issue 2 // volume 43

Verse versus volition

> The importance of form in the arts

Adam Tatelman
Arts Editor

 

istorians look to the

Greeks for information
on the customs of the ancient
world because it is the oldest
European society we have fairly
comprehensive records of. Asa
result, much of western artistic
tradition can be traced to Greek
forms, especially when it comes
to theatre, sculpture, poetry,
and writing in general. In stark
contrast to the modern artistic
obsession with ambiguity,
interpretation, and formlessness,
the Greeks more concerned
themselves with technique,
measuring the art in question
by its structural quality.

It was Aristotle who
proposed that good theatre
should follow a three-act
structure, and should adhere to
three unities: time, place, and
action. That is, the story should

 

take place in one setting, within

a 24-hour timeline, and focus on
a single plot with no distractions.
Obviously, the unities have been
rendered outdated by the advent
of achronological storytelling and
film editing technologies. But
even in modern film, the three-
act structure is still employed.

Image via thinkstock

Of course, various forms of
theatre make use of one- and
two-act structures, subplots,
and location changes for
dramatic effect; this is the result
of expanding the definition of
structure. So, instead of a handful
of scholars writing plays in the
accepted format, others may

do so in different formats with
fewer restrictions. Some view
this as the democratization of
a classically elitist art form. |
would agree. But where this idea
goes wrong is when it conflates
elitism with the form itself.
Criticism was also an
important aspect of Greek arts,
much as it is today. Plays were
evaluated in competitions—like
the Festival Dionysia—according
to the strength of their writing,
and their structural efficacy. Even
though these structures have
changed over time, suggesting
that the mere presence of
structure is tantamount to
elitism in the arts is quite
a bizarre stance to take.
Compare Shakespearean
sonnet forms to modern free-
verse poetry. Obviously, the
former is bound to a structural
principle, where the other is
concerned only with images
and impressions. Arguably,
structure is useful in organizing

Flawed by Design: the language of Dark Souls 3

> How to get the most out of multiplayer

Lauren Kelly
Editor-in-Chief

 

i? Dark Souls, communication
is essential. This is especially
true in the newest installation,
which allows up to six other
players to enter your world and
play with you. Some will be
“white phantoms,” co-op players
who can't hurt you; others are
“red phantoms,” who will often
invade your world and try to kill
you; and others fall somewhere
between these two types.

In any multiplayer game,
things can get confusing if you
have no way to communicate
your intentions or organize
strategies. Although modern
consoles often come with a
microphone, anyone currently in
your world can hear you, so you
can't strategize covertly. You can
send private messages to other
players, but in the middle of a
game, this isn’t always an option.
Additionally, the game is set by
default to show the character
names of other players, not their
gamer-tags, making messaging
them guesswork at best.

This means that players
have to adapt, and use the tools
that they have at hand to create
a new language. As you make
your way through the game,
gestures are obtained that allow
you to perform an action. The
basic ones are point up, down,
and forward; beckon; wave; and
bow. You can later learn different
bows to show your allegiance, a

  

clap, various sitting positions,
a “hey!” shout, and the ever-
famous Praise the Sun, among
others. Another type of tool you
collect along the way is a carving,
which, when dropped, will say a
phrase such as “I’m sorry,” “help
me,” or “thank you.” These can
be heard at a great distance.
Played traditionally, you and
your white phantom buddies
will strategically make your way
through an area, killing enemies
and any invaders in order to
reach the end and fight the boss.
This is usually fairly cut-and-
dry, but it will still be necessary
to communicate. Maybe a co-
op partner wishes to show you
a secret area and points to it
or calls you to their location.
Having killed your character,
an invader may clap or bow
during your death animation.

Namco Entertainment

Image via Bandal

One such situation that
breaks from the traditional
progress-and-beat-the-game
gameplay is fight clubs. These
take place in wide-open arena-
like spaces. Here, the host player
summons any phantoms they
can get, court invaders, and
then everyone who respects
the rules of a fight club will
take turns fighting each other
to the death one-on-one.

You would think it would
be tough to organize something
like this, but the multiplayer of
these games has developed to the
point that most people playing
in these areas understand the
unspoken rules of a fight club.
Fighters stay in the arena. They
don’t heal. Others don’t enter
the match, and definitely do
not attack the fighters. Fighters
don’t attack each other until

they both signal that they are
ready to begin fighting. There
is even a designated spectator
area, from which the other
players will watch the match
and react with gestures.
Participating for even 10
minutes will be enough to
understand the rules. You'll
see every other spectator stop
the match to kill a healer, or
someone who breaks into the
fight. You'll see the pre-fight
rituals, which involve both
players entering the ring, facing
each other, performing any
pre-game power-ups, and then
bowing once they are ready.
Through their actions, you'll
learn the appropriate way to react
to situations, and you'll become
a member of the community.
Usually, if you attacked a
red phantom or vice-versa, it
would be seen as an offence,
and one of you would most
likely end up dead. However,
in a fight club, it is sometimes
acceptable to attack each other
for different ends. If someone has
been spectating for awhile and
wont respond to you pointing
to them as your next opponent,
it is acceptable to go up and
knock them into the ring. They'll
heal, and you'll fight them.
There is one quick and
odd way to de-escalate a
situation if you accidentally
attack someone—repeatedly
and quickly raising your shield
or weapon. This move would
never take place in a match,
and lets the other player know

arts // no. 7

these images thematically. As
I see it, the problem with free-
verse poetry is that it is perhaps
too easy to create. If the poet
is justified in just noting down
whatever springs to mind, in
whatever order, and calling it art,
then there is no way to evaluate
the effort objectively, since there
is no standard to compare it to.
In summary, the changing
of structure is a good thing, as
long as it is changed for a reason,
and can always be clearly defined
as a structure once changed.
However, change for change’s
sake is masturbatory in nature,
pleasing none but the one doing
the changing. To argue that a
lack of structure is preferable is
failing to take into account that
formlessness must be defined
as an absence of form—that
form must first be established
before it can be discarded. In
order to rebel, there must first
be something to rebel against.

that you don’t want to fight
(yet). Shield-spamming can
often be seen when a new
player reaches the arena as
well, as an “I mean no harm.”
Another merit of the
multiplayer mode is how
quickly it can warp into very odd
experiences. If one player sees
another doing something silly, or
wearing something funny, they
will sometimes copy them. This
can quickly lead to all players
present doing the same thing.
One multiplayer game |
played devolved from a fight
club into a bunch of people
performing a torch dance towards
any invaders, and then burning
them to death if the invader
attacked; another had everyone
stow their weapons and run
around punching each other.
Sure, these interactions don’t
always last long, and they often
accomplish nothing, but they
are funny and spontaneous.
Although it seems like a
straightforward game, the nature
of Dark Souls 3 multiplayer
means that anything can happen.
You can go from fighting to
goofing around very quickly—or
the reverse, if someone gets sick
of goofing around—or you can
just sit back for a few hours and
play many one-on-one matches
to improve your skills. And all
of this organization happens
naturally and wordlessly.
There is an endless amount
of enjoyment to be found in
this strange, strange game,
once you learn its language.