Game Journal #1: Binding of Issac & How Culture Defines Gamers
Upon playing “The Binding of Issac”, I was left feeling rather fulfilled. I had always been a fan of rogue-like games and this game was easily one of the best in it’s genre. However, I began to wonder what it was about the game that I found so appealing. The gameplay mechanics within “The Binding of Issac” weren’t anything crazy or unique: it’s a top-down dungeon crawler where the player must enter procedurally generated rooms and defeat any enemies inside before progressing to the next room, gathering power ups along the way as the player progresses further into the game unless they die (which then causes the player to get reset back to their beginning stats.) In fact, the gameplay in “The Binding of Issac” is rather expected and typical from games within the rogue-like dungeon crawler subgenre. They are games which are easy to learn but hard to master, with quick movements and rapid firing attacks being the main strategy to succeed which attracts gamers who enjoy fast, action-based games. As such, the game encourages quick yet precise movements and quick shooting while disciplining players who are too erratic or slow.
What the game DOES do differently than it’s peers lies in it’s narrative and presentation. The story of “The Binding of Issac” is steeped in dark, gory, religious themes that promotes messages of anti-establishment, anti-religion and escaping destiny. The subtle yet deep narrative is so captivating that it actually attracts another subculture of players aside from fans of rogue-like dungeon crawlers: horror and mystery fans who are willing to dive deep into the game to search for new information to add to the game’s lore. According to Jon Dovey and Helen W. Kennedy, “The field commanded by the dominant is never ‘fixed, or final’, but exists in constant contestation and redevelopment through the dynamics of popular culture” (65). This means that, while one group or culture of people can participate in a game or other form of entertainment, another group can arise to also participate in it. Thusly, the fast, kinetic gameplay of “The Binding of Issac” attracts a culture of people who enjoy the frantic gameplay of roguelike dungeon crawlers while the narrative of the game attracts an entirely different culture which focuses on uncovering mysteries and lore within games. As a fan of both cultures, I felt satisfied in both categories.
Included in this journal post will be a YouTube link to a popular Let’s Play of “The Binding of Issac.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsM0OngIA6A&ab_channel=Markiplier
