Literature - Texts to Interpret

As I've taken classes at Erskine College, a sort of unity between certain fields has appeared to me. That is, I see a vague similarity between the disciplines. Those fields are literature, history, theology and music. What do they all have in common, you ask? The answer is interpretation. In each field, a text or texts are critically examined by experts to arrive at certain conclusions. In literature, we examine the themes, metaphors and plot structure of different genres, like the play, short story or novel. In history, we examine first-hand accounts, written records and other documents to determine what really happened at a given place or time. In theology, the central text, the Bible, is examined in great deal. There are multiple applications, such as the study of the text as literature, as doctrinal support and as moral instruction. Finally, in music, as in literature, motifs and ideas are analysed in pieces of music. Different genres, like classical and popular are looked at in-depth to study the effect of the music on the people, and from the people to the music itself.

In all four fields, there is a unity of interpretation. However, this interpretation differs from one to the other. Take the biblical account of Ruth for example: it has the potential to be analyzed by a literary scholar, a theologian and a historian. The historian would examine how the text presents the culture of the time. A theologian would do so also, but would add in a study of the author's use of history to instruct the culture of the time. Finally, a literary scholar would focus almost entirely on the plot-based aspects of the story, such as the immense number of "happy coincidences" that fill the book, and lead the theologian to point to Providence within the story.

Examples like this abound. One key example would be Psalms. It contains poetry, musical instruction, allusions to biblical events, and is an historical written document, so all four fields mentioned above would be able to examine it in some way. One merely needs to do a simple internet search to see the immense number of possible ways to examine Psalms.

The final example I will mention (partly because I am an English major and a fan of his works) are the history plays of William Shakespeare. Key to consider is Richard III. A literary scholar would tell you about the superbly villainous character of Richard III himself, and discuss how his usurpation upset the great chain of being in its violent, "revolution"-like nature. An historian would stress that the vilification of Richard is in part due to Shakespeare's patroness: Queen Elizabeth, whose family supported the demonization of their enemies, would have appreciated the treatment of Richard III in the play: Her own grandfather was the very Henry of Richmond that came to succeed Richard as Henry VII. It would be a stretch to claim there is something for a musicologist to examine in Richard III, as most music in Shakespeare's play occurred in his comedies or late romances. Finally, a theologian probably wouldn't look at Richard III for religious purposes, other than to illustrate that human kings are corruptible and quite frequently really bad, as with King Saul and succeeding kings of Israel and Judah.

As you go continue to study in your various fields, be they one of the four mentioned here, or something completely different, remember this: most anything can be viewed from multiple perspectives. Don't be afraid to explore other fields other than your own. You might be surprised what possibilities show themselves!

Music - Super Mario - Themes of Adventure

As I'm sure some of you are aware, I am a fan of collecting and playing old video games, and more often than not, I enjoy the music in those games. Occasionally, I am motivated to play a game entirely based off of the presence of a few particular pieces or the involvement of a particular composer. Take for instance, Final Fantasy. The music alone is enough to warrant my suffering through seemingly impossible boss fights and frustrating puzzles/action sequences. (However, I must admit that I was not initially drawn to the Final Fantasy series by the music.) I will occasionally bring out the DS and play one of my Ace Attorney games: there is a certain triumph that a player feels when the "Objection" theme begins to play and Phoenix starts bringing out the truth. Of course, there is also the multi-system juggernaut of the Mario franchise. Most notably, the RPGs, including Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario series, include several great tracks while still paying homage to the original platformers that started the whole thing.

While looking for books about video game music online, I began thinking about how one would go about critiquing games/pieces within the genre. I was then reminded of the key point from my summer Intro to Visual Arts class: "Form follows function." In order to critique any work of art, one must look at it in the context of its function. For instance, one cannot critique a section of recitative with the same "rubric" as one would use on a symphony: they were both created for widely different purposes. The same could be said for video games. For the purpose of examining this principal closely, we will look at the classic 1985 side-scrolling platformer, Super Mario Bros.

