Table 4 - Paris analysed games(2/2)

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__________________________________________________________________ 5. Results and conclusions In the games examined London and Paris are partially represented and adapted to gameplay. They are versatile scenarios, always in tension, where everything seems possible. From the beginning there has been a growing tendency towards a realistic representation, rarely using other aesthetics. In all the cases the cities representations are focused in touristic spaces and iconic elements. These clichés are reinforced by the soundtrack, both by music and voices with identifiable local accents. We have found three main trends: 1) Evocative use of the city. It is the one found in the first 3D games, where the metropolises are freely altered but in search of a certain atmosphere. 2) The application of different aesthetic filters to the cities, but always relating to their iconic elements. There is a tendency to use tech-noir when showing an alternative history. 3) Realistic representations, which are the most common trend. These landscapes have been filtered by a digital stylization. They are syntheses that use mimesis. Their authors had to ‘decode’ their physical reality and ‘reinterpret’ it13. In early 3D games that depicted physical cities, models were focused on their iconic elements. The ones reproduced were built with simple geometrical figures; this favoured, for example, Neoclassic buildings. Some elements were frequently repeated, because loading a single model is more efficient in terms of memory than many different ones. For the same reason, tiling was applied in textures, as in Tomb Raider 3. Meanwhile, lightmaps14 were starting to be employed for providing depth to scenes. The fast evolution of graphic cards allowed the use of a wider range of colours. Lighting and colour spectrum grew in importance for evoking different sensations. This evolution also affected 3D models and textures, which have constantly become bigger and more detailed. More complex elements started to be commonly reproduced, like Neo-gothic buildings or monuments like the Tour Eiffel. The differences in detail are easily perceptible between the models of Deus Ex and Onimusha 3. The number of non playable characters progressively grew, increasing the feeling of lived-in cities. Nevertheless, there is still a great use of underground areas for avoiding the reproduction of the magnificent and richly-detailed surface. Besides facilitating the construction of environments, a contrast is created between the claustrophobic and disorienting corridors and the known and easily identifiable locations. In fact, allusions to the cities history are common by reproducing iconic elements and actions. Shaders15 started to be used, as in Sly Cooper, to define the game aesthetics. Around 2004, normal and bump mapping16 were widely used to obtain relief effects. In 2006, multicore processors were commercialized, allowing new possibilities such as combining complex shaders, as Resistance shows. Furthermore, games mixed particle systems and dynamic lights for achieving realism in effects. The level maps became bigger. By the end of the decade, graphic cards were also used for advanced physics calculations; which meant an increment

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__________________________________________________________________ in realism with element and environment interaction. Reflections and climate effects calculated in real time appeared in games like Gran Turismo 5. Visual content was not the only aspect which was improved due to larger disk storage, sounds and voices were also enhanced. Looped music used in older games took a step towards complex and extensive melodies that enrich the scenes. We can conclude that in most cases, aesthetical resources are based in lighting and meteorological effects in order to emphasize dramatic qualities. Especially significant is the use of darkness which appears in most of the unexpected or high tension events in these cities, associating them to a particular ambience. It also generates more visually dynamic scenarios. The use of unreal colours and the addition of strange elements to the cities alters their appearance and creates a feeling of unease associated to them. These two metropolises are known world-wide due to multiple references and their concentration of tourist flows. These facts allow players to easily identify the settings, facilitating the projection of their previous knowledge about them and immersion. Furthermore, the emotional impact on the player is larger than if the actions happened in an unknown environment. The player needs to know the spaces and the best way to use them in order to advance in the game. Therefore the exploration and appropriation of the cities is part of the ludic experience 17. These games offer different visions and experiences of the cities, some of which are new, as a consequence they contribute to enrich and publicize their imageries. This could be related to the concept of ‘virtual tourism’ 18 and also to the criticism of authors who claim that there is a risk of Neo-Platonism19 in which the idea, the virtual, leaves the physical experience aside. The increasing search for realism and spectacularization in the depiction of cities points to a language in the process of configuration, but that already has its own characteristics. But also points out towards the theories of control by J. Baudrillard or M. C. Boyer, where processes of ‘fragmentation-codification-recomposition’20 determine our access and knowledge about the cities. Because of this, we believe that it is necessary to continue analysing critically how physical cities are represented by this new media.

