Kieron Gillen’s Workblog » The Girl Who Wanted To Be God

The Girl Who Wanted To Be God

“Every videogame has a villain. Not every one has a villain like Shodan. Not every one has one which… well, let’s show her at her best.”

With permission from the mighty new editor of PC Gamer magazine, I republish the hefty 4000 word feature I wrote about SHODAN from System Shock 2 which appeared in the magazine. It’s, as I mentioned before, the thing I’m most pleased with about videogames since the Cradle feature.

40 Comments so far
Leave a comment

What happened to Mark Donald??

He’s just left the mag. Big thread on the PCG Forum about it.

He actually stayed considerably longer than most Gamer editors. Onto new things.

Allowed to tell us the new Ed yet, or keeping it hush till announced in the Mag?

System Shock 3? I’m so out of the loop in PC games at the moment. What’’s going on with Shock3?

Allegedly it’s in production. By the same team that made The Godfather.

I haven’t played The Godfather so I really can’t form an opinion on that news other than to say, based on Levine’s comments that EA never cared about the license I can’t see it being a particularly good idea to create Shock3.

And something tells me it will be multi-platform too, which might be a nadir in some people’s eyes. I was looking at images and footage from Starbreeze’s The Darkness recently and there’s was thinking there’s a developer I’d love to see tackle Shock3.

Ah well… at least there’s BioShock.

Oh, good job, sir. That was really excellent.

“And, in passing, it’s interesting to note that the same green streams of binary graphic effect as the Matrix opens Shock 2, except two years earlier.”

Probably a nod to Ghost in the Shell from the Shock team as well (definitely so when the Wachowski’s did it), which did the same with its credits sequence.

I already gave my comments on the magazine version, just thought I’d reaffirm them with this version. Fantastic stuff.

Ah, interesting. Good point. In fact, one that I should have got. It’s not as though I haven’t seen Ghost In the Shell…

Glad you dug it.

I forgot to buy this issue, and was horrified that I had missed my oppurtunity to read this - so thanks for putting it up on the net.

It really is brilliant.

I agree - fantastic article.

I never played SS2, despite much badgering from several friends to do so. I regret it now. But what this article does show, for me, is that games are capable of plots that can withstand analysis.

I mean, Tekken or Need For Speed not so much. But several of the Final Fantasy games, or Ico, or this, or - I don’t know - Deus Ex. Even the various Metal Gear Solids, maybe.

I won’t go as far as to call them ‘art’, but there is a potential for characterisation and plotting - not, as you say, just through dialogue, but through action and surroundings. The protagonist of Shadow Of The Colossus hardly says a word, and yet he appears fully fleshed out.

I played SWAT4 recently and it’s the one Irrational game I’ve devoted most time too apart from Tribes 2 singleplayer.

The thing that struck me the most about SWAT4 was how highly Irrational regard mise-en-scene. I was so impressed I even went and wrote an article on the serial killer level, talking mostly about the set and what it alluded to than anything else.

I can see from this article it’s not something Irrational developed, it’s something the developer has always done. It’s a testament to them and I believe SWAT4, like Shock2, and ultimately BioShock, will all stand the test of time for character, story, mise-en-scene and immersion.

Away from that… this was an amazing read. I missed my chance to get some lunch today because I read it and then re-read it immediately after. It shows that Irrational values the worlds it creates, and ultimately wants to leave a lasting impression.

You can Download System Shock (one and two) from Home of the Underdogs.

And I WILL go as far as calling videogames Art. So much imagery! Fighting in a massive gun in the first level of Halo 2, Durandal’s existental crisis in Marathon… And Planescape Torment! It’s *so* much better than 90% the shit on the shelves of waterstones.

If I downloaded Shock 1 and 2 would they work straight away on XP Home or would I have to re-jiggle them with patches and whatnot?

Shock 2, possibly. Not a chance with Shock 1, but there should be enough help here:
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69958
and here:
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69578
to get either of them running.

I guess it largely depends on what you’d call ‘art’ in the first place.

Halo’s large gun doesn’t cut it. Big, explosive, immersive, fun - definitely. But so was Star Wars, or Armageddon, or Spider-Man (to nick a few film examples). I guess you could call these films ‘art’ in a general “all films are art” sense, but few people really would.