As a genre, platformer music must be composed in such a way that it can be repeated again and again, seamlessly, for as long as it takes the player to reach the end of the level. The length of the repeated unit of music can vary greatly. Additionally, similar steps are taken with story events, boss fights and other types of in-game occurrences. In composing the music for Super Mario Bros, Koji Kondo had four main themes that he needed to create: one for each type of level. Fans of the series will likely recognize these as the themes to the overworld, underground, underwater and castle stages.

1. Overworld (Ground Theme)
The most famous of the Mario themes. Accordingly, it seems to be the most emulated and repeated in the series. The theme itself is a bright, adventurous theme to match the type of level in which it is placed. The composition of this piece took several attempts of composing, testing with the game, and rewriting to get the music to fit with the action just right. (In terms of repeated units, the ground theme has the distinct honor of having the longest segment of melody, timing in at just under 1:30. This is much longer than any of the other themes in the game.) The rhythm is distinctly staccato, in relief to the flowing melody of the later Underwater theme.

2. Underground (Underworld Theme)
Compared to the previous Ground theme, the Underworld theme is a bit more low-key. This is quite fitting as the type of level this piece goes to occurs underground. (The repeated unit is fairly short, at about 12 seconds.) The first half consists of to sets of alternating octaves that gradually move down. The is followed by a descending chromatic bridge that leads into a further descending section. This general idea of going down in pitch matches the general feel that an underground level should have.

3. Underwater Theme
Among the four main themes, the Underwater theme is by far the most melodic. In a distinctly 3/4 waltz, the lilting melody matches the slowed underwater swimming movements Mario makes in his journey towards the goal. (The Underwater theme's unit is about 26 seconds long, still short of the Ground theme by about a minute.)

4. Castle Theme
The Castle theme is the shortest and most repetitious of the four main themes. It is also the most virtuosic of the pieces as it consists of a simple melody under a series of rapidly alternating sixteenth notes. (The repeated unit here is 8 seconds long: the shortest of the main themes.) Unlike the cheery Ground theme or the flowing Underwater theme, the Castle theme is a short, doomy-gloomy one.

In addition to the four main themes, the game necessarily contained other incidental music, such as the game over jingle, the level completion jingle and the end theme. In these we see the highly function-driven aspect of video game music. However, for the sake of time and article length, I will discuss those themes in another post.

Literature - Subtext ... on the Internets!

In the study of drama, one important concept is the idea of subtext. A dictionary might define it as the unspoken or hidden motives behind dialogue, a section of text, or even a single word. Without understanding subtext, Hamlet's advise to Ophelia to "Get thee to a nunnery" has less meaning if we don't know that when he says "nunnery" he means "brothel." Much early drama, due to censorship, is rife with subtext. However, one must not confuse this with the often hilarious, yet inappropriate, double entendre. One difference is that the double entendre is almost always "vulgar." However, not all subtext is dirty.

Subtext is a difficult thing to transmit to the audience of a play or TV show. However, this becomes even harder when the playwright or author is not given the benefit of an actor to transmit the idea. Thus, many texts have subtext that is either difficult or impossible to figure out.

However, I have noticed a development in web publishing. I refer, of course, to the ever-useful wiki! The best example of this is Wikipedia, a source for many seekers of knowledge and writers of papers (whether or not they should actually be using it for the latter purpose.) Because of the interrelated nature of the information on the site, many of the pages contain numerous links to other pages. It is very easy to waste hours just following links. Of course, websites have had links like this before. However, wikis are unique because the "everyone can edit" nature allows them to be placed with ease. It is for this very fact that I believe wikis would be a superb medium for a hilarious comedy.

This (inserting the subtext) can be accomplished in two ways. The first method is the more direct method of adding a link with one word, but having the actual destination be the intended subject of the subtext. For instance, in the sentence "I really like the dentist's office," the word like would be a link with the word hate as the actual destination. Examples of this type can be seen on wiki sites like the Wikipedia parody Uncyclopedia, or the Transformers wiki at tfwiki.net. This method, however, is a bit heavy-handed and doesn't allow much in terms of independent analysis on the reader's part. It is, although, often quite hilarious.

