Nineteen Eighty-Four is my favourite novel; I must have read it half a dozen times. There are many reasons why I believe it to be a work of literary genius, but recently I’ve been thinking about one specific aspect of it that has a very clear analogue to video games: vocabulary. More specifically, I’m referring to the idea that applying deliberate constraints to vocabulary can directly restrict the concepts that one can think and discuss. Before I touch on video games specifically, I hope you’ll indulge a brief aside about vocabulary as it relates to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

? ineteen八四 是我最喜歡的小說; 我一定已經讀了六遍。 我認為它是文學天才的作品有很多原因，但是最近我一直在思考與視頻游戲非常相似的一個特定方面：詞匯。 更具體地說，我指的是這樣一種思想，即對詞匯表施加故意約束可以直接限制人們可以思考和討論的概念。 在我專門介紹視頻游戲之前，希望您先簡單介紹一下與“ 十九四十四”相關的詞匯。

新聞和思想控制 (Newspeak and thought control)

In the novel, protagonist Winston Smith lives in a totalitarian state (known as Oceania) ruled by a single political entity simply known as “The Party”. Much like the totalitarian states that we are familiar with today (Russia, for example), The Party utilises sophisticated propaganda as one of many methods to control and influence the populous. But in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the dissemination of false news dovetails with a broader — and perhaps more sinister — effort to physically control language itself through the application of Newspeak.

在小說中，主角溫斯頓·史密斯(Winston Smith)生活在一個由單一政治實體(簡稱“政黨”)統治的極權國家(大洋洲)中。 就像我們今天所熟悉的極權主義國家(例如俄羅斯)一樣，該黨利用復雜的宣傳作為控制和影響人口的許多方法之一。 但是在十九四十四中 ，虛假新聞的傳播與通過Newspeak的應用在物理上控制語言本身的努力更加廣泛，甚至更加危險。

Newspeak is the official language of the state, and is subject to continuous revision by The Party in an effort to progressively restrict both grammar and vocabulary. The aim is to ensure that all language — and therefore, all possible thought — is guided through a strictly-controlled funnel that aligns with the principles of Ingsoc (the ideological orthodoxy of The Party). Consequently, unorthodox language and thought is avoided to the maximum degree possible.

Newspeak是國家的官方語言，為了不斷限制語法和詞匯量，該黨不斷受到黨的修改。 目的是確保通過嚴格控制的與Ingsoc原則相符的渠道來指導所有語言以及所有可能的思想 (黨的思想正統思想)。 因此，最大程度地避免了非正統的語言和思想。

A great example can be found on the relevant Wikipedia page:

可以在相關的Wikipedia頁面上找到一個很好的例子：

The Oldspeak word ‘free’ existed in Newspeak, but could only be used in terms of something not present, as in the sentences “The dog is free from lice.” and “This field is free from weeds.” Politically, the word free could not denote free will, because such a humanist concept does not exist in the society of Oceania. The linguistic design of Newspeak is for thought control, by diminishment of the user’s range of thought, which is realised with a minimal vocabulary of limited denotation and connotation; hence words such as: crimethink (thought crime), doublethink (accepting contradictory beliefs), and Ingsoc (English Socialism).

“新聞”中存在“ Oldspeak”一詞“ free”，但只能用于不存在的詞語，例如“狗沒有虱子”。 和“這個領域沒有雜草。” 從政治上講，自由一詞不能表示自由意志 ，因為在大洋洲社會中不存在這樣的人本主義概念。 Newspeak的語言設計是通過減少用戶的思維范圍來進行思想控制的，而這種思想的實現是通過最小化具有有限外延和內涵的詞匯來實現的。 因此，諸如： 犯罪思維(思想犯罪)， 雙重思維 (接受矛盾的信念)和英 格索克 (英語社會主義)之類的詞。

Take a moment to consider the implications of this. The idea is very simple: if you have no way to articulate a particular concept through language, then your ability to think of or imagine the concept is either diminished or entirely negated. There is a very real sense in which your articulation of the thing enables your conceptualisation of the thing.

