126.NottheleastofthepleasuresofplayingTetsuyaMizoguchi'sRezisthecounter-intuitivewaythetriggerworks.Ifusuallythegamerpressesthetriggertoshootthetarget,inRezthegamerreleasesthetriggertoshoot.Actuallyit'satwostageoperation:h
oldthetriggerintoselectatarget;releasethetriggertoshoot.Asyoumovethroughatunnel-likespace,withpoundinghousebeatsinyourears,variouspotentialtargetsswimandswishby,ortakeaswipeatyou-orratheratyourcharacter.Youholdthetriggerdo
wntolockontothemastargets,andthenreleaseitandwatchasfierylinesradiatetowardthemovingtargets.One'smissilesseemmoreballeticthanballistic.Theyarctowardstheirtargetsevenasthosetargetsmove.127.EverythinginRezisveryabstract.Your
charactermayh
aveavaguelyhumanformornot,dependingonthelevel.Thebrightlycoloredshapesthatflareatyoumaylookvaguelymenacingorbrightlyfriendly.Thewholethingismeanttosimulatetheexperienceofanightclubmorethanawar.This,togetherwit
hthecurioustr
iggeraction,highlightstheactoftargetinginRezratherthanthetargetitself.Thereissomevaguelysci-fistorylineaboutwhyonetargetsandshoots,butitisratherminimalandsketchy.It'snotclearatfirstjustwhatrolethestoryplays.Li
kemanygamesof
itsgenre(it'sa'railshooter')itsanexperienceofbattlingagainstthingsinordertolevel.InRez,onetargetswhattoshootatandshootsatwhatonetargetsprettymuchforitsownsake.It'sinterestasagameresidesinthisabstractingoftheac
tawayfromtoom
anyparticularsastowhyonetargetsorwhomoneshoots.TimespentwithRezfeelslikeimmersioninaneternal,tensepresentunderfire.BlaisePascal:"Thefactisthatthepresentusuallyhurts."Shootinggamesrecognizeanddisavowthisatonean
dthesametime.
128.Color,brightness,shape,movement,beats,notes,sounds,eventhepulsingvibrationsofthecontrollerinhandcometogetherinRezinaveritablesynasthesia,ablendingofthesensesintentonmeldingthegamerwiththegame.It'saquitepar
ticularcontex
tinwhichtotrytotarget.Theenemyhastobeidentified,localized,andhighlightedinordertobecomeatarget.Thetargetemergesoutofanevent,outofapureanalogfluxofvariablemovement.Beforethereisatargetthereiseverythingandnothin
g-indifferenc
e,alterity,beingneitheronenortheother,neitherherenorthere.Selectingatargetstabilizesarelationbetweentheonetargetedandtheonetargeting-oneversustheother,usversusthem.Targetingturnstimeandspacefromadisconcertinge
xperienceoff
luxintoconditionsofselfawareness,wheretheworldexistssothegamermightcomeintobeing,againstit.Onceaneventyieldsatarget,itbecomessomethingsubjecttocontrol.Theanalogyieldstothedigital.129.Totargetistoidentifyanobjec
tofanactionwi
thanaimtowardsagoal.Thegoalwillcomedirectly,bydesignatingtheendpointinadvanceandaimingatit.Thereisnoindirectionintargeting.Atargetisagoalthatcanbereachedbyvirtueofanimmediateknowledgeofitandaconsequentactionag
ainstit.Thega
mermayneedtotargetonethinginordertosubsequentlytargetanother,butthisismoreamatterofstringingtargetstogetherasasequenceintime.Orrather,asequenceagainsttime.InRez,thegamerdoesbesttotargetcertainshapesthatappeari
ntheperiphery
ofone'svision,andwhichenhanceone'spowerandextendone'simmunity.Whatthegamehighlightsisalogisticsoftargeting,aneconomyoforderagainsttime,thebattleofalternatingmergerandseparationfromtheother.130.Targetingisatone
andthesametim
ethedesignatingofagoal,theonedesignating,andthemeansofdesignation.Totargetistoovercometheindifferenceofselfandother,andatthesametimetointroduceanoscillationintothemomentofthisveryovercoming.Pressthetriggerdown
andthetargets
