[arg_discuss] TINAG and the Curtain = silly

[Brooke Thompson]

> I just read through all the posts on the subject and I wonder if I am

> the only one who thinks the "concept" of TINAG is just silly? Isn't

> it simply understood in all forms of media? Characters in books, TV,

> movies don't acknowledge they are fictional constructs in those media

> unless there is a conscious effort to break down that wall.


 

> As for the "curtain", I believe it is a silly concept. The idea that

> if you know which studio or people are putting on a game makes it

> somehow less immersive speaks to the lack of imagination of the

> person who believes that than anything else. 




This is where, I think, the idea of TINAG gets twisted or distorted to mean
anything that is "out of game." I'm not fully sure where that idea was born
or why people stick to it, but to me TINAG is not simply about the line
between "in game" and "out of game" - from a player perspective, a
designer's perspective, or a character's perspective.

It is a design philosophy and one that is not (typically) shared by
designers in other forms of entertainment or media.

When somebody writes a book, directs a movie, or designs a video game, of
course they have the characters believe that the universe that they are
created in is real. However, they do not go further and make that reality
extend beyond the confines of the chosen media. The exception, of course, is
in transmedia properties - where we see things like the Matrix universe
spanning films, comic books, and video games. However, even with most
transmedia properties, the fictional construct of the universe tends to
remain only within the confines of the media.

TINAG extends that - websites that are mentioned within the universe are
registered and email & phone numbers work. More than that, these things
aren't premised with ads for the movie or a big disclaimer saying that you
are visiting a fictional website.

For some, this seems to translate to making a game as real as possible.
"omg! it's just like the movie 'The Game'." Which, in my opinion, is a
complete absence of TINAG or, at least, a bastardization of it.  

The most important part of the "philosophy" is the metacommunication that
turns TINAG from a design philosophy to a player mantra. It's in that
communication that designers are able to set up a fictional universe that
blends and utilizes real world applications while enabling players the
confidence to accept that fictional universe as fictional and provide them
with the freedom to explore it within the real world environment.

Without a solid foundation, every crack and fissure breaks the game a little
bit. Where those breaks occur on the line of fiction and reality (from the
overt messages that this is an NBC production to the reality confusing 'The
Game') is not important (at least not in this discussion). The fact is that
something broke and the players no longer remain as confident or free in
their playing. Meta level discussions erupt, player frustration rises, and
it's no longer about the fiction but about the reality.

And this is where the curtain comes in. Of course there is some player
responsibility to not be Toto pulling on the edge and revealing the Wizard.
However, there is also some responsibility as designers to not jump into the
players world and say "hey! here we are and this is how we do things and all
that magic you see is just a big trick!" Much like the Wizard, we designers
are mere mortals in a strange and magical land limited only by our
imaginations. Unlike the wizard, our universe is being explored by the
smartest and most eager being out there - the hive mind. The illusions that
we create may come from the mundane, but protecting that illusion is
important. Not just for the player's "suspension of disbelief" but in order
to strengthen and support the metacommunication that is so vital to TINAG.

It is not about hiding the fact that Haxan or Campfire or whoever is
designing the experience, it is about protecting the tools that run the
experience. In most cases, the design team is one of those tools. There is
benefit to the design team coming out (it can create confidence, it can
reduce some of the desire to hunt down the team, it provides a point of
contact, etc) but there is also benefit in standing behind a curtain while
you are pulling the triggers and rotating the gears. That's messy work and
not everyone wants to see it.