Game Interfaces
From GameLabWiki
Introduction
Game Interfaces surerly can be considered a widely researched topic within game studies. Unfortunately, the term „interface“ or „game interface“ is often used in different ways, a fact that can lead to misunderstandings. While some are using the term in order to describe a haptic control unit, maybe a controller or another gamepad, others refer to graphic elements also known as Heads-up displays (HUD) when speaking of „interfaces“. Therefore, both interpretations shall be taken into account on this „Game Interface“-site, which also means that it‘s advisable to be careful while reading.
Main Part
Game Interfaces as Bodily Techniques (Parisi, David 2009)
This specific research approach will be dealing with the key assumptions of scientist David Parisi, who is trying to establish a, as hey says, „new vocabulary“ when it comes to haptical game interfaces. Based on the observation that some of the game interface just like the Guitar Hero controller or the Wiimote tend to involve the whole body of the player, Parisis intention is to apply the key aspects of the concept of bodily techniques developed by french sociologist Marcell Mauss to the context of game interfaces. By doing so, he points out three aspects of, as he calls them, „bodily interfaces“.
These three key aspects, mode of capture, haptics and button remapping which will be considered individually in their main points within the following section.
Bodily Interfaces
By the example of the introduction of Nintendos Wii in 2006, Parisi observes a paradigm shift which causes him to analyse „regular“ game interfaces such as the so-called SIXAXIS-controller as well as controllers specially designed for bodily activity, for example the Guitar Hero controller mentioned above. Parisi also notes that his observations only will affect this kind of control units and not, as the term „interface“ might suggest, on-screen representations, for example a mini map, a health bar or a speedometer display:
“My focus on the interface as something encountered physically is intended to orient the reader away from visual and audio aspects of information display and toward the materiality of the gaming experience. Underlying this focus is the assumption that learning does not happen only through the eyes and ears, but also in the fingers, hands, legs, and feet, and in the skin, muscles and joints”[1]
Mode of capture
The mode of capture is structuring the mode of bodily interaction in a significant way. To illustrate this assumption, Parisi refers to Philip E. Agre who creates an abstract modell of capture in which „human activity is [...] treated as a kind of language itself, for which a good representation scheme provides an accurate grammar.“[2] Following this modell, a bodily action executed by the player can be considerered a lexical item within a pre-defined grammarly system.[3] So, with regard to a game interface like a regular Playstation controller, the action of any button or several buttons could be described as a „lexical item“.[4] According to this modell and with reference to Marcell Mauss, the bodily act of pressing the „X-button“ on a PlayStation 1 controller marks the same action as pressing the „X-button“ on a PlayStation 2, -3, -4 or -5 controller, because the bodily act of hitting the button is an action that has been learned mentally as well as physically through by repeated interaction with the interface.
Haptics
The aspect of haptics is also very important when it comes to bodily techniques because every human-computer interface is said to „involve felt sensation of interfacing“.[5] As Parisi notes it’s absolutely necessary that, unless the player is not using an interface designed for the use without touching, for example PlayStations EyeToy-camera, the hand must be attached to the game interface in some way in order to close the operator/machine circuit which means that even a controller without the function of vibrationional feedback can be experienced in a haptical way. But in case that a control unit supports features just like vibrational feedback, a so-called „bodily realism“ can be evoked, allowing the player to internalize bodily activities.[6] For example, throwing a bowling ball in „Wii sports“ can train the ability to throw a bowling ball in real life.
Remapping
The role of button remapping can be described as quite significant. As mentioned in the text, „remapping the mode of capture impacts the player‘s haptic experience with the game“[7] Parisi again cites the example of the Guitar Hero controller: The evoked feeling of playing a real guitar would never be felt by the player when the remapping would be modified and now transferred to a regular PlayStation controller. So, „because of its haptic dimension, this approximation of the simulated activity through remapping is a crucial step toward achieving bodily realism.“[8]
Conclusions
As mentioned in the introduction, it can lead to a lot of confusion when speaking of „game interfaces“ because the term is often used in different ways.
In his text, David Parisi is dealing with game interfaces in the sense of haptical control units. The scientiest is thinking them as „bodily interfaces“. In order to do so he firstly characterizes the theory of bodily techniques, originally established by Marcell Mauss. By analysing game interfaces among the three aspects modes of capture, haptics and remapping, Parisi vividly depicts why game interfaces of any kind could be described as „bodily“.
Related Links/Research
References
- ↑ see Parisi, David: Game Interfaces as Bodily Techniques, in: Ferding, Richard E.: Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, Hershey 2009, p. 111-112.
- ↑ see Agre, Philip E.: Surveillance and capture: Two models of privacy, in: Montfort, Nick; Wardrip-Fruin, Noah (Eds.): The new media reader, Cambridge:MIT Press 2003, p. 749.
- ↑ cf. ibid.
- ↑ Parisi, David: Game Interfaces as Bodily Techniques, in: Ferding, Richard E.: Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, Hershey 2009, p. 118.
- ↑ cf. ibid, p. 119.
- ↑ cf. ibid., p. 119-120.
- ↑ see ibid., p. 120.
- ↑ see ibid.