All Work and Play - Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games - page 166

Table 11.2 Computer - Based Signs in Breakout

Sign Class P T H A

Paddle Interactive * * * *

Ball Actor * * *

Brick Actor * * *

Wall Actor * * *

Screen boundary, left and right Ghost *

Screen boundary, top Ghost *

Screen boundary, bottom Ghost *

Score Object * *

Balls left Object * *

Beep when ball rebounds Object * *

walls, fl oors, and other signs that constrain movement, for instance, but do not
change their appearance or respond to other signs. Objects are permanent and tran-
sient but do not affect other signs; signs of health and wealth, the pedestrians in
Driver are typical objects in CBS. Layout signs are there to signify the context of
the game world but do not change and do not contribute to gameplay causally.
The ghost sign only possesses action, as it cannot be seen and therefore cannot
change, and cannot be handled but it does affect other signs; it does not seem to
make sense and appears to break the fi rst rule of semiotics: all signs have to have a
signifi er. We'll talk about ghost signs more later.
Let's see how CBS work by applying them to that early classic Breakout. If you
have never played Breakout follow the links at the back of the topic to get an idea
of what this simple but compelling game is all about. The aim of the game, of course,
is to move the little blue “paddle” at the bottom of the screen left and right in order
to defl ect the white “ball” back towards the colored “wall” at the top of the screen.
You win the game when the ball hits the top of the screen. Table 11.2 gives a CBS
characterization of all the signs in the game.
Not surprisingly, we have an interactive sign, the paddle, which we can handle
via the signs of intervention—buttons in the original arcade version, to move the
paddle left or right. The paddle affects the ball by defl ecting it if we get it to the
right place at the right time. There are actor signs: the ball, which affects bricks by
removing them; bricks, which defl ect the ball when they are hit; the wall (a syntag-
matic arrangement of bricks) itself, which allows the ball through if enough bricks
have been destroyed. Next we come to three ghost signs; but why ghost signs? Well,
in the original arcade version there were no signs for the edges of the game' s display.
The balls appeared to hit nothing on the left and right but were still defl ected. A ball
disappears and we lose the game if it hits the bottom of the screen and disappears
and we win if it hits the top of the screen. These are good examples of ghost signs;
we only become aware of their presence by exercising agency, by making the ball