Collecting Flowers
Creative Research Project: A deep dive into Anthologies, an immersive method of storytelling.
Introduction
(Love Death + Robots – The Very Pulse of The Machine)
an·thol·o·gy
/anˈTHäləjē/
noun
a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music.
A hundred different stories occurring within a city, a country, a world, the vast and silent expanses of space or perhaps another plane of existence or timeline. Another universe outside of the one we occupy, where technology is so highly advanced that people are able to download their minds into a monstrous gladiator and fight to the death – or where a lost space traveler stranded on an unknown planet struggles with her sense of reality as her oxygen slowly depletes. How about a story of a woman looking for her cat, and stumbles upon a blip within the matrix that allows her to experience a world in a way she never fathomed and can now never forget?
Anthologies have proven that not only can a group of creators and visionaries can come together to craft a collection of compelling stories with no relations to one another and leave the viewer with a visual and audio feast (Love, Death, and Robots), but a collection in this form can also lend itself as a powerful tool to expanse upon an existing story (The Matrix – Animatrix). This art form could prove useful in terms of game development:
Anthologies can be used to further enrich a world and cast of characters people already love.
Could be used as a way of introducing new stories and ideas that would have otherwise been scrapped.
This could be used as a way for those unfamiliar with the gaming world to appreciate the story in bite sized portions, and perhaps encourage them to join in on the full experience.
Before we get into the details and examples, let’s take a brief look into the background of anthologies. The name, full definition, and uses in the past.
The Meaning and Power of Anthology
An anthology has different meanings depending on the form in which it is used. In literature, it is a series of works that have been collected into a single volume that usually has a unifying theme or subject. These works could be short stories, essays, poems, lyrics, or plays, by a variety of authors. Anthologies are organized around themes rather than the authors themselves. These works are typically selected by an editor or small editorial board.
In the 1630s, the word Anthology originated from both the Greek word anthologia, which means “flower gathering” or “collecting” or more beautifully put “a collection of blossoms” or garland, and the Latin version that has an identical spelling that means “collection of poetry”. The modern version that developed in Late Greek is metaphoric: “flowers” of verse, small poems by various writers gathered together, like a garland. The word was coined by a poet and collector of epigrams, Meleager of Gadara, who was known for satirical prose and sensual poetry.
Though anthologies existed before the 20th century, it was officially brought into its own by the modern-day publishing industry. As a marketing device, this allowed for powerful advantages:
New writers could be linked to a more marketable name.
Shorter works could be collected and monetized more effectively.
Readers are now able to discover authors with similar styles and themes and gain new reading material.
The benefits of anthologies could even be seen used in education. A universal and perhaps very nostalgic example of this would be one of the largest collections of stories, essays, poetry, and other writings that housed a wide range of authors, “The Norton Anthology of American Literature”. This volume launched in 1962 and rapidly became a staple of classrooms around the world. The anthology offers a wide overview of literature in a succinct format. Within the world of fiction, anthologies offer themselves as an incredible tool for promoting new voices, as well as being a great way for editors to earn money, either through up-front payment or a portion of the royalties.
Now that we’ve got a good sense of where anthologies came from, the many uses, and benefits it offers, let’s look at a couple favorite existing projects in the media arts and how it can benefit the gaming world.
The Animatrix
This 2003 American-Japanese adult film is a compilation of nine animated short stories which shed a detailed light on the backstory of The Matrix film series, giving viewers a deeper insight into the apocalyptic war that was waged between humanity and machines that led to the creation of the Matrix. “The Second Renaissance”, created in two parts, served as the main bulk of the universe’s history, while the other seven side stories helped to expand the world through the eyes of the different characters on the cusp of breaking out of the code designed to keep them within the Matrix. The Animatrix is a perfect example of bringing audiences a new experience in a project they already have love for and are familiar with, as well as showcase different studios with varying styles of art and storytelling.
Love Death + Robots
While The Animatrix served as a way to better expand upon a world that is known, Love Death + Robots takes another approach that showcases not only a wide variety of studios, but is a series of stories that are not as intertwined or have little to no relation with one another. The Netflix series explores comedy, horror, science fiction, and fantasy, which are connected only by one of the three titular concepts of love, death, and/or robots. Audiences can experience the story of “Sonnie’s Edge”, where a young woman participates in an underground fight club by controlling bio-engineered gladiator beasts, “Sucker of Souls”, a gruesome tale of a mercenary group and archaeologist attempting to escape the violent clutches of an awakened demon hungry for their blood, “When the Yogurt Took Over”, a comical depiction of what might happen if a group of scientists mutate yogurt by fermenting bacteria that later become sentient, and much more.
Anthologies in Video Games
What would this look like for the gaming world? How could this be used to better build upon the series and projects we love or could love? Luckily, we won’t have to think too hard on this. There are plenty of games that are already doing this:
Life is Strange
The Dark Pictures Anthology
Amnesia
Outlast
One game that delivers distinct environments and arts styles, which is typically seen in a traditional anthology collection or volume, is What Remains Of Edith Finch. As Edith, players explore the Finch house in search of stories as she explores her family history and tries to piece together why she is all who remains of her lineage. Each story found within the home allows you to experience the life of another family member on the day of their death. The game is in first person, though the environment and art style vary depending on the story being told. The encompassing theme of this game is about what it feels like to be humbled and astonished by the vast and unknowable world around us.
That answers the first question of how anthologies look within the gaming world. Now using all of this, we can answer our second question. How could this be used to better build upon the series and projects we love or could love? An anthology treatment could be the perfect engine for providing rich lore to a story audiences already know or are learning about for the first time during a game’s development. This could be a way to tide players over while they await a release, giving them a taste of what is to come. With technology constantly growing and allowing studios to bring forth polished experiences, this has notably also expanded the amount of time it takes for the development to come to completion. If a studio utilized anthologies for their upcoming projects that require the time to create.
Life is Strange’s demo for the second installment, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, was a short story taking place on a wintery Saturday morning that follows a 9 year old Chris Eriksen, who dreams of being a superhero that saves the day from evil doers conjured up from his boundless imagination. This character, in the base game, makes a reappearance in the second episode and depending on the choices made, the player will be able to see the subtle ways it affects the story. We were able to see the life of another, who players normally would not be privy to during most game experiences, adding a deeper understanding of a character’s motivations, personalities, and allowing them to develop empathy for this character that they may only have a short moment with.
Conclusion
There is a beauty to anthologies that could push gaming further as an art form it has already shown many times that it already is. Stories that may have been scrapped could see the light of day. Players could experience entirely new worlds in small doses before the ultimate and epic release, as well as perhaps encourage them to consider pre-orders because they were given a tasty sliver. Demos can be more than a way to play out the main game, but a way to envelope audiences in the adventures being offered. Studios could come together as fellow artists and create a piece of work that showcases their craft, creating memorable experiences that audiences not only watch, but can interact and truly immerse themselves with.
It’s time the gaming world began investing in the art and beauty of collecting flowers.