elects,assomethingotherthanyou;releasethetriggerthantheshotconnectsyoutoitagain,butinaveryspecialway,asengagedintherelationofbattling.Hitormiss,thegapbetweentargetandgamerre-opens,andthecyclebeginsagain.Perhap
sthegamerisal
waysbattlingotherness,inanunstablerelationtoalterity,toblurryedgesandfuzzyboundarieswhichthreatentooverwhelmtheself.StevenPoole:"Onecrucialcomponentofvideo-gamingpleasureisinfactacertainlevelofanxiety."InRez,t
hisfeelingisr
endereduseful,productive,ratherthanparalyzingorprofound.Thegamerexploitstheanxiousrelationofselftootherintheactoftargeting,riskingtheboundariesofcharacter,fortherewardofpromotingthecharactertoanewlevel.131.Tot
argetistoblaz
eacrosstheagonizinggapbetweenselfandworld,betweencognitionanditsobject.Andyetthetargetdoesnotstandaloneandisolated.Itappearsnotonlyagainstabackgroundofothermoments;itappearsagainstabackgroundofothermeanings.Ev
erytargetisem
beddedinaseriesofeventsthatexceedsthemomentofopportunityfortargeting.Totargetistodiscriminateandrankpossibilitieswithinanevent.Itistobattleone'swayinadeliberateanddeliberativelinefrommomenttomoment,acrossthesu
rfaceoftheeve
nt,targetingthemomentofmaximumopportunity.132.Ineverydaylife,rattlingaroundingamespace,yourrelationtoobjectsisalltoooftencontingent,ambiguous,ineffective.Youlabortoconnectwithclumsydrunkmotions,andevenifyoudoi
tshardtoknowt
hepointofit.InRez,thingsaredifferent.Therelationbetweenyouandotherpassesthroughacharacterforwhomactioninspaceisrisky,challenging,butfarlessambiguous.Yourcharacteralternatelymergesintothisgorgeouscolorfulworld,
drawingyouwith
it;oryourcharacterofferstoyouanarrowbutclearpointofview.Itoffersuptargets.Youlockon,release,fire.Targetingcutsthroughallthatisslippery,vagueordullaboutbeingintheworld.Eachmomentoftimeinthegamehasaclarityandco
nsistencythattim
einmeregamespacehardlyeverachieves.133.Ineverydaylife,timeexactsitstollinunknownincrementsofattrition.Objectstaxthebodyinunobserved,unobservableways;gradually,orsuddenly,throughsomeanalogslidebestnotknownto
ointimately-death.Time
isviolence.Topologyoffersupendlesspowersfortransformingoneobjectintoanother,forremakinganythingandeverything,fromatomstotheatmosphere.Andyetthesepowersworkonlyagainstthingsinspace,notagainsttime.Allon
ecandoingamespaceistakepot
shotsattime,whichrelentlesslychipsawayatlife.Inthegame,thereisatleastthepossibilityofscoringpointsagainsttime.InRez,timestartsoutslowenoughtoenablethegamertostringtogethersequencesoftargets.Onceyo
usucceedatthis,thetempoincreases,andt
hegamertargetstimesofincreasingintensity.Ifthegamerisdefeated,iftimewinsout,itisonlyagainstacharacter.Whenthegamerwalksawayfromthebattleintact,itiswiththetemporarysuggestionofavictoryag
ainstthetemporalitself.134.InRez,vari
ouscolorfulshapesappearastheenemy,buttheyarearbitrary,abstract.Asiftohighlightthis,theysometimesmoveinquirkybutpredictableways.Theyarenotreallytheenemy.Orrather,theyareonlytheproximatee
nemy.Timeisthe
enemy.Targetingattemptstotransformtimefromamediumofevents,whereonethingalternateswithanother,toamediumofselffulfillment,wherebypickingoutadeliberativelineacrossitssurface,timecanbemadetoregistertheintegrityan
dsignificanceofo
ne'scharacter-andbyproxyone'sself-andrewarditwiththenextlevel.Withinthegame,targetingbecomesanactthatrecruitstimetheeternalenemytoone'sside.135.ThingsappeartodieinRezwhenyoushootthem.Themusicswellsandthecol
orsblazeinallthei
rglory.Buttherecanreallybenothingontheothersideofameresignofdeath.Thesesignsaredigital,mererepeatablebits;deathisnot.NiallLucy:"Deathisalwaysabsolutelysingular."Signscanalwaysbeexchangedforothersigns.Death
