Order & Chaos Definition
Order – An authoritative command or instruction/set of rules that keep stability among a society.
Chaos – Complete disorder and confusion/Unrelenting and escalating violence/instability.
The reason why I have gathered a definition surrounding the theme is due to my initial lack of proper understanding of the true meaning of this theme and so to expand my knowledge and gain context as to the true purpose of this theme I have looked up these definitions that provide me with this knowledge and will now allow me to progress further in the product due to my now expanded interest in the theme. Gaining context from these definitions has also made it easier for me to link subjects together with the theme and gain a wide array of topics that I could delve into for further research. With these definitions I now fully understand the theme of the project and I am now able to interpret into my own style so that I can develop a final idea that meets the guidelines of the fmp. What stands out to me with both these definitions is how they both easily relate to conflict and tyranny as they are commonly associated with dystopian worlds and so to represent both these words is not so much a challenge due to their direct correlation with one another.
Word Association
Order – Dictator
Absolute power
Tyranny
Dystopia
Fascism
Iron Fist
Oppression
Surveillance
Police State
Utopia
Crime Free
Propaganda
indoctrination
Chaos – War
Violence
Disorder
Destruction
Onslaught
Suffering
Death
Confusion
Discord
Battle
Carnage
Tension
Anger
This word association has allowed me to expand upon the definitions of the theme in my own way and it has proved to be an effective technique of researching these words as it allows you to immediately form ideas and gain topics that I can start gathering research on right away as I now have a more simple and expanded meaning of the theme that will let me gather a wide variety of research sources to develop my initial ideas. One of the words from this association that I would to delve into for further research is disorder and destruction as these are the 2 words that almost immediately come to my mind when thinking of a possible link to the theme of chaos, as well as these 2 words all of the others give me a subject that I expand upon further and take more context from especially ones such as propaganda due to its links to authoritarian and tyrannical leadership which is a theme that I am planning to present within my project. The remaining words that I have placed within this word association can all be used as separate sources for my developed research which can be taken from books and many other different forms of media.
Order & Chaos Mindmap
In the next stage of my research for the theme of our FMP I have produced a mindmap which I have produced through delving deeper into the definitions of the words order and chaos and then branching off of them with relating topics that can easily be traced back to the theme of the project. A mind map is one of the best forms of research for myself and so that is why I have created as it gives me a simple extensive list that prevents me from over complicating the theme of the project and it also prevents me from confusing myself with the theme of the assignment as before creating this mindmap I was at a loss for what I could include except for the obvious such as war and tyranny which were the first two topics related to order and chaos that came to mind which I have since branched off extensively giving myself a wide range of potential features for my project. Overall this mindmap has gotten rid of my concern for linking topics with theme and so when it is time to produce my initial ideas this research will of great assistance for topics that I can use and relate my project too. With the topics I have branched out on seen in the mindmap there are a notable few which stand out to me and these ones are authoritarian, turmoil, and destruction. These words stand out to me on this mindmap due to how often I myself tend to associate them with the main topic and so with my experience from past research as well as current project association with them it gives me a good pointer as for where I can start my research such as historical time periods, current events and even fictional worlds created that focus on these as their themes which will give me insight into how I can create my own and direct the audience to view the world in the way I have created it.
General Research on Order & Chaos
Tyranny
For my first moodboard I have gathered images surrounding the topic of tyranny which I have branched off of on my mindmap which can be seen above and the reason why I have chosen to research this topic is the way in which tyranny can link to order as the way in which order is interpreted it is also done so in a tyrannical and authoritarian way as it is a rulers typical perfect world where they are given absolute power with complete obedience of the masses. This type of order is unjust and the images I have gathered present past and current individuals who can be linked and directly placed within the definition of tyranny whilst I have also included numerous posters that serve as propaganda promoting or calling for rebellion against tyranny which I have included as rebellion and propaganda are all prominent features of productions focusing around the topic of order and tyranny such as the expansion pack released for Assassins Creed 3 The Tyranny of King Washington which presents an alternate world where the ruler becomes greedy with power and inflicts injustice upon his subjects placing them within the definition of being a tyrant. This research is useful to me as it has given me many ideas for my final project with some of these not revolving around character or environment design as viewing the posters presented I could potentially take inspiration from these and design my own propaganda poster promoting a fictional tyrannical regime alongside whatever designs I produce alongside it, overall this research has been of great help to me with it already bringing some ideas to mind that I will be sure to expand upon in the upcoming initial ideas phase of the FMP. Based on this moodboard I have opened up a wide library of sources for myself to research and so I will be able to look into individual historical eras and how they were impacted by tyranny as well as the ways in which it was exercised under that leadership.
