II. Wire-Frame View - The Intellectual
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The bare-bones of a Hitman level
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Much like the video game world, our world is made up
of codes. There are basic mathematical principles,
universal geometric patterns. Social codes. Body
Language. Linguistics. Advertising. There are
cellular phone emanations, sound vibrations, weather
patterns, and lunar cycles. The existence of these
integrated stystems is largely ignored by the
phantom-chasing Hitman. He does not notice the phase
of the moon. He does not critically dissect the Nike
commercials, nor does he try to understand the heroin
addict actor he just read about in Entertainment
Weekly.
The philosopher, on the other hand, sees the
1's and 0's which are clicking away at the foundations
of his life, of his own thoughts, the thoughts of
others, and even at the circuitboards of his laptop.
He can look at a chair while in "Fool" mode and think
"sit", then alter his consciousness (press "T") and
see the chair as a symbol. Like a stop sign. As the
octagon translated to intellectual terms means: "stop
and look both ways for the safety of yourself and
others, for we are in positions of great
responsibility driving these deadly machines, and we
MUST have rules that govern their transit through
these areas of urbanity!", so the chair in
intellectual terms means: "this is a dwelling of
humans. We choose to designate areas of rest with
these interlocked pieces of wood.
Of course, we could
sit down on the floor or on the table. However, there
are certain things which we need to signify that this
is a human abode, such as welcome mats, silk curtains,
and chairs. This chair is made of laquered cherry
wood, which is expensive, meaning I am a person of a
certain level of prosperity. I am upper middle class.
So sit down, for this is a place of rest in my upper
middle class human abode." By pressing the "T" key,
the wire-frame structure which lies underneath the
chair is revealed. He is closer to understanding the
coded messages which makes up his society as well as
his universe. He sees the series of interconnected
lines which are the real gist behind the colorful,
fleshed-out spectacle. If he presses "Y", he can even
see through walls!
III. Ramp Emulation View - The Icon
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Kinda euphoric... know?
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This is a one of the more exhillarating states of
consciousness. This is the dream state. The place
where the Hitman has seamlessly integrated
intellectuallism with sensuality. His world becomes
one large symbol. There is a white shape that
resembles a human, but has no face. The archetype of
humanity. The angelic humunculus, roaming around in a
universe of whitewashed symbolism. A sign with no
words. The shape of a tree. This could also be
Plato's world of ideas. These might be the shapes
that eventually manifest into the Hitman's waking
world. You can push "0", alter your game
consciousness, and suddenly you see the TRUE shape of
that tree. No colors, no digital imperfections. The
archetype of a tree. The ultimate geometric reality
of the concept that is... TREE.
Did the game programmers use their knowledge of
cognitive parallels to subversively influence Hitman
players? Or were they channeling a more evolved
consciousness while in their vulnerable,
sleep-deprived state of digital hypnosis? I don't
think the answer is important. The importance lies in
the fact that there is a debug mode, and with it, we
learn what it is possible to do. It is possible to
write our own code.
Overthrow the artifice of reality and destroy/become
God. Cheers.
[This is Victor's first contributing article to HitmanHQ. He is the
strangest person you'll never meet. Enjoy reading? Can't read? Feel free to talk it over in the
forums!]