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Notes 1

Comisión de Cultura del Congreso, 2 Henry E. Lowood, ‘Electronic game’.Encyclopædia Britannica. Viewed 22 March 2012, 3 Jesper Juul, Half-real: video games between real rules and fictional worlds, 199. 4 Espen Aarseth, ‘Allegories of space: the question of spatiality in computer’ games. In Space time play. Computer games, architecture and urbanism : the next level, 44. 5 Wolfstein 3D, game developed by id Software. 6 Johan Huizinga, Homo ludens, 46. 7 Slavoj Zizek, ‘Cyberspace and the Virtuality of the Real - Slavoj Zizek.pdf’, 1. 8 Edward Castronova, Synthetic worlds: the business and culture of online games, 147. 9 Wee Liang Tong and Marcus Cheng Chye Tan, ‘Vision and Virtuality: The Construction of Narrative Space in Film and Computer Games’. In Screenplay : cinema/videogames/interfaces, 106. 10 James Newman, Videogames, 119-120. 11 Gran Turismo 5 is an exception because is sunny, but some clouds are seen. 12 D. Iannuzzelli, main character designer of Resistance: Fall of man, stated that “you can't have (...) this dark and grey story about the fall of Europe and have candy colours all around the place”12. 13 IaN+ (Firm), Digital odyssey : a new voyage in the Mediterranean, 10. 14 Lightmaps: Pre-rendered lights and shadows obtained by applying an additive texture over every element of the scene. 15 Shaders: Small programs that transforms the attributes of either a vertex or a pixel during the game. 16 Normal and Bump mapping: Techniques used for simulating the lighting of bumps and dents. They are used to detail the model. 17 James Newman and Barney Oram, Teaching videogames, 39. 18 J. C. Herz, Joystick nation : how videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds, 151. 19 Philippe Quéau, Lo virtual: virtudes y vértigos, 40. 20 Carlos García Vázquez, Ciudad hojaldre: visiones urbanas del siglo XXI, 182.

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Bibliography Aarseth, Espen. 2007. «Allegories of space: the question of spatiality in computer games». En Space time play. Computer games, architecture and urbanism : the next level, ed. Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P Walz, y Matthias Böttger, 44–47. Basel; Boston: Birkhauser. Baglivo, Carmelo, Luca Galofaro, y IaN+ (Firm). 2003. Digital odyssey : a new voyage in the Mediterranean. Basel; Boston: Birkhäuser. Castronova, Edward. 2005. Synthetic worlds: the business and culture of online games. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Comisión de Cultura del Congreso, Viewed 10 April 2012, García Vázquez, Carlos. 2004. Ciudad hojaldre: visiones urbanas del siglo XXI. Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili. Herz, J. C. 1997. Joystick nation : how videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. Huizinga, Johan. 1998. Homo ludens. Madrid: Alianza Editorial. Iannuzzelli, Damon. ‘Resistance: Fall of Man - Behind the Scenes - Concept Art’. Viewed 6 September 2011 Juul, Jesper. 2005. Half-real: video games between real rules and fictional worlds. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Lowood, Henry E., ‘Electronic game’.Encyclopædia Britannica. Viewed 22 March 2012, Mäyrä, Frans. 2008. An introduction to game studies: games in culture. London: SAGE. Newman, James. 2004. Videogames. London: Routledge. Newman, James and Barney Oram. 2006. Teaching videogames. London: BFI. Quéau, Philippe. 1995. Lo virtual: virtudes y vértigos. Barcelona; Buenos Aires; México: Paidós. Tong, Wee Liang, and Tan, Marcus Cheng Chye. 2002. «Vision and Virtuality: The Construction of Narrative Space in Film and Computer Games». En Screenplay: cinema/videogames/interfaces, ed. Geoff King y Tanya Krzywinska, 98–109. London; New York: Wallflower Press. Zizek, Slavoj. ‘Cyberspace and the Virtuality of the Real - Slavoj Zizek.pdf’, Viewed 10 June 2010

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Mª Aránzazu Pérez Indaverea (México D.F., 1983) graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC)in History of Art (2006), was awarded with degrees in Advanced Studies (2008) and in University Specialist in Theory, Methods and History of Humanities and Social Sciences (2009). She was a predoctoral María Barbeito fellow (2006-2011) lecturing in the University of Santiago de Compostela and completing her education in the Université Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Delft University of Technology. She currently is a PhD candidate in the USC. Her research focus in the relationships among new media, especially videogames, architecture and cities. Mª Lourdes Pérez Indaverea (Ourense, 1987) graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Computer Engineer (2010). She was awarded a Master in Videogame Creation and Design from the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (2011). Currently, she is a game developer in Blinzy Studios (Barcelona).