Worldly Struggle of Aesthetic Proportions:

How Halo: Combat Evolved utilizes game space aesthetics to invoke survivalist ludic player action.
Simon Lydiard 13109217 Game Form, Narrative and Style Bond University, Australia 942 (Including Quotes)

Just as a painting can evoke particular feelings and convey assumptions through its aesthetic composition, computer games conjure specific understandings and reactions through the interaction of narrative and visual representations. This paper will examine the potential such interaction holds to add a new dynamic to narrative by critically analysing Bungies first installment of the Halo series, Halo: Combat Evolved (2001). More specifically, the focus will be how the game uses game space aesthetics to invoke a narrative1 theme of survival. The eventual theme of the narrative is assisted through interaction of environment aesthetics combined with the concept of a heros narrative to create a colonial influenced narrative progression, intended to invoke ludic2 player action to ensure survival. When examining the course of the main story within Halo: Combat Evolved, it can be asserted that the story a colonial text. That is, the story deals with the subjugation of one people to another (Kohn, 2006). In this case, subjugation occurs between the Covenant and human races. Such themes heavily dictate the aesthetics of the game and how they develop an underlying motivation of survival. In order to appreciate how aesthetics function within the game, the way the game world itself is presented to players must first be considered. Although occasionally switching to third person when in vehicles, Halo: Combat Evolved is most dominantly presented in the first person. The first person perspective is interpreted as the most powerful in the sense that it offers a unique, visceral and hectic experience(Egenfeldt-Nielson, Smith, Tosca, 2008). This hectic experience of first person perspective invites the player to give concrete shape to our memories and imaginings of the storyworld (Jenkins, 2002). Hence the perspective of the protagonist aids in the players conceptual development of the game world, arguably provoking an emotional expectation of their role within the game space. When considering the challenge of portraying an environment capable of evoking such expectations, Halo: Combat Evolved implements a provocative art-style known as illusionism. Illusionism refers to a form of photorealism that use[es] photorealistic graphics in the service of non realistic content. (Egenfeldt-Nielson, Smith, Tosca, 2008) For example, the alien structures explored throughout the game could be considered life like, even though the objects presented have no real-life counterparts. (Egenfeldt-Nielson, Smith, Tosca, 2008) As the story progression is based on entirely fictional environment, it can be inferred that the aesthetic style strives to add some level of environmental believability. The representation of the game space and enemies in this manner intersects with the set-story to "Destroy Halo before Halo destroys all life in the galaxy" (Halo: Combat Evolved The Maw), and

the identification of the story as a separate level of meaning from the narratives that express it is the fact that the same story may be expressed in many different narratives, either within the same medium or across different media. (Lindley, 2005) Hence story will be treated as the explicit, set progression of events, driven by programmed and predetermined events while narrative is how player interaction and action in the game world shapes their interpretation of the set story. 2 Ludic; derived from ludas. Defined by Callois(2006); a taste for gratuitous difficulty that leads the player to solve a problem through the acquisition of a special skill, a particular mastery. Such skill in this game will be defeating the Covenant and Flood enemies in the game successfully.

arguably influence[s] the way we experience it [the game world] through game play or understand it in a representational sense. (Alphabet1, 2011) When coupled with Jenkins perspective that we can play the part of an explorer and a colonist, taking a harsh new world and bringing it undersymbolic control (Jenkins, Fuller, 1995), the selection of art style gains heightened meaning. The attempt to present the world in an unreal but believable way encourages the player to fight the enemy as a way of justifying their occupation of space. (Jenkins, Fuller, 1995) Such occupation is necessary to further personalize the narrative and lead the player through the game world with a primal desire (driven by ludic player action) to survive. The aesthetics of the game essentially function similarly a concept applied traditionally to film known as mise-enscene; the player is to explore the space and unlock its secrets[as] the game world becomes a kind of information space. (Jenkins, 2002) As Jenkins further contends, artifacts or spaces can contain affective potential or communicate significant narrative information. (Jenkins, 2002) Hence the aesthetic themes of the game spaces explored by the player have the ability to inform and motivate a player to act and feel a certain way. If we consider such artifacts within Halo: Combat Evolved, nothing is more prominent than the space you are forced to contest; the Halo Installment (ring). The communication of the space is never far from the dialogue, or more prominently, the view of the player. For example, every exterior space displays the Halo ring in the skybox, serving as a constant semiotic reminder of the game world the player is forced to contest. The works of A.G. Baumgarten insist that aesthetics is the science of sensual perception (2005). The function such environment aesthetics in Halo: Combat Evolved performs is the establishment of a syntactic (the relation of the signs), semantic (the relation between the significant and the sign) and pragmatic (the relation between the significant, the sign and the user) (Hardlt, 2005) recognition of space as being alien, foreign and ultimately a threat. Thus a colonial style narrative is not only formed by the explicit story (cut scenes/narration dialogue/orders etc), but also the constant bombardment of aesthetic cues (alien structures/Halo ring/alien battle cruisers/alien enemies), reminding the player of their seemingly dire fate. After considering the aesthetics of the game world, it can be recognised that the explicit story is heavily reliant on the aesthetic representation of the world itself. It could be inferred that the game space provides a setting for what Dunniway describes as heros journey, it can be seen that the player navigates through an environment that always force[s] them into a no turning back scenarioso that no matter how they feel about the story they know that they must move forward. (2005) Not only does the game world facilitate the provided story, but also foregrounds the importance of the overall ludic goal to survive through the composition of game space and environment aesthetics. The combination of aesthetic representation with a plot resembling a heros journey, functions to evoke an instinctual player reaction of survival within Halo: Combat Evolved. After considering perspective, style and role aesthetics play in the provocation of player action, it can be inferred that space becomes a higher category, one

that can include narrative qualities as well as ludic ones. (Nitsche, 2009) Therefore it can be asserted that the world presented within the game encourages narrative interaction and participation, ultimately fostering emotions and themes of a colonial struggle and provoking survivalist player action.

