WEBVTT 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:10.653 Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a video game released in 2011. 00:00:10.673 --> 00:00:11.920 Why talk about a 00:00:11.940 --> 00:00:16.000 video game on a magic blog? Because this game is the occasion to make a parallel 00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:20.740 between the two worlds, and to find inspiration in the bridges that are created. But 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:23.220 before I start, here is the trailer for the game. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:48.280 I never asked for this. 00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:55.680 If you want to make enemies. 00:00:57.240 --> 00:00:58.240 Try to change something. 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:03.360 The year is 2027. 00:01:06.540 --> 00:01:08.280 It's a time of great innovation. 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:14.700 And technological advancement. 00:01:20.820 --> 00:01:25.380 It's also a time of chaos. And conspiracy. 00:01:29.460 --> 00:01:33.069 I don't even know whose sign I'm on. 00:01:33.089 --> 00:01:34.500 Breaking news. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.181 The riots continue in the streets of Detroit. 00:01:38.201 --> 00:01:40.780 Protesters rallying outside of Seraph 00:01:40.800 --> 00:01:44.620 Industries, one of the world's leaders in the controversial signings of human 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:49.622 augmentation. Those people. They're like ghosts. 00:01:49.642 --> 00:01:54.822 Always in the shadows. Always hiding behind wise, towards the soldiers. 00:01:54.842 --> 00:01:56.080 I need you to find 00:01:56.100 --> 00:02:00.981 them. They cannot stop us. They could not stop the future. 00:02:01.001 --> 00:02:02.080 I never had a 00:02:02.100 --> 00:02:03.120 choice of what happened to me. 00:02:07.080 --> 00:02:11.460 How do you feel, Adam? The body may heal. 00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:15.840 The mind is not only so resilient. 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.120 Corporations have more power than the government. 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:25.818 Everyone's fighting for power. 00:02:25.838 --> 00:02:27.840 For control. Help! 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:29.040 Please. 00:02:53.160 --> 00:02:59.040 I'll take you to hell! Police have opened fire on the crowd. 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.800 You'll never find him. 00:03:08.700 --> 00:03:10.860 I'll never stop looking. 00:03:34.920 --> 00:03:38.483 When I saw this video, I was fascinated by the music. 00:03:38.503 --> 00:03:40.240 The protagonist's voice, a 00:03:40.260 --> 00:03:44.200 kind of Clint Eastwood in a film noir, and the interesting discrepancy with the 00:03:44.220 --> 00:03:46.213 modern aspect of the game's universe. 00:03:46.233 --> 00:03:48.280 When I played, one of my old ideas was 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:53.320 confirmed. The world of gaming, video gaming in particular, and magic, despite their 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:56.145 apparent differences, actually have a lot in common. 00:03:56.165 --> 00:03:57.340 If you are looking for 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.208 inspiration, you can find it anywhere. 00:03:59.228 --> 00:04:01.420 And these links between video games and magic 00:04:01.440 --> 00:04:03.010 can teach us a thing or two. 00:04:03.030 --> 00:04:05.680 So I will talk about Deus Ex, and from these 00:04:05.700 --> 00:04:10.840 reflections, I will form some conclusions that can be applied to magic. If you plan 00:04:10.860 --> 00:04:14.740 to play this game and you don't want me to spoil any surprises for you, don't watch 00:04:14.760 --> 00:04:19.180 the video. Right from the start, an idea presents itself in the menu during the 00:04:19.200 --> 00:04:20.700 selection of the difficulty level. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:25.420 Depending on his experience, the player has to choose the difficulty level of the 00:04:25.440 --> 00:04:29.147 game, usually entitled easy, normal, and difficult. 00:04:29.167 --> 00:04:31.120 In Deus Ex, the easy level is 00:04:31.140 --> 00:04:35.620 called Tell Me a Story. Followed by the explanation: you play games for their story 00:04:35.640 --> 00:04:40.060 and experience, not for their challenge or competitiveness. Enjoy the Deus Ex 00:04:40.080 --> 00:04:44.365 experience. The normal level is called Give Me a Challenge. 00:04:44.385 --> 00:04:45.460 Followed by the 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.453 explanation: you enjoy a good story and a good challenge. 