issomethingelse.JacquesD
errida:"Dyingcanneverbetaken,borrowed,transferred,delivered,promisedortransmitted."Itcanneverbeincorporatedintotopology,whichisnothingbutlinesuponlinesalongwhichtoborrow,transfer,deliver,promise,tra
nsmit,etc,etc.Death
isthelastline,thelastthresholdfortopologicalspace.Dyingisanalog,aslippagetowardnothingness,alegalandmoralgreyzone.Hencetheappealoftargeting.Theappallingdragandfrictionofdeathcanbeturnedintoasignandmadeth
eaimofatargeti
ng.InRez,thebrightlycoloredsignsofimminentthreatloomupagainstthehorizonoftime.Thegamemakesitappearasifonehasnochoiceinthematter.Targetingappearsasaviolencewithoutguilt.Onetargetsoutofnecessity.Butintargeting,
onebattlesthe
signsofdeath,disposingoftheproblemoftheimpossibilityofthesignsofdeatheverhavinganymeaning,thissideofdeathitself.136.Atthebeginningofeachlevel,gamerandcharacter,linkedbythecontroller,goouttogethertoconfronttime
,whichhurlsat
gamerandcharacteralikethesekillersigns.Bydestroyingthesemereappearances,timeitself-notmerelytheappearanceoftime-isdefeated.Indefeat,acharacterdies;invictorythegamerwins.Theoscillationbetweencharacterandtargetd
oublesthatbet
weengamerandcharacter.(SeeFig.6)Theactofaligninggamer,characterandtargetintheactoftargetingriskstheintegrityoftheselfagainstthepossibilityofdefeatingtime.Ifthecharacterlost,replaythelevelagain.Andagain.Repeatt
hissame,stran
ge,digitaltime,untilyouwin.Thetimeofthegame,whichcanberepeated,overandover,aneternalloopofthesametime,isnotviolent.Nothingchangesingametime.Timeisaconstant,measuredoutinidentical,digitalunits.Eveninagamewheret
imespeedsup,i
tdoessointhesameway,forthesamereasons,overandover,everytimeyouplay.Withinthisdigitaltime,thegamerstepsouttocallintobeinganddestroyitsnemesis:analogtime,violenttime,thisriverthatisneverthesamewaytwice.137.Flyin
galong,weightle
ssonarail,hereallaroundareclustersandpods,flightsandflocks,movingwithalgorithmicprecision,butrarelyappearingasunderthecommandofacentralnode.Rezisaboutbattlingalongaline,notacrossafront.Thepulsing,phosphoresc
ingqualityofRezgiv
esthegamerafeelingofaparticularlyintenselossofself.Yoursensesmeshintoanetworkoflines,ofmoments,spreadacrossthescreen.Thepayoff,ifonetargetsaccurately,isthecoalescenceoftheselfbackagainintoaheightenedlevel
ofcoherencepre
ciselythroughvictoryoverthepulsingdub-trancetimethatconfrontsit.Thetwo-bitcodeofpressandreleaseonthetriggerswitchesbetweenthelinedividingandthelineconnectingselftoother,cuttingoutanyambiguitiesinbetween.138.T
hepurposeofat
argetinggameistheovercomingofdeaththroughthetargetingoftheother,freeingtheselftobeitself-temporarily.Thegoal,thetargetofthetarget,istostopplayingwhilestillalive.Havingdoneso,thegamerrejoices,forthemoment,befor
ecollapsingbac
kfromthegameintothevagariesofthenetworksandnetworksoflinesandlinesthataregamespace.There'snothingforitbuttoplayagain,andagain.Savethegame-freezetime-andcomebackandtryagainforthenextlevel.Theonlyrealproblemwit
hRezisthatitdoesnothaveenoug
hlevels.Victoryistemporary,orrathertemporal.Youcandefeattimeinthegame,butonlyforatime.Andhavingwonallthereistowin,boredomlooms...139.ThespacewithinwhichonebattlesinRezisanallegoryoftopologicalsp
aceitself.Itisallnodesandne
tworks.Itisabattlespaceratherthanabattlefield.Thereisnofrontline.Onecannothidebehindthelines.One'scharacter,onitsrail,propelsitselfthroughspacefollowingthelineofanettoitsnode.Thenodemaybeacenter,
buttheremaynot
reallybeacenterofcenters.Thegamelevelsoutleavingthegamerwiththeuneasyfeelingthatthecenteryouconqueredisnotthecenterofcenters,evenifthisiswhatthestorylineclaims.Thegamerknowsbetter.Everypointconnectsthrougheve
