System of characters and allusias in the video game Don’t Starve
Over the past forty years, video games have become an integral phenomenon of our lives. Just like a movie at the beginning of the XX, they gradually penetrated our media sphere, filled it, made it more complicated. To date, a video game is considered a full -fledged form of synthetic mechanized art, which is close to cinema, theater, music, literature, etc. Sometimes they use the term “game industry”, implying not so much the fact of production as a phenomenon. The video playing industry is divided into the same spheres in relation to the consumer as any other form of art. So, there are a mass of mass / mainstream and elitist / arthouse / indie as the main counterweights. Justifying the game as one of the forms of art, the researchers often resort to the concept of the game of Joseph Haying based on the fact that art is the game itself, and the video game includes many of its elements. For example, it performs functions such as: human -making, cognitive, aesthetic, hedonistic, and t. D. The video game has its own genres: action, shooter, adventure game, puzzler, platformer, quest, survival game, RPG, stealth, mmorpg and many others. In addition, “pure” are rarely found, mainly any game is a synthesis. Note that all these genres do not send us to any other in other forms of art, which also indicates the independence of the phenomenon.
In this work, allusions are considered in the video game “Don`t Starve” from the Klei Entertainment developer, as well as the artistic originality of the internal space and some aesthetic aspects of the game.
“Klei Entertainment” – a private studio of games developers, founded in 2005 in Vancouver. Official site – www.Kleentertainment.Com/. The company is famous for games such as: “ETS” (2006), “Mark of the Ninja” (2012), “Don`t Starve” (2013).
“Don`t Starve” (in per. from English. “Do not starve”)-initially a single-user video game in the genre of Action -adventure in the synthesis with Survival (survival game). In short, the game process looks like this: the player chooses the character available at this stage (at the very beginning it is only Wilson), then the random (random) generation of the world begins, the character appears in a certain place on the map (often in the center), he meets Maxwell, who advises to prepare for the arrival of the dark. The purpose of the game is, if possible, long survival on any random card. There are also two endings: the first is death from loss of health points, the second is the creation of a portal leading to another world. In a sense, such a vicious circle is obtained – you always need to survive. In addition, as a result of losing, which will sooner or later come, t. To. Otherwise, you can play endlessly, the player receives glasses to unlock new characters.
In order to trace the manifestation of textual allusions in the replicas of the characters, it is necessary to bring their system. We indicate that each character is “voiced” by his own musical instrument, except for the weight – a silent mime, which almost always responds to all pantomies. So, for example, Wilson’s voice is similar to the sound of a lip accordion. In addition, the names of all available heroes begin with the letter “w”, introducing a certain symbolism into the game, which seems somewhat subjective, because although it is striking, it is clearly not comprehended in the game. We add that every heroes of the game have their own unique ability or peculiarity that characterizes his personality, as well as a musical instrument expressing his voice.
Wilson (Wilson) – (Poln. The name Wilson Persival Higgsbury) is the first accessible and main character of the game. Fearless, arrogant, scrupulous, scientist, who, like the rest of the heroes, was caught by a demon (Maxwell) and transferred to a mysterious wild world.
The slogan in life: “I will defeat the power of my mind”.
Personal Status-a foreman scientist (English. Gentleman Scientist) – a special social status that was assigned a person with a scientific degree conducting independent research work. For example, Charles Darwin.
Voice – Harry.
The name of the hero (Higgsbury) may be a reference to the famous boson of Higgs.
When the character looks at the shovel, he says: “There’s a lot going on underground” (there, underground, a lot of things is happening) – a hint of Tom Waysa “Underground lyrics”: “There’s a World Gouncing On Undergar”.
When the hero sees the hammer, says: “Stop! It’s time! To Hammer Things “(Stop! The time has come! Smell something!) – reference to the song MC Hammer “U Canm Touch this”: “Break it download. Stop … Hammer Time “. At the same time, a pun is observed: the word “Hammer” is realized in two senses, namely as the name of the musical performer and as the subject “Hammer”.
If Wilson makes a torch, he will say: “To Hold Back the Night” (this should drive off the night) that the player can send the Rock to the musician Aldo Nova “Hold Back the Night”.
Seeing the dead pig, Wilson pronounces the phrase: “Someone Shoup Tell His Family” (someone should tell his family), it seems a typical phrase when they talk about the dead or missing soldier.