00:04:48.473 --> 00:04:49.660 This is how the game is 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:55.480 meant to be played. The difficult level is called Give Me Deus Ex, followed by the 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:59.680 explanation: hardened enemies and tougher situations will make your experience quite 00:04:59.700 --> 00:05:02.956 challenging and give you a good adrenaline rush. 00:05:02.976 --> 00:05:05.140 You are one with the machine. I'm 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.620 not a great gamer, so I took the easiest level. 00:05:07.640 --> 00:05:09.520 Then I asked myself: if my magic was a 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:12.830 video game, how would a spectator describe his experience? 00:05:12.850 --> 00:05:14.200 Tell Me a Story would be 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:18.760 effects during which the spectator only watches passively, with little or no 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:23.800 interaction. For example, a manipulation act on stage or an oil and water routine in 00:05:23.820 --> 00:05:25.293 close-up. Give Me a Challenge. 00:05:25.313 --> 00:05:27.880 This is how the game is meant to be played — would be 00:05:27.900 --> 00:05:32.500 magic during which the spectator participates, all the while staying in his role as 00:05:32.520 --> 00:05:36.004 a spectator. For example, pick-a-card tricks in close-up. 00:05:36.024 --> 00:05:37.480 And Give Me Deus Ex, you 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.200 are one with the machine — would be when the spectator loses himself in the magic 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:45.760 experience, interacts with the artist, to create an experience that is meaningful 00:05:45.780 --> 00:05:47.500 for himself and the audience. 00:05:47.520 --> 00:05:50.740 I think that magic too often limits itself to the Tell 00:05:50.760 --> 00:05:55.980 Me a Story level. Sometimes it reaches the normal level, but rarely the Deus Ex level. 00:05:56.040 --> 00:06:00.880 Of course, in a full-length show, one must alternate the level of participation of 00:06:00.900 --> 00:06:02.739 the audience to let them breathe. 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.520 That being said, think about your own repertoire. 00:06:05.580 --> 00:06:08.933 Is the spectator too often passive, or is he asked to participate? 00:06:08.953 --> 00:06:12.099 And even though he is participating, is he really engaged? 00:06:12.119 --> 00:06:14.440 Really an actor of his perception of your 00:06:14.460 --> 00:06:19.300 magic? I'll give you an example of classic magic: a cut-to-the-aces routine. If you 00:06:19.320 --> 00:06:23.560 show that you can cut to the four aces in a shuffled deck, that's the Tell Me a Story 00:06:23.580 --> 00:06:28.120 level. If you show a spectator that he can cut to the four aces, that's the normal 00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:32.740 level. And if you show a spectator that he can cut to the four aces, and this has a 00:06:32.760 --> 00:06:35.490 deeper meaning for him, that's the Deus Ex level. 00:06:35.510 --> 00:06:37.480 Of course, it's very possible that 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.440 playing cards are not the perfect tool to facilitate your access to the Deus Ex 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:46.000 level. Once the game starts, you discover a universe whose technology is futuristic, 00:06:46.020 --> 00:06:50.560 although the social, economic, cultural, and political structure remains similar to 00:06:50.580 --> 00:06:55.660 that of today. Unlike linear games where the gamer follows a straight line, Deus Ex 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:57.570 offers a branching experience. 00:06:57.590 --> 00:07:00.880 You can choose to finish a quest or not another, and 00:07:00.900 --> 00:07:05.080 this will affect your relationships with the various characters, as well as the 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:09.040 future events of the game. Therein lies yet another common point with the world of 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:13.960 magic. For now, magic and video games are probably the only two forms of entertainment 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.772 available to the audience, where the spectator is also active. 00:07:17.792 --> 00:07:18.940 With his actions, a 00:07:18.960 --> 00:07:21.363 gamer can influence the narrative of Deus Ex. 00:07:21.383 --> 00:07:23.140 It represents a challenge for the 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.580 programmer who must create a gaming environment that appears to be large and open, so 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:32.140 that the gamer feels free, but closed and controlled enough so that the narrative can 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.340 follow its course. In the same way, a magician must create an environment in which 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:41.500 he welcomes the spectator, to discreetly guide him toward the final denouement. If 00:07:41.520 --> 00:07:45.700 the spectator suspects one of the elements of the environment, like an object used 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:50.080 or actions undertaken or interactions enacted, he will cease to enjoy the moment, 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:51.938 and will start to question everything. 