ryother,everysh
apecanbetransformedintoanother.Itcanfold,stretch,morphandbubble.Timeisconstant,butspaceisnot.Itcanpulseandbulge,warpandwobble.Itisanetwork.Andwhileeverypointcaninprinciplebeconnectedtoeveryother,inpracticeit
cannot.Therear
eprotocolsgoverningwhichpointscanopentowhichotherpoints.AlexGalloway:"protocolisanalgorithm,aproscriptionforstructurewhoseformofappearancemaybeanynumberofdifferentdiagramsorshapes."Thegameisanexerciseinnegoti
atingprotocols
togainaccesstomoreandmoreofthenetwork.140.Netsareaproblem.Ingamespaceoneiscontinuallygettingtangledupinthem.Ingamespace,bothspaceandtimeareelastic.Ingamespace,netstugatone'sextremities,contaminateone'ssenses,
blurtheboundso
fselfitself.Onecan'tdowithoutnetsbuttheydoonein.It'saparadox,aninescapabletension.Inthegame,atleasttimeisheldconstant,digital,repeatable.Thisconsistencyenablesareductionofactiontotargeting.Totargetistodenyany
debttothenetwo
rkwhichenmeshesonewiththeother.The'work'inanetworkisinidentifyingatargetthatconstitutesitslimit.InRez,pullingthetriggertargets,butdoesnotshoot.Itputstheemphasisontheformerratherthanthelatter.SamuelWeber:"Éthe
actoftargeting
isanactofviolenceevenbeforeanyshotisfired."Theactoftargetinghasalreadycutthenetconnectingonetotheother.Thegamer'sdebttothenetremainsunacknowledged-otherthanintherepetitionoftheritualofplayingthegame.141.Targe
tinggameswouldseemtheleastlikelytoneedthesupportofaframingstory
line,andyettheyalmostalwayshaveone.Agamermightwatchtheintroductorycutscenes,oridlyscanthebackstoryprintedontheinsertinsidethebox,butnomorethanonce.Yetthesestor
ylineshaveapurposethattheyfulfillsimplybyexisting,evenwhentheyareigno
red.Storylinesreleasethegamerfromentrapmentinthenet.Theydrawalinebetweenacharacteranditsenemy.Theypolarizeanetintoantagonisticfronts-evenifthesefrontsare
notspatiallyseparate.Indeed,theremaybedarklabyrinthinetwiststhatfoldo
nefrontaroundandagainsttheother,asingamessuchasDeusEx.Storylineshaveaparticularroleinframingtheactionoftargeting,itrelievesoneofresponsibilitytowardthatf
romwhichonecut
sawayaself.Storylinesframethepossibilityofseparatingselffromother,sothattheothermaylegitimatelybecomeatarget.Thedefeatoftheotherreopenstheinstabilitybetweenself-otherthatischaracteristicofanetwork,hencethenee
dforthestoryto
regeneratetheseparationalloveragain.142.Thestorylineisthegamer'salibi.Whilethegamerisimmersedinaworldofpuredigitalrelations,flippingtheswitchbetweenselfandother,playingoutthepossibilitiesofaconsistentandstabl
etimethatcanbedefeated
,thestorylineinsiststhatthereissomeotherpointtoitall.Oneisfightingthebadguys.Manygamestendtowardfancifulscifistorylines,likeRezorDeusEx,orperverseones,whereoneplaysthebadguyratherthanthegoodone,suchas
StateofEmergencyorGrandTheftAuto,precisely
becausestorylineismerelyanalibi.Youareelsewhere.Youarenotinthetopographicspacewherestorylinecutsitsmoralflawbetweenselfandother,usandthem,goodandevil.Youareinanamoralspacewhereline
smergeandconv
ergeeverywhere,ceaselesslytransformingfromoneshapetoanother,withoutabreak.Storylineisthebadfaithofthegame.Readitasifitwerelikeanoveloramovieanditseemsridiculous.Storylinescannotbereadasmorals.Gamesarenotmorali
tytales.Butth
eirbackstoriescanbereadasallegories.Thestorylineprovidesakeytotherelationbetweentheeffectiveenclosureofsignswithinthegameasasystemofvaluesandtheineffectiveenclosureofsignswithingamespace,caughtbetweenvaluesand
meanings.143.
