CRITICAL ANALYSIS
de Smale, S., Kors, M. J. L., & Sandovar, A. M. (2019). The Case of This War of Mine: A Production Studies Perspective on Moral Game Design. Games and Culture, 14(4), 387-409. P 390-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412017725996
Video games have long sought to challenge players' moral perspectives, leveraging on their interactive and immersive nature. Yet, despite this intractability, most games fail to properly analyze the moral framework that underpins their narratives. Thus, the team of researchers set out to conduct an in-depth study by working with four key members of 11-bit studios, the creators of the 2014 critically acclaimed morality-driven game This War of Mine (TWOM). These members included a senior game designer, a writer, a senior writer (with stakes in marketing), and a quality assurance lead. The research team employed reflective interviews and visual methods to dissect the mechanisms behind TWOM’s success in presenting moral dilemmas. I have chosen to analyze pages 391-393, which examine the critical shortcomings when analyzing the writings in games and other media, in terms of morality.
Stephanie de Smale, Martijn J. L. Kors, and Alyea M. Sandovar, experts in the field of human-computer interaction, drew upon the knowledge of professionals with expertise in the field of morality. The researchers not only possessed a thorough understanding of moral concepts but also successfully applied their knowledge to This War of Mine, a game renowned for its nuanced exploration of ethical dilemmas. However, the researchers soon came to the realization that surface level approaches, such as material and semiotic analysis would not capture the complexities of TWOM’s moral framework, as mentioned in the closing paragraph of page 391. Thus, the team further expanded its analysis to include three crucial aspects of production. This included: the context in which the work was created, the influence of industrial elements on game production as well as the impact of studio culture and practices. By analyzing these additional parameters, the researchers aimed to uncover a deeper and more accurate understanding behind the success of games with moral complexity, like This War of Mine.
The article then proceeds to explain the importance of conducting contextual analysis based not only on the product itself but to also include the creators, the historical events at the time of production and how the product was received by the audience. Drawing on the works of renowned sociologists John Thompson and Pierre Bourdieu, the article argues that focusing solely on the text fails to capture the underlying factors contributing to its moral complexity. According to Thompson, the entirety of the production, from its surroundings historical conditions to the working conditions of the development team, should be considered as it directly affects the believability and immersion of the game.
Another extremely important point of interest was the influence of the creator’s social upbringing and living environment on the work that he produces. This would constitute the subconscious part of the creative process that has a subtle, yet noticeable, effect on the creator’s work. An intriguing prospect, that not only emphasizes the importance of understanding the work but also places significant importance on examining the creators and the context surrounding the project, which is essential to crafting the subtle affective nuances in successful morality-based projects.
The article identifies another often-overlooked variable in video game design: the impact of the industry itself on the creative process. While video games are frequently perceived as purely artistic endeavors, their development is often driven by underlying financial motivation. The researchers explore how creative developers in studios are frequently constrained by financiers whose profit-oriented goals can conflict with their creative vision, inevitably shaping the development process. This tension is further exacerbated by the inherently precarious and complex nature of video game production, which depends on the seamless integration of various software, components, and creative elements - any of which can significantly alter a project's creative trajectory. The article cites Half-Life by Valve (1998), a landmark title in video game history, as an example of how technical challenges during production led to significant changes from the original concept. Furthermore, the authors emphasize the “hierarchical structure" of game studios, which often restricts the creative autonomy of lower-ranking team members. These individuals, instead, project their ideas through mechanics and side stories, which can profoundly shape the game’s atmosphere. Thus, according to the authors, the shape of the final product is often heavily influenced by a web of internal and external factors that warrant a thorough examination if one intends to analyze the product’s success holistically.
This observation is particularly interesting, given the inherently intertextual nature of video games. Often, the narrative of a project evolves further through other subprojects like fanfiction, interviews with developers and leaked documents from the development process. This additional information provides further layers to the contemporary story, thus reshaping the historical context of the project itself. Thus, it is essential to not only examine the project itself, but also the myriads of factors that contribute to the project’s creation and evolution.
Given the extent to which external factors influence video game development, it can be easy to overlook internal dynamics, especially ones related to individuals within a company itself. In the final section of page 392 the authors address this common mistake when analyzing video game development and proceed to highlight the work done by Casey O'Donnell (2014) in exploring the lives of the developers themselves. Through his research, O’Donnell uncovered the “developer dilemmas"; a direct result caused by the friction between the development team and the hierarchical structure of the game industry itself. The constant tensions within the development process often manifest as moral friction in gameplay, reinforcing (again) the importance for a holistic approach to analyzing video games and their narratives.
In conclusion, analyzing any work requires a holistic approach that goes beyond the product's reception to include the entire production process, and the individuals involved. This paper sheds light on an often overlooked yet critical component of creating quality games: the in-depth understanding of successful titles and the environments that shaped their development. I personally believe that merely imitating the mechanics and narrative elements of successful games without first examining the circumstances as well as the personal that birthed these components, will produce shallow imitations that are devoid of the emotional affect of the original. The narrative of the story is often directly related to the conscious and subconscious emotions of its creators. In video games, this extends beyond a single writer to encompass the collective emotions of an entire studio, which drive the game’s emotional resonance and moral complexity forward.