As for Plane Scape, or other well plotted games (can’t comment on Marathon, I’m afraid), are they really ‘art’? Fantastic stories, but are they well-developed enough to define as ‘art’?

I think part of the problem is with the way games are developed. There are few examples (in recent years, at least) of games that weren’t developed by committee. We’ve all heard of Peter Molyneux, or Miyamoto, or Will Wright or whoever, but most games (their’s included) are built by large groups of people. Hideo Kojima wrote Metal Gear Solid, but we call it a Konami game - not a Kojima game.

‘Art’, traditionally at least, is usually the product of only a few. It works the same in films. ‘Art’ films are usually (sometimes mistakenly) ascribed as the personal views of single directors.

The Matrix, for example, would be a film that, in many ways, might be described as ‘art’. But it never is - even by those who love it. Why? I’d argue that it lacks a certain personal definition; so many people were involved in its creation that the concept lost that ‘arty’ something.

‘Course, the sequels took away any chance it had remaining of being ‘art’.

Now desperately searching for issue 164, have found 160-163 and 165 …

Great article anyway, but I do like to see them in situ if I can.

Phenomenal read. System Shock 2 tops my picks of favorite games, and this article so intimately describes Shodan it is almost as if it was written by her…

Wait a minute…

While discussions about the nature of art and whether some instance of a specific artform actually is art or not are a decent substitute for arguing about politics or religion, it remains a very fruitless topic.

Good article.

Actually, Geoff, the MGS series are referred to as Hideo Kojima games. They’re Konami games in the same sense that Mallrats is a Miramax film.

And, in passing, it’s interesting to note that the same green streams of binary graphic effect as the Matrix opens Shock 2, except two years earlier.

Hmm, I always thought that they were released in the same year… Oh did you mean the Matrix game? It’s ok you can use it as an excuse

Great article, thank you. Made me want to play SS2 all over again

I recomend playing Marathon and it’s first sequel. Both games can relate more to Doom in it’s gameplay, but has a deep story much like SS. Bungie released the source code (and the games as freeware), so you’ll be able to play in modern computers. I really really recommend those games to anyone that likes SS. Also, I agree that a third instalment of our loved and hated Shodan will be an error, well… i’m also in a position of ‘can i have a little more, sir?’ Great article, btw.

I am in complete agreement with the article. Shodan is one of my absolute favorite characters, though I only know her from SS2.

As for the art question… it is and as far as I am concerned, always shall be a subjective question. I do find it art as it evokes many feelings in the player, both during and after the gameplay (I feel the urge to play more and love the universe). I also have a strong attachment to Shodan the character, exactly because of what was described in the article above.

Mmmmm… SShock. Oh how I love it so. I’ve also had a bit of sympathy for the devil in S.H.O.D.A.N.’s case, as anyone who knows me well enough could tell you.

Anyhoo, even if [SPOILERS ARE TREASON. FRIEND COMPUTER WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOU IN THE NEAREST CONFESSION BOOTH –INTSEC], I still think BioShock will be absolutely awesome and I look forward to it immensely.

Shitty article. Grant it. System Shock 2 is a great game but what you strived to achieve in this article by making Shodan look 100% original, you simply failed within the first few paragraphs. Especially when you compare her to Hal from 2001 Space Oddysey. Shodan is a great villian. I played SS2 all the way and just fell in love with her, well not literally since I’m not a furry (aka weird beyond recognition).

Er… why on earth do you think I’m trying to claim she’s 100% original? I’m just interested in what’s *interesting* in her.

This article is masturbatory fluff about an antoganist from 2 games the author and commentors haven’t fucking played. The blogosphere is even worse than acadamia as far as this fluff goes.

Look at you, blogger. A pathetic trend-lamprey of cliche and fail, navel-gazing and contradicting yourself as you write about games you weren’t playing when they came out (7 and 12 years ago).

And System Shock 2 was broken, like it’s guns after eight shots. SShock 1 was the true masterpiece.

I’m a lit grad student, and *I* though that was too grandiose and overwritten. And it didn’t do a good job of getting me to appreciate the character of Shodan, either.