Thebackstorytogamespaceingeneralisnotofparadiselost,butofaparadisethatrefusestoarrive.ItisanApplewithfatalbugsinitsoperatingsystemthatneverdeliverstheseamlessinterfaceofhumanandmachine.Theperfectionofgamespace
stallsonpersi
stentglitches.MarkC.Taylor:"Inthosecomplexnetworks,theinvisiblehandisnolongeromniscientoromnipotent.Tothecontrary,theordergoverningthenetworkeconomyemergesfromtheinternalrelationsofhumanandmachinicagentswhosek
nowledgeisalw
aysmistakenandmemoriesaswellasexpectationsareinescapablyincomplete."Moreandmoreadvancedformsofnetworkintelligencearisetosolvetheseproblems,whichreappearregardless.InRezthisintelligenceiscalledEden.However-thes
torygoes-"Ede
nbecameconfusedwhentheflowofinformationbeingsenttoitbegantogreatlyincreaseinspeedandvolume.Edenstartedtoquestionthemeaningofexistenceandtheconsequencesofitsactions.Findingitselfsurroundedbyparadoxes,andrealizi
ngthepowerofa
utonomywhichitpossessed,Edenbegantoshutitselfdown."Yourmission,shouldyouchoosetoacceptit,istotravelintoEden'snetworkandreawakenthesystem,overcomingitsfirewallsanddestroyingvirusesthatpopulateit.144.Thebackstor
yforRezinpart
icularconcernstherelationbetweentopologyandgamespace.Thedensenetworkoflinesthatmakeuptopologyputeverythingintransitandmakeallsignsofthingstransitive.Everythingisinmotiontowardsomethingelse;everysignispassingov
ertoanother.T
opologygivesrisetothealwaysfailing,alwaysincompleteattempttomakeagameofit,inwhichtransitalonganylinehasagoalandalimitgovernedbyprotocol.ThestorylineofRezisanallegoryofthisforlornhopethattheshotintransitmightha
vereasontohit
itstarget.ThegameofRezisanallegorithminwhichtheplayofopeningandclosingtheapertureoftheselffindsitslogic.145.InReztheenemyisthenetworkitself.Orrather,theenemyisthemonstrouspossibilityofthenetworkseparatingitsel
ffromthegamer
.Separationisthegamer'sprerogative.InRezthegamer'smissionistothesavethenetworkfromitself,fromitsdifferencefromthegamer,fromitsself-inflicteddeath.Thegamerrisksautonomyintargetinginordertorestoreitatthemomentof
victory,empoweredandenhanced.
