My recent trip to GDC Online in Austin, TX, reminded me how much I hate traveling by airplane. Being crammed into an aluminum tube with a hundred other people, after waiting uncomfortably for hours, after being frisked, maybe, is just not my idea of convenient. I’d rather drive.
But this also made me return to a thought I’d had some time ago. Traveling is expensive, time-consuming. Daunting, even. But there’s so much fascinating stuff in the world that it’d be a shame if we missed it. As our gaming tech gets more advanced, are we heading for the travel game?
Travels in West Africa: The Video Game
For about as long as the modern prose form has existed, so too have travel narratives. Travel to exotic places has certainly always been a point of fascination, whether real or fantastic. The trend really picked up in the 18th and 19th century, in Europe, when a mix of British imperialism, the rise of rational thought, and simple curiosity brought the style very much into vogue. Moneyed Brits traveled to the far corners of the Empire, recording all they saw and heard and thought about – sometimes to the detriment of their subjects.
A personal favorite of mine has always been Mary Kingsley’s late 19th century account, Travels in West Africa. For one thing she is remarkably kind (relatively speaking) to the native cultures she encountered, when it comes to her depiction of them; but more entertaining, in my view, is the levity with which her narrative approaches even the most harrowing of events. Her account of nearly being eaten by a crocodile has about the same urgency as her descriptions of the local flora. But Africa itself does most of the work; at the time, and certainly earlier, the average European could hardly hope to see Africa for themselves, and this distant land – far enough away to be practically a whole other world – with its exotic peoples and creatures was a place where anything could happen. Indeed, though we can now look back at some examples of travel literature and point out clear fabrications, at the time it hardly mattered. The world was full of wonder because of its vastness and mystery.
These days this is hardly the case. Not only can we reasonably travel to just about anywhere in the world that we could want to, given some cash and a plane ticket, but the technological marvels of audio, video, photograph, and internet can bring the unreachable deceptively close to us. I’ve never been to Angkor Watt or the African savannah, but I know precisely what these places look like. I’ve seen them countless times. But it isn’t quite like the real thing, and even so, these days we take this accessibility very much for granted. Some people see what the rest of the world is like – or, at least, what it seems to be like – and conclude that they are quite comfortable at home, wherever that is.
But I’m rather an explorer at heart when I put my mind to it, and so I feel the need to go. But increasingly, once you arrive, you can’t really explore; preservationists keep tourists from poking and prodding the historical artifacts too much. Don’t get me wrong, preserving incredible sights like Chichen Itza and Stonehenge for future generations is really important, and there are indeed some tactless morons out there who will ruin these sites for everyone just so they can have a keepsake. But for me, it’s immensely disappointing when, after crossing an ocean, I can’t get within one hundred yards of the best-known megalithic site in the world.
Which brings me to games.
“A City That Just Has to Be Discovered”
So I was playing Assassin’s Creed. (The first one, though I’ve became a staunch proponent of the series since.) And as I guided Altair to another viewpoint from which to fill in shady bits of my map, I realized: “Wow, that view’s nice. I want to go there.” And though I know that Assassin’s Creed hardly presents Jerusalem or Acre or that third city whose name I can’t remember in their 21st century state, it does give me an ability to explore these magnificent spaces in ways I probably never could in reality.
I was equally impressed with the vistas on offer in Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Renaissance Italy. These games have this unique effect on me. When I see something in the distance, something interesting, I feel an urge to go there. (Not odd for a video game, I’ll admit.) But I also have this corollary objective of, “And when I get there, I’m gonna climb to the top of that thing.” As you do.
It was probably about the time that I was cresting the Dome of the Rock that I realized that this impulse feels very similar to the rush I’ve gotten when physically visiting such locales. It still isn’t quite comparable, to be sure, but it’s related, and I can be quite sure that I can get more intimate with the Colosseum, and for a lot less money, through Ezio Auditorre than I could through myself. Not to mention, of course, locations that no longer even exist.
The insidious thing about these games, and others like them (though none that do the visual bit quite as well), is that they tend to inadvertently teach you something about the location in question and the people that live there. I know more about Italian history from Assassin’s Creed than from history class; Broken Sword taught me more than a little about the Knights Templar, well before they were behind every single fictional conspiracy ever. This seems, to me, like an opportunity.
Perhaps today more than ever, at least for American gamers, games that aim to insidiously educate about the world – other places, other cultures – could also be endlessly beneficial. I recall the halcyon days of my youth when such a duty fell to the ACME Detective Agency, but they’ve been out of the business for a while now. Did their job too well, apprehending all those global criminals. Sometimes I think the world (or, at least, public television) is a little worse off for it.
Even when a game is (obviously) not the real thing, there’s still a lot of rhetorical power in what is depicted there. I mean, remember the hubbub that arose surrounding the appearance of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man? That doesn’t happen if the location is unconvincing.
