Here’s the scenario: You invite your nongaming friend over to play something you think is noob-friendly, and yet, the game still eludes them. Blame gaming grammar. This week’s waste of time, Synopsis Quest, uses the tropes of role playing games to spoof and big-up the genre.
So, back to your noob friends: Depending on their level of inexperience the very idea of moving left to right (like Mario Bros. and every other side-scrolling game that followed it) might seem elusive. That’s because we gamers know that when a character starts on the left side of the screen your goal is undoubtedly to the right. Why would you be scared of a turtle unless you already had been killed by one. These lessons need to be learned the hard way. After decades of gaming the visual and audio cues – which are inescapable in any console game – seem obvious to the initiated and confounding to individuals not raised on Nintendo. That’s gaming grammar.
Arguably the biggest offender in the overuse of gaming grammar is the role playing game. Hit points? Level grinding? Character development? You can front-load a game with tutorials all you like, it’s not going to make clear to a first-time player that the empty hallway that goes nowhere is probably the most important hallway in the game. On the other hand, imagine how much fun it must be to start a role playing game as a lowly villager and not already assume you’re going to save the world. I’d feel 12 years old again, defeating Chaos in the first Final Fantasy. There are few experiences akin to getting your world-saving cherry popped.
This is a long way of introducing Synopsis Quest, a quick exploration of role-playing game grammar and the first English-language release from Japanese micro-game developer Skipmore. The game offers 25 levels (yes, the credits are a level) ranging in duration from two seconds to a few minutes depending on your familiarity with the ins and outs of epic role-playing cliches. It ranges from funny to frustrating. I’ll admit to saying “you asshole” after completing some of the trickier levels.
Click here to save the world in about 10 minutes.
Enjoy.
This article appears in April 9 • 2010.