Games on the topic of Tyranny
Hearts of Iron IV
Whilst I was gathering images focusing on the topic of tyranny for a moodboard I also put some thought into what existing titles in the gaming industry focus on the theme and allow you to take part in being a tyrannical ruler and one of these games that I have played extensively myself is the grand strategy game called Hearts of Iron IV which is a game that allows you to assume control of any of the 200 countries present in the game with many of these being communist and fascistic dictatorships due to the games setting which is late 1930s to 1950s with the most focus directed to East Asia and Europe. I have chosen to include this game within my research as I believe it is a good example of including tyranny in a video game title as depending on which nation you play as for example Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan you are allowed as the player to pursue focuses that limit the rights of people whilst being allowed to invade countries without provocation and implement harsh terms of occupation on the territories you control and exercise your tyrannical rule to full extent depending on how you want to play. Through viewing concept art and experimenting with the gameplay of this title I can get ideas for how to produce a series of propoganda posters, leader portraits and conceptual art scenes where I could focus on an occupied zone forced into a brutal order.
This video that I have given the link to contains a list of 8 games that are some of the best rated for playing as a tyrannical dictator with most of the titles being strategy games that allow the player full control over a country with the power to lead it down any direction they wish to choose. This research helps me as it provides me with a large amount of existing titles that each revolve around this topic of order & chaos and so using the games by viewing footage and experimenting with them myself I can extend my understanding of how this topic is utilised in industry and use the promotional art work produced for its marketing and the characters alongside environment and assets in the game to inspire the creation of my own product such as a series of character designs, concept art set in a oppressive slum or a propaganda poster either promoting or revolting against the order.
Stellaris
Presenting another grand strategy title that I have extensive experience in playing is the galactic strategy game Stellaris which allows you create whatever type of interstellar government you wish and generate a random galaxy with a player determined number of star systems and factions for you to interact with. The way in which this links to order and chaos is through the actions you can take as the ruler of your civilization as you are given access to traits such as fanatic xenophobe and militarist that allow you to create an imperial dictatorship or oligarchy which gives you access to edicts that give you the power to list certain species within your empire that you have conquered as undesirables which will result in the complete extermination of this race, you are also allowed to implement slavery and determine the type of treatment the slaves receive whilst you are alongside this given the power to lay down martial over entire planets and exercise absolute tyranny and perform an unlimited amount of acts of terror throughout your interstellar civilization and galaxy. My experience with this game will inspire my creative thought with ideas coming to mind such as the design of an alien ruler and an alien resistance leader with additional concepts such as space craft design and concept art presenting a world under siege by a tyrannical regime.
Books Focusing on Tyranny
Soviet Union
This book that I have found after studying a list online presents the rule of Stalin through the critical phases of the Soviet Unions history such as the Moscow Show trials, Great purge and of course the Second World War. The book contains interviews from those who had personal dealings with the dictator and surviving members of his family and inner circle giving the reader an extensive insight into Stalin’s tyrannical regime. This book will assist me in the development of my project as through reading the information contained within its pages I can receive insight that allows me to visualise how a dictator would look and what a society under their leader ship would look like which would allow me to produce a realistic conceptual art piece and a character that you can easily identify as someone who holds a tremendous amount of power and uses it to inflict great suffering.