The second method, I propose, would combine traditional subtext with the internet wiki variety. One would put a link in the internet method, but the destination link would itself be a subtext word. It would be subtext within subtext. Additionally, the story or narrative could be in multiple parts, linked by its subtext for the curious reader to discover Or, the pages could simply be supplimental detail to the story. Just imagine a wiki-style version of the Lord of the Rings universe. Now, all I have to do is get a wiki and figure out how to do all of that...

Art - Painters Paint, and so do ... Directors?

Recently, I have been taking summer classes at Erskine College. Due to the unforeseen circumstance of both my classes being cancelled, I had to quickly transfer into two other classes. Introduction to the Visual Arts was one of these.

The last few day, however, the class has started me thinking. I previously had an idea for a photograph which would involve costumes and sets. I would put on the costume, set up the props and take the photograph, possibly taking multiple photographs with different costumes and sets. Then, the photographs would be arranged in a grid-like formation for display. The location I wanted, though, reminded me of another thing: my acting class. Previously this year, I took an acting class at school. Among the things our professor taught us was that a play was a series of "moments," that is, little pictures that occur all throughout the production. My photograph idea was almost a series of moments put on display. Conversely, however, I would like to propose this: in a manner of speaking, a director is almost a painter.

No, the director doesn't use paint, he has a script guiding the characters, and the "paint" is the actors and actresses in costume; however, there are still many similarities. The director must ensure the blocking is not monotonous or pointless, and that it keeps the viewer's attention, much in the same way a painter must arrange the elements of the painting on canvas. The beginning and ending of a scene can be its own "moment painting." Indeed, many things can trigger a new moment painting, such as a character shifting across stage, an entrance or exit, or even the revelation of an important piece of information.

Another aspect is the lighting. Both directors and painters use light and shadow to alter their corresponding canvases. A director can use the center light to advantage, either to emphasis something or else to relegate it to the background or to put it in shadow.

Before closing, I would also like to point out that movies also illustrate the director as a composer of moment paintings. Through his or her directional choices in different movies, a director can become well-known for his visual style in the same way that painters can have different painting styles.

Retrogaming - A Couple of Ironies?

The exact definition of irony aside, I would like to discuss two ... how shall we say, interesting situations? Throughout the course of video game history, many times a company would ignore an opportunity and later come to rue that decision. This is not limited only to the small companies or the larger ones, the software programmers or the hardware manufacturers. Two instances hold in my mind and have immense significance to the entire industry. The companies who were at fault are first Atari, then later Nintendo.

The year is 1983. Atari has a veritable corner on the market, both in software and hardware. Despite the events of the year, the company is still holding strong. A popular company from Japan wants to enter the market in the US. They approach Atari about licensing their first ROM cartridge based console. A deal is reached between the two companies, at the Consumer Electronic Show of 1983. Unfortunately, some controversy concerning a game, the two companies, and the Coleco Adam computer cause the demise of the deal. Later, the company released the console on their own. The company was Nintendo, and the console was the Nintendo Famicom, released in the US a couple of years later as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Atari would regret this decision in the intervening years, as the video game crash of 1983 debilitated them. Nintendo goes on to sweep the market away from Atari, and achieve such a high position that the name Nintendo becomes synonymous with video game.

After this turn of events, you would think that Nintendo would do well after this. In fact, they did. However, they would soon make a similar mistake to the one Atari made.

The year is not important. (It's the beginning of the 1990s.) Nintendo is riding on its success from the NES and popular game franchises like the Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda. Previously, they had shown interest in and started up negotiations with another company for a CD add-on for the Super NES, successor of the NES. Unfortunately, Nintendo decides that the previous contract with the first company is not acceptable and changes to be allied with another company, Philips. Therefore, the Nintendo Play Station never comes to be. Later, the slighted company would rework the prototype and release it for themselves as the Sony Playstation. Other nasty side effects occurred too. Philips was able to release some games of the Mario and Zelda franchises for one of their systems - and from all I've read, they are horrible games. Nintendo here loses its first opportunity to enter into CD based consoles, and continues with cartridges in their next system, the Nintendo 64. Finally, a new rival is put into the market of Nintendo, Sega and the dying Atari.

