Modos y estéticas de la espera en los videojuegos

  1. Alejandro Lozano 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Salamanca
    info

    Universidad de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02f40zc51

Journal:
Artnodes: revista de arte, ciencia y tecnología

ISSN: 1695-5951

Year of publication: 2022

Issue Title: «Posibles I»

Issue: 30

Pages: 1-9

Type: Article

DOI: 10.7238/ARTNODES.V0I30.398865 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: Artnodes: revista de arte, ciencia y tecnología

Abstract

This article explores the implementation of waiting in video games. The starting point argues that the elimination of time-outs acts as a technical principle in the creation of video game experiences. This premise is based on the idea that video games are software, calling to mind what John Sharp and David Thomas call an “aesthetic of meaningful choice”. This aesthetic paradigm emphasizes the agency of the player, so that waiting is regarded as either a flaw or a sanction. Time-outs after the player makes a mistake in a shooter video game are a clear example of this aesthetic of waiting as punishment. In opposition to this notion of waiting as a defect, the article analyzes the many roles that time-outs play in video games. Following Víctor Navarro Remesal’s theory, it is possible to differentiate between modalities of waiting that are 1) external to the core components of gameplay, and those that are 2) an integral part of the video game. Once inside the game’s central system, a further distinction can be made between episodic and intensive uses of waiting. The main case studies are Dark Souls (From Software 2011), The Sims (Maxis 2000), The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo EAD 2000) and The Longing (Studio Seufd 2020); other video games will be mentioned as supplementary examples. In these cases, time-outs interlace with moments of high activity that require more involvement from the player. In all of them, the need to wait is not an accessory but essential to the overall experience.

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