花一點時間來考慮一下這個含義。 這個想法非常簡單：如果您無法通過語言表達特定的概念，那么您思考或想象該概念的能力就會減弱或完全消失。 在非常真實的意義上，您對事物的表達可以使您對事物進行概念化。

In this way, I see language and its constituent parts (vocabulary and grammar) as tools that can enable us conceptualise something with greater or lesser degrees of fidelity.

這樣，我將語言及其組成部分(詞匯和語法)視為可以使我們以某種程度的保真度概念化某些東西的工具。

拉弦 (Pulling the strings)

I might be drawing a long bow, but I think there’s a clear comparison to be made with video games here. If the game is the thing or the concept — and if we are interacting with or interpreting that concept — then surely the controller is our vocabulary and grammar. You might argue that there are other elements at play (like graphics and sound), and you’d be right. But your ability to manipulate the game (to not simply view it passively, but to “conceptualise” it in literal terms) really comes down to the tools you’re using to physically pull the strings.

我可能會鞠躬致意，但我認為這里可以與電子游戲進行明顯的比較。 如果游戲是事物或概念，并且我們正在與之交互或解釋該概念，那么控制者無疑就是我們的詞匯和語法。 您可能會爭辯說還有其他因素在起作用(例如圖形和聲音)，這是正確的。 但是，您操縱游戲的能力(不僅僅是簡單地被動看游戲，而是按照字面意義“概念化”游戲)確實取決于您用來實際拉弦的工具。

If you accept this argument, then my underlying thesis might be that much more salient: game controllers can fundamentally limit or expand the kinds of experiences we can have with video games. To some degree, I’d argue that controllers influence this even more than raw processing power.

如果您接受這種說法，那么我的基本論點可能會更加突出：游戲控制器可以從根本上限制或擴展我們在視頻游戲中可以擁有的體驗。 在某種程度上，我認為控制器對這一點的影響甚至大于原始處理能力。

Here’s a little thought experiment I went through, which might help to underscore the point. It relates to the first time I played Super Mario 64 (this works especially well for me because I’m ancient enough to remember the pre-N64 consoles when they were still new).

這是我經過的一些思想實驗，可能有助于強調這一點。 這與我第一次玩Super Mario 64有關 (對我來說效果特別好，因為我足夠古老，可以記住N64之前的游戲機還很新)。

I will never forget the moment when Mario triumphantly leapt out of the warp pipe at the beginning of the game, large as life, barely a moustache-whisker away from the camera lense.

我永遠不會忘記在游戲開始時馬里奧(Mario)勝利地跳出扭曲管的那一刻，就像生活一樣大，幾乎沒有胡子從鏡頭上移開。

Mario in 3D! Wow!

3D馬里奧！ 哇！

And then I tilted the little analogue stick on the Nintendo 64 controller (which, at first glance, seemed like a completely bonkers way of doing much of anything in a video game). It all felt so new; I remember tentatively nudging the stick upwards.

然后，我將小模擬桿傾斜到Nintendo 64控制器上(乍看之下，這似乎完全是傻瓜式的方式，可以在視頻游戲中完成很多事情)。 一切感覺如此新 ; 我記得試探性地將棒向上推。

Mario is…tip-toeing?

馬里奧(Mario)是……腳尖踩？

Now a more confident tilt.

現在更加自信。

He’s walking!

他在走路！

And now — complete with an ear-to-ear grin — full tilt.

而現在- 充滿耳目一笑- 完全傾斜 。

He’s running! Look at his little arms and legs go!

他在跑步！ 看他的小胳膊和腿去！

It seems so simple now because it’s totally and utterly granted in virtually every modern game. Back then, though, this felt like magic!