Media
Man in the High Castle
Whilst reflecting on the definition of order and tyranny linking together, a popular amazon TV series came to mind which is Man in the High castle that focuses on a post ww2 world where the Axis powers were victorious with much of the show taking place in the occupied United States that is placed under a brutal and fascistic regime that regularly exercises its tyranny by committing atrocities against the inhabitants under occupation. This series is a very important one for me to include in my research due to its inclusion of Order and Chaos as despite the tyranny placed over the citizens of the occupied territories there is also chaos implemented in the form of resistance against the regime which promotes rebellion and violence against the ruling party. The setting is one that interests me as it is a speculative topic of a “what if” situation and is one that I could potentially utilise if I were to create a fictional world undergoing a very similar scenario that can be directly related to the suffering that occurred within our own time period. This could be done once again through a series of character designs and propaganda art pieces whilst I could also create a series of assets such as buildings or flags that convey the topic I wish to present.
War
A topic that I highly associate with chaos is war and so the above moodboard contains images featuring historical war imagery alongside concept art from major titles such as Star Wars with some medieval paintings and dark art pieces focusing on the intensity of conflict. The reason why I associate this topic with chaos rather than something else that would be seen as utterly confusing and out of order is because war is directly related to those two as the individuals involved in it are usually placed in a confusing, fast paced and incredibly violent filled with disorder in high intensity. A soldier in a situation such as this would always hold some confusion as to their situation such as not knowing where the enemy are and constantly kept on the move whilst in intense moments has their world obliterated by disorder raining down in the form of bombs and the utter carnage they face. Many of the images I have used in this moodboard do not show the full picture and include an intense with what looks to be a fast paced situation which reflects on my previous statement of confusion as those involved do not always have the entire picture of what is occurring and are limited only to their line of sight which makes for the individual a chaotic situation filled with disorder and unruliness almost like a free for all for everyone involved. This research will assist me in the development of my project as war is a prominent topic of chaos and is one that I can create many ideas from due to its flexibility and how it can be presented within the theme whilst associating with any genre within reason, for example since the theme of the project has no specific genre I can create a sci fi world using the topic of war to present order and chaos in this interpretation.
Games on the topic of War
Call of Duty World at War
For the first game on this next phase of my research on the topic of war I have gathered an image presenting cover art from a game that I am very well acquainted with as this is a title that I have personally played through multiple times and can link it extensively to order and chaos due to the carnage present throughout the game play that you as the player experience throughout it. This title links greatly to chaos due to the theme it presents which is the height of the second world war and gives it to the player in an uncensored experience that highlights the ferocity of the conflict, throughout many of the levels you experience absolute chaos due the situation you are thrusted into such as in the level black cats where you are placed in a confusing situation within a support aircraft that becomes increasingly turmoil to the extent that the narrative of this section of the game seems to become a free for all as the player is constantly overwhelmed and left confused due to the unpredictability of the situation. This title presents unrelenting violence that constantly places the player in highly intense situations that become filled with utter confusion and discord almost as soon as they take place. This research has been done to inspire my creative thought for my final idea as well as provide me with knowledge as to how I can utilise the topic of war and conflict to develop a professional product focused around the theme of Order & Chaos.
Total War: Warhammer II
For the next title focusing on war and conflict I have chosen to include another game that I have a spent time playing myself which is Warhammer 2 in the total war series which allows you full control over any one of the playable factions within the fantasy world of Warhammer with some of these focusing on spreading chaos and corruption throughout the world which you can take part in by exercising tactics that can be seen as tyrannical and oppressive such as the player being given the ability to complete destroy settlements upon seizing them from a hostile faction. Interacting with other factions allows the player to exercise diplomatic actions such as committing dishonourable actions that can class you as a rogue state and the amount of hostilities you commit will increase your threat level and turn you into a tyrannical ruler that threatens the known world. Chaos is a mechanic within this game is what corrupts the landscape as a physical and phys-chic force that promotes instability and unruliness throughout society that can stir up rebellions and force nations to take action and expose themselves to an increase in this level of corruption. Due to chaos existing as in game mechanic within this title I could use this to inspire the creation of my own fantasy or sci fi world that includes chaos functioning in this manner with order included through the presence of dictator ships, occupied states and a high level of conflict and tension between a ruling party and those who are ruled over by the state. A character design presenting an individual affected by chaos is a key inspiration I can take from this source and may be developed further when approaching the drafting of my final idea.
