The Game FAVR: A Framework for the Analysis of Visual Representation in Video Games

• Bibliography
• Abstract
• Notes

Bibliography

Arsenault, D., Côté, P.-M., & Larochelle, A. (2015). The Game FAVR: A Framework for the Analysis of Visual Representation in Video Games.

Abstract

This paper lays out a unified framework of the ergodic animage, the rule-based and interactiondriven part of visual representation in video games. It is the end product of a three-year research project conducted by the INTEGRAE team, and is divided into three parts. Part 1 contextualizes the research on graphics and visuality within game studies, notably through the opposition between fiction and rules and the difficulties in finding common vocabulary to discuss key visual concepts such as perspective and point of view. Part 2 discusses a number of visual traditions through which we frame video game graphics (film, animation, art history, graphical projection and technical drawing), highlighting their relevance and shortcomings in addressing the long history of video games and the very different paradigms of 2D and 3D graphics. Part 3 presents the Game FAVR, a model that allows any game’s visual representation to be described and discussed through a common frame and vocabulary. The framework is presented in an accessible manner and is organized as a toolkit, with sample case studies, templates, and a flowchart for using the FAVR provided as an annex1, so that researchers and students can immediately start using it.

Notes

Notes

The paper tries to develop it’s own framework on addressing visuality of video games, the problem being, that the common terms up to this point were lent from other media and might not be able to encompass what makes games games.

There are three parts in this paper

1. The study of graphics in games studies
2. Traditions of visuality in studying video game graphics
3. The game FAVR

Others how did similar, but usually had very broad aims, trying to encompass all the different aspects of video games.

• “Game Ontology Project” (Arsenault et al., p. 89), which might be abandoned
• “Patterns in Game Design” (Arsenault et al., p. 89)

FAVR instead concentrates only on the visual aspects. It addresses four problems. A unified framework…

1. …should be able to deal with any video game, no matter the diversity of aspects it might contain
2. …needs to clear terminological confusion, being able to address the interesting, novel or banal features of a game
3. …needs to account for the different types and styles of video game graphics
4. …should use a accessible vocabulary that also enables the integration of future developments

Within M. Nitsche’s model of analytical planes, FAVR is concerned mainly with the mediated one. It is mainly interested in the interactive parts of visuality.

“Bernadette Flynn (2003) writes that the “satisfaction” or “fun” of the player does not stem from narrative construction, but rather from the sensation of embodiment in the navigational space.” (Arsenault et al., p. 91)

This is probably a fun point to discuss with my fellow researchers.

Ergodic Animage

The paper Making the Water Move also references ergodicity.

“Aarseth’s (1997) ergodicity (the interactive process of working to create a path through the configuration of a textual machine with no guarantee of success (p.1, p.179))” (Arsenault et al., p. 91)

“Gaudreault and Marion’s (2013) animage (a “ type of film image that is born from the expressive potential of the digital and that crystallizes the current spreading of a cultural series formerly neglected by the cinema institution: animation” (p.256))” (Arsenault et al., p. 91)

“The ergodic animage is the meeting point and mediating factor between the player’s agency and the game’s visual representation of its internal state.” (Arsenault et al., p. 91)

Framing Games through Film Studies

The paper goes into how a film studies vocabulary was applied to analyse and describe video games. That was partially working but in many more cases, isn’t adequate. The authors then point towards animetism as a better working approach to describe video game graphics. It does account for 2d and 3d modes.

“Animetism is an important visual paradigm to understand video games for two converging reasons: the importance of materials, and the composite nature of the image.” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 98)

The point towards materials is interesting. Composition points towards the layered mode of animation, in 2d as well as 3d. Things are put on top of each other, iE a character on top of a background. It also points towards the mixed us of material, iE photos and pixelgraphics.

“Art History and Technical Drawing, from Perspective to Parallel Projection” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 100)

• Perspective as the default visual logic as until today, whereas alternatives would exist
• Perspective = subject-centered
• Project = object-centered
• visual choices are deliberate and correlate with different types of gameplay: “parallel projection calls for a managerial relationship with space” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 100)

Now, video games can employ several of this approaches in “hybrid visuo-spatial configurations” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 101). Games exploring non-euclidiean spaces are referred to as XD games by the authors.

The Game FAVR

The authors point out once again, that they have a focus on the visuality and not the narrative aspects. In their words, the “[mediated] space […] is thus intelligible or not (rather than simulated or not, diegetic or not, or fictional or simulated (Aarseth, 2007)) because of its communicative nature” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 102)

The framwork relies on four parameters and their components:

• composition
  • tangible space (sensation of agency)
  • intangible space (expressions of gamestates)
  • negative space (non-interactive)
• ocularization
  • internal
    • primary (exact player-character’s eyes)
    • secondary (just near, ie over shoulder, zoom)
  • external
    • player (marked, interactive)
      • tangible (represented gameworld)
      • intangible (menues, maps, etc)
    • zero (unmarked)
      • mimetic (disembodied eyeball, cutscenes)
      • ergodic (adjustable camera)
• framing mechanisms
  • anchor (what is focused on by the frame)
    • subjective (cam follows character)
    • intersubjective (several characters taken together)
    • objective (location or environment)
    • anchorless (cam moves freely)
  • mobility
    • unrestrained (player directed)
    • connected (connected to anchor)
    • authoritarian (imposed by game, ie autoscroll)
    • fixed (immobile)
• plane analysis
  • planes: agents, in-game env, off-game env
  • each plane has
    • graphical materials
      • real-time 3d polygons
      • pre-rendered 3d polygons
      • raster graphics
      • vector graphics
      • digitized images
    • projection method
      • orthogonal
      • axonometric
      • oblique
      • linear
    • angle of projection
      • bird’s eye
      • top-down
      • 3/4
      • horizontal
      • overview
      • first-person

“Facing any image, we ask the question: how can the image itself demonstrate to a player the range of possible actions that she is allowed to do? The question of evaluating the efficiency of particular narrative strategies that aim to produce a diegetic world is not the focus here. This is a key choice since our framework needs to also cover games that don’t project a fictional world, such as the famous example of Tetris in game studies’ earliest controversies.” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 102)

A major aspect of the FAVR are visual modes, iE Super Marios Bros 3 title screen, message screen and gameplay screens. These “are created by the analyst for the purpose of discussing and analyzing games” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 103)

Composition

Is the first aspect that should be analyzed and relates to how the different areas of the screens are occupied functionally in terms of player agency.

Ocularization

This part is tough to follow and needs revisiting later on.

Framing mechanisms

Anchor and mobility of the frame are two elements of the regimental aspects of graphical regimes. “they are the descriptors of the kinetic qualities of the game’s graphics in relation to player control.” (Arsenault et al., 2015, p. 111)

The three planes

Can be applied to 2d and 3d visualities. Is mostly descriptive.

See also

• FAVR
• FAVR+ Ontology