A talk-show in a virtual war-zone

"As this is our first show, I'd like to take a few minutes to explain just what is going on here. This is a talk-show like any other, where we invite interesting guests on to tell us about their work, or to participate in some of our skits... but the difference is the environment we're in here." says Damien Lacedaemion, host of "This Spartan Life" to his online audience. "This show is taped live from an online videogame."

By Brian Boyko

Happynews Staff

"The host, guest, and even the crew, are all players," he explains. "Instead of playing the usual game though, and shooting at each other, we're using the game to make the show. The game we're in is a violent game, but it's also rich enough that we can make room for other kinds of activity, provided that we establish a secure area."

With that a gunshot fires in the distance, and Lacedaemion's online persona, a futuristic soldier in a reflective helmet - with smiley-faces on his armor - ducks.

"This Spartan Life" is oddly close to other television variety shows - a host, a DJ who spins tunes, an ensemble of "Solid Gold Elite Dancers," and guests who speak on a variety of topics. What's unusual about "This Spartan Life" is that the whole thing takes place inside an online game of Halo 2, and the characters take virtual tours of virtual worlds as they try to hold a conversation while other characters, controlled by people who have no idea a talk show is taking place, try to shoot them. While some conversation takes place in a LAN game where Chris's crew has more control, much of it takes place in an anarchic future landscape punctuated with explosions.

The entire show is recorded on a series of interconnected X-box game consoles and a few television monitors, with a host, guests, and "cameramen" characters that don't wield weapons. Then the show is edited in Final Cut Pro, where items such as the show's logo are put onto the screen and the different shots are edited together.

"I guess I kinda felt games had become so sophisticated that you could go in these spaces and imagine doing all kinds of things in these spaces, not just fighting and killing each other," creator Chris Burke said. "It really is kind of a social space - you're there, you're talking to people - not the least of which that it's a very inexpensive international phone call… Then I thought… what could I produce with this?"

"I'd seen some machinima [game-based animation] like [war-based sitcom] Red vs. Blue and things like that, and thought it was a really incredible start for a new medium. Then I thought, what would the next logical step be?"

From the guests, "This Spartan Life" talks about the idea of virtuality vs. reality, the shared common space, and many other academic topics of futurists and commentators that move around the virtual world… as the humorous situation of doing a talk-show in a combat zone adds an air of levity.

For example, as guest Peggy Ahwesh talks about how Halo's architecture was designed to provide a cramped, tense feeling to heighten combat, Lacedaemion points out "So the fear is built into the architecture? Yeah, I guess that makes sense, cause you sometimes really feel like you're running through this insane maze, and someone's scoping in on you. There's this constant threat of violence hanging in the air…" as a sniper scope zooms in on Lacedamion's online persona.

Ahwesh examined the phenomenon of fictional Tomb Raider character Lara Croft in her own machinima project, and guest Bob Stein was one of the first pioneers of interactive publishing in the 1980s.

"Bob, at least, had very little experience being in a virtual game of any kind," Burke explained, "and was very fascinated with the idea of the virtual self, while walking around with another virtual self, just taking a walk and talking, like you were walking on a beach, except, it's the beach in Halo. That brings up so many topics of discussions by itself: 'What is self, what is real space, what is the effect on human psychology of being in a virtual space, and talking to someone as if you were standing right next to them?'"

The show features comedy skits as well - including a choreographed dancing video of avatars showing the full range of movement the game engine allows, and a satire of CNN's "Crossfire" that has… well… actual cross-fire.

And while Burke composed the title theme, music during the show is spinned by D.J. Octobit, who plays digital-bleep-style music that people over the internet compose on 8-bit GameBoys.

While the show may not be appropriate for very young children (the s-word is sparingly used a couple of times as the host and guest dodge bullets) the show is a delightfully entertaining triumph of human creativity. The show can be downloaded and views at ThisSpartanLife.com