The hero calls the chest “Tickle Trunk”, exactly the same is called in the Canadian children’s television series “Mr. Dressup “.
Seeing the bee, the hero will answer: “To be or not to bee” (a bee or not a bee) – a direct reference to the famous Shakespearean monologue of Hamlet: “To be or not to be”. Let us explain the play of words: the word “bee” (bee) – an homophone of the verb “be” (to be) in English. Thus, the phrase cannot be literally translated into Russian, since the verb “to be” does not exist, but the meaning is clear.
Willow (Willow – Per. letters. willow)-the first opened girl in the game. She loves fire very much, does not receive damage from him, does not have pupils, often swear, has a bad character. Initially has a lighter.
The slogan in life: “Things look much better when they burn”.
Personal status – arsonist.
The voice resembles a flute.
The person of Willow is very similar to Charlie McGi, the heroine of Stephen King’s novel “Vister”. There is also a roll call with the novel “Carrie”, t. To. Willow begins to set fire to the lying things nearby when her mind falls greatly by glasses.
If she collects a “strange platform”, she will say: “I Just Want to See this World Burn” (I just want to see this world in fire). A reference to Batman’s phrase from the film “The Dark Knight” (2008): “Some Men Just Want to Watch The World Burn” (some people like to watch how the world is on).
Wolfgang (Wolfgang) – strong man, circus actor, the only hero who externally changes from his satiety. Despite his trained body, it is afraid of darkness and monsters.
The slogan in life: “I am the strongest! There is no one stronger than me “.
Personal status – strongman.
The voice looks like the sound of a pipe.
Not found at the moment.
Wendy (Wendy) – a girl with macabaric (from the FR. Macabre – funeral, gloomy) views on life. Everything that is happening around her, she somehow connects with death, even herself. Prone to suicide. Has no pupils, like Willow. Her twin sister Abigail is dead for unknown reasons, but she carries a flower that can call the ghost of her sister.
Life in life: “Abigail! Come back! I haven’t finished playing with you yet “.
Personal status – lost.
The voice resembles an altable flute.
If you click on the pond, Wendy will say: “Ophelia, are you download her?”(Ophelia, you are below?), which, obviously, is a reference to the tragedy of William Shakespeare “Hamlet”.
If you look at the rabbit hole, Wendy will say: “I’M too Big to fall in there” (I’m too big to fall here), which could be a hint of “Alice in Wonderland” Lewis Carroll.
When she looks at the pig’s head, https://bradforddisabilitysports.co.uk/ he says: “Kill the pig! Spill His Blood!”(Beat the pig! Release blood!). This is an allusion to the work of William Golding “Lord of the Flies”, where the hunting boys killed pigs on a uninhabited island and left severed pork heads on sticks as a gift of the beast. It sounds like this: “Kill the pig! Cut His Throat! Spill His Blood!”(Beat the pig! Swallow cut! Release blood!).
“I have Become the Destroyer of Worlds” (I became the destroyer of the worlds)-a fragment of a quote from Bhagavad-Gita. The original option sounds like: “I became death, the destroyer of the worlds”, which JJ repeated in the twentieth century. P. Oppenheimer, “Father” of the atomic bomb.
When the torch lights, he says: “And there was Light!”(May there be light!). Quote from the Old Testament.
If you look at the dead or prepared mandragor, then Wendy will say the phrase: “Alas, Poor Mandrake!”(Poor Mandragora). Obvious reference to the quote “Alas, Poor Yorick! B “(Poor Yorik!) from the famous Hamlet monologue.
If he looks at the crow, he will say: “Take Thy Beak from Out My Heart” (take out your hard beak from my heart) – a quote from the famous poem by Edgar for “Raven”.
A quote for a horror fuel about “with the Sleep of Dreams Comes this Stuff” (with a dream full of dreams, this appears) – the expression nightmare fuel in English means something non -hazardous, but extremely terrible, for example, a nightmare in a dream.
WX-78-a robot endowed with the mind, which hates all biological forms of life. Receives a charge of vigor if lightning enters it, receives damage from the rain, can be modified with the help of “gears”, it can eat rotten food without harm.
The slogan in life: “The empathy module does not answer”.
Personal status – soulless car.
Voices resembles a “raging” synthesizer
Somewhat reminiscent of robots from the novels of Isaac Azimov, for example, from the novel “Dreams of Robots”.
