Get to know Deconstruction, a method of changing the point of view of a game
What Is Deconstruction In Video Games?
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Explaining deconstruction from beginning to end is quite complicated, but the author will try to explain it as simply as possible. Deconstruction in the world entertainment (novels, comics, films, games) is a method to eliminate cliché by changing the constants or provisions that already exist in a genre, changing constants is not the same as changing gameplay cores or simply combining genres.
Parable
A simple example: chicken porridge consists of porridge and chicken, this is a constant, adding mushrooms, prawns, bread, onions and other toppings does not only change the fact that it is chicken porridge, but what happens if we use brown rice or even yellow rice as the base of the porridge, feels weird, doesn’t it? However, we can’t deny that it (brown rice/yellow rice porridge) is chicken porridge. Games like Borderland, The Division, or The Crew cannot be called deconstruction because they only add elements, but do not change the constants of the genre. In the past, many games used this method, but to make it more familiar the author will use a more modern example.
Examples of Deconstruction in the Modern Game World
Example 1: Spec Ops The Line
If you play games with genre military shooter, you will get a formula or sequence that looks something like this:
This constant is used in almost all games military shooter modern, call it Battlefield 3, 4, Hardline, CoD MW series, Homefront, Metro Last Light, MoH Warfighter, SOCOM and many more. In 2011, a game called Spec Ops The Line dared to change these constants through the following formula:
Spec Ops changes the setting where the war that is generally presented in a video game perspective looks majestic and heroic into something terrible and makes you reluctant to play it, of course in a positive context. Broadly speaking, Spec Ops is still a shooting game, but with this change you can be discouraged from pulling the trigger and even feeling confused and scared on the battlefield, in contrast to the constants that Modern Warfare set 13 years ago.
Example 2: Portal
Portal is a drastic example of deconstruction, even this game can deconstruct 2 play genre at the same time (FPS and Puzzle), for more details please see the comparison between ‘normal’ puzzle games with Portal series:
In the perspective of the puzzle genre, Portal is able to change the provisions or formulas that have existed in the puzzle genre for a long time as shown above, while from the perspective of FPS, Portal is able to show that FPS games are not always about killing and destroying but can be about adventure and building things. Even though it is thick with puzzle elements, Portal is technically still an FPS game because there is still ‘shooting’ something with a portal gun.
Another Example of a Game Deconstructing Its Genre
Bioshock is a game that successfully deconstructs the FPS genre as a whole, where in the past FPS which was always related to the military was ‘changed’ into something ‘other’. in terms of story Bioshock brings a narrative about science, philosophy, and other heavy things that have never existed in an FPS game before. The gameplay is also more varied because of the RPG elements so you have many choices other than shooting enemies to death.
Besides being borderline between JRPGs and western RPGs, Undertale did a lot to deconstruct the genre. Undertale was able to change a story that looked like adventure-action simple to be cosmic horror scary one. The gameplay presented is also ‘different’, instead of being turn based Simple RPG, Undertale embeds elements bullet hell, platformers, and even dating sim in its gameplay which of course blends well in the whole game.
Stanley Parable is a game that makes you confused and amazed by the narrative in the game. In most games we have full control over changing the course of the game, but in Stanley Parable it is you who are changed by the game. Through in-game Narrator, you are asked to follow various directions that not only determine the course of the game but also how you play it, interesting isn’t it?
Conclusion
Deconstruction is an innovation method that is not easy and requires careful thought, but its application can have a big impact on a genre. A developer must understand the inside and outside of a genre before intending to change the genre, like throwing a box without letting the contents fall apart. Currently, genre deconstruction may be needed so that game innovation does not stagnate and brings fresh air for both players and developers.
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