401.12 Hybridity of Gaming: The Fusion of Experiences through Bricolage of Cyberpunk works

+++Inquiry+++

Using the format of hybrid gaming  I am examining transhumanism, speculative post-apocalyptic concepts to create a hybrid user experience with an emphasis on the mass bricolage of common ideas and flexibility modality through technology offered to players for immersion in gaming  within a speculative fiction, cyberpunk setting.

This critical and conceptual reflection is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, and/or Master of Creative Industries - SAE Creative Media Institute

August 2024

Description

In developing the portfolio and Transmedia Game Design Bible (TGDB) for Immutable Aeon, I drew from my past works and Tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) sessions, aligning with the practice-led research approach that treats creation as inquiry (Barrett & Bolt, 2010). As this is collaborative storytelling, I must also attribute some of the ideas to my players over the years.

These stories, spun late into the night in a quiet corner of the library or pub, then later in our clubhouse - a converted industrial unit, were shaped by contributions from dozens of players. We bounced ideas off each other and refined concepts together, creating a dynamic narrative similar in concept to demystifying creative practices through reflection as discussed in A Question of Genre: De-mystifying the Exegesis (Brady, 2000).

The games were alive with energy and emotion, where every thought and suggestion could spark something new, transforming into a rich universe that evolved through collaborative storytelling, similar to the iterative process in Ono’s Cut Piece (Concannon, 2008). As the Games Master (GM), while I performed scenes to outline the setting, I also documented the journey, capturing the stories and artefacts that unfolded.

But, to say these ideas are solely “mine”, or even “ours”, would be folly because the world we built was inspired by a mosaic of other sci-fi, cyberpunk, post-cyberpunk, and solar punk influences. It has been a collective effort drawn down on over decades - a shared love of speculative fiction that guided our hands as we explored new narratives and characters. I now see my role as that of a curator, engaging in a form of mass bricolage - piecing together the fragments of ideas that resonated most deeply with me. This is very similar to the blend of creation and reflection described in Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing, and Criticism (Fournier, 2021). Those seeds of inspiration, garnered from countless sessions and a myriad of stories, have been articulated into a cohesive world.

Yet, even in this creation, there’s a recognition of the fluid, hybrid nature of storytelling - a dance between the old and the new, the individual and the collective, the analog and the digital. To me, Immutable Aeon is not just a project but a living, breathing universe, born from the echoes of late-night conversations, the roll of dice, and the sparks of imagination shared among friends. This process of integrating various genre influences - while not following the same process - is well informed by the thematic analysis approach discussed in Using Thematic Analysis to Facilitate Meaning-Making in Practice-Led Art and Design Research (Lin, 2019).

I have also witnessed the modal change in players over the last 20 years - from primarily using pen and paper with dice, to using tablets with spreadsheets, character companions, virtual tabletops, and dice roller apps – Especially having remote games during lockdown in 2019-2021. This is discussed in The Skin of Culture: Investigating the New Electronic Reality, which addresses how technology shapes culture and affects perception, communication and social interactions, altering the way that we experience the world, and the idea that as technological tools evolve, it transforms the cultural fabric of our society (de Kerckhove, 1997). This kind of thinking is vital in addressing modality for Immutable Aeon and increasing immersion and engagement.

Feelings

I am not a natural “creative writer”, I just see it as another tool to express my feelings and ideas, much like sketching, painting, 3D modelling, sculpting, singing, or playing guitar. In fact, writing is probably the least practiced of my creative outlets. Looking back through years of sketches, notes, stat sheets of “dead” characters, hastily drawn plans, faction flowcharts, and session planning notes brought back memories of all the emotions expressed in the games. From Joe’s character’s heartfelt defiant protest to a brutal dictator - an in-game moment that clearly reflected his real-life struggles - to the uncontrollable laughter when something absurd somehow worked out perfectly. Then there were the tough moments, like when a player stormed out and I temporarily lost a friend because I “killed” his character (don’t worry, we made up).

I was also reminded of Lex and Kat’s handfasting, a couple who met at one of my games - their characters were bitter rivals at first, leading to in-game flirting, which blossomed into real-life romance. As addressed in How games move us: emotion by design, ‘When players in a room together laugh, jump, and tease each other, the power of games to drive connection, empathy, and closeness appears right before your eyes.’ (Isbister, 2017) Games are a unique medium for expressing emotions, connecting with others, and experiencing powerful, shared moments that resonate deeply. Bringing this feeling of camaraderie and the strong bonds of friendship fostered through TTRPGs gives me great joy and is the central reason I continue to GM and why I’m making this game, to share this experience with the wider (non TTRPG) gaming community.

