Dogs In Video Games: The Ruff Line Between the Physical and the Digital
Courtesy of the author
By Yewon Kwon
Courtesy of the author
The dogsinvideogames page on Instagram started in 2018 on a whim. I thought, “I like dogs, and I like video games.” So why not combine the two and post about them?
My digital collection of digital dogs continued to grow, and as an artist with a background in Risograph-printing and publishing, I thought, “I like dogs, and I like video games, and I also like printing on the most tedious machine in the world.” So why not print a physical book of my beloved digital dogs?
After months of research, screenshotting games on emulators, and chugging along on the Riso MZ1090 at my old workplace, Perfectly Acceptable Press, the DOGS IN VIDEO GAMES book was born in the physical realm.
Using a 4-color CMYK process with Cyan, Fluorescent Pink, Yellow, and Black Risograph inks, the printing process took a lot of planning and formatting. I’ve always had a dogged interest in transforming things that are meant to be physical to the digital realm and vice versa. Utilizing a process-heavy manual technique to print a collection of digital dogs felt fitting.
Courtesy of the author
I think about the transition of the physical world to the digital world every time I sit down to play a video game, particularly one with a canine companion. There’s a lot of things that can make a video game feel more immersive, and dogs in video games help connect the physical player to the digital space. They assist in immersing players into an imaginary realm where you can forget about the stresses of reality and focus all your attention on that imaginary realm.
In Nintendogs, players are able to adopt a puppy and care for the dog with food, baths and walks. Players can also train their dogs to compete in competitive events like disc throwing and obedience trials. As a child born in a strict “NO DOGS” home, Nintendogs became my ultimate fantasy. Oh! How wonderous to care for a dog of my own! How incredible to speak through the Nintendo DS’ tiny pinprick microphone to communicate with my dog! Looking back on it now, it sounds pretty pathetic, but as a kid, it was such a joy to rub the screen with a broken stylus to simulate petting my dog. For me, Nintendogs served as a fantastical distraction from the dog-shaped void in my daily life.
Blasphemous
In Blasphemous, players are tasked with traveling the fictional land of Cvstodia on a pilgrimage as The Pentinent One. The Pentinent One carries an enormous sword, eviscerating swaths of enemies in splatters of blood across desolate crags and decaying cathedrals. But also: you get to pet a dog.
Does a tiny dog named Puppers of Albero really fit into the bleak atmosphere of Blasphemous? No. But do I feel a little leap of joy in my heart when I get to pet Puppers as a giant man wearing a very scary helmet? Absolutely. According to a study done at Washington State University, the act of petting a dog greatly reduces stress and the effects of depression in humans. Perhaps dogs don’t have to play a necessary part in every video game, but there’s no reason why a dog can’t be in a video game to be pet and make us smile a bit after slaughtering enemies and coming face to face with mystic Catholic horrors. Just the simple act of petting a dog pulls the player further into the immersion of the video game world. And who doesn’t like to pet a dog! If anything, the wonderful twitter account Can You Pet The Dog? (@canyoupetthedog on twitter) has proven that time and time again.
Red Dead Redemption
With the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, the developers of the game received praise and criticism for how brutally realistic the game was. You can almost feel the arid heat from the dry desert sun and protagonist Arthur Morgan would begin to sweat, becoming sunburned unless you have him change into the appropriate clothes. You also have to feed Arthur the right amount and types of food. You can’t just hold down the sprint button and burst into saloons unless you want to fight a drunk guy. You have to make Arthur take baths regularly or else people will tell Arthur he smells like ass and won’t be nice to him. In my opinion, incredible gameplay.
As tedious and perhaps annoying as it is to repeatedly tap “square” until Arthur has finished washing his gigantic calves, the level of realism that Rockstar programmed into the game is there to make the player feel like they are truly immersed, and that they are Arthur Morgan. In addition to all the rootin’ tootin’ and shootin’ that you can get up to, you can also take a minute to hop off your horse and pet a lil’ doggie for as long as you like. Sometimes, Arthur will be so touched by the experience that he’ll draw the dog in his journal later. Very relatable! The dogs in Red Dead Redemption 2 are just another detail in the game that make the gameplay feel so immersive—That although I may be in the physical realm, sitting cross legged on the floor squinting at my 20” monitor, I am fully immersed in the digital realm, just being Arthur Morgan, sitting on my haunches and petting a good, good dog.
Courtesy of the author
And after all, isn’t that all we really want? To immerse ourselves in an imaginary world, where we can leave the doldrums of reality behind? To sprint across the desert playing fetch with a dog wearing a cowboy hat? To navigate crumbling, ancient Nordic ruins alongside a deity in the form of a dog, who inexplicably talks with a thick New York accent? To love and care for a tiny digital dog that was simply not programmed to pee inside your own home? That’s certainly all I want.
After all, a dog is a man’s best friend.