The best deal in gaming - and thesis research

One of my favorite things about my thesis is that the subject matter allows me to spend hours playing video games and actually have it count as progress. Being a rabid Nintendo fan I've been working my way through games like Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid Prime to "experience" some of my thesis points myself. Nintendo, and particularly designer Shigeru Miyamoto, have always been great at creating games that make the player want to explore every nook and cranny of a gamespace. They also lead players through spaces in incredibly accessible and easy-to-learn ways.

All of your happy childhood memories...this guy ^

So when my friends began badgering me to play Portal for the PC, I kept telling them, "no, I think I have all the games I'll need...but thanks." I staved off my curiosity until I was in Target one day with my girlfriend. As we walked past the computer game aisle I saw it on the end, in a big display as if the gods of gaming heard my friends' suggestion and forced it upon me in agreement - Portal,included with a few other games in a package called The Orange Box.

Now, while I am mostly a console gamer, I had certainly heard of The Orange Box when it came out for Christmas last year and did have a passing interest in it. I had also played the original Half-Life when it came out in 1998. The Orange Box is a package of five games, all built on the Half-Life 2's Source Engine which I thought was pretty cool. Then I saw the price tag, and it became very cool...FIFTY DOLLARS! Let's recap for those reading this who aren't regular gamers: Valve Software is one of the most acclaimed video game companies out there and their Half-Life series is their pride and joy. Their games are all very intelligent in design, and they take the utmost care to make everything very exciting and accessible to players. So having five games of ridiculously high production value and design for fifty bucks (the usual price of a single game) is quite the deal.

You need to go to confession after a steal like this

It being close to my birthday, and my girlfriend still without present ideas, I made a strong case for The Orange Box. Upon leaving the store with it in my hands I promptly went home and loaded it onto my computer, something I had not done with a game since the long-gone days of Jedi Knight. I had always thought about playing Half-Life 2, but this is the shove I needed to do it. To my surprise, when I opened the game it turned out to be EXACTLY what I needed to play for thesis. The game artfully places players in a space and directs them seamlessly from one rewarding area/encounter/vista/battle to the next in a rhythmic and engaging sequence that always leaves the player wanting more. The game does a very good job pulling at the fears of the player as well. One popular example involves the Poison Head Crab creature, whose "neurotoxin venom" causes the main character, Gordon Freeman, to lose all but one point of health points.

I hate these things...

Because of their powerful attack and their usual proximity to other powerful creatures, they have become quite feared among Half-Life players. During play testing, the testers apparently became so afraid of them that when they heard their distinctive rattlesnake-like hisses and warning sounds, they dropped whatever they were doing, even if they were being attacked, to kill the Poison Headcrab. That's a strong reaction to an enemy in a video game. The game also creates different emotions with the spaces it uses. It rewards the player with open vistas after difficult battles, pulls them into dark and unpleasant caves (often home to hoards of Headcrabs like the one pictured above) and has them navigate over vertigo-inducing pits.

If I had to choose one game that is "required playing" for my upcoming "Game Design and Architecture" course, this would be it. I even wrote a journal of my experiences playing the game and may post some of it at a later date once my course kicks off.

Luckily I found a feature called "developer commentary" that offered insights into the thoughts of the people who played the game. After playing through almost all of it I realized that they use a lot of the same ideas that I am discussing in my thesis. The first commentary piece in each game is a message from Valve founder Gabe Newell, inviting players to e-mail him with feedback. Realizing the potential for possible contacts for my thesis, I sent him this e-mail:

Dear Mr. Newell,

My name is Chris Totten. I am a graduate student at the Catholic University of America's school of architecture, concentrating in digital media (3D modeling, movie editing, that kind of stuff.) I am writing you because I am currently working on my thesis, which is on game design and architecture. The overall concept is that games use different methods with which to create meaningful interactive spaces for a player and how these concepts can be used in real architecture. I am specifically studying the ways that game designers condition and teach a player to use the game space, use spaces to convey meaning and narrative elements, and give players supplemental information in real time.

I just wanted to thank you for your games, Half-Life 2, it's additional episodes, and Portal. They have been a great help in my research and I have just finished a 28 page journal on my experiences playing these games and how their designs reinforce many of the teaching methods and psychological experiences that my project talks about. I must say, there is a great deal of content and I feel I have found a treasure trove of proof just within The Orange Box. Your developer commentary has also been a great help. I am working my way through it right now. It further reinforces some of the theories I have had about games, and it is nice to hear the developers (indirectly) helping me out. As a part of the project, I am also teaching a class on game design to architecture students to see if they can implement some of the game design ideas I have researched into their own architecture. I am an amateur game designer myself so I have done lots of research on the topic, including reading about how you rewarded the player in the original Half-Life in the book Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals.

I realize you are busy (as stated in the intro to Episode Two's commentary) and that you receive thousands of e-mails a day. So thank you for taking the time to read mine, as lengthy as it is. I realize this is a complete shot in the dark, and that many game companies have corporate policies about not being able to help students, but your insight or that of other members of your design team would be invaluable. If at all possible I would like to set up an interview or otherwise discuss some of my ideas with someone on your staff. If you are interested, please contact me at this e-mail address (ctotten87@yahoo.com) and I can send a copy of my thesis/class outline and/or my Half-Life 2 journal.

Thank you for your time, I can't wait for Episode Three!

Chris Totten

I didn't really expect much, but one day, after moving into my new apartment, I opened my e-mail to find this:

Hi Chris,

Gabe forwarded your email to me in part because prior to joining Valve, I practiced as an architect for 19 years.
I’m not much of a gamer, but like you, my interest lies in how games can be used as a tool to aid designers to make informed decisions during the design process.

I would be glad to talk to you & assist you in any way I can & if not, I can direct you to those who can.

All the best w/ your thesis project,

(Valve employee name omitted from this blog post)

A reenactment of my response to the preceding e-mail

Needless to say, I've found a Holy Grail of information in The Orange Box, and plan to squeeze every helpful ounce of content out of it. If you're a gamer looking for a great deal and haven't picked this up: do it. If you're in my class next fall and reading this: it's not "required" but highly recommended. This is a fun and very enlightening package.