issue 17 // volume 42 A fond farewell to Downton » ‘Downton Abbey’ series tribute Jerrison Oracion fim Senior Columnist OOOOS onsidered the Upstairs Downstairs for the current generation, the Emmy-winning Downton Abbey, created by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, will end this year after six seasons. The show follows Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville); his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); their three children Mary (Michelle Dockery), Sybil Jessica Brown Findlay), and people who work in their house in a small town in Yorkshire called Downton. Like Game of Thrones, almost the entire show is a spoiler, so because of that, there will be no spoilers in this appreciation piece. Throughout the show, we went through a journey with the Crawley family and their staff. While most of the show takes place between 1911-24, the most recent seasons mainly takes place in 1925 so far, and it will likely end in 1930. Some of the key events in history that are : seen in the show are the sinking : of the Titanic, the First World : War, and the Spanish Influenza. : In the first episode, the heir to : Downton isa victim in the sinking : : of the Titanic and, as the years : go by, various people become the : new heir to Downton. If you are : watching this season right now, : you've probably figured out who : will become the heir to Downton. We also see the change : of technology and fashion : throughout the years including : the telephone, the radio, : improved kitchen equipment, : and flappers, until the Crawley : family no longer need a butler, : a maid, a footman, and a chef. Edith (Laura Carmichael); and the : : people in Downton. We see a lot : of relationships develop as the : show progresses. There’s Mary : Crawley and Matthew Crawley : (Dan Stevens). There's also Anna : Smith (Joanne Froggatt) and : John Bates (Brendan Coyle), : who went through a lot of : unfortunate events. Then there’s : Sybil Crawley and the family’s : chauffeur, Tom Branson (Allen : Leech). And there’s Charles : Carson (Jim Carter) and Elsie : Hughes (Phyllis Logan). There : are also two older women, Violet : Crawley (Maggie Smith) and There are a lot of interesting Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton). Thomas Barrow (Rob James- : Collier) is a character that viewers : will go back and forth between : liking and disliking. His best : friend, Sarah O’Brien (Siobhan : Finneran), is even worse than him. : There are also some characters : who viewers initially didn’t like : but liked them later in the show : like Robert’s sister, Rosamund : Painswick (Samantha Bond), and : Violet’s niece, Rose MacClare : (Lily James}. Rosamund helps the : family during several situations, : while Rose is described as a : party girl, but as we learn more : about her, we like her more. There are also characters : who viewers don’ like including : John’s sister, Vera (Maria Doyle : Kennedy), who gets involved : in season two. And there is the : Dowager Countess and Robert’s : mother, Violet Crawley, who : gives the most amazing advice : as only Maggie Smith can do. So how is the Crawley arts // no. 9 Photo by Nick Briggs family’s story going to end? We are going to have to wait : until March to go to Downton : for the last time. If you haven't : caught up on the show yet, you : can get the first five seasons from : your local library, or get them on : iTunes, or watch them in Netflix. : To help pass the time, you could : even drink some of the official : tea, such as Garden Afternoon : Tea, Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding Tea, : and Lady Cora’s Evening Tea. Flawed by Design: The cinematic arcade » How ‘Thief’ changed storytelling in games Adam Tatelman Staff Writer Te II comes froma simpler time. Its in-game graphics are frankly hideous, even fora 16-year-old game, and the pre- mission cutscenes are a mix of hand-painted slideshows and live actors in silhouette. But its incredibly complex level design, robust sound engine, and subtle world-building techniques shine past its modest exterior. Together they create an inviting playground ripe for emergent gameplay, and put you in the shoes of the world’s greatest thief, Garrett. Garrett’s (voiced by Stephen Russell) motives are simple: steal stuff and get paid. This Philip Marlowe-esque attitude helps make the game’s fantasy world feel believable. He’s a loner, but always gets unwittingly swept up in the world’s larger conflicts. As such, the first few heists aren’t connected to the overall plot, but they communicate lots of information during gameplay that subtly foreshadows the coming conflict. This stands in sharp contrast to games that immediately and artificially : connect the player character to an ! : external conflict, like Desmond : Miles in Assassin's Creed. Since Garrett is always sneaking around, most of this : information is delivered through : conversations to eavesdrop on : or secret notes to read. The : guards are especially funny, : coming off as bored, underpaid : thickos. They can still kick : Garrett’s butt in a stand-up : fight though, and killing them : would just make a mess anyway. : Such limitations produce an : incredible sense of immersion— : the player is thinking like a : thief and witnessing vicarious : storytelling. This optional Screenshot from the game content builds smaller stories within the level you are : playing, making it feel alive. Contrast this with : “cinematic” Triple-A games : today. They usually feature lengthy scripted events within : the game that are designed as : attractive images for the trailer, : many of which take control : away from players without : warning in order to play out in : a specific way for the sake of the : plot. Ironically, these things are : done to increase immersion, : when really they accomplish : the opposite by treating the : story like a commercial break. : Games like Uncharted and Call : of Duty have made billions : abiding by this method. Detailed level design is the Without the tense stealth : gameplay, the exploration : would be boring. Together, : they complete one another. The : tension of risk-versus-reward : drives the game. Garrett has : no stealth mainstays like night : vision goggles and soliton radar. : You must use your eyes to scan : for threats or shadows to hide : in, and your ears to suss out : approaching dangers. Your own : senses are involved in the game : on avery focused level. Thus, : each step outside the dark is : arisk, and you must decide if : the apparent danger trumps : the loot—or story—you may : find by braving it. In this way, : gameplay and story are unified. : cornerstone of immersion. Rather : : than simple “levels” disguised : with impressive skyboxes—like, : say Battlefield—Thief II presents : complex nonlinear buildings with : : countless secret entrances and : passageways to discover. Without : : condescending waypoint markers : : and mini-maps, you must dodge : guards and nick loot by the seed : of your own wit. Aside from gold, : you will discover lots of hidden : story details. This leaves you to : decide how immersed in the : story you wish to be, and explore : your surroundings accordingly. Today, many games : present themselves as lengthy : CGI films where the player is : occasionally prompted to select a dialogue option or make an : action input. In most cases, the only punishment for failing these tests is to try them again. : Though this sounds antithetical : to the idea of a game, this : format has become very popular : in recent years. Just look at : Telltale Games’ entire library. A : clearer rift between gameplay : and story does not exist. I’m not disparaging people’s : tastes. If you like cinematic : games, good for you. I just feel : that games should try to tell : their stories by interacting with : the player, rather than imitating : film techniques. The ability to : explore an environment, interact : with it, and take action based : on what you observe is the basis : of emergent gameplay—those : things that “just happen,” : and never happen the same : way twice. That’s what makes : games worth playing, and : nobody knew that better than : Looking Glass Studios, and : their magnum opus, Thief II.