Tuesday, November 26, 2019 — 5B
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
As a video game critic, I’ve been exposed
to more games than the average player. I
play games that were masterfully crafted
by the best in the industry. Games that are
lethally boring and riddled with bugs. I
play fast-paced games that test my reaction
speed. I play slow games that require
critical thinking. Violent or passive, indie
or big-budget, I’ve had my fair share of
experiences. Yet despite all the games
I’ve played throughout the years, there’s
one type of game that I always find myself
coming back to: esports.
The term esports denotes a very loose
category. Its definition has changed in
recent years, but most games classified
as esports follow a similar convention:
They are always competitive multiplayer
games contained within the duration of
a match. The rules are flexible enough
where players can employ several different
strategies to win, and matches take place on
predetermined “maps.” They typically do
not have narratives or worlds to explore, and
if they do contain characters there is very
little development. Esports can span many
genres including fighting, real-time strategy
and first-person shooting. Currently, games
like Fortnite, Overwatch and League of
Legends dominate the esport scene.
Though I try to diversify my gaming
palette, I routinely find myself coming back
to Overwatch, even though the game is now
over three years old. There’s something
timeless about esports that just doesn’t apply
to traditional games. Like traditional sports,
esports are constantly in flux. No single
match will ever be the same as the last.
One person’s approach to the game might
be completely different than another’s. But
does that make esports necessarily better
than traditional games? I would argue that
esports are not fundamentally superior
to other games, but their design is more
impressive.
The medium of video games is different
from other art forms, and its most unique
feature is interactivity. Unlike passive
artforms such as music and film, the player is
involved in the art and actively engages with
it to reveal its meaning. What the player can
and cannot do effects their experience with
the game. In essence, the manipulation of
interactivity is game design.
Now apply this logic to an esport. The
designer crafts interactivity to fit the
confines of the game. The designer must
consider the objective, the many ways the
player can reach that objective, and, most
importantly, how other players will either
assist or inhibit them. Since the game is
meant to be competitive, the designer must
make everything balanced so no player has
an advantage over another player. Because
the designer doesn’t know how the player
will interact with the game, making an
esport is the art of creating affordances
rather
than
curating
an
experience.
Designers aren’t telling the player what to
do or giving them a straight path; instead,
they are hinting at what is possible and
letting the player figure it out.
Compare this to a traditional game
where the objective is clear and the level
can only be beaten one way. Even if there
are multiple approaches, the experience is
linear. The player interacts with the game as
the designer intended and follows the path
created for them.
There’s nothing wrong with a traditional
game; in fact, many of my favorite games
are traditional narrative based games.
For instance, take God of War, which won
Game of the Year in 2018. Critics hailed
it as a masterpiece and many considered
it a perfect example of how sophisticated
video games have become. The game had
narrative complexity exploring themes such
as fatherhood and grief.
Yet despite all the acclaim, if one looks
at the actual design, God of War is simple
compared to games like Overwatch. The
experience is mostly linear, with the player
following the story and interacting with the
game mostly through fighting. Narrative
games like God of War are essentially
interactive films. The focus is on the story
with the interactive elements only serving
to augment the experience. Narrative games
can easily be movies and still retain their
artistic message. In contrast, esports have
to be video games because the message they
convey is exclusive to the medium. The art is
the interaction between team members and
their opponents, requiring the viewer to be
active to appreciate its beauty.
All games are valuable and the message
they share has merit regardless of the genre.
However, esports garner respect because
their design is most true to the medium.
Games are meant to be interactive. Thus, I
will always consider games that encourage
interaction to be masterpieces.
