Some people say Gears of War is not Art. Some people say it is juvenile and brainless, and that we should play games like Passage, Braid, Limbo and Silent Hill 2 -- games full of symbolism -- games open to interpretation -- games with deeper meaning and important messages. However, these people are wrong! Gears of War is neither juvenile nor brainless! It is just as full, if not fuller, of symbolism, meaning, messages and layers, as any of the games mentioned above! Without further ado, let us investigate, and uncover one of the most profound, thought-provoking stories in video game history -- nay, art history!
Some people think the Gears of War series is a story about beefy dudes shooting humanoid monsters with chainsaw-endowed guns. These people are shallow and superficial -- they are incapable of seeing beyond the surface. The Gears of War series is, in reality, a moving tale of a traumatized person recovering from depression. The Emergence Day, you see, represents a trauma, after which the entire world, to the traumatized, seems broken, gray and depressing. The weapons represent medication used to overcome the Locust, the negative thoughts that relentlessly attack the traumatized's mind, while the boss fights represent therapy sessions, and the squad represents his loved ones, who support him throughout his recovery and pull him back to life at points where he gets dangerously close to committing suicide. Dom is, in reality, Marcus' brother, and his wife suffered from a similar depression, which eventually lead to her death (represented in the game by her dying because of the Locust -- Dom finishing her off shows how part of him blames himself for her death) -- this makes Dom's resolve to help Marcus fight his demons even stronger, as he couldn't bear to lose another family member to the "Locust". The change in environments throughout the series, from completely gray in the first game, to slightly more colourful in the second, and green and bright in the third, represents Marcus' gradual healing. The triumphs at the end of the first and second game (the blowing up of large parts of the Locust army, and the flooding of their caves) represent major breakthroughs at therapy sessions. The mutating Lambent represent the imperfections of modern psychotherapy and medication -- though it does help, it can also cause psychological issues to morph and take on new forms.
As for the combat system, that part of the game is pregnant with meaning as well: cover represents things Marcus does to temporarily escape from reality -- listen to music, meditate and so on -- so as to move away from thoughts of suicide, represented by damage. Active reloading represent the ingestion of medication: when he takes the right amount of pills, the fight against depression gets easier, and when he takes too few or too many, things only get worse. The little meter in the upper right corner showing the proper timing for active reloading is the doctor's prescription.
That is all I have realized so far, though I am certain there are many important details I have yet to decode. All in due time, I suppose. But do you see now, that Gears of War is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling? Do you see now, that the "Yeah bro let's smoke some dudes WHOOO!" attitude is just a thin coat of paint added to let the most emotionally powerful story in decades make enough money to keep it running till the end, and to separate the wheat from the chaff -- to allow only those willing and able to see beyond appearances to gain access to its wonders? Do you still see the series, not as an important, groundbreaking landmark in video game storytelling, but as a childish and stupid waste of time?
I thought not.
Gears of War
Humanity is at war with an underground enemy known as the Locust horde, and the player must use cover and team work to survive.
Why Gears of War is art.
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