We’re in a phase of games now where technology can only get so much better. Graphically, we’ve pretty much hit a ceiling where more polygons would be all but imperceptible to players. It’s time to start thinking about what can be done in this medium, time to start shooting for goals other than simple entertainment. Games now can create such believable virtual spaces that, with some love and care, some could potentially be built on that merit alone; an adventure in which the player gets to explore 1960s Berlin, rendered precisely, or the Chinese countryside during the Three Kingdoms era, or any number of other things, for the experience of the place and time – not just because it offers Soviets (or Nazis, or conquistadors, or Persians, or buccaneers, or bandits, or…) to fight.
E-mail the author of this post at dix@tap-repeatedly.com – especially if you have any leads on Dick the Slick in rhyme.
A brilliant idea, and I can certainly see the attraction. Although, games such as the ones you’ve mentioned might be comparable to flight simulators in that they attempt to faithfully recreate an experience with no other gameplay elements other than the experience of flying the plane or exploring the area itself. The problem with flight sims is that they have a very niche market and never truley make it to the mainstream.
I mean, you can’t really say that the vast majority of teenage boys know the inner workings of a boeing 737 cockpit, but a large number of them will know the magazine capacity of a M4 assault rifle due to the arcade-style lurings of CoD.
I can certainly see the attraction of exploration games and I’d love to see ancient China or explore pre-war Berlin. Would the typical gaming public ambrace the idea if they aren’t able to behead someone in the process?
Fantastic thoughts, Brandon. And Assassin’s Creed is really an ideal example of this sort of idea made real – I only played the first, and while I was disappointed with it as a game, it made me feel exactly as it made you feel: eager to explore, to check out the alleys and rooftops, to just stand in awe the first time you approach Jerusalem.
It seems to me that as display technologies improve, be it to 3D, holography, higher resolution, bigger screens, or whatever, there’ll be even more interest in this sort of thing. Tying basic game-like objectives into the opportunity to see wonderful things (and, again, as immersion grows and it feels ever more like we’re “there,” it’ll be an even easier sell) and visit new places seems a logical match for the technology and its capabilities.
It may never replace actually going there, but the idea of exploring Hagia Sophia or Westminster Abbey without the crowds, without the DO NOT TOUCH signs, without the hassle, without the delays; that seems like it could become a whole new business opportunity for the right kind of developers.
@distilled – I suppose I’m thinking that such games WOULD have traditional gameplay on top of them, to draw people in…the exploratory bit can just be one major point of interest. I really do think Assassin’s Creed is an ideal example of what I’m talking about, because the gameplay is there, and it’s fun, but there’s this whole world around that you have to explore some, but can explore a lot more if it compels you.
Another example I didn’t think of until I read your comment is the 90s adventure game Titanic: Adventure Out of Time, a spy thriller set on board the ill-fitted ocean liner. In addition to the puzzle-solving, NPC-interrogating gameplay, the developers painstakingly recreated the Titanic deck by deck, and there was a secondary mode that let you simply wander the ship. Granted, wandering around on a huge ocean liner all by yourself at night is a little creepy, but hey, for Titanic enthusiasts, I imagine it’s about as close to the real thing as they were ever going to get.
Oh, and Steerpike – I do heartily recommend Assassin’s Creed 2 et al. The first game did drop the ball a lot, but the sequels fixed pretty much everything. AC2 easily gets my unofficial award for “Most Improved Sequel” of the last decade.
Excellent meditation! I like your point. Interactive media does have the ability to transport the player to sights unseen. I have two notes though. Traveling still has class and culture attached to it and is shaped by historical forces. That is to say, the ability to travel depends on your economic situation and whether travel has intrinsic value. The British adventure seekers certainly did not come from a Welsh working-class family. This leads to the second point, this media has the unparalleled opportunity to empower those unable to visit the far-flung vistas the world over. With such games, we all become travelers. The increasingly visual representation also pushes for a more inclusive usage in that the player does not have to be able to read well. I would be very cautious though of the game’s narrative. As games become more ubiquitous and more integrated into society, there is a need to wonder about the narrative and are the characters. Assassin’s Creed has protagonists who are all well-off hetero males, potentially creating a barrier for more universal enjoyment and travel.
I am interested the development of games portraying the world as a living system. Will we see trees capable of dying? How about overhunting? Dynamic population change reflected by both the player’s actions as well as outside factors? I do know that scientists are interested in using games to recreate the unimaginably complex world that have both created and been created by humans. Game designers would do well to design not merely the human environment as dynamic but find was to portray the world as a living system. Oblivion really pushed this area beyond previous games that I had played. However, there is the issue of system performance haunting this project; luckily, there are self-contained game consoles.
