Researching on the Balance between Service and Expression

Reading Aurora Brainsky-Roth’s article on Hideo Kojima’s style and philosophy on game design was a good start for my research process. Besides giving a better understanding on this famous Japanese Game designer/director, the article also reminds me an early interview between Kojima and OPSM2 US back in 2006, where he stated that he believes that video games are not art in his belief. Based on Kojima’s argument during the interview, he believed that art is “something that radiates the artist." and "If 100 people walk by and a single person is captivated by whatever that piece radiates, it's art.”  In his mind, video games are products produced to meet the requirement of a vast number of audiences. It is a service made to be appearing to as many people as possible, it is not something that reflex the artist’s ideas and beliefs and only those who gets it, gets it.

            However, within a section of Brainsky-Roth’s article, where a parallel between the dramatic presentation of lighting in Kojima’s early works in the Metal Gear series and Paul Cézanne’s idea on impressionism.  Heading towards a opposite direction of the idea of photo-realism that many games back then and now have. The presentation of the lighting can be seemed as a not quiet accurate representation than what it is like in the real life. However, this visual representation echo with Cézanne’s philosophy of how painting shouldn’t only be a way to imitate an object through lines and color, but a reflection of the artist’s nature. And I think that’s reason many Kojima fan praise Kojima’s work as art, although the man himself had a different view in his mind.

             The connections between Kojima’s 2006 theory, his illustration of lighting in MGS, and Cézanne’s works and philosophy had brought me the desire to explore the idea of expressing my perosonal thoughts and views on a topic through video game without serving it as an attractive item for the majority. I want to want to understand Kojima's argument of 1 vs 100 in his interview and find out if he is right about the relationship between a game designer, the game, and the audiences.  For the final project, I want to create a simulation that reflex the current global crisis that we facing right now.  The player control and observe a character going through a quarantine with in a tiny room.  The player will have to go through some daily routine in order to maintain the character's health both mentally and physically.  The aim of the game is to recreate the current situation that many of us is facing right now in a simplify version, and I hope the players could find a connection with their character and disscover some type of way to make their play experience more enjoyable. And I hope I could deliver a positive message through this experience so they could overcome their difficulties in life under the current situation. 

Bibliography:

Brainsky-Roth's Article:  https://www.fanbyte.com/features/kojima-metal-gear-solid/

The Guggenhelm Museum Online Collection: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/paul-cezanne

Kojima's 2006 Interview: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news240106kojimaart