現在看來是如此簡單，因為幾乎所有現代游戲都完全認可了它。 但是，那時感覺就像魔術一樣！

I’d seen 3D games before, having played a Sega Saturn well before I ever laid eyes on a Nintendo 64 in the flesh. Although Super Mario 64 was visually more advanced than anything I’d witnessed on the Saturn to date, the concept of 3D graphics wasn’t new to me. Mario felt so new — so different, and so liberating — because until that point, I’d never manipulated a character in a 3D space with true 360 degrees of movement and the precision that analogue controls afford.

我以前看過3D游戲，在玩過Sega Saturn之前還沒看過Nintendo 64。 盡管Super Mario 64在視覺上比迄今為止我在土星上所見的任何東西都要先進，但3D圖形的概念對我來說并不陌生。 Mario感到如此新穎-如此不同，如此自由-因為在那一點之前，我從未真正以360度的運動度和模擬控件所能提供的精度來操縱3D空間中的角色。

As much as the Nintendo 64’s processing power enabled those large and beautiful worlds to unfold before my eyes, it wouldn’t have meant anything — and it wouldn’t have been so utterly delightful — without that revolutionary controller.

Nintendo 64的處理能力可以使那些廣闊而美麗的世界展現在我的眼前，如果沒有那個革命性的控制器，那將毫無意義，也不會那么令人愉悅。

Gaming history buffs may be tempted to note that Sega actually beat Nintendo to the market with its 3D control pad for the Saturn. That’s true, although I’d say it was the combination of Super Mario 64 and the Nintendo 64 controller that represented an enormous leap forward for video games.

游戲史上的愛好者可能會想起，世嘉公司憑借其土星3D控制板實際上擊敗了任天堂。 沒錯，盡管我想說的是Super Mario 64和Nintendo 64控制器的結合，代表了視頻游戲的巨大飛躍。

優勝劣汰 (Survival of the fittest)

Throughout video game history, there have been many unique controller designs, but very few become mainstream or maintain their influence across many generations of games.

在整個視頻游戲歷史上，都有許多獨特的控制器設計，但很少有成為主流或在多代游戲中保持其影響力的。

The Atari 2600 Paddle Controller is one of many designs that was popular for a brief window and was then superceded by other designs. This particular controller debuted alongside Atari’s Pong (arcade version), and a similar design was later used across numorous platforms (including everything from the Magnavox Odyssey to the Apple II. This particular form factor actually survived for some time and was well-suited to certain genres (including various driving and sports titles). The underlying technology underwent several revisions, though, because the original potentiometer-based design loses accuracy when the potentiometer contacts become worn or dirty. Although this particular design appeared in various forms throughout the years — particularly in arcades — it never became a mainstream design for most games (in contrast to something like the D-Pad, which is still an important standard, even in an age of 3D analogue-based game controllers).

Atari 2600槳式控制器是眾多設計中的一種，該設計在一個簡短的窗口中很受歡迎，然后被其他設計取代。 這個特殊的控制器與Atari的Pong (街機版)一起首次亮相，后來在眾多平臺上使用了類似的設計(包括從Magnavox Odyssey到Apple II的所有東西)，這種特殊的形狀實際上可以保存一段時間，并且非常適合某些潛在的技術經過了幾次修改，因為最初的基于電位計的設計會在電位計觸點磨損或變臟時失去準確性，盡管這種特殊的設計多年來一直以各種形式出現-特別是在街機游戲中，它從未成為大多數游戲的主流設計(與D-Pad之類的東西相反， D-Pad仍然是重要的標準，即使在基于3D模擬的游戲控制器時代)。

That said, not all game controllers were necessarily intended to unseat the mainstream designs. The highly-unique Dreamcast Fishing Controller, for example, was really only ever designed for use with Sega Bass Fishing, although it was compatible with some other games (such as Virtua Tennis).

話雖如此，并非所有游戲控制器都一定要超越主流設計。 以高度獨特的Dreamcast Fishing Controller為例，盡管它與某些其他游戲(例如Virtua Tennis )兼容，但實際上僅設計用于Sega Bass Fishing 。

運動是未來……對嗎？ (Motion is the future…right?)

