Much of the art that people value most highly is the single vision of a creator. Paintings, books, sculptures, many of these are created mostly uncompromised from the original concept, and are often all the better for the lack of outside interference. While review can improve a work, done excessively it can stifle creativity, and several games are very good examples of what can happen if a single person (or small number of people) develops their vision from start to finish.
Figure 1, Main menu. Image source, Steam storefront: https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/239030/ss_4cd77e3ef5b147b011a5cf8f96b8bcbcd79b3e15.1920x1080.jpg?t=1592317543
Papers please, a game written and developed by Lucas Pope and released in 2013 to wide success (Seeing over 1.8 million sales as of 2016)[1], sees the player assume the role of a customs officer in the fictional communist nation of Arstotzka.The gameplay is relatively simple, Taking the role of an immigration official, the player must assess the case of each person passing through and evaluate travellers papers against an ever-increasing set of rules using vague and sometimes incorrect guidelines, with the objective being to allow in only those with valid papers while refusing entry to all others, as well as detaining those with falsified information, with the ultimate objective of the game being to keep the player’s family alive, housed and healthy.
The nuance in the games emergent storytelling comes from, of all places, the various bills the player needs to pay over the course of the game, including rent, heating, food, medicine and miscellaneous expenses. At the start of the game, the player's salary will be just enough to cover everything, but as the game progresses, the player is forced to choose which to neglect day to day, frequently resulting in the suffering and deaths of their family and friends.
Because of this, the player needs to find ways of generating income from less honest means, taking bribes and shady deals, and in turn being forced to pay bribes to avoid the player’s crimes coming to light.
The game uses these circumstances to make the player complicit in the complex moral choices necessary to “win” the game, choosing to allow family members to starve, refusing to buy medicine and selling out distant relations to the state. Through this, Pope manages to paint a bleak image that feels almost all too real to the circumstances of many workers living behind the iron curtain.
Figure 2, “Glory to Arstotzka” Image source, youtube: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/H9RLW1dw4a0/maxresdefault.jpg
Figure 3, “Slaves to Armok” Image source, gameverse: http://gameverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/dwarf-fortress-logo-vert-150x150.png
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress, is the life's work of, and a game created by Tam and Zach Adams. In development since 2002 and released in 2006, it is an open ended resource management, planning and survival game noted for its extreme difficulty, lack of a win condition and devoted cult following[2].
The game takes place in a procedurally generated fantasy world that is made from scratch for each game, including a map of the world and a near tolkienesque several thousand year history complete with epic battles, notable figures, great beasts and magics.
When the game begins, the player takes limited control of a small group of dwarves, short humanoids that subsist off of primarily mushrooms and alcohol with a preference for living underground, and directs them to construct a settlement, managing everything from food supply to waste disposal, construction and mining plans, morale, resource acquisition and trade amongst many other things, with very little guidance on how to do any of it, yet each element being near critical to the fortresses survival.
The only thing the player does not have direct control over are their dwarves, and the other actors in the game world. Instead, they set priorities for specific types of work and hope that the dwarves will get around to it quickly enough to prevent collapse.
Graphically, the game is made up of text symbols in a three dimensional grid, and yet in contrast to the bare minimum visual element, the simulation is almost ridiculously detailed and complex.
The overall result of this is a game that offers near limitless potential, but no direction of objectives. Everything that comes from the game comes from what the players put in, and each new playthrough offers a new and unique experience unlike any before or after, though near every run results in the eventual destruction of the settlement and end of the game.
Much like interpretive art, the fun of the game comes from the experience and specific interpretation of the player, the inevitable eventual defeat of the player in every game spawned the unofficial motto of the game: “Losing is fun.” which was then immortalised by a fan made webcomic on the series[3]
Fig 4. “Dug too deep.” Image taken from: https://dfadventures.wordpress.com/about/
The work of people like Lucas Pope and Tam Adams shows that sometimes one person with a vision and a lot of determination can make something to rival the product of hundred million dollar projects done by studios with hundreds of employees.
Papers please was a huge financial success, and made significantly more in profit than it cost to make, while Dwarf Fortress in comparison is free, and any money Tam has made so far has been from the goodwill and donations of fans of his work. Dwarf Fortress itself was selected to be displayed in the museum of modern art as part of an exhibit on the history of video games in 2012.
By Harrison Moran
-Bibliography-
[1] Pope, A., 2021. [online] Twitter.com. Available at: <https://twitter.com/dukope/status/762851441719390208> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
[2] Parian, E., 2020. It Was Inevitable: An Interview with Tarn Adams on Dwarf Fortress | Sidequest. [online] Sidequest. Available at: <https://sidequest.zone/2020/07/23/it-was-inevitable-tarn-adams-on-dwarf-fortress/> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
[3] “Losing is fun” https://losingisfun.com/ (Accessed 08/03/21)
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