If he sees “metal potatoes”, he will say: “Reminds my of my mother” (reminds me of my mother). This statement can be a reference to the character-robot and AI of the Glados scientific complex from the game “Portal”, developed by Valve: Glados and Glados in the second part of the game were placed in mechanical potatoes.
Regarding the hero’s speech (all with a capital letter), we can talk about something he screams (so often on the Internet means a scream), or simply stylistic highlighting of a special rhythm, voice, melodies of the robot speech.
If you evaluate the sleeping bag, say “Sleep (1000)”. In many programming languages, it means a temporary termination of the program. WX-78 thinks with codes, numbers and appropriate commands. Sleep value is 1000, which implies the duration.
If you do not catch a boomerang, he will answer: “Error: Catch failed” (Error: an attempt to catch was not possible). Can be an allusion to the design “Try-Catch” in many programming languages.
When the WX-78 looks at the “lying robot”, he will say the phrase: “HIS NAME IS HAL. He is my friend “(his name is Hal. He is my friend). Direct reference to the Hal supercomputer from the movie “Space Odyssey 2001″ Stanley Kubrick. Also somewhat reminiscent of a hero from the work of Isaac Azimov “False!”.
Wickerbottom (Wickerbottom)-grumpy and arrogant grandmother-bibber. It is smart enough and initially knows many recipes from the “scientific machine”. The textbook image of the “librarians”: gray hair collected in a bunch, book, glasses, circles under the eyes, dressed in a battered checkered jacket, long skirt and large shoes. Oddly enough, has pupils.
The slogan in life: “TS-s! Do not talk “.
Personal status – librarian.
The voice sounds like a goy.
If you look at the golden nugget, he will say: “A Small Lump of Gold. Atomic Number 79 “(small gold ingot. Element number 79). Obviously refers to the Mendeleev table.
“Shoup AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE Forgot?”(Is it worth forgetting old acquaintances?) – allusion to the Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne” based on Robert Burns’s poetry.
Webber (Webber) – a child living in the body of a spider. Eats only meat, grows a “spider” beard, is friends with spiders. In its remarks, it reflects the collective mind, which in fantastic games, films and literature is characterized by reasonable insect races (for example, grains in Starcraft, strangers in Alien, etc. D.).
The slogan in life: “We do not care.
Personal status – undigested.
Voice-upset Bass Gitar.
Allusias: not yet found.
WigFrid (WigFrid) – looks like a red -haired Valkyrie with freckles, in fact, just an actress who strongly burned in her role. Eats only meat, initially begins a game with a helmet and a spear, restores health and reason when it kills. Life in life: “Testing my incredible acting!”. Personal status – actress. The voice looks like a gramophone recording of a wind orchestra.
The name of the heroine refers to the Scandinavian epic, in particular to the mythological Siegfried or to the place under the name Wigrid, which is the mythological field of the battle, where the main events of Ragnarok will occur – the death of the gods and the world following the battle with the great htonic monsters.
Weight (wes) – a silent mime expressing his thoughts about the world through pantomime. He has balloons with him, apparently worked in the circus like Wolfgang.
There is no slogan.
Personal status – silent.
Voices – no.
Woody (Woody) – Canadian lumberjack in a checkered shirt with red hair. Woody is cursed: if he cuts off too many trees, then turn into a giant beaver similar to a hare. He has a talking ax Lucy.
The slogan in life: “It’s time to cut off a few trees”.
Status – Lumberjack with a terrible secret.
Woody’s voice looks like a cello, and Lucy – on a clarinet.
Sometimes, when the battle with someone begins, shouts: “Get over her, eh!”(Come here, and!). Quote of the popular phrase of the hero of Scorpion from the video game “Mortal Kombat”.
When it equipped with any thing, it can say: “All Work and No Play Makes Me Want to Chop Trees” (continuous work and lack of entertainment forces me to chop trees)-a reference to the saying that has become widespread thanks to Stanley Kubrick “Shine”: “All World Makes Jackk a dullBoy ”(continuous work and lack of entertainment turn Jack into a bore).
If you look at the “fireflies” in the inventory, he will say the phrase: “i’ve got a Pocket Full of Sunshine!”(I have full pockets of sunlight!). This is probably an allusion to the same name by Natasha Budingfield “Pocket Full of Sunshine”.
