Game Over

Momento Mori

Death. The true final frontier. From the moment we are gracelessly shoved into this bitter unfeeling scape there is but one force that accompanies us all. One that is our promise and inalienable right. One that unites us all from pauper to king. And which, most importantly of all, gives our everything the meaning it demands. That force is death, and it's unquenching thirst is the enemy to all things living. Whether characterised as time, disease or sheer unforeseeable accident, death awaits us all and it is merciless. A reductionist might go so far at to categorise one's entire life as a flight from this inevitability or a surrender to it, whilst an optimist might call it all a play capped off with the perfect flourish. In the end it matters not what you make of it, it will treat you equally regardless. Today, that force claimed a very popular venture, and one which I like to think had it's part in making me continue this daily blog up until this long. (Yes, I started before them, but I felt the encouragement nonetheless.) That venture was Unus Annus, and in their honour I'd like to discuss something of importance under the inconsequential light of video games.

So 'death' is quiet the ending, wouldn't you say? I doesn't get more final than that. (Unless you live in the Marvel universe or DBZ, in which case it's just a mild inconvenience.) Thus I find it interesting how modern game design, at it's best, seems to regard the act as unsatisfying and seeks to usurp it. What I mean is thus, most games since time immemorial have operated on a instantly identifiable premise; you must do this task and should you fail then you will die and the Game will be Over. You've recognised this in Pacman, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, and just about every single game you can think of which isn't based on a sport. It just makes the utmost amount of sense because, just as we flee from death in life we feel the need to feel from it in our entertainment; can't get more intense than life and death. Although that hasn't really been the way that things have trended in recent years.

You see, the problem with dying and reaching the Game Over screen in video games is that it never rings with the finality of the real thing, and that's because all one must do is start again. (And ever since 'The Legend of Zelda' they can do that from a save point.) Now the alternative would be a game which you could only play once, but outside of an indie art project that's not really an idea which would fly in the games market. (It would be terrible value for money, if nothing else) Still, the final note loses it's lustre when performed again and again with no variation. Thus in the last couple of gaming decades  there has been a slow, but steady, shift towards over systems which indicate the Game is Over, and funnily enough a pull in the exact opposite direction towards games where only death can end the fun.

Now to be clear, Game Over doesn't always mean death, and it hasn't for quite a while. Pretty much ever since games became complex enough to host different types of objectives there have been fail states wherein underperforming a task can end your run. Take it in Grand Theft Auto when you're asked to follow a target and you accidentally alert them, or Saints Row where you're asked to deliver a car unscratched and within 20 seconds it's a burning wreck in a ditch. Because of the way these activities exist, as none life-or-death scenarios, a new standard needs to be established for what constitutes the Game Over screen. Video game failure can be just as punishing as video game death, stealing from you precious progress, but it somehow strikes even lesser than the faux Death of games, thus general consensus deems this permutation of Game Over 'antiquated'.

From there, let me surprise exactly none of you by bringing up Dark Souls. This is a franchise whereupon Death is a heavy theme in the entire franchise, and in many ways it's the ever elusive final reward, but you will never be granted it. Each time the player dies they are thrown back into the world weaker and frustrated, and this is part of the cycle of the game. The Undead curse drives you to slam your head against the same tasks over and over until they finally give, or you give. (Whichever comes first) In this sense, there is no actual 'Game Over' state in Dark Souls unless you abandon the game altogether, even beating it just immediately shoves players into New Game +. Of course, this is all by design as at the heart of the narrative lies a tale about defying nature and attempting to resist the inevitable call of the end. Rather contrary to it's mechanics, the ultimate lesson of Dark Souls is that all things must end.

On a lighter note, who remembers this little game called Cyberpunk 2077 which is apparently still being made somehow? Apparently, sources have claimed that the design philosophy of this game is leaning towards a relatively new trend in open world game where only death can stick you with a Game Over. This means that should you ever fail a task or kill someone you weren't meaning to, the game will go on and the story will adapt to your screw up, encouraging players to live in a world of their consequences. This sort of approach to Game Design does have the effect of making the game flow more nicely and that story feel that extra bit more dynamic (being able to effect the narrative with more than just dialogue boxes is always a plus) but there's certainly a lot of additional pressure involved there as well. Everyone's aware of how stressful it feels to live with one's own consequences.

Than there are the game wherein Death itself is not the end but the finality of it is not removed. Typically we see this in game wherein the player controls a team because there one can feasibly be killed without halting the entire Gameplay experience. Of course I'm talking about games like Shadowrun and X-Com, but the most recent example of this might be Watch_Dogs Legion. We call this phenomena 'Permadeath' and it's a concept wherein the player assumes the role of an entire team, so that the mistakes they make can play out in their entirety whilst the survivors live with the guilt. Oftentimes these can be the most intense games as misfortune can mount and mount with no relief until everyone dies and the game is forced to end. (Scary stuff)

Death is a curiously varied concept in the world of video games, and what it ends up meaning to different games is fascinating to ruminate on. Sometimes you'll find yourself leaping off of tall towers just to get to your destination quicker through death, and othertimes you'll be white knuckled and sweating as the hand of the inevitable looms over you. And all of this isn't even to mention the way that Death can effect a narrative story (although those effects are hardly unique to game stories anyway, so I ignored them) At the end of the day, though, it's failure which gives victory it's sweet taste and living our lives would be pointless if they wouldn't eventually end. So with that note I suppose there's nothing more to say but that you should respect the end, and remember to live, especially in spite of it. Momento Mori.