Books
A book that I have read titled Red Army in the image above presents a theoretical scenario of a third world war occurring between west and east in the 1980s and the reason why I have included this within my research is due to the way in which it describes war and narrates the combat scenes which throughout the novel are described as loud with fast unrelenting movements constantly taking place and promoting utter confusion amongst the warring individuals. The direction of the book constantly revolves and changes with the situation always remaining incredibly unpredictable as the fighting intensifies greatly throughout the course of the novel. Due to the perspective of the novel focusing entirely on the Soviet side you as the reader are given insight as to how order is maintained within the ranks of the Red Army and the ways in which the Communist regime maintain rule over the citizens of the USSR. The novel helps you visualise how volatile and destructive the nature of war is along with the chaotic confusion of combat as well as how the aftermath is dealt with by those who declared the war. Overall this book will greatly inspire the development of my project should I decide to go down the route of interpreting order & chaos in this fashion as I can use what I have learnt from this novel to create a chaotic and intense conceptual art piece that can go alongside a number of character and asset designs.
Media
Star Wars
Moving on from books, a popular media franchise that has a great reflection of order & chaos is the iconic sci fi franchise titled Star Wars which presents an extensive world full of adventures, stories and has led to the development of many spin offs presenting different eras within the fictional universe as well as books and triple A games that have made their way into industry, another spin off is the fan fiction written as a poor out of taste joke by disney since they acquired the franchise. The way in which order can be stemmed from in this franchise is the existence of authoritarian regimes such as The Empire which inflict great suffering over the worlds and systems that they rule over similar to ways in which nations in our world have done so in the past which greatly conveys the presence of order within the galaxy. Chaos is also prevalent through the existence of conflict in the galaxy through the form of rebellions and ongoing wars that engulf the world from time to time leading to a violent and earth shattering conflict that tends to cause tremendous damage to those who take part. The inspiration I can take from this franchise is the existence of such empires within it to influence the creation of some of my own which I can design leaders and propaganda for using the existing source material within Star Wars to influence my own fictional creations.
Anarchy
In the next moodboard I have focused on the topic of anarchy which can be stemmed from chaos due to the disorder and unruliness its contains such as riots, demonstrations, and mass disobedience from a governed society. Anarchy can also be linked to a high intensity situation that is rapidly spinning out of control with escalating violence involving anarchists clashing with pro govt forces. The images I have gathered present a series of propaganda images such as posters and photographs taken by those who call them anarchists. Whilst I understand the meaning of anarchy I have found it difficult to pin point certain images and add them to this moodboard as I struggle with visualising exactly what it is due to the vast amount of ways in which it can be interpreted such as my own interpretation which I have stated above being a situation involving a mass group of people revolting against the norms of society and clashing with those who uphold it through my views of this topic conflict with revolution which is unrelated to this project. Overall despite struggling to visualize anarchy in its form I have still managed to gather interesting imagery which will help to influence my ideas generation and leave a positive impact on the outcome of my final product.
