I am quite ignorant of videogames, whether they be from 20 years ago, or the game that everyone was standing in line to buy last week.  I played mostly computer games: the Backyard Sports series, games by The Learning Company, various versions of The Sims, and RollerCoaster Tycoon were my favorites; so I often have no background in the first-person shooter games that are quite often the topic of discussion.  However, I was relieved to find that Nick Montfort’s critical analysis of Combat through different contextual levels of the game increased my level of understanding.  The way Montfort broke down the parts of gaming helped me digest the complex information much easier.  Although some of the analysis was still a tad over my head, I found that the presentation through levels was quite appropriate and almost familiar, even for a non-avid videogamer.

The levels of context I could most relate to were the Platform and Interface.  My friend (and our classmate) Lauren and I have bonded over the music we listened to while playing and watching Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.  I was listening to a song from the soundtrack one day, when Lauren looked at me and exclaimed something about Tony Hawk.  What followed was a lengthy discussion of what we remembered about the various skate parks, characters, and the game’s soundtrack.  We soon learned that our experiences differed at the Platform level, for Lauren used an Xbox, and I a Playstation.  The platform difference seemed to affect the game (and interface) in many ways; the controls differed, some skating venues were not shared, not all viewpoints were attainable on one game system, and some music selections differed.  Looking back, I found that the music in many computer and video games has affecting my playing experience.  One memorable aspect of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 was the ability of the player to select the songs for the game’s playlist.  Possibly because of the popularity of the game and its songs, a soundtrack was released.  Unfortunately, some of both Lauren and my favorite songs didn’t make the cut.