Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1952https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677Wow. Just, wow. I learned that my abilities are a bit limited when it comes to solitaire board games. Comancheria nearly required me to have my own dungeon master in order to make it through the easiest round. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, because I never actually finished the easiest round. I just want to be completely clear about my apparent lack of tabletop gaming ability. Still, gaming ability is not the point of this log. The point is the ethics of making a board game based on a Native American nation that was nearly wiped out through war and disease. I find my answer to the question of whether or not the game is ethical to be a resounding “Yes“. The games designer Added painstaking detail, and used legitimate reference materials to craft a game that serve not just as diversionary entertainment, but as a brutal history lesson centered on the trails and tribulations of the Comanche nation. I know I mentioned this multiple times in the previous log, but the inclusion of a required/recommended reading list is a good example of the designers intentions for the material. That said, I’m not sure that this particular material lends itself towards any other form of gaming media. What I mean by this is that I could see a video game version proving to be less well accepted. The table top experience does away with streamlining that you would see in a digital version of the game, almost giving one the feeling that the difficulty is there to purposely make you struggle. The bottom line is that the game treats the material with the upmost respect, and therefore I find its use as a backdrop for a military strategy game to be ethical.Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:29:32 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677&iddiary=11829https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677Mother of God. What have I gotten myself into. Day two of Comancheria has brought me to the realization that the game was made by a detail oriented sadist. This game is almost brutally impenetrable in both play AND preparation. The designer actually included a recommended reading list to help players fully understand the material. About half of the books are available as either an e-book or audio book. The rest require good old fashioned libraries access. The game is incredibly deep, using action, preparation, time, and culture phases to move the game along. A twenty-three page rule book is accompanied by a twenty-three page "play" book, six page of "quick reference" material, and finally, the aforementioned seven book recommended reading list. The terms and names used within the game have led to a great deal of Googling. To my surprise, I have yet to find an incorrect cultural reference. If anything, this game was made with the utmost respect for the titular tribe. Huh. I think I like this game. No seriously. I found myself searching for the audiobooks earlier today. I looked for my own copy on Amazon. More importantly, I went down the Comanceria Youtube rabbit hole. I left a link below in order to trap anyone fool enough to follow it..... Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHVcCkOu7yU JOIN. US. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Fri, 30 Mar 2018 00:45:22.)Fri, 30 Mar 2018 00:37:05 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677&iddiary=11821https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677Comancheria. Where to start? Comancheria is a single player (solitaire?) board game that uses the lands controlled by the Comanche Tribe in the American Southwest prior to 1865 as a setting. My initial reaction was a bit of a raised eyebrow. The idea of a game about Native American tribal warfare feels as if it can be done extremely poorly, but more on that later. The game is a military strategy game, to be sure, but requires a SERIOUS dedication to learn. The rules alone took me multiple hours to learn. I was limited by the games pristine state however. I went the the majority of the game resources, including decks of cards that frequently mention actual events and individuals. This game, more so than any number of other games I have played recently, led me to do an inordinate amount of research. I found myself pouring through a great deal of historical texts in order to get a better feel for the material on which the game is based. I'm not sure if this is necessary, but it definitely seems as if it would be beneficial. After a few hours of pouring through the material (both game and self-inflicted supplementary material) I am left wondering if my reaction is a result of reviewing the game in relation to an ethics class, or if this was the game creators actual intent. The game is so varied and dense that I hard time believing the game creator's intent is in anyway malicious.Wed, 28 Mar 2018 23:49:34 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6677&iddiary=11789https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616I logged on today planning to anger the game's resisdent mob boss by playing the game using a minimum of criminal tactics. I was surprised to find that this wouldn't be an option. I was immediately shot dead by an assassin's bullet while reading the paper. At first, I was a bit upset by this turn of events. After all, how am I supposed to play the game my way, if I am punished for my good acts. That is when I came to a realization: Maybe the game developer wanted me to experience a different take on the material. I feel as if the dev wanted to tell a specific story. I use the "Fire All Black Cops" scenario as an example. Personally, I found this scenario to be a bit heavyhanded, but I think that is the kind of commentary that the Weappy is going for. The idea that players should experience the lifestyle of a dirty cop is not something that I am completely against. I think whether This is the Police (TITP) is consdered comentary, fiction, or any combination of the two, it can be