Games on the Topic of Anarchy
Watch Dogs Legion
Although researching anarchy is a topic that I have been struggling I’ve managed to link an upcoming triple A title to the topic which is called Watch Dogs Legion which is the third edition to the franchise and will be set in London allowing the player to take part in a silent revolt against the leadership and organise a rebellion using the technological devices given to them for their own personal use. I have linked this game to the topic of anarchy due to the setting of the product taking place in modern day London where our society has groups of anarchists that tend to cause a mess wherever they end up whilst the title presents an almost revolution like conflict within the narrative it can still be interpreted as an anarchist revolt due to the activities the player takes part in to ferment this uprising against a tyrannical government. Chaos is also prevalent within this topic due to the confusion and destruction you can cause through controlling multiple characters and using their devices to create malfunctions within things such as public services leading to infrastructural damage and death. Although anarchy is an unlikely topic that I will be pursuing for my final product it could still inspire me to create concepts such as character designs for anarchists and assets that could include a wide range of devices used to help the characters on their journey.
Fallout: New Vegas
The 2010 game Fallout New Vegas is another title that I have a lot of personal experience from playing since it first released and contains an open world apocalyptic landscape filled with danger in a futuristic world with a 1950ish culture and personality among the inhabitants. This title is a complicated one that contains many themes within it and so linking it with Anarchy is a task that is convoluted due to the amount of content that the game possesses though you are presented with it many times throughout the game such through the existence of factions such as the Caesars Legion which focuses on terrorism as well as the Followers of the Apocalypse who serve as harm reductionists. What I can take from this game is how they have uniquely designed the environment and characters whilst interpreting multiple topics into the title with anarchy being just one of them as Order & chaos are also prominent through the ongoing conflicts that persist such as the final battle for hoover dam at the end of the game alongside the military government imposed by the NCR to keep the peace in New Vegas. The art style used in the game is one that inspires me alongside the way in which they present the world they have created such as creating a future with a 1950s twist through the behavior and style of the characters and creatures that exist within this universe created by the developers. The character designed in this title as well as the setting and world created will help to influence the development of my own concepts that I will be developing during a later stage of unit 13.
Cyberpunk 2077
The third title that I have researched is the upcoming much anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077 that is set in a futuristic dystopia and can be linked to having a theme connect with anarchism due to the anti capitalist and anti corporate sentiment that is commonly associated with fictional worlds such as this as of yet unreleased title. Cyberpunk presents a massively open world game that has a vast criminal underworld that the player is allowed to interact and take part in activities with that influence the ongoing scenarios of the world surrounding them. The title fits well into the topic of anarchy due to the free for all like aspect of its society with the existence of mercenaries, outlaws and gangs that seek to gather large fortune and power within the setting of the game. The presence of organisations, people and assets alongside the setting of the theme of this game is the reason why I have chosen to include it within my research for the topic of anarchy as it greatly reflects the meaning of the theme and fits in well with the Unit 13 theme Order & Chaos.
Books
For the books section of my research I found the works of the author named Noam Chomsky who has written a book presenting a detailed analysis into the nature of anarchism and how it impacts the ongoing political thought of those who claim to practice it. The book contains his interviews and essays that each present a short introduction to his interpretation of anarchism and how it influences the modern world through those who practice it. The contents of this book expand the current knowledge of those who know about the existence of anarchism and allows the reader to formulate an opinion on the ideology with the author refuting anarchism as being a fixed idea whilst disputing the lines between anarchism and socialism. Using the information contained within this book I can expand my current knowledge of the ideology and use it to create a project that accurately portrays anarchy whilst keeping in line with the main theme which is Order & Chaos.
Stability
In this next moodboard I have shifted my focus towards the topic of stability which I have linked directly to order which I have done because if you are to implement order over a society of people then you must have stability such as a peaceful or obedient population who are willing to be governed by your establishment. Many of the images I have gathered are once again digitally created posters which all serve to convey a certain message with some promoting instability and others supporting it. In order to define stability in this moodboard I have gathered some peaceful images alongside some photographs that present riots and protests against ideas. The research that I have gathered in the form of images in this moodboard can influence my ideas generation for the FMP by showing me how the topic can be interpreted as well as what conflicts it can link to or stem from and so depending on the idea I end up developing, the topic of stability will assist me in how to convey a positive or negative environment in the designs that I create.
