no show 2012 - robert yang - a people's history of the fps
DESCRIPTION
In his book “A People’s History of the United States,” Howard Zinn argues for an alternate (but just as valid) historical narrative that put common people at the core of its story rather than the powerful political / economic figures that “inevitably” wielded control in a historical trajectory. The truth, however, is that their power and legitimacy was disputed at every step. Much like US history, the history of game development is largely dominated by the powerful — large international publishers and industry developers dominate the conventional narrative and are its heroes. This talk will not argue whether the industry is good or evil, but the truth is always more complicated than that.The history of the first person game genre, then, can be read as a narrative arc with three eras: a “Doom” era with lots of modder / industry symbiosis, a “console” era that forced these modders to consolidate with indies, and now an “indie FPS” era that seems poised to takeover popular discourse of the genre. Today, “modding” as we understood it 10 years ago, is now dead.In this talk, attendees will hear about the rise and fall of the many modding city-states, several general critiques of the console military manshooter market, and a critical survey of over a dozen experimental indie FPS games you’ve probably never heard of.TRANSCRIPT
A People's History of the First Person Shooter
Robert Yang@radiatoryang
Parsons the New School for Design
Some storylines:- FPS as institution
- console FPS market- the death of modding
- eclectic indie scene
“... a game that weaves together image, sound and narrative into a new form of experience.”
“... a game that weaves together image, sound and narrative into a new form of experience.”
– “A New Art Form May Arise From the 'Myst'”, 12/4/1994
CD-ROM
~6 million sold
(1993-2003)
ART TECHNOLOGY
1993 1993
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION
1972 2010
FIRST PERSON FIRST PERSON
HARD-CODED MODULAR
CD-ROM The “Internet” (?)
INNOVATIVE INNOVATIVER
DEAD ALIVE
DEAD ALIVE
Some storylines:- FPS as institution
- console FPS market- the death of modding
- eclectic indie scene
Mods!
(modifications)
“UGC” (user-generated content)
Total Conversion(“the moddiest”)
Total Conversion(“the moddiest”)
Graphics “upgrade”
Map pack / map
Maps are mods.
Maps are mods.
Trends / waves
Trends / waves
Trends / waves
Trends / waves
Trends / waves
Mods were...- new rules / content
- free, nonprofit- existing assets, engine
- required retail copy
Mods were...- new rules / content
- free, nonprofit- existing assets, engine
- required retail copy
Mods meant- a way to “break in”
- a commentary- a “default audience”
DEAD
MODSTOTAL CONVERSIONS
NON PROFIT
DEAD ALIVE
MODS MODS
Garry's Mod
2009 2010
Some storylines:- FPS as institution
- console FPS market- the death of modding
- eclectic indie scene
THE INDIE FPS
MADE INDIE FIRST PERSON GAMESMADE INDIE FIRST PERSON GAMES
BEFORE IT WAS COOLBEFORE IT WAS COOL
Sense of embodiment
“At A Distance”
Sense of embodiment
“Fotonica”
Sense of embodiment
“Hockey”
Sense of embodiment
“Valentinel Hopes”
Vision / camera
“MirrorMoon”
Vision / camera
“I Can't Find My Glasses”
Vision / camera
“Unmanned”
Vision / camera
“Perspective”
Perspective / understanding
“Cities of Day and Night”
Perspective / understanding
“TRAUMA”
Perspective / understanding
“TRIP”
Perspective / understanding
“Kairo”
Soundscapes
“Proteus”
Soundscapes
“FRACT OSC”
Digital mediation
“Dirac”
Digital mediation
“Memories of a Broken Dimension”
“There's sort of this zeitgeist
of people saying the first-person
perspective is really interesting. What happens if you take out shooting?”
MADE INDIE FIRST PERSON GAMESMADE INDIE FIRST PERSON GAMES
BEFORE IT WAS COOLBEFORE IT WAS COOL
Some storylines:- FPS as institution
- console FPS market- the death of modding
- eclectic indie scene
TAKEAWAYS
a takeaway:
the revengeof Myst
a takeaway:
the mod scene was a proto-indie scene
fragmented by engine-tech fundamentalism
a takeaway:
the “mod” “died” because engine
licensing and modes of distribution changed
a takeaway:
the indie fpsscene is HUGE and
ADVANCED.
THE takeaway:“Amateur” game
developers have been deeply involved in the
first person genre since it first began.
NO
Game dev history...●Tech / engine?
●Distribution model?●Geographic location?
WHO WILLWRITE OURWIKIPEDIA
PAGE?
Thanks.
Robert Yang@radiatoryang