The important thing to take away is this: Both Atari and Nintendo made a mistake. They underestimated the potential of the companies with whom they dealt. The author feels that it would be amusing if the same thing were to happen to Sony. A small company goes to them with a console idea, but are turned away for whatever reason. They then go on to sweep the market. However, that is but a dream. The industry now seems locked in a three company system. However, to conclude, I merely remind you to never underestimate the competition encountered: it might come back and haunt you one day.

Music/Acting - Performance Anxiety

Recently, I had the opportunity to play piano for a talent show at my college. Before walking on stage, I was quite nervous. My cue came much earlier than anticipated. Even after taking a few seconds to get ready, I really wasn't. It being my first time to play piano on stage, for an audience, didn't help matters. I messed up what I had thought was fully memorized and sufficiently learned. Apparently, it was not. My friends and other audience members say that they didn't notice anything, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it. I am now almost glad that I do not take piano lessons anymore, as having to perform like that on a regular basis would be nerve-wracking.

All of this got me thinking about performance anxiety. In my experiences as an aspiring musician and an actor, the topic has arisen once or twice. In the musical, Once Upon a Mattress, initially going on stage was a bit scary, but after the initial entry, everything else was easy. (Even though I was a minor role, it was still intimidating. Fears are seldom rational, least of all mine.) In my role as the heroic boat captain in Shakespeare's The Tempest, I had few lines, and less stage fright than in previous roles.

By definition, performance anxiety is stress caused by the fear of an approaching performance. It covers music and acting, but can also encompass athletic activities. For some, it stems from a fear of forgetting how to do something. Others feel the need to always perform well. I find it difficult to determine the exact cause for my own performance. The size of the audience can affect the level of anxiety, but not always. Once, I performed in a dinner theatre show of a Sherlock Holmes comedy trilogy. The audience was fairly small, but I still felt as much anxiety as before.

Another factor in performance anxiety is familiarity with the audience. Most of my performances have been to sympathetic audiences (with many friends and acquaintances), and who want me to succeed in what I'm doing. I can take comfort in this fact, yet I still retain some performance anxiety.

However, the anxiety in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. For one thing, it can keep you serious - serious in the sense that you go on stage and do what you came to do, whether that is to amuse or inform. Also, the nervous energy, I have been told, can be channeled into the actual performance to improve it. I'm still not sure exactly what that means, but it may be like vibrato: you don't do it, it just happens.

The important thing to remember is that the audience is on your side and wants you to do well. They took the time out of their schedule - and sometimes have paid - to come see you perform. Channel your nervous energy and their good will, and you will perform well.

At least, I think so.

Retrogaming - A Follow-up Discourse

Unwittingly, in my previous entry, I caused a calamitous controversy that needs to be sorted out. I admit, thought, in being remiss in not fully developing my support. For those of you just joining us, in my previous entry, I discussed the highlights of retrogaming as a hobby. Upon checking my Facebook link to the page, I discover that two readers had engaged in a heated debate over what "retro" is, and whether or not old things are automatically "retro." I will attempt to address some of the comments now.

One of the combatants in the argument requested that I list specific reasons for the quality of "retrogames." One major factor is that of the fan following. It can positively or negatively affect others' perception of the games, the game makers and even the game itself. An analogous situation in the film industry occurred for the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Angry fans protested and influenced later additions to the movie itself, and also influence the basic premise of the next movie, The Search for Spock. Similarly, fans of the Capcom game series Megaman also seem to have influenced their chosen game's makers equally. Conscience of the appreciation of the second game in the series, Capcom designed two entries into the series, the ninth and tenth, to have the "classic" look given by 8-bit graphics.

