Time to Visit Yokosuka - Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games - page 130

character we play in Shenmue and the character we play in Unreal. We are truly
role-playing in Shenmue. However, because we do not develop the character our-
selves this is not an RPG in the video game tradition.
In general, there appear to be two types of transformation:
• Generic: Me as a Jedi Knight, football star, space marine, etc.
• Specifi c: Me as Luke Skywalker, Lara Croft, Ryo, etc.
In Thief, the player is the protagonist as a human who has strapped on a cyborg,
steampunk exoskeleton. In Shenmue the player is not Ryo but Ryo' s motivational
essence. Ryo is the protagonist, not the player.
Despite the extensive reliance on agency, Shenmue has many of the character-
istics of narrative. We have a plot based around the quest, a fi lm genre (the detective
story), we have characterization, and we have a beautiful evocation of not only the
architecture of neighborhoods but also of the extensive social relationships which
are the true heart of those neighborhoods. In Shenmue we have all these character-
istics of narrative existing side by side with agency.
SUMMARY
Clive has never been to Japan and so exploring a “ typical ” Japanese neighborhood
was fascinating for him. Yamanose actually reminded him of the kind of rural sprawl
you fi nd in many parts of Spain, for instance the areas just back from the coast near
Gandia or Valez - Malaga.
Another of the pleasures of Shenmue is that it can also be a family or group
experience; one person has the controller but everyone joins in with problem solving
and exploration. Immersion/presence do not mean you have to be directly in control,
just that you know this is happening right now and what happens next is up to you.
Learning is an important aesthetic pleasure of games in general. In Shenmue
learning is of course important:
• Learning how to function and survive.
• Learning how to use the interface controls and recognize the role of the HUD.
The interface controls do not at fi rst seem “deep” in the sense that once you
know what the red A or the yellow X mean, you cannot get better at using
them. However, the QTEs introduce a whole new twist on this and turn undeep
controls into deep controls. During the free fi ght interludes we have deep
controls in the classic sense of the traditional beat -' em - up .
We also have to learn:
• To recognize the major classes of attractors: people, streets and turns, shop
fronts and shop signs, street signs, objects in shops, etc.
• To recognize the onset of QTEs and how to respond to them.
• Which people are helpful; some in different ways.