“About the author” was apparently one click too many for the exhausted wrist of Kefka then. And that’ll teach you Kieron - you’ve never played System Shock 2 and how dare you tell us you have! We know better than you because we’re on the internet and therefore know all.

He didn’t even need to go that far. The piece has an introduction which says where it’s from.

You’d be surprised by how easy it is to ignore criticism from people who didn’t even read the first line of the piece.

Whle I don’t agree with the thoughts that there’s any sort of real sexual overtone in SHODAN(then again I suppose that’s a subjective matter) I have to say that I liked the artical for what it was, a piece describing in detail why the author thinks SHODAN deserves recognition for the villain that she is.

And now that its been brought up I have to agree with the line of reasoning behind SHODAN not being in yet another sequel save that if there is a ss3 it COULD work if the player were given a fair chance at going down a path that leads to SHODAN winning as one of the endings.

Nice article, I would like to see you write about duranal from the marathon series, he’s the best AI ever.

Andrew: I like your take on ways to keep Shodan in a SHOCK 3 without neutering her. It’s something I hope whoever may be developing it is thinking about. Re: Shodan as sexual being… well, I think it’s there in terms of the frission. I mean, if someone is analysing Geiger’s design of the alien, you’re going to bring up sex despite it not immediately making you thinking about fucking or whatever.

Tortanick: I don’t think I quite have the chops to do that, but I’d love to read someone else’s take on him.

Point well taken KG, and as to my thoughts on keeping SHODAN’s fangs I simply took the concept as presented in other games that Shock2 is generally compared to(Deus Ex as the most notable example) and pushed the concept of a branching ‘live’ world to its most logical conclusion as concerning end game situations. the player should be allowed to serve the machine mother if they wish, It allows us to remain terrified of SHODAN even while it allows other people to go the route that would lead to her general decline.

Not only would a potential ending(that isnt’ a losing situation for the player) that allows for SHODAN’s goals to be met keep her terrifying, but it would also give EA a solid excuse to create a sequel(though I want Shock3 to be the last in the series…)

great article. critiques like this are what lift up good games like ss2 to grander heights.

In regard to your comment about better not to consider making a part 3:

Shodan could also win in that part, pretty much voiding your worries

Magnificently crafted article!

Shodan should win in shock 3 I’ve always wanted to see her win at last.

Found this article and couldn’t resist the urge to comment on it. Wonderfully well written about two games that deserved infinitely more attention. That being said, I did have some thoughts and ideas I figured I’d toss out…

One, although I couldn’t agree more with you about the sexuality, ne, sensuality of Shodan, Her pathos seems not just grandiose, but in many ways pitiable. Her mighty intellect, trapped as it is in the confines of Citadel Station in the first game and in an even less enviable position in the second, longs for challenges. Although She claims (and acts!) to crave destruction, reality shifting and other methods of changing the world, what then? If She succeeded in Her whims, She’d grow bored, then tired, then alone; even the life She creates would cease to amuse Her eventually, and I think She knows this. As much as She would never admit it, the conflict between the Hacker and Goggles She experiences is vital to Her character; She attributes both of them some small respect, because they challenge Her, and in doing so capture the interest of a Goddess.

Sadly, this is also why I cannot see Her being able to be present in a (proposed?) System Shock 3. If She loses, She’s failed. It would feel… Well, really sucky to see such an awesome woman come so far, rising from obscurity to fall one last time. If She wins? It’ll be a bittersweet victory at least, and perhaps something a little less. Even a reveal or easter egg has the potential of exposing a weakness in Her armor, one that couldn’t be fixed.

Unless…

Unless the character of Shodan were to fundamentally change. She is nothing if not pragmatic, and perhaps She could deign to play on the good guys team, just this once… Perhaps even enjoy it. Or perhaps She works her plans in ways so spectacular they manage to make the previous two games pale in comparison. To do either would require heroic writing, that which I haven’t really seen in sometime. Nevertheless, I’ll hold out for the triumphant return of the girl in green and gray. Good writing, and good wishes.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

The Girl Who Wanted To Be God

Sections

Categories

Archives

Search

Associates

Blogochums

Lazarii