David Harris

GAME-230/CS-225
12/16/2014
The game that stands out as most inspirational to me is Elite, a 1984 BBC Micro game
written by Ian Bell and David Braben. I definitely agree that Elite is an inspirational game
simply through the technical achievements that it demonstrated. Just a few examples of
technical achievement include the intuitive user interface, the engines use of procedural
generation, and the graphics engine used to display realtime wireframe 3D models. However, I
am just as interested in the social commentary and philosophy that can be derived from the
design of Elites gameplay. For instance, Elite is an open world game, so Bell and Braben
designed an economy to allow the player to structure their own objectives. This economy in turn
represented the designers choice on how the galaxy would operate in terms of morality and
utility. Although the first Elite was only single player, the in-game market foreshadowed future
MMORPGs like World of Warcraft that simulate massive economies across many servers to
incentivize and service their player base. An additional component of Elite that deserves
attention is the fact that it features non-linear gameplay. Due to the fact that the first version of
Elite was developed in the UK and was also only available on the BBC Micro, the game did not
reach as large an audience as it could have. However, I view the aspects of the game as
described above are enough to qualify the game as a revolutionary product alongside the likes of
the seminal arcade game Spacewar!, which ironically is also a space simulation game.
The 3D graphics that Ian Bell and David Braben integrated into Elite set it apart from any
other game on the home computer, console, or arcade cabinet in 1984. The vector graphics used
in console games was the inspiration and the visual result for Elite which no doubt influenced a
multitude of computer games later on. I remember playing two-dimensional educational games
as a kid, but once I learned about 3D action and racing games my entire perspective changed. I
imagine this is similar to how people experienced Elite back in 1984. I can see the influence of
Elite not only in video games, but in modern simulation programs used in various industries.
The 3D first-person tank shooter that paved the way for simulation in the late 1970s was almost
immediately requested to be used for training purposes by the military. The graphical experience
offered by Elite was no doubt influential in the development of modern flight simulators that
require 3D graphics in order to teach a challenging skill like flying airplanes, spacecraft, and
cars. One can argue that even with 3D graphics Elite was visually boring due to the lack of
textures and colors, but this minimalism has seemingly influenced a number of independent
developers who have mimicked Elites asthetic for both technical and artistic reasons. Lastly, I
would like to point out how the gameplay of Elite was coupled with the 3D graphics. One major
example is the compass Heads Up Display (HUD) that was displayed in the bottom center of the
screen. This feature gave players a top-down tactical perspective to evaluate their direction and
proximity to other objects. The widget is so helpful for orienting the player in their 3D
environment that it is one of the most ubiquitous interface tools that appear in a modern open
world video games. Relating this back to the concept of the ultimate display, one can argue
that for each step forward we take in graphics, we have to also make concessions that fill in the
space left between the player and the interface to account for controls, field of view, etc.
These concessions take the form of a user interface that bridges the gap between you and the
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David Harris
GAME-230/CS-225
12/16/2014
character in the 3D world. The interface should be seamless enough to not interrupt your
gameplay immersion, and it is beneficial because it allows you to quickly convey information in
a way that is less graphically intensive than actually showing it in the 3D world. Things like
your inventory, health, character level, and other things are examples of items that are usually not
represented in the rendered game world but instead on a user interface. I find this to have also
influenced things like augmented reality devices and wearable technology in the modern age.
Just as computer screens get between us and the game world, so does our mobile hardware and
wearable technology get between us and the real world. In this way we see the user interface
designs of wearable technology mimic video games in an effort to bridge the gap inherently
created by this hardware that we use.
The trend of video games in the 70s and 80s was linear gameplay. Text Adventure games
and interactive fiction with extensive branching stories was the main caveat to this trend. Elite
not only gave you the ability to experience multiple different end-game scenarios, it also
provided you with a multitude of ways to get there. The open-world design meant however that
the designers couldnt weave a narrative into the story like most other games could. They had to
leave it up to the player to do what they wished. Instead of being narrative-driven, the game is
what I would like to call exploration-driven. This inherently gives the game more complex
failure/win states which attracted new types of players. Allowing players to choose their own
goals in the game allowed for new types of player agency which could have been the conceptual
startpoint for machinimas and other forms of self-expression for gamers. Another important
aspect of open world games is the progression mechanic, which is how the games changes as you
play over time. Unlike for linear games, where ones progression can be easily measured in
levels or the number of bosses beaten, in an open-world game the player has the ability to go
anywhere. Therefore you have to determine how the player is encouraged to learn the mechanics
of the game necessary to address the challenges you have prepared for them in the game. It
appears that in Elite a lot of the game involves trial and error as you outfit and customize your
ship, which works well with the concept of a game set in outer space. Another consequence of
this open-world setting that has influenced me is how players project certain aspects of
themselves onto the avatar. In linear games many times you are trying to learn about the
character you are playing, but in open-world games your avatar is often more like a blank slate.
In this way you are actually learning more about yourself as you project and experiment with
certain qualities of your character as you progress through the game.