My study of Darwin, evolution, and more specifically natural selection has lead me to a new understanding of my current field of study, video games. While reading Darwin’s Origin of Species and related works for the explanation of how species come about, an epiphany occurred. Natural selection is an emerging theme in video games that has taken precedence due to its competitive nature.
Natural selection is “differential success” (Appleman 377). A species’ existence will go through many generations, amongst which traits are passed through offspring via genes. Every time members of a species copulate and combine traits, a genetic mutation may occur based on mere probability. If the crossing of traits creates a new trait in the offspring, that creature may become different from other members of the species. Most of the time these differences are negative and spell the doom of the creature’s life, such as a weak immune system or improper organ formation. However, every so often a positive mutation will occur in the offspring that provides a beneficial effect. “Beneficial” is a subjective term, in this case referring to an organism’s increased chance of reproducing. This may take the form of an extra joint that allows the animal to escape predators or catch prey more efficiently, or it could be as simple as a modification to a beak that allows birds to crack a certain type of nut better. Regardless, the increased chance of the mutated organism to reproduce means that over time, more members of the species will share a beneficial trait that distinguishes those who have it. The mutation eventually becomes prevalent to the point where a significant portion of a species is genetically different from the rest and adapted a different lifestyle. New species are formed “when persistent selection over many generations changes a population so much that its members will no longer breed with individuals from a related population” (Appleman 378). Thus, natural selection is the process of probability-based positive traits being passed on from generation to generation in a species until the group experiencing the effect become large enough to be deemed a separate species.
The basis for all video games is conflict; some form of struggle must exist for the player to immerse themselves in a game and derive entertainment from it. Natural selection is Darwin’s explanation for why evolution exists because it drives competition between species by propagating genetic advantages to have some creatures of a species perform better than others. Those who interact with video games derive pleasure from the internal conflict the game presents, such as fighting the villain to save the princess or beating an opponent in a race. Including natural selection in games is an easy way to introduce conflict that stems from the player’s avatar competing with similar characters for glory and supremacy. It also quickly feeds new information to players to keep their interest, a necessity in today’s fast-paced driven world where people tend to lose focus on any single activity. For instance, in Nicholas Carr’s article Is Google Making Us Stupid, he talks about how his mind “expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles”. The advent of technology in games has lead to complex artificial intelligence that allows game designers to incorporate natural selection amongst characters of the same species – humans, monsters, aliens – as a means for driving the game’s conflict and keeping the player’s interest.
This You Tube video beautifully displays a modern game that takes full advantage of evolution and natural selection in its gameplay. Spore was released a few months ago and sparked a national phenomenon amongst players and game designers. Its entire premise is based on evolution and natural selection, a concept that has been tinkered with in video games but never fully explored. The player’s character starts out as a single-cell organism and evolves into more complex organisms via evolution. As the creature becomes more powerful through adaptation to environment, he is forced to interact with members of the same species and combat them for survival. The primary method of becoming the best of your species is adopting a unique trait that allows you to do something better than other members of the species, such as fighting or reproducing. The game is pretty much an ode to all that Darwin stands for because every aspect of its gameplay revolves around evolution and natural selection. Spore is an excellent illustration of the modern trend video games are taking to include themes of natural selection and evolution to promote conflict in gameplay.
Sources:
Appleman, Philip, ed. Darwin. 3rd ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.
Grant, Peter. Natural Selection and Darwin’s Finches. Darwin. 3rd ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. 2007. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google
Spore. Spore E308 Trailer. July 14, 2008. You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVH9Q8M8eaQ
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