Year Zero and the New Aesthetic

In 1998 the Smithsonian Institution recognized the Virtual Fighter Series by adding it to their Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation. It remains an astonishing honour to the industry and its creator Yu Suzuki. It would be difficult to consider this achievement anything less, but writing from the fringes grants me the freedom to whack at the pinata. What the Smithsonian chose to recognize was a pioneering title for a genre of gaming, but also a series that is largely renowned for technical precision and meticulous design. However there is no exhibit devoted to Suzuki’s other legacy, the meticulously designed and narrative enriched Shenmue. Not only did Shenmue provide epic storytelling, it created a real-time environment. A living, breathing world expanded around a freed player while additions such as weather systems brought new depth to the notion of virtual cities. Shenmue’s North American release came after the induction of Virtual Fighter into the Smithsonian. So what am I getting at? For those interested I am saying that this was an initial attempt by the academy to determine the way in which this industry and the culture it is rooted within is discussed and understood. For those less interested and about to rock, I salute you.

Mainstream culture wants to “get” gaming, from the industry designers and creators, to the culture that ultimately supports it. The consequences of not “getting” it would be far reaching. Obviously many of these would be economic in nature. The failure to understand market trends and produce to those desires. But there is another segment of society that has a marked interest in comprehending this culture. The pressing interest of academics is often ignored in this conservation. Their desire to comprehend it is two fold. Certainly the economic interest is present relative to their careers. But above this is the necessity to validate their significance to society. If they fail to accomplish this then their irrelevance will only increase and ultimately isolate them from the debate and potentially call for their extinction. And this goes beyond participating in the debate. It is only in appropriating the dialogue and gaining the ability to control the debate that they function. The nature of the academy is to continue existing in their emerald cities, shielded from the realities of the world, determining how society will perceive the happenings of the world. They are the Skexes, seeking to extend their life through emerging cultures, and ours is becoming their dark crystal.

This is an incredibly personal issue for “us”. At no level will it be palatable to have our culture appropriated, redefined and categorized, and spoon fed back to us on the terms of the powers of old and order. This medium was born with us, and as we grew and developed it did the same. And now as we face a world full of uncertainty, one that seeks to control us, it faces the same. Our fates are intertwined. And the final decisions in this matter will determine what happens to us both. It will decide whether we create a new reality, or become enslaved by the existing order. It absolutely cannot be left to the market or the academy to decide. Their post-modern stagnation has failed, leaving us adrift in a world where we fight nouns and the “great intellectuals” remain silent. We must at all times be in control of this decision.

This means that we must create the dialogue. The burden of proof is upon us to do so. Plenty have already done so. And having long remained silent myself, I recently began experimenting with the possibilities of voicing my thoughts and opinions regarding these issues. The response was both encouraging and positive, as well as crippling. No one wants to be among the first to attempt this. I certainly do not. It necessitates putting your head on the platter. Of exposing yourself to criticism. And yet the cost of not participating is too great for these fears to hold our tongues. But I am not introducing a manifesto here. It is not for me to tell anyone how to proceed. All I can do is continue to produce my voice. To declare this as my year zero, and the point from which I will no longer remain silent. This debate simply cannot exist without that participation from you. The industry begins and ends with you. Meaning is not inherent to their productions. It requires you to interact and derive meaning from it based on your experiences. And since we do this already, it is only one small step further to express and share these expanding experiences with those equally invested in this culture. This is the next stage that creates a dialogue, a shield from those that seek to absorb or mutilate our way of life. The next time someone’s generalized or ignorant statement offends you, or when the next Jack Thompson emerges, and he or she will, this is the dialogue that will strike back at them.

It is our cultural imperative.