Games and Postmodernim

Grand Theft Auto as Postmodern Text

One postmodern theory is that we no longer operate under grand narratives theories and ideologies where everything is explained and everything happens through cause and effect and that we are too fragmented to work in this way.

One prime example of why Grand Theft Auto is classed as post modern is due to that fact the gamer imagination is immersed into the gamer world and there are no rules or ‘norms’ There is also a flow within the game where the tasks are harder but achievable and when achieved there is feedback which allows the gamer to feel pleasurable. Within the flow and immersion the gamer is put into a state where being ‘lost’ in the game world leads to an enhanced state of hyper reality.

People are in one of two minds of the game, whether they think the game is a master piece or they believe it should be banned due to the believable world it creates where intense violence, sex and crime are rewarded. Blurring the boundaries of reality and the gamer could become confused with the right and wrong in reality / society. Especially when all the games are based on real cities, for example Vice City is base din New York, Los Santos is based in Los Angeles. All the locations that they are base in are all conventional locations for gangster films. There is a also a homage paid to these gangster films and the conventions as in GTA the narrative where you survive based on your own intelligence, strength and skill to escalate through the rankings of gangsters.

However there is a debate whether the game itself is postmodern or whether it is the gamer experience that is postmodern. GTA breaks the conventional gamer experience as it gives the player ultimate freedom, allowing them to do whatever they please in a 360 degree media coverage. Where conventional games only allow the player to follow a narrative and can only progress through certain tasks.

Assins Creed

Assisns Creed is a historically based video game. This itself makes is postmodern as it could be viewed as an erosion of history.  There is a constant confusion over time and space as it revolves around a man who is forced to relive his ancestors’ memories through a machine. This leads to a constant bricolage of mixing the old and new as the player experiences the ancestor’s surroundings and new surroundings for the actual character.  There is a breakdown of the distinction between high art and popular culture, ancient civilisations and action and adventure computer games. The time travelling also acts as a simulation / simulacra. The story line is based on fiction but they use real historical characters to simulate and create a hyper reality where the time periods are blurred. Hyper reality is also evident as players are able to play with others online.