Not so long ago, you might have been tempted to claim that some form of motion control would unseat the humble — but ubiquitous — analogue stick. That time may have long since passed, but when the Wii first exploded, the survival of “traditional” controller didn’t seem so certain. Not only did the Wii become a massive global phenomenon, but it did so in large part thanks to the innovative Wii Remote controller.

不久之前，您可能會想聲稱某種形式的運動控制將取代不起眼的但無處不在的模擬搖桿。 那段時間可能已經過去很久了，但是當Wii第一次爆炸時，“傳統”控制器的生存期似乎還不確定。 Wii不僅成為一種全球性的現象，而且在很大程度上要歸功于創新的Wii遙控器。

When I first played WiiSports, I definitely felt that the experience was new; arguably as new as the feeling I’d first had with Super Mario 64. What was different, though, was that the Wii Remote wasn’t some complex controller that only longtime game enthusiasts could enjoy; it completely levelled the playing field in a way that I don’t think I’d seen since the original D-Pad design launched. So-called “lapsed gamers” (people who hadn’t played games in years, perhaps since the 16-bit era) and “non-gamers” (people who had never played a game at all) apparently made up a large proportion of the Wii’s audience. This made sense: the Wii Remote relied on natural, physical movement rather than complex button combinations.

當我第一次玩WiiSports時 ，我絕對覺得這種體驗是新的。 可以說跟我對超級馬里奧64的感覺一樣新。 不過不同的是，Wii Remote并不是一個只有長期游戲發燒友才能享受的復雜控制器。 自從最初的D-Pad設計發布以來，它就以我認為從未見過的方式完全平衡了比賽環境。 所謂的“失敗的游戲玩家”(也許是自16位時代以來多年沒有玩過游戲的人)和“非游戲玩家”(根本沒有玩過游戲的人)顯然占了Wii的聽眾。 這是有道理的：Wii遙控器依靠自然的物理運動，而不是復雜的按鈕組合。

It didn’t take very long for Nintendo’s competitors to not only recognise this “blue ocean strategy”, but to begin responding in kind.

任天堂的競爭對手很快就不僅意識到了這一“藍海戰略”，而且開始采取實物應對措施。

Sony more or less mirrored the Wii Remote with the PlayStation Move, which is functionally quite similar to the Wii Remote, except that it is underpinned by different technology (it tracks its position in 3D space by having the PlayStation Camera track the glowing balls atop each controller).

索尼通過PlayStation Move或多或少地鏡像了Wii Remote，它在功能上與Wii Remote十分相似，只是它受不同技術的支持(通過讓PlayStation Camera跟蹤每個頂部的發光球來跟蹤其在3D空間中的位置)控制器)。

Microsoft went in a completely different — and to their credit, quite bold — direction with Kinect. Originally unveiled as “Project Natal”, Kinect promised a very different future for video games: digital characters would be able to converse directly with the player and interact with them naturally without the need for any kind of physical controller, thanks to a highly sophisticated motion tracking/image recognition software.

微軟與Kinect的發展方向截然不同，而且值得贊揚。 Kinect最初以“納塔爾計劃”(Project Natal)亮相，它承諾了視頻游戲的一個截然不同的未來：由于高度復雜的動作，數字角色將能夠直接與玩家對話并自然地與他們互動， 而無需任何類型的物理控制器。跟蹤/圖像識別軟件。

I think the best representation of what Kinect promised was the E3 2009 Milo demo video. In recent interviews, Peter Molyneux was asked about Milo and he said that as development of Kinect progressed, the technology was progressively stripped back in order to achieve a reasonable price point at retail. The rest is history, really: Microsoft valiantly continued on with Kinect for a while (even including it in the first-generation Xbox One hardware), but it was ultimately relegated to the status of a pricey (and optional) accessory.

