Queue the quote from Tow Mater, in this blog post we discuss an ancient game, (well a 15 year old game) in Cars Mater National. We take a deep nose dive into the technique, genre and fans of this game and discuss how this game can also be adapted to modern audiences of the game and movie franchise.
I chose this game as it was a game I used to play religiously due to my love for the Cars franchise.
Another key thing to discuss is the virtual community developed within the game. Cars Mater National can be described as an epistemic game, as according to D. Williamson Shaffer and others the players think like they are a member of the Cars community and get to control that community through the game. For me, a downside is not being able to play with Sally, my favourite character from the movie, however, exploring the town of Radiator Springs is still something that feels amazing within the community and subsidises the lack of original characters within the game. Not only do they get to meet their favourite characters of the movie, but interact, and even control them in the game making them feel as though they are one with the Cars community. This allows for a convergence of a real life community intertwined with a virtual community within the Cars and Cars Mater National community.
Exploring the characters like Mater, Lightning McQueen, and Filmore allow for users to feel excited to unlock their favourite characters, keep playing and ultimately finish the game. Having a history of knowing the movie and the characters makes the game more enjoyable, and brings back the framework from Huhtamo that games have history.
Ultimately, Cars Mater National is a great game which brings together virtual and real communities and is a great video game based off a movie with an endless amount of possibilities in place within the game itself.
Reference List
D, Williamson Shaffer, K R Squire, R Halverson, J P Gee, Video Games and the Future of Learning.
E, Huhtamo, 2005, Slots of Fun: Slots of Trouble: An Archaeology of Arcade Gaming, Handbook of Computer Games Studies.
Mavro Productions 