Bibliography
Alphabet1 (no other name provided) (2011). Game Are Like Onions. Gamer Babylon. Sourced from: [Link] Baumgarten, Alexander cited Hardt, Michael (2005). Aesthetics, semiotics & design. Publisher Unknown. Sourced from: [Link] Egenfeldt, Simon. Smith, Jonas. Tosca, Susana (2008). Understanding Video Games: the essential introduction. Rutledge, UK. Fuller, Mary. Jenkins, Henry (1995). Nintendo and New World Travel Writing: A Dialogue. Cybersociety: Computer Mediated Communication and Community (p57 72). Sourced online from: [Link] Hayward, David (2005). Videogame Aesthetics: The Future!. Gamasutra. Sourced From: [Link] Jenkins, Henry (2002). Game Design as Narrative Architecture. MIT Press. Sourced from: [Link] Kohn, Margaret (2006). Colonialism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Sourced from: [Link] Nitsche, Michael (2009). Computer Game Spaces: An Interview with Gerogia Techs Michael Nitsche (Part One). Confession of an Aca-Fan The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins. Sourced from: [Link]

Gameography
Bungie Studios (2001).Halo: Combat Evolved. Microsoft Game Studios. (Xbox)

References
Lindley, Craig (2005). Story and Narrative Structures in Computer Games. Gotland University, Sweden. Sourced from: [Link] tive_Structures.doc Callois cited Bateman, Chris (2006). The Complexity of Ludas. Sourced from: [Link]

Appendix Halo: Combat Evolved Game Segmentation

1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 1. 1. 2.
power.

Large human spaceship The Pillar of Autumn is under attack from alien (Covenant) forces. Your character, Master Chief, is woken to destruction as the ship is progressively destroyed. Given AI unit, Cortana, by Captain Keyes and told to abandon ship as he lands it manually. Master Chief escapes in an escape pod with other marines.

(2)Halo: "Seek out surviving Marines and help them fight the Covenant." Land on the Halo ring in escape pod. Fight hordes of Covenant forces while trying to rescue fellow survivors in escape pods.

(3)The Truth and Reconciliation: "Board a Covenant ship in an attempt to rescue Captain Keyes." After learning Captain Keyes is alive and being held on a mother ship, Master Chief and marines set out to board and rescue him. Board Covenant ship and release Keyes and a number of other prisoners.

(4)The Silent Cartographer: "Search for the map room that will lead you to the secrets of Halo." After learning more about the environment they have landed, attention turns to Covenant beliefs that the Silent Cartographer is under an island that contains a map room of the Halo structure. Master Chief and several marines assault the island to find the map room.

(5)Assault on the Control Room: "Defend the Control Room against wave after wave of Covenant troops." A number of troop from Fire Team Zulu are sent to assault the control room to locate a lost fire team that lost contact with Cortana. The Master Chief is sent to assist Zulu and eventually locate Echo 419 and arrange pick up for both fire teams before continuing alone. After placing Cortana in the mainframe of the control room, he is ordered to save Keyes from a suspicious building he suspects is a weapons cache, leaving Cortana behind. (6)343 Guilty Spark: Creep through a swamp to meet the only enemy the Covenant fear. First introduced to The Flood (believed to be the weapons cache) containment facility. Master Chief fights through the facility to find a fire team that was with Keyes slaughtered and meets a robot ally 343 Guilty Spark (Monitor). (7)The Library: "Fight your way through an ancient security facility in search of the Index." After being teleported from the swamp by the new supposed ally 343 Guilty Spark, The Master Chief must then fight his way through a containment facility of The Flood to reach the index chamber. (8)Two Betrayals: Re-activate the weapon at the heart of Halo... and learn the truth. The Master Chief is teleported back to the control room and forced to fight back through the level in reverse. He begins to activate the Halo ring Instillation 04. This is stopped however when he finds Cortana again who has learned the truth of the Halo rings destructive

3. 1. 2. 1. 2.

The Master Chief turns on 343 Guilty Spark and delays the activation of the Halo ring as Cortana locates the crash site of the Pillar of Autumn. (9)Keyes: "Stage a one-cyborg assault on a Covenant ship and bring back the Captain." After learning Keyes is again being held on a Covenant battlecruiser overrun by The Flood, Master Chief searches the cruiser in search of the captain. After discovering the captain has been taken over by the flood, the Master Chief kills him and removes the implants that have the access codes for the Pillar of Autumn before escaping. (10)The Maw: "Destroy Halo before Halo destroys all life in the galaxy." The Master Chief returns to the Pillar of Autumn to detonate the fusion reactors and destroy the Halo ring in an attempt to eliminate the threat. The ship is destroyed and The Master Chief escapes in a Pelican with Cortana.