我認為Kinect承諾的最好代表是E3 2009 Milo演示視頻 。 在最近的采訪中，彼得·莫利紐克斯(Peter Molyneux)被問及有關Milo的問題 ，他說隨著Kinect的發展，該技術逐漸被剝離，以實現零售價的合理價位。 剩下的就是歷史了：微軟勇敢地繼續使用Kinect了一段時間(甚至包括在第一代Xbox One硬件中)，但最終降級為昂貴(和可選)配件的地位 。

Motion control has never really seen the ubiquity it achieved during the Wii years. Even the Wii U — which did support the Wii Remote — ended up focusing on a controller/tablet hybrid design, which didn’t set the world on fire (although the concept of using touch screens for games has become as ubiquitous as the D-Pad, if you consider the proliferation of games on smart devices like phones and tablets).

運動控制從未真正看到過Wii年來實現的普遍性。 甚至支持Wii Remote的Wii U最終也將注意力集中在控制器/平板電腦混合設計上，該設計并沒有引起世界的關注(盡管使用觸摸屏進行游戲的概念已經像D-如果您考慮在智能設備(例如手機和平板電腦)上大量開發游戲，請使用Pad。

新領域 (New frontiers)

It was only quite recently when entirely new video game experiences could be achieved solely by improving graphics technology. If you move from NES to SNES, for example, games don’t just become prettier; the palette for developers becomes sufficiently larger to offer gameplay designs that simply weren’t possible before. Whether it’s about adding more characters to the screen, or creating a realistic feeling of driving through the use of technology like Mode 7, increasing hardware power allowed for new experiences to emerge.

直到最近，僅通過改進圖形技術即可獲得全新的視頻游戲體驗。 例如，如果您從NES遷移到SNES，則游戲不僅變得更漂亮，而且還變得更加漂亮。 開發人員的調色板變得足夠大，可以提供以前根本不可能實現的游戲設計。 無論是在屏幕上添加更多字符，還是通過使用模式7之類的技術來營造逼真的駕駛感覺，增加硬件功能都會帶來新的體驗。

I would argue that we are no longer living in a world where iterative advances in graphics technology alone can foster completely new gameplay experiences.

我認為，我們不再生活在僅憑圖形技術的迭代進步就可以帶來全新游戲體驗的世界中。

At this point, it’s worth going back to the Sega Saturn vs Nintendo 64 example I mentioned earlier.

在這一點上，值得回到我前面提到的Sega Saturn vs Nintendo 64示例。

Compared with its predecessors, the Saturn offered a new paradigm in terms of graphics technology — for the first time in a home game console, players were able to truly explore 3D worlds in a fidelity that hadn’t been previously available outside the arcades. I remember playing Nights into Dreams and being completely blown away at how stunningly beautiful it was at the time.

與之前的產品相比，土星在圖形技術方面提供了新的范例-首次在家用游戲機中，玩家能夠以前所未有的高保真度真正探索3D世界。 我記得曾經玩過《入夢的夜晚》 ，并被當時的驚人魅力完全震撼了。

Why is it, then, that playing Super Mario 64 felt like crossing the rubicon into a completely new world?

那么，為什么玩超級馬里奧64感覺就像是將魔鬼圖標帶入了一個全新的世界？

It was not just about visual fidelity — it was about the intersection of advanced graphics and innovative 3D controls that dovetailed to create an experience which looked and felt like nothing else.

這不僅與視覺保真度有關，還與先進的圖形和創新的3D控件的交匯點相吻合，從而創造出一種看上去和感覺都不外的體驗。

This is where game controllers — or, more generally, the way we interact with games — play an increasingly important role.

在這里，游戲控制器(或更廣泛地說，我們與游戲的交互方式)發揮著越來越重要的作用。

Consider that games like Half-Life: Alyx are best experienced — and arguably only truly possible — thanks to highly-sophisticated VR controllers that provide a degree of movement and dexterity in 3D space which has never been possible before. Of course, the graphics technology and the VR headset are also crucial. But imagine playing a game like that with, say, a traditional Xbox or PlayStation game pad. Your relationship to the in-game action would be abstracted by many orders of magnitude.

