Ukigumo- The Essay

In order for any of this to make sense, you need to watch Ukigumo on Youtube. It is a short, 2-minute flash animation that is nothing short of amazing.

UKIGUMO!

Why is it so awesome? It manages to encapsulate the history and longevity of video games in a bite-sized package with an 8-bit soundtrack.

The first 20 seconds represents the beginning of video games, things like Pong and Space Invaders. While there were only a few white dots to work with, people began to realize that the potential was without bound. Backgrounds are bare minimal, but you still like you were in another world, off to explore it as best you could.

0:20-0:32 represents the real story of the home console era. The Atari 2600, Colecovision, and ultimately the NES. Along with the explosive surge in arcade games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, the 80's were a seemingly infinite fountain of opportunity. Until E.T. came and almost ruined it all, but Nintendo was there to revive the industry and keep it afloat.

0:32-0:42 represents the glory of the 16-bit era. With hard rocking soundtracks, plenty of textures and graphics and colors galore, the Genesis and Super Nintendo were able to introduce a whole new wave of people into video games.

0:43-0:53 tells about the onset of portable gaming. I believe the background is a yellowish green to simulate the original Game Boy screen. With some simple beats and a couple buttons, it was impressive what they could unveil.

0:53-1:04, the transition into the tunnel, is symbolic of the uncertainty that came about with the introduction of new systems that never really managed to grab a hold in the consumer market for various reasons. The 3DO, Atari Jaguar, and Philips cD-i tried their darnedest to become the new Nintendo or Sega, but a lack of software, hefty price tags and other deterrents made the video game industry seemingly saturated.

1:05-1:15 represents the technical advancements brought about by the Nintendo 64, the Sony Playstation, and, to a lesser effect, the Sega Saturn. While being able to handle multiple sprites and stuff was a feat in of itself, what mattered was what you were able to do with it.

Cue 1:15. By really utilizing the third dimension on a much broader scale than the other systems could handle, it brought new life into games. It allowed for open-ended adventuring, letting the player determine what order to finish the game, and whether or not to finish it completely.

The short dance number at 1:25 serves two purposes. It recalls the resurgence of arcade games with titles like DDR, and it also segues into the more advanced graphics and modern physics incorporated into many games nowadays. Characters are free to move as if they were in a movie. The current systems (Xbox 360, PS3, and, less so, the Wii) introduce a new character depth with advanced facial expressions and the like.

Sadly, there are two things I don't think Ukigumo really manages to represent: the transition from Sega to Microsoft as a major player, and the constant evolution of PC gaming. Of course, since I've never been a PC person I've been using consoles to illustrate my analogies, but I'm sure a lot can be said about PC games from their text based origins to their one-to-one status with PS3 and the 360.

Of course, it's not just graphics or good music that have brought us back. 1:30-2:09 establishes quite well that the gameplay is the most important aspect of any game. Whether the story be simple (the princess has been kidnapped- go save her!) or more complicated and brooding (Shadow of the Colossus) we need something to draw us back. Indeed, what brings us back is that we are the protagonist in these games. We are playing out these roles in a unique manner every time. There might me a lot of potential enemies to encounter, and we might die a lot, but if we try our best we can often persevere. And that was one of the best things about gaming: winning. You won the game. The story had reached its conclusion, all thanks to you. Whether it be a happy ending or a cliffhanger for a sequel, there was (usually) a feeling of pride and accomplishment. It is at this point where the truly good games distance themselves from the rest. Do you start back from the beginning? Do you try a different sequence of events? Do you go for a different ending, a faster time, a higher score? While some great games are meant to only be completed once, the majority of them depend on replayability for the player to truly feel like he spent his time well.

That brings us to the end of Ukigumo. It appears the same seed or plant that was at the beginning has resprouted. Indeed, it is currently like a Renaissance in video games. Not only are the major players introducing new content and advancing gameplay dynamics, there is a blooming of people remembering what makes video games fun. From simple online Flash games to Apps on your iSoSmartPhone to advancing portable devices to homebrew ROM hacks, people are taking the helm with video games and truly making it their own. Some may feel that there is a lack of creativity from the big guns, but the awesome thing is that the system forces itself to change. Indeed, it needs to change in order to survive. Ukigumo illustrates the best from video games, and I can't wait to see what's next.