Games on the topic of stability
Civilization VI
Game wise for stability Civilization IV fits in as a strategy game that allows the player to govern a civilization and compete with others that are controlled by AI whilst going through multiple stages of development and technological enhancement all whilst maintaining order within their own nation. The ultimate goal for the player in this title is assume total control of the world making themselves the supreme civilization in the game. This game fits in with the topic of stability due to the obstacles that the player encounters throughout its progression such as being struck by natural disasters, facing war and conflict, as well as economic issues which all negatively impact the society that you as the player are attempting to maintain stability over. Due to this being a nation builder game the ideas that I can stem from it consist mainly of concept art such as if I were to create an art piece focusing on a city landscape or a leader design with a scene implemented alongside them.
Cities Skylines
The next game that I have researched on this topic is the city builder and management game called Cities Skylines which allows the player to start out with a plot of land and develop it into a sprawling metropolis designed in its own unique way with artificial landscapes created through use of the games sculpting tools that allow the player to create their own environment with the terrain that they have in mind for it. Stability comes into the game through the reactions of the inhabitants who the player must keep happy by keeping them up to date with developments and maintaining public facilities and standards such as the use of electricity and water pipes alongside a sewage system whilst also maintaining an emergency services station for each department to keep the city safe. Order & Chaos are implemented into this game through the presence of criminals who will try and disrupt the society you have built whilst errors you make as the mayor will also contribute to instability within the city such as the increase in resentment towards yourself from the populace with chaos also prevalent in the form of natural disasters such tornadoes and earthquakes that can have a huge impact on the social stability of your city which if it keeps decreasing will result in the decrease of the amount of people that live within the city you govern. Though this game is tame and dosen’t contain any themes of violence besides the natural disasters present in the expansions it does still provide reference and inspiration for what I can develop from its own interpretation of Order & Chaos which exists through the games mechanics.
Dystopia
For my final moodboard I have focused on the topic of dystopia which can be directly linked to order through the presence of governments such as those in 1984 that create order and obedience through unjust and tyrannical rule which can also be linked to chaos due to the anarchy that can occur if a rebellion were to take place. In these images I have gathered a series of concept art pieces that each present a dystopian city that has a dirty and polluted aesthetic allowing you and the audience to take note of the depressing atmosphere that is filling up the surrounding area. The reason why I researched the topic of dystopia for this moodboard is because of the presence of productions such as 1984 that greatly reflect order & chaos such as the inclusion of an all seeing figure called “Big Brother” who is utilised to keep a watchful eye on citizens and maintain order in society through surveillance.
Games on the topic of Dystopias
Half Life 2
There is no shortage of sources when it comes to gathering research for games focused on dystopias and so I have started off this phase by delving into the iconic and well renowned title Half Life 2 set in a post war dystopian society where Earth is occupied as part of an inter dimensional empire known as the combine. Order & Chaos in this game is reflected greatly due to the presence of an oppressive regime that has subdued the human population and forces order on its citizen through the use of trans humans and military force whilst chaos is present in the shape of rebellion which the player continuously helps throughout the title. This research will influence the next phases of my project as the atmosphere it provokes for dystopian games is very dark and gloomy whilst presenting a dystopia in a unique style using a variety of assets to create the setting of an entire planet under occupation. This is also a game that I have played myself so I have experienced the way in which it connotes the theme for the FMP and is a game that if I choose to focus on a dystopian society will influence its development great.
Books
On the moodboard that I have produced for this section of my research I have included a large amount of conceptual pieces and posters that are all focused around the George Orwell book 1984 which is a story set in a dystopian society where the entire population is brainwashed and lives under a totalitarian regime that controls their every thought and has essentially eradicated the existence of free will in second class citizens. The way in which this relates to the project theme is because of the way in which the government exercises power over its subjects as a peaceful and perpetual order is maintained through preventing the process of thinking occurring among the population. This book serves as excellent reference material for when creating a dystopian world set within the theme of Order & Chaos and is one that I will look further into should I decide to sail my project in this direction.
Level 3 Games Development Spencer Lee 