考慮到像《 半條命：Alyx》這樣的游戲是最有經驗的，而且只有真正可行，這要歸功于高度復雜的VR控制器，該控制器在3D空間中提供了前所未有的移動和靈巧程度。 當然，圖形技術和VR耳機也至關重要。 但是，想象一下使用傳統的Xbox或PlayStation游戲手柄玩類似的游戲。 您與游戲中動作的關系可以從多個數量級中抽象出來。

Even “traditional” controllers continue to evolve in an effort to establish finer and more nuanced points of connection between our hands and the digital worlds we’re interacting with. Sony’s DualSense controller for PlayStation 5 is a great example. Not only does the entire pad apparently feature a form of force-feedback that is even more advanced than we see on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, but the analogue triggers are able to “push back” against your fingers (one potential use case here involves, say, drawing back on a bow and arrow, where the trigger will provide greater resistance a the tension in the string increases).

甚至“傳統”控制器也在不斷發展，以期在我們的手與與之互動的數字世界之間建立更精細，更細微的聯系。 索尼針對PlayStation 5的DualSense控制器就是一個很好的例子。 整個打擊墊不僅具有明顯的力反饋形式，甚至比我們在Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons上看到的還要先進，而且模擬觸發器也可以“推回”手指(這里有一個潛在的用例)包括拉回弓箭，其中扳機將提供更大的阻力(琴弦中的張力增加)。

It’s easy to forget just how much controller design influences the way games feel and the possible range of interactions we can have with them. If you’re in any way tempted to underrate the importance of this, I recommend going back and playing Super Mario 64 DS using only the D-Pad. The central importance of the analogue stick immediately becomes apparent. It feels something like wearing heavy gardening gloves while trying to do fine calligraphy; clearly, it’s the wrong tool for the job.

很容易忘記，多少控制器設計會影響游戲的感覺以及我們與之互動的可能范圍 。 如果您想以任何方式低估它的重要性，我建議您回過頭來僅使用D-Pad播放Super Mario 64 DS 。 模擬棒的中心重要性立即變得顯而易見。 感覺就像在嘗試制作精美的書法時戴著沉重的園藝手套； 顯然，這是工作的錯誤工具。

I think it is also important to understand that when we talk about user interfaces in games, we aren’t just talking about the GUI (graphical user interface) within the game itself. All components that connect player to game are part of the interface — including both the controller in your hands and the technologies through which audiovisual information is being relayed to you (your screen and speakers, in other words).

我認為了解我們在談論游戲中的用戶界面時，不僅要談論游戲本身內的GUI(圖形用戶界面)，這一點也很重要。 將玩家連接到游戲的所有組件都是界面的一部分—包括您手中的控制器以及通過其將視聽信息中繼到您的技術(換句話說，就是您的屏幕和揚聲器)。

In the same way that Newspeak applied deliberate constraints to vocabulary as a way of restricting possible thought, the mechanical constraints of game controllers ultimately determine the range of possible actions within a video game. It may be tempting to think that controller design has reached its zenith with dual analogue sticks, four face buttons, and comfortable shoulder triggers. But I’d argue that the industry should continue to explore both evolutions of this model as well as entirely new models. So, in conclusion, I feel the need to borrow a concept from Satoru Iwata here: we live on a planet we call “game controllers” — but what other planets could we discover? It’d sure be fun to find out.

就像Newspeak對詞匯表施加刻意的約束以限制可能的思想一樣 ，游戲控制器的機械約束最終決定了視頻游戲中可能采取的行動的范圍。 可能會很想起，控制器的設計達到了頂峰，它具有雙重模擬手柄，四個面部按鈕和舒適的肩部扳機。 但是我認為行業應該繼續探索該模型的演變以及全新的模型。 因此，總而言之，我覺得有必要在此向巖田聰提出一個概念：我們生活在一個被稱為“游戲控制者”的星球上，但是還能發現什么其他星球呢？ 肯定會很有趣。