When he looks at the lasan of the monster’s meat, he will say: “This is cat food!”(Koshkina food!). A visual reference to the famous cartoon and the film about the Cat Garfield, which was famous for his love for climbing.
If you click on the ax, Woody says: “I love lucy!”(I love Lucy!). This phrase can be a hint of a television series with the same name.
If you press the fire, it will react: “I love a fire in the event” (I love the fire in the evenings). According to syntax and semantics, it resembles a phrase from the film “Apocalypse Today” F. Coppols: “I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Morning” (I love the smell of napalm in the morning)
Maxwell – a demon that locked the heroes in the mysterious world. Most likely it is the creator of the world, t. To. maybe he will be changed at his own request. There is an assumption that he himself is stuck in this world, because he can become a playable character after passing the mode adventure. A stinging and cynical person who used to be a magician in a circus named William Carter. Interestingly, in the game code is recorded as Waxwell, apparently, in order not to break the tradition with names on “w”.
The slogan in life: “Freedom, finally”.
Personal status – puppeteer.
The voice sounds like a FISHARMONY.
His person may be a reference to the demon Maxwell, the mental experiment d.TO. Maxwell, which he used to explain the second law of thermodynamics.
If you click on the “reeds bush”, he will say: “the mind of wind in them, there Willows” (there is the wind in them, there are willows). Allusion to the work “Wind in the willows” of the Scottish writer Kennet Grem.
If he looks at the “petals”, he will say the phrase: “Like so much confetti” (like a bunch of confetti). Can be a reference to the song of the same name by Jim Clementess.
When he looks at Jack’s Lamp, he will say: “Who HELLO, MR. Crane “(well, Hello, Mr. Crane). Most likely this is a hint of the hero of Bob Crane from the film “Auto Focus” Paul Schneider, where in one episode they turn to the hero like that.
Looking at the “lulling dart”, says: “Call Me Mr. Sandman “(call me Mr. Sandman). Sandman – Sand Man, a character of folklore of Western Europe.
“Bee Home” – “Not the Bees!”(Just not bees!). Quote of the character of Nicholas Cage from the movie “Wicker Man”.
If you play for Maxwell to collect Portal, he will say: “It’s alive” (it is alive!). Quote from the cult film of horrors of 1931-“Frankestein”.
If you try to shave, the hero says the phrase: “If only the world has a single neck” (oh, if only the world had one neck). It is a converted quote from the Roman Emperor Caligula: “Oh, if the Roman people had one neck”.
Looking at the “Pig’s House”, he will say: “I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff!”(I will lose my temper and ask for). In general, a reference to a fairy tale about three piglets.
If he sees a “pinch”, emphasizes: “Nice Tux” (cool suit). However, most likely a hint of a dachshund penguin (TUX), Linux symbol.
Reaction to “Rog Bifalo” – “Call Forth The Beasts!”(Call animals). There is a spell of the same name in the desktop play “Dungeon & Dragons”.
The reaction to “Oil” – “SOME PUNS are Irresistible” (it is difficult to resist some puns). For example, when a hero takes a “meat bit”, says: “Pleased to meme!”(Glad to see you!). There is a pun: the verb “to Meet” means “meet”, and the noun Meat is “meat”, these are homophones. The verb “to meat” has values: 1) “supply food, feed”;2) “taste, taste”.
In conclusion, we can say that for its genre “Donomet Starve” it seems very filled with multiple allusion and symbols of the game, which makes it unique in its kind not only in style and aesthetics, but also by the criterion of semantic films. The characters filling the system of this video game are not “dummy”: when the player chooses one of them, the game process changes together with the perception of the surrounding game world, since each hero has his own individual perception, which he broadcasts to the player. The allusions present in the game are associated with various fields of art: mainly cinema, music, video games, literature and other areas – this is how the percentage contribution of allusions in the game is built in the game. It is especially important that this kind of descriptive studies serve primarily in order to better understand the author’s position, the source of inspiration of the developers, and not the desire to prove the “banality” of the plot, which, although it does not really line up in the “Donat Starve”, but at the same time, the textual embodiment at the level of heroes of the heroes about the surrounding world creates his own micromy of each character, and also testifies to his personality.
P.S. The presented material does not carry real research value (only subjective), since it is a compile of articles.
P.P.S. The article is not over, since not all allusions are disclosed. Most likely the content will be replenished.
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