By creating Immutable Aeon, I am not just crafting a fictional world; I am building a simulacrum, a space where reality and representation merge. As Baudrillard (1981) suggests, “these constructed realities can be more real than reality itself, especially when players become deeply immersed in the narrative, experiencing it as a living, breathing world." Broadening the concept of hyperreality – where the distinction between reality and simulation blurs. This is where players will become so deeply immersed in the game world, that at an emotional level the game has the same impact as the physical world, where the experiences become intertwined with the players' real-world feelings and memories.

Jesper Juul, in The Art of Failure (2013), explores the psychology of gaming experiences, noting how people generally want to succeed and feel capable, but gamers often choose challenges where they know they’ll likely fail. In video games, much like in classic tragedies, we want to experience suffering, fate, and the consequences of human flaws. But while tragedies provide catharsis by purging negative emotions, Juul argues that video games actually produce these unpleasant emotions rather than alleviate them.

While Juul refers to video games, I argue that this isn’t the case with TTRPGs. Players are the protagonists, and overcoming these challenges, while difficult, is cathartic, leaving a sense of accomplishment, personal growth, and shared experience among players.

Evaluation

Let me first address that the creation of a hybrid TGDB was beyond the original assignment scope. Initially, I planned a smaller project – an environment portfolio of “sky suites” in a Domed city - but while partway through, realized it wouldn't address the broader issues I wanted to explore. A foundational document was essential to ensure consistency and immersion, addressing questions central to my practice led research focus, which the initial portfolio couldn't cover.

For video games, a Game Design Document (GDD) gives direction, while in TTRPGs, the game book itself serves this purpose. In industry, a Project Management Plan (PMP) would be created. However, being a hybrid media project without a game book or a single video game format, neither a GDD, Game book, TPB, nor PMP alone would encapsulate what's needed from a technological, creative, game design, and project planning perspective. A hybrid game needs a hybrid document, leading to the creation of the TGDB.

This draft, representing 20-30 hours of work, outlines the game’s vision, however many specifics are still to be determined. This approach reflects the hybrid methods outlined in Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts, where different research methods and creative practices are merged to create innovative outcomes (Haseman & Daniel, 2009). The TGDB is a living document, fostering collaborative storytelling and inviting community input to be curated back into the game world.

In "Aesthetic tensions: Evaluating outcomes for practice-led research and industry," Cheryl Stock (2010) discusses the challenges of balancing artistic innovation and practical relevance in creative fields. Finding this balance between purely creative works and those that meet industry standards is something I’m still working on.

While playing TTRPGs (even as a GM) are meant to be fun with friends, creating one requires meeting industry standards to ensure sustainability. Enhancing my understanding of both artistic innovation and practical application is key to success.

This is the approach I am taking with Immutable Aeon, where the goal is to merge collaborative storytelling with immersive gameplay, making it both artistically innovative and practically engaging. This will create a game experience that resonates with players and attracts sponsors. Collaboration and adaptability are crucial, aligning with Stock's emphasis on bridging gaps between creativity and practical outcomes.

Overall, I am pleased with my portfolio as well as the TGBD, which helped solidify ideas and advocate for Cyberpunk as its own genre. The initial bricolage, “I don’t want to start a movement,” (Callaghan, 2024) helped solidify previously nebulous thoughts around the subject matter and allowed me to remix a quote by William Gibson. Through my blogging, I followed through with “I want to build the one that’s already here - the one that’s been forming all my life.”

Analysis

My main challenge was managing time and scope. As noted in Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman, 2017), balancing divergent creativity with convergent thinking is crucial. This reflection has highlighted the need for better scoping and time management. Thinking big is how my mind works, and I am still working on thinking small. While I can generate creative ideas, and break them down and prioritize, I need to learn how switch better, and allowing room for convergent thinking in my creative process. Ironically, this is the role I play as a Producer, for my day job, so making time for purely divergent creative outlets is especially important for me.

My focus moving forward is to find a way to better scope future works into manageable chunks. As Incidental Comics simplifies – Set the bar lower, simplify your task, take twice as long, neglect the unimportant, kill “until”, get rid of secret rules, have twice as much fun, trade perfect for done. (Snider, 2017)

Conclusions

Building this game portfolio has been as much about collaboration and evolution of ideas as it has been about innovation and storytelling. And the TGDB was key to ensuring a cohesive narrative while highlighting the importance of flexibility in creative practice.