00:07:51.958 --> 00:07:54.040 Steven Spielberg doesn't want you to admire 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:57.853 the technical prowess of the 3D Tyrannosaur in Jurassic Park. 00:07:57.873 --> 00:07:58.960 He wants you to be 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:02.116 afraid for your life or at least for the characters' lives. 00:08:02.136 --> 00:08:03.400 Examine the universe and 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:05.976 the experience that you offer to your audience. 00:08:05.996 --> 00:08:07.840 Is the environment consistent? Does 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.194 it seem open enough to relax the spectator? 00:08:10.214 --> 00:08:12.220 Is it closed enough to allow you some 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:16.420 control? I'll give you another example of classic magic: the book test. If you have a 00:08:16.440 --> 00:08:20.800 page selected in a book by having a deck shuffled or by doing some calculation, it 00:08:20.820 --> 00:08:24.880 is not consistent, and the spectator will start to suspect something. If he can 00:08:24.900 --> 00:08:30.520 choose any book, any page, any word, he will feel like he is free, but you remain 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:34.720 within the controlled limits of your environment, because all the books are secretly 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:39.280 gaffed, and the spectator doesn't realize his choice of the word is limited. A few 00:08:39.300 --> 00:08:42.166 minutes inside the game, you start your first quest. 00:08:42.186 --> 00:08:43.840 And you must secretly enter a 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:45.456 building to rescue hostages. 00:08:45.476 --> 00:08:48.400 Of course, the vast majority of gamers will have no 00:08:48.420 --> 00:08:51.906 experience whatsoever in terms of stealth or even combat. 00:08:51.926 --> 00:08:53.320 Fortunately, most games 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:58.600 contain tutorials, explanations integrated in the game to show the gamer the basic 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:01.781 actions that will allow him to keep moving forward in the game. 00:09:01.801 --> 00:09:05.540 It is an area where magicians, especially in close-up, are not very good. 00:09:05.560 --> 00:09:06.940 If the spectator has to do 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:10.730 actions, and the success of the effect depends on these actions, 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:16.049 It would seem logical to insert a clear and quick tutorial in the effect's structure. 00:09:16.069 --> 00:09:20.708 Look at those effects of yours that require the participation of the audience. 00:09:20.728 --> 00:09:23.069 Are the actions required clearly expressed? 00:09:23.089 --> 00:09:25.600 If they are difficult or new to the audience, 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:30.700 did the spectators receive a quick explanation, maybe even a demonstration? Are 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.080 these tutorials seamlessly integrated in the structure of your effects? Pay attention 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:39.580 to the words chosen to guide the audience, to the gestures done to illustrate what 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.780 you expect of them, and to the time you allow them to assimilate their role and 00:09:43.800 --> 00:09:47.980 actions. Rehearse these elements as much as you rehearse your effect. The 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:52.060 audience doesn't know your effect, doesn't know what you expect of them, and may be 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:56.380 nervous or distracted. The different stages of Deus Ex are expressed through the 00:09:56.400 --> 00:10:02.200 graphic design of the environment surrounding you, its rhythm, its story, its 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:07.660 music and sound effects, and the types of actions the protagonist does. In the same 00:10:07.680 --> 00:10:11.980 way, the more you enrich your magic universe, the more you enrich the experience of 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.820 the spectator. For some years now, video game directors have understood the 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.358 importance of music to immerse the player in the game. 00:10:19.378 --> 00:10:21.160 The music of the Metal Gear 00:10:21.180 --> 00:10:25.540 Solid video game has been composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, a member of the famous 00:10:25.560 --> 00:10:30.280 Hans Zimmer team, and to whom we owe music such as Shrek or Man on Fire and many 00:10:30.300 --> 00:10:34.332 others. Does your magic need stage design or music? 