The word ‘chaos’ typically has a negative connotation. What I want to explore here is when chaos is done correctly in video games.
Fun Chaos
Games that come to mind here are Team Fortress 2 and the new Blizzard title Overwatch. I have about 400 hours under my belt for TF2, and while I may not be good at it I certainly know the chaos is brings. The ludicrous number of weapons in TF2 has given it amazing variety. As a result the effects that you’ll see flying through the air in any given match increases with each release of weapons. The list of cosmetic items is utterly ridiculous, each hat sillier than the last.
TF2 is a game that doesn’t take itself very seriously. Explosions themselves can have humor applied to them. You have soldiers rocket jumping at lightning speeds across the map, characters yelling weird phrases about pudding, so on and so forth. It’s unorganized and chaotic, with only the current objective acting as an island of sanity in this ocean of madness. It’s also a lot of fun, and my time in college spent playing pyro with the pyrovision goggles turning the world into candy land will remain some of my favorite TF2 memories.
Chaos of War
Some more serious games also feature a fun chaos. Primarily the ones to look at as poster boys of this are the triple-A title First Person Shooters. AAA FPS games like Halo, Battlefield, and Call of Duty have quite a lot of chaos in them. Between the Helicopters flying overhead, artillery bombarding you left and right, and gunfire always heard somewhere on the map you have a casino-like feeling that something is always happening somewhere.
This chaos is fun, but it seems a bit curious. Why would a lack of control be fun? The thing is that these are one in the same. Let’s take Halo for example. You play as a super soldier, a powerful shielded man capable of taking down scores of bad guys. The battlefield you are on is chaotic, and more than once you’re running for your life through some collapsing environment. The control you have is to settle the chaos around you. The power you wield is not just controlling your own superhuman actions, but determining the outcome of the surrounding battle. It is enjoyable for the same reason fitting the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle together feels good. You’re completing something, or you’re settling the stirred up dust. We don’t seek out chaos, but bring it to order feels nice.
Uninhibited
If we enjoy bringing chaos to order, then why does TF2’s crazy scheme work? Why would thriving in a world that cannot be brought to order seem fun? I can’t say this for sure, but it seems to me to be a sort of enjoyment from participation. If we participate in the chaos then it is a group activity. It is childish wild brutish behavior.
Now, how is good? In my adult life I have many responsibilities, and plenty of stress. Stress in the adult world is understood as a necessary evil. I have a lot of order in my life, and I try to keep my ducks in a row. Keep the bills paid, go to work, do the chores, so on and so forth. This is exhausting. Video games don’t just give us control, but they can temporarily free us from the negative aspects of everyday life. We can live uninhibited through these games, and if that inhibition is a lack of chaos then we can simulate playful chaos as well. We do this with guns, explosions, and silly hats.
