This article was originally published at CoreGamers on May 11th, 2008
Tracy Fullerton is an author and game design professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In recent years, she was credited as a key element behind the independent game sensations CLOUD and FLOW, both authored by her student and extremely promising young creator Jenova Chen. At present, she is taking on the role of designer in an enigmatic new project entitled THE NIGHT JOURNEY. The original concept was suggested by Bill Viola, one of video art’s highest dignitaries, who obtained an art grant for this production, later becoming involved with the team at the university’s Interactive Media & Games Division.
In this spiritual journey of the being, body and mind inhabit a hazy, monochromatic realm of pilgrimage and quiet meditation. The short presentation made available mere weeks ago reveals the presence of Viola’s own videographic compositions as a central component of the experience, out of which the most powerful forms and symbols are seen to emanate. When approaching areas of particular significance, the player is allowed to ‘reflect’, the action by which the virtual terrain alpha blends with video footage, generating a contemplative spectacle that is quite unlike any other.
THE NIGHT JOURNEY sets out to explore the very limits of human conscience and spirituality. The lingering feeling of otherworldliness elicited by the preview images is heightened by the transcendental quality of its matchless imagery and languid exploration of a somber and barren landscape, sparsely punctuated by derelict artifacts of human creation. At a glance, we appear to be witnessing the dawn of a new conception of what console video games can become should the medium succeed in restoring its long-lost appeal to eminent artists and creators. Before us stands a promising new contribution to the budding sphere of erudite game designs, intended to satisfy a more selective public and disrupt even the most ingrained conventions.
COREGAMING : The last thirty years have taught us to associate the name Bill Viola with video art, not video games. Can you detail the origins of this project and how your university institute associated with him and his wife?
TRACY FULLERTON : The game was conceived by Bill Viola and funded by a National Endowment for the Arts grant when the USC Game Innovation Lab became involved. Bill's work is extraordinary, inspiring, and the chance to work with him on a videogame exploring the spiritual journey was incredible to us. We began with some central questions -- some for Bill, and some about the nature of games and how they might express ideas about this type of journey. The overall process has been very organic; talking with Bill, creating prototypes, exploring ideas, and over time finding common ground and interesting ideas to focus on.
It has been an incredible collaboration right from the start. He and Kira Perov, Executive Director of his studio, have been amazing to work with. I don't think they are really gamers, but we have all worked together to try and find a common ground where the piece has the underlying rule structure of a game, and yet feels very much like an exploratory video piece. It is really an integration of the forms.
CG : The brief preview clip already boasts a plethora of memorable sights. It also made us feel intrigued about its mechanics. Are you at liberty to discuss this aspect further?
TF : The core mechanics of the game are exploration and what we call "reflection." Reflection is a way of looking deeply at the game world, below the surface, to discover and transform your visual experience of it and also your abilities within it. The game reveals itself slowly over time, and requires the type of engagement and introspection that we associate with this archetypal journey.
CG : Apart from the works of Bill Viola, could you elaborate on the projects thematic sources? There appear to be varied references to spiritual writings from different religious sources and traditions.
TF : Bill provided us with a large archive of material which we broke down by themes and used as reference for the creation of the world. We recreated special locations from some of his works in the 3D environment, but we also integrate the video itself into the piece as part of the reflections. The piece is not finished yet, and we are still adding and creating more material.
In addition to these references, we also were inspired by a number of spiritual writings brought to us by Bill Viola as inspiration for the design of the world. They are not in the world as text at this point, but they are there in substance. Originally, we recorded many of them as audio and you would actually hear them in the world, but as we went on with the design, we realized they had become redundant -- the feeling they evoke was already present in the world and the moments of reflection. So now they exist as sources which you can access if you are interested in learning more.
CG : So far the reactions of the internet to the footage show a certain amount of apprehension from players. What, do you think, is the sort of player that will enjoy your new game and, ultimately, what will they want to play if for?
TF : I think that there are many players, who have grown up with the medium of video games, who would like to experience new forms of games, games that move them in deeply emotional ways. I also think there are many people who are not gamers, who may have never played a game, who would enjoy a game of this type. The reason to play a game like this is very personal, just like the spiritual journey itself. I don't think that any one piece of media can lead an individual directly to that goal -- it just doesn't work like that. But I do that the experience of play THE NIGHT JOURNEY could be a step, or a beginning for someone. Perhaps a game player who would never have encountered the work of Bill Viola in other venues, or someone who goes on to look more closely at the sources for the piece. The game itself is just a small piece of a larger exploration for a person so inclined
CG : Over the years, a small number of celebrated artists have expressed a keen interest for the video game medium. Are you of the opinion that this interest will continue to be intensified? Or will their industrial nature ward them off?
TF : I think that games and play are the medium of our times. Of course, play is not new, and does not require the technologies that we are so excited by, but technology can enhance play and make new forms of play possible and that is what we see more and more. I think that many artists in other fields are looking at play for new possibilities for expression.
CG : Instinctively, video games have adopted and integrated a variety of codes imported from Cinema. However, the field of Video Art is moved by an entirely distinct set of aims than those of film. What methods have you employed, if any, to emphasize that difference?
TF : The idea of "explorable video" was one of our core design goals for this project: to make the game feel like you were exploring one of Bill's pieces. To do this, we created a set of post-processing filters combined with a very careful art direction to make the world feel like the beautiful grainy video that Bill often used in his pieces. Not all of our games have such a direct connection to cinema; we use the techniques that are right for each piece.
CG : USC Games is frequently associated with what the general game consumer refers to as “alternative games”, apparently because this accidental genre privileges authorship over the pursuit of meeting a given target audience’s expectations. What do you make of all this?
TF : Our philosophy of design is very much centered on the player experience, and we do extensive playtesting with users throughout the design process – more than most commercial games, I would guess – to make sure we are addressing the player. I’ve written about this process extensively because I think all games, not just alternative games, can benefit from a playcentric design process. In fact, I think the commercial game industry often is more apt to ignore the desires of players – especially what I would call “minority players” such as women and older players.
CG : This is an inevitable question, possibly a bore, though it is not without its pertinence. We are certain that you have contemplated your position as a video game design professor, as well as the author of one of the most acclaimed books on the subject, in relation to the overwhelming male dominance of the field?
TF : The game industry is definitely male-dominated; there is no question about that. It is my hope that the students I teach here at USC, male and female, will go out and change that fact. I see some good shifts, such as the tremendous success of the Wii as a “family” platform, as well as the growth of casual games and the success of some small, independent developers like thatgamecompany (led by Kellee Santiago).
CG : CLOUD, by Jenova Chen, was created with your advisory. That Game Company has also come to create other independent game landmarks such as Flow and now the upcoming PS3 title FLOWER. What does if feel like to teach videogames and to see some of your students achieve their goals?
TF : I’m incredibly proud of all my students, not just the ones who have gone out to achieve the kind of public success as Jenova and the rest of thatgamecompany. I have been teaching for eleven years, and I have seen students go out into the industry and work on many, many successful games. Being a successful game designer doesn’t always mean being in the limelight – sometimes it means being a fantastic team player in a large production unit, and making a difference in that way.
CG : As an academic, you must endure your fair share of derision from peers considering the juvenile, almost lowbrow nature of the games industry?
TF : When I talk to people about games, I don’t focus on the industry; I focus on games as an aesthetic form. The following is one of my favorite quotes, which is from the New Games Book and explains why I think games are so important to make, to play and to study: “How we play the game may be more important than we imagine, for it signifies nothing less than our way of being in the world.” – George Leonard
Image sources:
- USC
- The Night Journey Website