Esports & interactive design
ELI LUSTIG
Daily Arts Writer
FLICKR
I have something to admit. I may be 03
Greedo’s biggest fan. He’s my most-listened-
to artist of all time, according to Last.fm
and Spotify. Ever since I first heard “Mafia
Business” on Vince Staples’s SEABS radio
show back in 2016, I’ve been hooked. I can’t
get enough. Something about Greedo and his
style just resonates with me. He used to rap
over only his own rudimentary Frooty Loops
experimentations and, somehow, it worked. His
voice isn’t the best and the bars are pedestrian
at best (and non-existent at worst), but he has
endless charm and creates an atmosphere that
no one else can. Greedo describes his music as
“emo music for gangbangers,” suggesting he
makes music that will resonate with everyone,
even the most hardened individual. He’s
often pigeonholed into the “so bad it’s good”
category of rap a
la Blueface and
Lil B, but I have to
disagree with that
sentiment. Greedo
can’t
play
any
instruments, is an
unconventional
vocalist and barely
a
producer,
but
he has a musical
mind. He knows
what
he
wants
and knows how
to
execute
his
vision. So when I
heard Greedo was
collaborating with
Kenny Beats, the nascent producer known for
perfectly executing his clients’s visions, I knew
I was in for a treat.
Netflix & Deal is Greedo’s second full-length
(and fourth overall) release since he was
sentenced to prison for 20 years for firearm
possession and drug trafficking. With such
a bleak future looming, Greedo kicked into
overdrive, recording vast amounts of high-
quality music to ensure that his family would
be supported while he is locked up, and the
final products have been nothing short of
phenomenal. His collaborators really care
about preserving Greedo’s vision and are
willing to take any measures necessary to do so.
From the get-go, Greedo is deep in his bag.
“Traffic” is textbook Greedo. His froggy voice
slinks across a cosmic CaptainCrunch-assisted
Kenny beat like liquid mercury. Greedo bends
his voice at will, switching from staccato
bursts to limitless croon with ease. Every
vocal inflection is unexpected and wonderful,
perfectly in time with the rumble of an 808. His
dreamy flow provides an interesting contrast to
lines about his rough upbringing. His unease
and weariness are palpable as he warbles lines
like “Crippin’ with the war wounds, told my
momma I was tired of cartoons / Jumped off
the porch / I’m in the field, call the same with
the rings and the torch” and “Either you get
killed, go to jail or have a jump spot / Focus
on your skills, boy, you know you only got one
shot.”
If “Traffic” was Greedo in his comfort
zone, “Disco Shit” is him at his most creative.
Kenny provides what may be one of his most
surprising beats, defined by disco-inspired
keys and off-kilter bass hits, and Greedo brings
the firepower. He doesn’t rap much here,
instead opting to sing with pure soul, littering
it with references to “Blow,” his all-time
favorite movie. Despite Greedo and Kenny’s
outstanding performances, Freddie Gibbs,
another Kenny Beats regular, steals the show.
Gibbs’s voice is drenched in autotune, yet he
still raps with surgical precision, starting with
sing-song, T-Pain-
esque flow which
quickly
returns
to his trademark
spitfire delivery.
With
such
a
strong
opening
run,
it
seems
inevitable
that
Netflix & Deal will
eventually
lose
steam and land as
yet another front-
loaded
hip
hop
release. Not the
case. Kenny and
Greedo
display
their unparalleled
chemistry across the entire album, and the
album’s guests bring their A-game, too.
How could they not? Sharing a track with a
personality like Greedo demands it. Notably,
Maxo Kream softens his typically gritty and
grizzly style on “Beg Your Pardon.” However,
03 Greedo shines brightest when it’s just him
and Kenny Beats.
On “Life,” Greedo elevates. It’s the full
package. He’s charismatic, emotional and
sentimental on this track, thanks to Kenny
pulling a sample of Dire Straits’s “Sultans of
Swing” out of left field. Greedo tackles matters
regarding his lifestyle and life choices, his
friends and family and his accomplishments.
The track feels a bit like a bittersweet victory
lap when Greedo’s circumstances are taken
into consideration, an idea that aligns well with
the chorus: “Feelin’ like Carly Rae, they offerin’
all the days / They tried to say that I had a lil
baggage I might make the holidays / I’m flyin’
all the time, I done did all the crime / Life, life,
life made me lose my mind.” Greedo knows he’s
down now, but that’s a part of life’s ebb and
flow. He’ll be back on top soon.
03 Greedo & Kenny Beats
spend quality time together
JIM WILSON
Daily Arts Writer
ALAMO RECORDS
ALBUM REVIEW
NEW MEDIA NOTEBOOK
Netflix & Deal
03 Greedo and Kenny Beats
Alamo Records