Inquiry #2: Mapping Space and Time in Videogames
The videogame theorist Alexander Galloway proposes that “if photographs are images, and films are moving images, then videogames are actions” (Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture). To be more precise, videogames represent actions across space and time. If this is true, then it should be possible to graph the actions of a videogame in a visual way. For this inquiry you will explore dimensions of space and time in a single videogame, drafting a kind of map that highlights spatial or temporal elements of the game in a non-textual manner. Your object of study will be an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) game. The inquiry is due in class on Thursday, February 28.
- Select a game. There are two routes to finding and playing a game for this assignment. The first, more robust method is to download the NES emulator Nestopia, which is the same emulator we ran in class. There are Mac and PC versions available. After you have installed Nestopia, you can find many classic Nintendo ROMs at the Old Computer Room. The advantage to this method is that Nestopia allows you to save “films” of your games and capture screenshots, which could both be useful for this assignment. The second method is to play online at Virtual NES. This site has hundreds of NES games that you can play in your browser via Java. If you don’t know which game to choose, sample some of the games reviewed in one blogger’s list of The 100 Best NES Games Ever. Try to select a “rich” game for this inquiry, by which I mean a game that is more textured or complex than Space Invaders or Frogger.
- Play the game. Play the game thoroughly and thoughtfully, paying attention to the game’s representation of space and time. How is space structured in the game? How is time conveyed in the game? What different actions are available to the player?
- Map an aspect the game. A “map” does not necessarily have to be a cartographic map; in fact, the last thing I want is a map of all the “places” in the game. Rather, by “map” I mean a visual representation of some slice of the game that captures the complexity of the non-textual elements of gameplay. There are a number of ways to approach this. You could, for example, overlay diagrams onto several screenshots of the game. You could create a timeline that depicts events across several minutes of intense gameplay. You could create a flowchart or branching diagram that documents the player’s action across a length of time. You could design a Venn diagram that shows the intersection between certain player actions and specific times or spaces. For other ideas, see the Periodic Table of Visualization Methods. I encourage you to be creative and to make use of any style or tool necessary. You can be as low-tech or high-tech as you want; your map can be hand-drawn or you can use sophisticated concept-mapping software like CMap.
- Explain the map. All maps have a legend or some other annotation that elucidates the information represented.
- Reflect. In roughly two pages, reflect upon the spatial or temporal aspect of the game you were trying to convey. What was it that drew you to this element of the game? Why did you “map” this element the way you did? In what ways does your map succeed? What are its limitations? And finally, what was the experience like of trying to represent in a static visual form something that is dynamic and dependent upon action?