enjoyed. It was actually a little shocking when I died violently during what is basically a management sim. I restarted the game and decided to fully embrace the role as a dirty cop, seeing where the twists and turns to would take me. I have to say, it really is fun to watch the story unfold, having to deal with the eventual repurcussions of skirting the law that Jack is supposed to uphold.I liked taking a path that I would normally avoid, and trying to deal with issues that I normally would not be presented with in more straight-laced playthroughs. I do, however, think that an argument could be made that the setting and backdrops of racial strife could be seen as exploitative. In the end, I feel that the game dev is actually using exagerated versions of real issues to make a statement, and ask the player to experience something a bit more uncomfortable than standard good/bad guy situations. Fri, 16 Feb 2018 23:03:02 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616&iddiary=11706https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616As I played through This is the Police, I noticed that I was willing to allow main character (Jack) to be bribed into allowing the commission of less serious, victimless crimes. I do not feel that this is a big deal. In fact, I think the setting and the backstory are a bit more interesting when you allow the main character to be a bit on the corrupt side. It seems like the corruption lends itself to the whole "Mike Hammer" vibe that the game appears to be trying to pull off. Also, I learned a bit more about the main character's past. Potentially abusive past actions committed by Jack are suggested through a series of rather leading Rorschach Test's. If true, this information greatly changes the context of a previous plot point from yesterday's play through: Your wife may have left due to your character's potential for physical abuse. Again, I do not think that this is a major issue morally, as this game feels more like an interactive detective tale. I plan on reserving judgement for the full reveal that must happen at some point later in the game. That said, This is the Police gives you a number of unsavory options to choose from while attempting to forward the story. From bribery, to questionable orders given during police interactions with civilians, the game is rife with unacceptable behavior, and I for one can not wait to see which moral dilemmas are presented tomorrow. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Thu, 15 Feb 2018 23:54:58.)Thu, 15 Feb 2018 23:52:54 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616&iddiary=11692https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616I am an academic criminal. I realized today that I did not start a game log that is due tomorrow. I rushed home after class and purchased "This is the Police" with every intention of knocking out thirty minutes of gameplay, and then quickly hand jamming an entry. I easily spent four times the requirement playing the game. This is the Police is an interesting mix of gameplay and story elements. It immediately presents as a Mickey Spilane detective novel, complete with Mike Hammer-like narration. The simplified, faceless presentation, along with the vaguely 70's/80's era setting go a long way towards pulling me in. Finding little bits here and there such as a rotary phone, or the police uniforms are nice touches. The mix of story and management sim is the real draw for me, however. So much so that it was easy to miss a good bit of the murky ethical choices. That is until the game hit me over the head with a choice that I found a bit too on the nose: Fire all black cops or City Hall will make you pay. I did not find this to be that tough of a decision, and I would have appreciated a bit more moral grey area. As it stands, the decisions I have found most difficult have involved team make-up and the hiring process. I actually found myself questioning which individuals to hire based on the possibility of needing to balance teams for possible future social scenarios. In the end I ended up using the characters with the highest ratings alone. I say this as someone with previous experience hiring individuals. As an member of boards that helped hire individuals for specific teams, I initially did not have pictures of the potential team members. This was done to help avoid any type of bias prior to face to face interviews. The game actually did make me question hiring practices, and that is something I had never seriously considered before. I am looking forward to seeing what else this game makes me question.Wed, 14 Feb 2018 23:51:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6616&iddiary=11660https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573It is day three of my playthrough of Shadow of Mordor, and I have realized something that I had forgotten: The game wears thin fairly quickly. As I said on day one,The game basically boils down to a series of assaults meant to strike terror into your enemies. After two days of spending my postgame time looking back at my actions, I began to look for ways to avoid the main hook of the game. Instead I tried to find a way to avoid enemies, instead concentrating on side activities such as hunting down artifacts. I do not believe that the game is necessarily immoral or without a purpose, I just do not find myself compelled to continue the activities. I have the same sort of aversion to the Grand Theft Auto series. I never really cared to role play criminal activity. This does not mean, however that I find those who do enjoy these types of games to be morally bankrupt. Instead I think there is plenty of room for all types of stories within varied media. Still, I did not think that reflecting on Mordor would lead me to this conclusion. I felt that I had just fell off the game previously due to other, newer games. Instead, I now feel like I have bounced hard off of a game that I find a bit too far on the "renegade" end of the spectrum, and that is too bad. The game has a lot going for it mechanically.Tue, 23 Jan 2018 