From my perspective game producers are trying to take themselves
more seriously every day. I am happy to say that each year more and more games
are released from AAA studios that transcend mediocrity in storytelling. Nevertheless,
I believe that there is still a long way to go. That’s where I come in. Every
now and then I find myself deep in thought, and when I finally snap out of it
sometimes I’ll be left with a brilliant idea.
Recently I had one of those moments.
It happened shortly after I finished my review for Naughty
Dog’s The Last of Us (Link here).
I was going through my usual routine of internet time wasting when I found
myself on imdb.com. I noticed a new trailer that piqued my interest. 12 Years a Slave looks like a great
piece of Oscar bait if I do say so myself. Being a sucker for anything that has
or will receive critical acclaim, it immediately shot to the top of my list of
must-see cinema. The film is a historical drama based on the true story of Solomon
Northup; a free black man who was wrongfully sold into slavery in 1841. He
managed to win back his freedom in 1853. Later, he recounted his story in a memoir
which is the basis for the film.
If the film industry can base some of its entertainment on
dark moments in our nation’s history what is keeping game developers from doing
the same? The only historical games that have been created by major studios either
focus on wars i.e. Call of Duty 1-3, Brothers in Arms, etc., or are some form
of revisionist history like Assassin’s Creed 3. I believe that it is important
for a maturing industry to begin tackling these topics. I think it is time for
a triple A game set on the Underground Railroad.
Slavery is a stain on the United States’ history, but don’t
go busting out the bleach just yet. It is important that we understand what has
occurred in the past so that we can learn from it. In today’s society there is such
a disconnection to the past that some people are of the mind that racism and
racial inequality have disappeared. That is not the case. Racism is just as
alive today as shown by recent events in the news.
One of the greatest aspects of playing a video game is the
sense of escapism from the real world. When gaming, I become the character on
the screen. Up until this point I have had the thrill of becoming hero
after hero after hero; however, the medium of games is not limited to that
paradigm. Imagine a game that puts the gamer in the shoes of a slave. In the
beginning the player would find him or herself working on a plantation in the
south. There wouldn't be a cotton picking mini-game to detract from the gravity of the situation. Instead the player would be forced to arduously pick cotton all day
long and if they chose to walk away from their work, the foremen would see to
it that he or she got back to work; resorting to violence if necessary. Afterwards
the player’s character would somehow get in trouble with the master of the
plantation and choose to escape. The rest of the game would comprise of the
player trying to make it north and all of the unfortunate encounters along the
way. Run-ins with slave traders, bounty hunters, and opportunistic civilians
could account for drama and action throughout the story.
I mentioned that I had this thought shortly after I had
played The Last of Us. This is
important because the gameplay elements in that game would translate
beautifully to this new adventure. Naughty Dog’s masterpiece relied heavily on
stealth gameplay due to limited resources and weapons. In my proposed game,
even though it wouldn't be a post-apocalyptic world, resources would be equally
difficult to acquire. Therefore stealth would be a necessity. There is a
possibility that the protagonist could acquire weaponry during his journey, but
it would only be able to be used as a last resort.
Having a younger young companion join the protagonist on
this journey would also lend itself to great story arcs and set-piece moments. The
child could be captured necessitating in a rescue mission, or the hero itself
could become sick or wounded requiring the player to take control of the child.
I know that both of these examples are virtually pulled note for note from The Last of Us, but that is the point
I’m trying to make. The gameplay and scenarios for that game are a Cinderella
fit for this an Underground Railroad story-line.
Most importantly, a game with this setting would give the
gamer an experience unlike anything else. If done well, it could instill in the
player the sense of loneliness and fear that fugitive slaves most likely felt. It’s
survival horror without monsters, unless human beings fit the description. There
is no game like that accomplishes this.
To be fair, there are two games I found that are already set
within this era.
 |
| The main hub for Freedom! |
Freedom!, released
in 1993, is a game by MECC the same company that created The Oregon Trail. In it the player controls a slave who decides to
run away from a plantation which is very reminiscent of the game I described
above. However, that’s where the similarities end. This edutainment game features
gameplay very reminiscent of MECC’s other game, The Oregon Trail. Players must monitor their nutrition, health,
stamina, and whether they are currently injured throughout the course of the
game. These four factors influence the success of their escape. A lot of time
is spent hiking through woods, and swimming in rivers in order to stay out of
the eyes of bounty hunters. The game is won when the player successfully
escapes to the North and it can be lost either by dying due to exhaustion or
malnutrition, or by being recaptured.
 |
| An example of the "phonetic" dialogue |
At the time of its release the game was not well received. It
was quickly removed from schools because it was considered racially
insensitive. An article from the
New York Times published on August 28, 1995 tells the story of an eleven year old African American student who was bullied by his white peers due to the game. In an interview the parents said, “He was hurt that people were making fun of the characters in the game…He was upset that he was being thought of as a slave.”
It isn't hard to see where the parents were coming from in
this case. Much of the dialogue is very derivative as it is written
phonetically; an attempt to recreate an insensitive view of the slave’s
vernacular. Nevertheless, I feel that judgment was passed too quickly. In an
article for Compute! published in
September of 1993, a school librarian named Helen Cartier defended the title
saying it was “an exciting vehicle that enabled students to understand some of
the challenges that African-Americans faced when fleeing captivity.” This is
the same sentiment that I believe the game I have proposed could express.
 |
| Sarah, the daughter of the master of the house, scolds Lucy for showing up late. |
The second game is another edutainment title, this time
produced by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. MissionUS is a dialogue and choice driven game set within different
periods of United States history. The first mission casts the player as a
printmaker’s apprentice during the Revolutionary War, while the second mission
is set within the south immediately following the fugitive slave act. The
player controls Lucy, a young girl who decides to run away from her master and
make a new life for herself in the North.
 |
| Lucy remembering the family she left behind. |
What makes this game unique is the level of choice within
it. The opening screen states, “These are some of the decisions you will face
as you guide Lucy through the game. Remember there is no ‘right’ answer, but
some of the choices you make will have lasting consequences. As you make
choices, you unlock Journey Badges you will use to determine Lucy’s ultimate
journey in the game’s epilogue. At the end of each part you will see which
badges you unlocked…and which you did not.” As I played through the game, I
often chose to play it safe, more often keeping a low profile. For instance I
was given the option to burn down my master’s smoke house after he yelled at me
and gave me twice as much work to do. Instead I chose to do the work he gave
me, just not to the best of my abilities. These choices I made helped
me create my own story for Lucy. In the end, my Lucy became a conductor on the
Underground Railroad, managing to bring many people safely into the north. Her
last mission took her deep into the south to rescue her father. I highly
recommend playing through this free game because even though it does not have
the production values I believe a game of this nature deserves, it handles the
sensitivity of the subject very well. (Link here)
While the setting I’ve may not be the most original, I still
stand behind my decision. There still has not been a non-educational game that
allows players to live through that kind of adversity. The games that we do
have are more akin to a documentary on slavery, not a film like 12 Years a Slave. Video games have the
power to draw you into the experience, allowing the player to feel what the protagonist
is feeling unlike any other medium. By allowing me to feel even a fraction of the
emotional toll runaways on the Underground Railroad felt, I believe this game
needs to be made.
Additional Resources:
No comments:
Post a Comment