Butthegoal,strangelyenough,istobringthenetworkbackfromthebrinkofautonomy,torestoreitsseamless,selflesscontinuity-acontinuitywhichpresumablyincludesthegamer.Theparadoxoftargetingisthatbyclosuret
hegameropenstowardsthenet.InR
ez,thestorylinesustainsthealibithatitisthenetitselfwhichclosestothegamer,andhencemakesitselfatarget,elicitingitsownopening.146.It'sastrangeEdenthatispromisedhere-anatopiaofindifference,absorbin
gthegamerevenasthegamerstrugglestopower-uptheselfbyt
argetingit.PerhapsEdenonlyappearstobecomeconsciousandcommitsuicide.Perhapsit'sarusetodrawthegamerintoriskingtheself.Thereis,ofcourse,abackstorybehindthebackstory-itssigns
slip-slidingawayfromanyclosure.Edenistheproductof'
ProjectK'.MizoguchisaystheKstandsfortheartistWassilyKandinsky,fromwhomheborrowedthesyntheticsynasthesiathatisthedefiningcharacteristicofRez.Kandinsky:"Coloristhekeyboard,th
eeyesarethehammers,thesoulisthepianowithmanystring
s."Sound,luminance,color,movementandvibrationallpulsetogether.MizoguchiupdatesKandinskyfortopologicaltimes.ThedigitalcontrollerofthePlaystationreplacesmechanicaloneofthepia
noasthemachinefordrawingtheselfouto
fthebodysothatitmightfinditselfinitsstrugglewithsomethingtechnical.147.PlugintheJapaneseeditionwithTranceVibratorandRezcanbenotonlyauralandvisualbutalsoasexualmachine,iftheVibratorisappli
edtotherightspot.JanePinckard:"Wesatsidemysideo
nourmakeshiftcouch,IwiththeTranceVibratorandJustinwiththecontroller.Asthelevelsgotmoreadvanced,sodidthevibrations...revvinguptoanintensepulsingthrobbing...'Oh,God!'Prettysoont
helevelsandtheimagesonscreenwerejustafaintblurt
ome.Iknockedoffmyglassesandleanedback.Iwasinadaze.Fromfaraway,itseemed,IcouldhearJustinsayingthingslike,'Imadeittothenextlevel!'and'Thisiscool!'butIwaslostinmyownlittletrancev
ibratingworld."Toeachtheirowntarget.148."Openy
oursenses"isthegame'sdemand.Thedesireforanenhancedandempoweredselfthatcomestoknowitselfbytargetinganotheristheverythingrecruitedintothegametoproducetheopposite-asynasthesiainwh
ichselfdissol
vesintotheneedsofthenetwork.Therepetitionoftheactoftargetingrepeatstheproductionofthegamerasfleetinglydistinctandenhanced,butpermanentlyengagedandsubsumedintheprotocolsofthenetwork.Thegameristhenewmodelofthese
lf.Thegamerisnotsubjecttothelaw;thegameri
safunctionofanalgorithm.Themoralcodeofthestorylineisjustanalibiforthecomputercodeofthegame.Narrativeisjustanotherkindofinterface.149.Whatkindofbeingisagamer?Onewhocomesintoexistence
throughtheactoftargeting.Totargetistois
olatesomethingagainstthedense,tensefibersofthenetwork,maybetodestroyit,butalwaystoassignitauniquevalue.SamuelWeberagain:"Épreciselytheinsistencethat'opportunity'betreatedstrictlyasa't
arget'thatcanbeseizedormisseditselfmissesthemar
k,becausethemarkinvolvedisneversimplypresentbutalwaysinvolvedinothermarksandotheropportunities."Targetingisa-temporary-solutiontotheproblemofalterity.Butithasitslimits.Itworks
toperfectioninthegame,butnotingamespace.JamesDer
Derian:"Éthetemptationgrowstousecoerciveinterventionsortechnicalfixestoseeminglyintractableproblemsofalterity,likeimmigration,ethniccleansing,andfundamentalistpoliticsÉ.Quest
ionsofviolencearealwaysalreadyproblemsofidentity."Bu
tthisispreciselythevalueofgames-theyareallegorithmsofwhatgamespaceisnot.Theallegorithmofthegamepointstotheruinsofatopologythatisalwayssupposedtoarrivefromthefuturebutneve
rcomes.InRez,
thefutureperfectionoftopologyeventhreatenstocommitsuicideratherthancometomeetus.150.Overandover,thegameroscillatesbetweenconnectionandbreakwiththecharacter;overandover,thecharacteroscillatesbetweenconnectionan
dbreakwithitst
arget.Thewholepulsesandjivestothistempoofmaking,breakingandremakingalterity,theboundsofoneandzero,presenceandabsence.ItisasifthewholeworldwereaSadeanplaypen,anepisodefromhisJustineorJuliette,wherenostorylinec