Understanding the incubation period has shown me that creativity is an ongoing process that requires foresight and adaptability and how it relates to decision making through focussed insights and abstract vs associative thinking (Ritter & Dijksterhuis, 2014). Being “creative” is not something that I can turn on and off, it is who I am as a person, whether I’m actively painting, or zoned out watching TV, the ideas spark, and problems get solved.

Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra and hyper reality - copies or representations of things that no longer have an original relates to the way this game world is built from influences and inspirations. The game world becomes a simulacrum where players experience a constructed reality that, while fictional, feels authentic and meaningful.

After reflecting on the experiences and contributions of other players, it is clear that this collaborative spirit is crucial for fostering deep connections and enriching the game world. This shared creativity allows for a more dynamic and immersive universe, where every player's input adds depth and complexity to the narrative, enhancing the overall experience and making the game world feel more alive and engaging.

Action plan

I am making the following plans both with continuation of this work, and for future growth:

Improving my decision-making by recognizing cognitive biases like confirmation bias, anchoring, and availability heuristics. I'll manage my overconfidence and account for the extra time needed when learning, documenting, and analyzing, especially outside work hours, even if I'm in a flow state (Kaufman & Gregoire, 2015).

Enhance my creative practices – creative outlet for me is extremely important, as it allows me to be completely in a divergent thinking headspace. Analysis and planning allows me to be convergent, which doesn’t require the same headspace. It also lets me experiment with creative expression and maintain a stimulated creative mindset. Get all the ideas out, then sort them.

Blogging and documenting my experiences insights and personal growth over time, and exhibiting my works. Just the practice of writing it down and setting it free into the world in the context of these blogs is affirming, and has put me in such a nice headspace. Having a place to exhibit my works, even in a WIP state makes me feel good. Understanding that the reader IS a creative and is not there to judge as one would with a finished work (as so much of my career has been) is important. Attending game jams and events such as by IGDA is important for this.

Cultivate relationships with collaborators and seek friendships with peers and mentors who provide constructive feedback and encouragement. Building my own sounding board and being one to them.

While this wasn’t an initial goal, through the creation of this portfolio, I now aim to expand on the genre of cyberpunk, and solidify its status as a genre, rather than being an offshoot of sci-fi through tying in branches of other works and defining what makes cyberpunk unique from sci-fi.

References

Barrett, E., & Bolt, B. (2010). Practice as research: Approaches to creative arts enquiry. I. B. Tauris.

Brady, T. (2000). A question of genre: De-mystifying the exegesis. TEXT Journal, 4(1).

Butler-Kisber, L. (2017). Lynn Butler-Kisber defines poetic inquiry [Video]. SAGE Research Methods.

Callaghan, S. (2024, June 19). 401.4 I don’t want to start a movement. Sethcallaghan. https://www.sethcallaghan.com.au/post/i-don-t-want-to-start-a-movement

‌Concannon, K. (2008). Yoko Ono’s cut piece: From text to performance and back again. Paj: A Journal of Performance and Art, 30(3), 81–93.

Daniel, K. (2017). Thinking, fast and slow.

Fournier, L. (2021). Introduction: Autotheory as feminist practice. In Autotheory as feminist practice in art, writing, and criticism. MIT Press.

Haseman, B., & Daniel, M. (2009). Acquiring know-how: Research training for practice-led researchers. In H. Smith & R. T. Dean (Eds.), Practice-led research, research-led practice in the creative arts (pp. 211-228). Edinburgh University Press.

Isbister, K. (2017). How games move us: Emotion by design. MIT Press.

Jones, D. (2014). Introduction. In Dada 1916 in theory: Practices of critical resistance. Liverpool University Press.

Juul, J. (2013). The art of failure: An essay on the pain of playing video games. MIT Press.

Kaufman, S. B., & Gregoire, C. (2015). Wired to create: Unraveling the mysteries of the creative mind. TarcherPerigee.

Kelly, M. (1999). Post-Partum Document. University of California Press.

Lin, F. (2019). Using thematic analysis to facilitate meaning-making in practice-led art and design research. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 38(1).

Smith, H., & Dean, R. T. (2009). Introduction: Practice-led research, research-led practice - towards the iterative cyclic web. In H. Smith & R. T. Dean (Eds.), Practice-led research, research-led practice in the creative arts (pp. 1-38). Edinburgh University Press.

Snider, G. (2017). Incidentalcomics.com: How to finish. http://www.incidentalcomics.com/2017/09/how-to-finish.html

Stock, C. (2010). Aesthetic tensions: Evaluating outcomes for practice-led research and industry. TEXT: Journal of Writing and Writing Programs, Special 8(1), 1-13.