Another series that has a strong following and supports another point of retrogaming is Pokémon. In its refusal to "die away" like other things considered fads in the 90s, Pokémon shows that another aspect of the quality of retrogaming is the presence of strong fan followings. Many of the fans have taken to denigrating any generation of the Pokémon series besides the original. While this is unfortunate, it points out the intense emotions that only time can give to a game. Having broken past the point of mere hype, Pokémon now draws much of its support from its established name.

Hype generated around the release of a new game causes many to buy the game, and say they like it, based solely on what they've heard about it. Games based on movies often receive much hype, only to turn out to be horrible games.

Related to hype is the issue of what I call the "expiring game." Many sports games fall into this category. A sports game will often carry a title like NBA '05, and sell well during that year. When late 2005 and 2006 come, however, the game will be immediately put into the discount bin, supplanted by the next year's title. The games have a proven quality, but few of the games are ever considered true retrogames.

Another issue, especially highlighted by the advent of high definition television sets and increasing graphical development, is the struggle between gameplay and visuals. Many times, I've heard offhand remarks made about the perceived lack of quality in less graphically developed games. They then turn around and praise a game for being visually impressive. Comments like, "Those graphics suck!" and "This game is great, the graphics are awesome!" point out the discrepancy in their views. I can't help but think back to my experiences with my dad and his guitar collection. Over the years, he has owned many different types of guitars, with names of which I can only remember a few. The relevant point I make with his guitars is that even the prettiest guitar can sound horrible; in a similar fashion, many games looks spectacular from the screenshots, only to receive 2s and 3s in their game reviews later on.

Before I go, I would like to comment on an aspect of which I am unsure at the moment. (I am uncertain because it is speculation on things that have not yet occurred.) It occurs to me that the first and second generation of gamers is getting older, and that they will still hold a fond place in their hearts for their first video games. I venture to say that part of the growing retrogaming culture is a result of the coming adulthood and parenthood of gamers. One only needs to look at the number of Atari anthologies and collections to see that the industry is already capitalizing on this fact. As the generations go out and are forced to pay for their own things, they see a need to be frugal with any spending. Any games purchased, therefore, must be of great quality but cost less. Retrogames seem to fit this category perfectly.

Retrogaming - Some Thoughts

What is retrogaming? A fun hobby, or something more? Over ten years, I myself have engaged in this hobby, having collected over 15 different systems representing 30 plus years of video game history. Early on, it was merely incidental that I would get the different systems, as they were originally purchased during their main time on the market, their "generation" so to speak. Eventually, systems like the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast became last gen, paving the way for their successors and their successors' successors. Now as I look at my collection, I see many games that I won't play, purchased for the sole purpose of "collection."

Retrogaming, by definition, is slightly ambiguous. (Oh, a side note: I once saw something saying that Americans went by the name "old school gamers" and the term "retro gamer" was a European thing; whatever the case, retrogamer suited my tastes better.) The word combines the Latin word for "back; backwards," with the term "gaming." But just how far back does "retro" mean? There is no single consensus within the retrogaming community. Personally, I view systems two generations back as being the starting point from which to go back. Clearly, there are systems that are obviously retro games now, such as the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and the original Playstation. However, my fear is that a time will come when it will be increasingly difficult to tell the difference between one generation and the one before it - be it in graphics, gameplay, or what else. For now, my view of the seperation holds. But I digress.

One good point of retrogaming is that one can enjoy many good games, often for less than the current releases. It is true that some games become rare, but often they do not. Take for instance, Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is was and is one of the most popular games ever released, and is fairly easy to find, either on its own or in the two-game or three-game cartridge with Duck Hunt and World Class Track Meet. The system itself can be found at a modest price, either at a local retrogaming store or on the sites of Amazon or eBay. (One can also get what is known as an "emulator" for their computer and play old games like that. Originally, I was throughly opposed, seeing them as 'cheating.' However, after getting several Final Fantasy games for an emulator, I see the benefits. The topic of emulators is lengthy enough for an entire article, so I will leave this topic here.)

For those reasons, and for the fact of the proven quality of the older games, I retrogame. Also, the interaction of the different companies, and the stories of the different consoles are quite fascinating, but something to discuss another day.