First off, I want to make it clear that this is not a game review. We have game reviews on this site that break down whether or not you should pick up certain titles, and they are done very well. This column is for readers and gamers who want to think about the concepts operating behind the games that they enjoy. My interpretation of these games could be completely wrong, so feel free to contribute your own ideas here.
I’ve already written a column about meaning in games, but I want to take it a step further and talk about meaning in art. Most introductory English, Arts, and Music majors will have to tackle the question of whether or not there really is meaning beyond the surface of the art form that they study. How do you know that certain art forms are trying to address deeper cultural issues? What if people are only making good books/art/music and nothing more? It is entirely possible that people just make art for the sake of entertainment, or because it makes them feel good, or because it looks beautiful, or because it sounds nice. However, those people make art in the context of a culture or a society that has shaped their views of what is beautiful, good, or important. Have you ever wondered why things tend to happen in series of three in a lot of Western literature? Or have you thought about why strings are used to reflect tension in a horror movie? Have you thought about why wolves are mostly depicted as evil or bad in most movies? These things aren’t objective truths, but conclusions we’ve come to as a culture. We use symbols as a shorthand to evoke certain feelings or thoughts, and all art tends to reflect these symbols as a way to show they were influenced by their respective cultures. Along these same lines, games are made by thoughtful people in the context of cultures that operate on a series of subconscious symbols and ideas. A lot of games are made in Western countries, and they often reflect the anxieties, fears, hopes, and beliefs of this culture. Western RPGs are about openness, individuality, and freedom (such as Skyrim). First Person Shooters show the mythic power we give to individuals with guns, and how the rights tools can either empower a “good” person or be used as a weapon to tear down civilization. Every game mechanic, setting, story, and character says something about the culture it comes from.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at Bastion.
Bastion looks like a quintessential Western story, or to be more specific, it is a very American story. I’m not exactly an expert on American culture, but I can say I’ve lived in the US my entire life and I’ve started to pick up on the shorthand we use that seems to define American culture. It is incredibly cliche, but Americans value freedom and the individual above all else, and that is how Bastion begins. The player starts off as an individual, completely alone but also completely free. There is no one to tell you what to do or how to do something, but there is a narrator that explains things as you go. The narrator functions as someone who tells you things after the fact though, making him sound like a historian who is giving your actions more gravity and meaning than you think they might deserve. The narrator doesn’t give you a name, he just calls you, “The Kid.” The moniker “kid” fits into the American theme of Bastion, since America is often characterized as a young, brash, powerful country that may lack some of the wisdom or experience of older nations. What makes this “kid” different is that he gets a bunch of weapons as a way to carry out his desires and enforce his understanding of the world.
As you explore the backdrop of Bastion, things feel more and more American, especially the Wild West version of America popularized in television, movies, and songs. There is country music with rhythmic guitars and twanging strings. The attire of The Kid adds to this Western theme, since he’s wearing a little neckerchief, leather pants, and a large belt buckle while toting a huge gun. On top of that, you have a narrator that sounds like he’s telling a story as he sits by a campfire. His story is about a young, lone, strong cowboy. All of these things tap into a sort of American id when it comes to the stories we tell about ourselves. We were the lone pioneers who came and conquered this land with nothing but a steady pistol and our wits. We didn’t have anybody help us, we did it all by ourselves. We have historians who add to the romanticism of American exceptionalism, and lovingly narrate our perilous journey through the wilderness. Bastion is a quintessential American story, but it gets much more complicated, because it adds things to the story that many Americans forget or choose to ignore.
At the beginning of the game, we learn that something essentially blew up and destroyed all of Caelondia, and it is our job to bring everything back together and find survivors. We don’t find many survivors, and the reason behind why the world fell apart is only revealed in pieces. When we do come across survivors, two of them happen to be native Caelondians (the Kid and the Narrator, Rucks), and two happen to be Ura (Zia and Zulf). The Ura are an ethnic minority in Caelondia. We learn that Caelondia was founded by pioneers that travelled across the sea and turned the land they travelled to into a large cultural and economic power. The Caelondians traded with the native Uras by buying land from them for very low prices, but the Caelondians were looking to expand that power by building a railroad. They wanted to build a railroad right over Ura land, and the Ura did not want this to happen, so they went to war. The Ura lost because the Caelondians had better technology and weapons. The Ura live as a minority group in Caelondia, in a land that used to be theirs.
If this sounds like a familiar story, it should. As an American, I know that the history of Native Americans or American Indians is often left untold or with many, many details left out. Americans are living on borrowed land, with only the slightest hints of the former inhabitants. About half of our states get their names from Native American language and we use Native American symbols or stereotypes for sports teams and other items. Native Americans live in this country that used to be theirs as a minority group, all as a consequence of the “pioneer spirit” that many Americans champion and take pride in. This history appears to be the background of Bastion, which changes the entire meaning of the game.
How did the world fall apart in Bastion? It blew up because of a weapon that the player learns about in the Hidebound Journal written by Zia’s father. There has always been tension between the Caelondians and the Ura in the aftermath of the war, so the Caelondians created a weapon, which they publicly explained was going to be used to protect them. In actuality, it was going to be used against the Ura as a way to kill the remaining members of that population. Zia’s father had to work on the project, and when he found out about its true purpose he sabotaged it so that it destroyed the Caelondians. The player is living in the aftermath of a weapon that was intended to commit genocide against the Ura, but was instead used against its creators.
I remember when I played through Bastion the first time, I was upset that Zulf sabotaged the Bastion and betrayed me, but when I played through it again, I understood he was somewhat in the right. You, the player, the Caelondian, were a part of an oppressive majority that tried to wipe out the last remnants of a civilization you had slowly been killing off. You aren’t directly responsible for the actions of all of Caelondia, but you were benefitting from the way things were before the Calamity.
This brings us to the ending of the game. You are given a choice between either going back in time and trying to make sure the Calamity doesn’t happen again, or setting sail and forging a new path. In the context of the history of Native Americans, this brings us to the division that exists in America surrounding the subject of minority groups. We have an argument as a nation about how to treat groups that we have wronged in the past, and this is a simplified version of it. One side says that we need to apologize, give reparations, and openly talk about what we did wrong in order to heal the entire country. This side resembles the option where you go to the past. Going to the past for actions you aren’t directly responsible for and apologizing for them seems unsavory to a lot of Americans. Even though the majority in this country benefitted from the actions of the aggressors in the past, many feel as though they shouldn’t have to apologize. Many also feel that there needs to be a discussion about this as a way to start the healing. They think that if we understand and talk about our actions in the past we will be less likely to repeat them. The other side is about forgetting the past and making a fresh start. If we pretend it didn’t happen and keep forging forward, eventually in the minds of most it did not happen and will be relegated to legends and stories. Some believe that if we focus on the future instead of dwelling on the past we can make a better future and a better country. In the game, without understanding the context of what was going on, I chose to move into the future and have a fresh start. Now that I know what happened, I feel like I should have chosen to go into the past. I should have given those people a chance instead of getting wrapped up in the myth that I was a hero who was bravely pioneering a new life for people.
Go play Bastion. It is a breathtaking game with gorgeous art, fun mechanics, and a very thought-provoking story.