00:10:34.352 --> 00:10:36.160 If yes, what kind? What 00:10:36.180 --> 00:10:37.557 is the rhythm of the effect? 00:10:37.577 --> 00:10:40.300 And is this particular rhythm the most appropriate one 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.997 to obtain the best impact? Consider this. 00:10:43.017 --> 00:10:45.760 Video games have long been thought of as a 00:10:45.780 --> 00:10:50.440 form of entertainment for the young, without any ambition of quality, a product to 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:54.600 be consumed, without any deep impact on its audience, almost a waste of time. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:58.660 Nowadays, the trailers of some video games have more views than some of the greatest 00:10:58.680 --> 00:11:04.420 movies, and games themselves represent an industry whose revenues outweigh those 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:09.460 of cinema. A video game, when it's done well, transcends its condition of futile 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:14.680 entertainment, and allows itself to even question the gamer on his social role, his 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:19.060 personality, and to make him come face to face with choices whose consequences 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:22.048 outgrow the virtual world to enter the real one. 00:11:22.068 --> 00:11:24.040 In Deus Ex, you spend much of 00:11:24.060 --> 00:11:26.787 your time fighting enemies and following missions. 00:11:26.807 --> 00:11:28.600 But you always have a choice, and 00:11:28.620 --> 00:11:32.520 this choice will define your gaming character as much as it will define yourself. 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:38.140 Will you use light force to stun your enemies, or will you prefer heavy artillery 00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:41.798 and systematically kill everyone who crosses your path? 00:11:41.818 --> 00:11:43.660 Some missions in Deus Ex are 00:11:43.680 --> 00:11:46.800 clearly illegal and dishonest, others are more idealistic. 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:48.100 Will you choose to start 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:53.920 a war between street gangs, or will you rather send a corrupt politician to prison? At the 00:11:53.940 --> 00:11:56.170 end of the game, an important change appears. 00:11:56.190 --> 00:11:57.820 All those who were enemies until now 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:02.560 become crazy because of an electronic chip implanted in their 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:08.020 brains. They attack you, mistaking you for the demons of their hallucinations. Will 00:12:08.040 --> 00:12:12.580 you choose to kill people who are a danger to you as much as to themselves, or will 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:17.740 you be more merciful? Worse, if you do not have the tools of your mercifulness and 00:12:17.760 --> 00:12:19.815 your arsenal only contains deadly weapons, 00:12:19.835 --> 00:12:21.940 how will you deal with your responsibility 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:23.778 in the massacre of innocent people? 00:12:23.798 --> 00:12:26.140 After having invited the player to reflect on 00:12:26.160 --> 00:12:30.640 his behavior throughout the game, the final scene of Deus Ex goes even further, and 00:12:30.660 --> 00:12:33.662 simply puts in your hands the fate of all humanity. 00:12:33.682 --> 00:12:35.440 The three options that are offered 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:39.467 to you are all justifiable, but all have very different results. 00:12:39.487 --> 00:12:40.600 However, they have 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:46.240 in common the fact that they give you absolute powers on the world population. Each 00:12:46.260 --> 00:12:49.711 of these three choices triggers a different end to the game. 00:12:49.731 --> 00:12:51.100 More importantly, your 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:54.720 choice will reveal a lot, not about your gaming character, but about yourself. 00:12:54.780 --> 00:13:00.220 Therein lies the strength of a game such as Deus Ex or Metal Gear Solid or Silent 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:05.140 Hill. The video game transcends its condition and becomes an experience with a 00:13:05.160 --> 00:13:06.858 deeper meaning for the gamer. 00:13:06.878 --> 00:13:09.880 Therein also lies the ultimate bridge between magic 00:13:09.900 --> 00:13:14.380 and video games. If video games succeeded, despite outsider judgment and tough 00:13:14.400 --> 00:13:18.031 conditions, in impacting their audience to such a level. 00:13:18.051 --> 00:13:19.960 What about magic? What about 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:20.980 your magic?