00:57:27 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573&iddiary=11572https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573My second playthrough of Shadow of Mordor has gone something like this: Climb tower, get mission, get distracted trying to hunt down Orc, run afoul of different Orc, die fighting different Orc, respawn, get distracted trying to hunt down different Orc.... One of the main things that I enjoyed about the game the first time that I played was the Nemesis System. I like the way the randomly generated Orcs present themselves WWE style with a short threat/monologue. I actually did not realize it at the time, but for me the insults served as a reason to say "I need to go hunt down that jerk". I find it to be a good bit of motivation as opposed to any of the narrative driven reasons that I was supposed to be invested. Killed by an evil army? No big deal. Ghost-elf in my head? I'll live. My family is dead? Meh. Oh, what's that you say? That green guy just called me names in a Mary Poppins chimney sweep accent?! Time to die... This second playthrough has led me to question the way the game motivates me. Family vengeance (in my opinion) is a great reason to go Orc hunting, but is not a "real" motivation. I was completely sucked in to the mechanics of the Nemesis System, and to be honest, it is a great system. I would love to see this used in other games. There are a few problems that come up when considering the gameplay within the world that serves as a setting. I need to look it up, but previous bits of lore within the world basically say "Orcs are people, too". The mechanics feel just a bit off in conjunction with the story, and I hate saying that because I really enjoy both elements separately. I think I might just really like the idea of playing a generic Orc Murder simulator, that way I could shut my brain off an go full WWE.Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:06:38 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573&iddiary=11570https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573The next three log entries will be about Shadow of Mordor. I previously played this game soon a after release, and did not think much about the experience at the time. The only thing that I previously noted was how much I enjoyed the mechanics of the Nemesis System. I did, however, notice quite a few ethical issues on this most recent play through. Today, I would like to discuss one specific topic: The way the game encourages the use of fear to obtain goals. Most people call this tactic terrorism. The Merriam-Webster definition of terrorism is "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion". In the case of Mordor, I find this definition is accurate. My character has quite a few unlocks due to previous play. One specific ability allows the player to kill an enemy and immediately viciously stab and hack the defeated NPC in order to send nearby enemy Orcs into a panic. This is the Tolkienesque equivalent of a car bomb going off at a military checkpoint. The only thing that kept me from seeing this earlier was the wrapper. These actions are used repeatedly to get information from enemies so that you can track down bigger baddies in order to get revenge for the loss of your family. I enjoyed a number of Tolkien's works, in a funny coincidence, while deployed. Does this mean that I think the game is immoral and a promotion of extremist tactics? No, I do not. I do however think it is important to recognize themes at work in fiction. I do not like taking away choice in games, and I think there is a line. I just do not think this is that line. It feels more like a choice that you have to think about and possibly justify. How far are you willing to go? Where is the line that you are not willing to cross? Also, I have to admit that If this were a game that involved performing similar actions in a modern military setting, I would probably find it completely unplayable. All this and I still have not discussed the Nemesis System. More on that tomorrow. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:16:04.)Sat, 20 Jan 2018 20:15:16 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6573&iddiary=11567https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6539I woke up early to finish this quest line off. Replaying this section of the game gave me a good chance to reexamine some of the things that the developers did with this story. First, I believe that this subject matter could have been handled VERY poorly, but was instead treated in a respectful manner. None of the characters were treated as one dimensional cartoons, instead even allowing the characters who were not seen to be developed in a realistic manner. Second, and I find this really impressive, the game handles a sadly common issue in a manner that does not belittle anyone. The fantasy setting may actually serve to help make the subject matter more bearable while at the same time not oversimplifying the issue. Finally dragging the truth out of the Baron is almost stomach churning. Here you have an all too human character that has committed a reprehensible act (domestic violence, killing of his own unborn child) that MUST continue to be engaged in an escort mission. The idea of this man's past literally and figuratively coming back to haunt him seems fitting. Overall, the story can be dealt with in a couple of different ways. The first way is kill the unborn baby demon. The second is to give it peace and allow it to become a gentler version of the spirit. I chose the latter, and maybe that is the point of the quest line. While choosing the peaceful resolution (though there is plenty of fighting along the way), it did not absolve the Baron of his sins. I believe allowing for the different approaches is wholly ethical in relation to this story. It would be wrong to take away an individual's agency in how they would wish to deal with a similar situation in real life. Maybe that was the point.Thu, 18 Jan 2018 10:51:15 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6539&iddiary=11546