As far as the Knights Templar, the King of France and the Pope brought down what had become incredibly important bankers while hiding behind the guise of hunting heretics, even though there is no evidence to back up these claims. I’d caution we remain critical of media such as video games. I have yet to encounter a game that taught history well. After all, Assassin’s Creed is a science fiction conspiracy that proposes that Da Vinci actually made his flying device. Worse, the game teaches that powerful individuals hiding in the shadows control the world and shape the human story, the truth is far more messy and ambiguous. I guess my problem with games as teacher rather than a conduit for experiences laughably boils down to finding games lacking academic rigor! Can I get some peer reviews!
Thank you for this thoughtful essay.
Glad you enjoyed it, @Chris D, and you make good points. I do know my Templar history, though – from many places other than games. Note that I cite Broken Sword as a Templar link, not Assassin’s Creed, because the former game is, if not academically rigorous, more dedicated to actual fact. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Revolution’s lead, and he rather dislikes sci-fi/fantasy twists to such stories, preferring the fact of history to be the focus. (Though, to be fair, Assassin’s Creed database stuff on different landmarks is more solid as historical trivia.)
I understand the risks, of course, hence my partially facetious tone there (and especially my comment regarding Sir Francis Drake), but I also understand the potential for this as a power for good instead of evil. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was a critical part of my childhood education, for instance, and the factual elements of Assassin’s Creed‘s heavily sci-fi plot did inspire me to learn a bit more about the Borgias than I’d ever cared to before. I suppose, often, I’d rather have that seed of curiosity planted then, say, yet another dystopian sci-fi world where everything exists solely for the purpose of being shot at.
Uhg, forgive my misreadings! Failure of my critical reading skills. Good note on the geographic and cultural accuracy in Assissin’s Creed. Because of the game, I can say, “Why yes, I do enjoy jumping off of historic buildings!” I was just really mad when I realized this was a sci-fi game and not historical fiction. I beat the second game but found the Italian sandbox way more fun than the actualy storyline.
The Carmen Sandiego franchize also influenced my childhood greatly. I agree that there is value with subtle education that engages students with humor. Without releasing too many details, are you working on any project of this nature?
I had stopped looking at games as a means of entertainment from a purely ‘action’ pov a long time ago.
Was more interested in the ‘Gameworld’ that the developers had created.
Give me a single player story….to keep me hooked on to the narative but give me enough freedom to EXPLORE the gameworld at my pace…and I am sold.
Just a few games that got me hooked on from a ‘travel’ perspective…
FarCry,Crysis, Just Cause 2 (LOVED the hell out of these action travellers..what world’s..).
PoP-TSoT, TR-Anniversary/Underworld, Assassins Creed 2 (gives me a sense of freerunning/Acrobatics that I can only dream off….not to mention the FANTASTIC settings)
Serious Sam (Beautifully restored Egyptian tombs)
Great points ChrisD.But with the kind of world you are thinking of when will we have time to actually live in “Our” world?
Your kind of world (with dying trees, population) will be almost a mirror of our own world…(with gfx moving forward the way they are…not a far off thing).
With 3D holographic tech that’s almost like Avatar.
When I want to enjoy the Seashore, instead of travelling all the way to Goa I prefer small costal towns near my place and a strong dose of Crysis/FarCry…:-)…Wife doesnt seem to agree though…:-)
She is a traveller…..I am a game-traveller.
Re: Carmen Sandiego…I wish I was working on something like that. I seriously adore that series – that whole franchise. Games, shows. I hear rumblings that there might be a live-action movie in early pre-production, which could be neat. Or yet another defilement of my childhood.
Are we approaching travel games? Hope so. Titanic was a great example of what such a game could be. Lesser known examples would include SPQR and Versailles 1685. No reason why lonely wandering mysteries couldn’t take place in real locations, especially lost or distant locations. Anyone here remember the attempt to recreate Notre Dame using the Unreal Engine?
I have had similar thoughts, Brandon. You’ve articulated yours well here. AC2 definitely left me wanting some kind of city exploring game with parkour elements to add that bit of fun and thrills one might seek in such an environment.
I believe there are opportunities for both styles of “travel” games: full on location immersion sims as well as traditional linear or sandbox narratives.
I didn’t quite have time to comment on this before my trip but excellent question Brandon and, like xtal, I’ve thought about this before and actually used to bash ideas together with my flatmate at uni, although they were more along the lines of travel/exploration games set in the past to try and convey various elements of history as a sort of educational/inspirational tool for students. Think along the lines of witnessing historic events without all the usual gamey elements.
I’m quite surprised S.T.A.L.K.E.R. hasn’t been mentioned! Matt, how accurate were the environments that were modeled off the real-world places? There was something really genuinely creepy about poking around in some of the buildings in Pripyat that I think was attributable to the link with the real-world.