Video games have proved to be a great medium to highlight the subtle yet beautiful nuances of a culture. AAA games such as Assassin’s Creed, a game with a heavy plotline, successfully weaved in the culture of the Native American tribes of the 18th century. Their culture was shown through cultural practices such as hunting, the music, the backstory of the protagonist, etc. But even with hundreds of games released each year, a few cultures go under the radar. One such culture is the culture of Hawaii.
When people hear the word Hawaii, the images that pop into their head is that of bright blue oceans, lush green islands with mountains in the backdrop, vibrant flowers, and music. Any game made with a backdrop of Hawaii would instantly evoke feelings of wonder and serenity from the players. The game I would design would have mechanics that would leverage these feelings. Music will only elevate this experience and by using an instrument that is close to the culture of Hawaii i.e. The Ukulele the culture shines more.
My game would be set on a chain of islands connected by the sea. The islands are devastated by darkness and the player character is one of nature’s sprites, responsible for the lush green beauty of the islands of Hawaii. The objective of the player is to restore life to the islands by collecting the various flowers spread out across the islands, and the ocean to restore their power and ultimately life to the islands. The player character is characterized by a slender body draped in leaves gliding over the
land and through the ocean.
1. The player must collect flowers spread out across the various islands and oceans to attain a certain power level to fight against the dark lord of an island. Some flowers will be locked away in a cage created by darkness. The player must solve puzzles based on art native to Hawaii.
2. The sprites use the power of music during the fight. By hitting certain keystrokes as displayed on the screen, the sprite hums a tune. The more notes the player hits, the faster the dark lord is defeated. The music will be the highlight of this encounter, paying homage to the folk songs of the people of Hawaii. The most important aspect of this encounter is not the fight but the music and this will be showcased just by displaying notes flowing towards the enemy. The fight will always be in favor of the sprite, the song only decides how fast you defeat the boss. This will also showcase the point that life always triumphs.
3. There is no added pressure of time. The player is free to explore as much of the game world as they like while collecting the flowers. As the game world is brought back to life, the player may explore the world they have restored. They can also collect additional flowers for points.
4. Socializing in an immersive game such as this can add a different dimension to the game. Hence, the game will contain a co-op mode. The player can join a friend in a co-op mode. Together they can solve puzzles, collect more flowers and battle the ‘Dark Lord’ of each island together and after freeing the land of darkness continue exploring the world.
This lends perfectly to aesthetic of exploration and fantasy. The mechanics of the game reinforce every step of the way the calm and serene backdrop of the islands of Hawaii. The culture shines through the puzzle, the music, and the characters of the game. Every little detail of the game from the shape of the flowers to the dress of the sprite will be a reference to the culture of Hawaii. The above game is just a basic example of how a culture can be represented by a game and its characteristics reinforced by the game. There are many other cultures in the world, some extinct, which can be preserved for generations to come through games such as these. Culture plays a pivotal role in the day to day life, and always designing games that represent the most prevalent culture not only limits creativity, but the scope of the game as well. By tapping into different cultures games will be diversified and there will be no stopping the possibility.
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