12.16.2010
Analysis by: Emily Greenquist
Majesty of Colors
“Majesty of Colors” is an 8-bit puzzle game of choice, consequence, and indifference. The player is a deep sea monster, intrigued and mystified by the world above – its colors, its machinery, its people. Each scene highlights the inner dialogue of the monster, presenting the option to act as a benevolent beast or a modern day Grendel.
Each chosen path results in a different ending, and the player is encouraged to try them all – the “progress bar” is a checklist of unlocked endings. To dissect: what the player is actually being asked to do is to commit acts that they already know to be morally wrong (ex: kill), so that they can see a scene explaining that they have, indeed, done something morally wrong; however, it is precisely this “redundant” lesson that makes “Majesty of Colors” so pleasurable.
Each chosen path results in a different ending, and the player is encouraged to try them all – the “progress bar” is a checklist of unlocked endings. To dissect: what the player is actually being asked to do is to commit acts that they already know to be morally wrong (ex: kill), so that they can see a scene explaining that they have, indeed, done something morally wrong; however, it is precisely this “redundant” lesson that makes “Majesty of Colors” so pleasurable.
I am a hero:
My first act of plucking a balloon from the sky and curling it towards large eyes resulted in a world being opened into color, and I immediately knew that the beast I controlled was one I wanted to help see the delights of life. I wanted to help; I wanted to be a hero; and so I saved them all…
My first act of plucking a balloon from the sky and curling it towards large eyes resulted in a world being opened into color, and I immediately knew that the beast I controlled was one I wanted to help see the delights of life. I wanted to help; I wanted to be a hero; and so I saved them all…
I am a scoundrel:
…and then I noticed the bar of unlockable endings. People started to die. I wanted to kill more; I wanted to know all; and so I am a gamer.
Killing in video games is a standard format for planned fun, and I wonder if “Majesty of Colors” was an intended critique of the choices game players and designers make. Of course, we all know that killing is wrong, but in an environment so clearly set in a game world (8-bit), killing is fun, easy, and rewarded. Perhaps the morality lessons of “Majesty of Colors” are not aimed at avoiding real world acts of violence, but the ones we choose to simulate.
…and then I noticed the bar of unlockable endings. People started to die. I wanted to kill more; I wanted to know all; and so I am a gamer.
Killing in video games is a standard format for planned fun, and I wonder if “Majesty of Colors” was an intended critique of the choices game players and designers make. Of course, we all know that killing is wrong, but in an environment so clearly set in a game world (8-bit), killing is fun, easy, and rewarded. Perhaps the morality lessons of “Majesty of Colors” are not aimed at avoiding real world acts of violence, but the ones we choose to simulate.
Special Thanks
To: Bob McCabe for the suggestion and the tip on the shark level.
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