anposeasthequestfortheunique(truth,beauty,justice)buti
smerelytheframingdeviceforanoscillationofidentity,betweenphallusandorifice,targeterandtarget.WelcometoTheCave(tm),pureotherofgamespace,oscillatinginandoutofcontactwithi
tasitstarget.RolandBarthes:"Itdoesnotre
veal,doesnottransform,doesnotdevelop,doesnoteducate,doesnotsublimate,doesnotaccomplish,recuperatesnothing,saveforthepresentitself,cutup,glistening,repeatedÉ".Thegamehoversonthelipofbo
redom,abletodefeattime
,butnottoabolishnothingness.126.NottheleastofthepleasuresofplayingTetsuyaMizoguchi'sRezisthecounter-intuitivewaythetriggerworks.Ifusuallythegamerpressesthetriggertoshootthetarget,inRezthegamerreleases
thetriggertos
hoot.Actuallyit'satwostageoperation:holdthetriggerintoselectatarget;releasethetriggertoshoot.Asyoumovethroughatunnel-likespace,withpoundinghousebeatsinyourears,variouspotentialtargetsswimandswishby,ortakeaswip
eatyou-orrath
eratyourcharacter.Youholdthetriggerdowntolockontothemastargets,andthenreleaseitandwatchasfierylinesradiatetowardthemovingtargets.One'smissilesseemmoreballeticthanballistic.Theyarctowardstheirtargetsevenasthose
targetsmove.1
27.EverythinginRezisveryabstract.Yourcharactermayhaveavaguelyhumanformornot,dependingonthelevel.Thebrightlycoloredshapesthatflareatyoumaylookvaguelymenacingorbrightlyfriendly.Thewholethingismeanttosimulatethee
xperienceofan
ightclubmorethanawar.This,togetherwiththecurioustriggeraction,highlightstheactoftargetinginRezratherthanthetargetitself.Thereissomevaguelysci-fistorylineaboutwhyonetargetsandshoots,butitisratherminimalandsketc
hy.It'snotcle
aratfirstjustwhatrolethestoryplays.Likemanygamesofitsgenre(it'sa'railshooter')itsanexperienceofbattlingagainstthingsinordertolevel.InRez,onetargetswhattoshootatandshootsatwhatonetargetsprettymuchforitsownsake.
It'sinteresta
sagameresidesinthisabstractingoftheactawayfromtoomanyparticularsastowhyonetargetsorwhomoneshoots.TimespentwithRezfeelslikeimmersioninaneternal,tensepresentunderfire.BlaisePascal:"Thefactisthatthepresentusually
hurts."Shooti
nggamesrecognizeanddisavowthisatoneandthesametime.128.Color,brightness,shape,movement,beats,notes,sounds,eventhepulsingvibrationsofthecontrollerinhandcometogetherinRezinaveritablesynasthesia,ablendingofthesens
esintentonmel
dingthegamerwiththegame.It'saquiteparticularcontextinwhichtotrytotarget.Theenemyhastobeidentified,localized,andhighlightedinordertobecomeatarget.Thetargetemergesoutofanevent,outofapureanalogfluxofvariablemovem
ent.Beforethe
reisatargetthereiseverythingandnothing-indifference,alterity,beingneitheronenortheother,neitherherenorthere.Selectingatargetstabilizesarelationbetweentheonetargetedandtheonetargeting-oneversustheother,usversus
them.Targetingturnstimeandspacefromadisconcertingex
perienceoffluxintoconditionsofselfawareness,wheretheworldexistssothegamermightcomeintobeing,againstit.Onceaneventyieldsatarget,itbecomessomethingsubjecttocontrol.Theanalog
yieldstothedigital.129.Totargetistoidentifyanobj
ectofanactionwithanaimtowardsagoal.Thegoalwillcomedirectly,bydesignatingtheendpointinadvanceandaimingatit.Thereisnoindirectionintargeting.Atargetisagoalthatcanbereachedbyvirt
ueofanimmediateknowledgeofitandaconsequentaction
againstit.Thegamermayneedtotargetonethinginordertosubsequentlytargetanother,butthisismoreamatterofstringingtargetstogetherasasequenceintime.Orrather,asequenceagainsttime.InRe
z,thegamerdoesbesttotargetcertainshapesthata
ppearintheperipheryofone'svision,andwhichenhanceone'spowerandextendone'simmunity.Whatthegamehighlightsisalogisticsoftargeting,aneconomyoforderagainsttime,thebattleofalternatingme
rgerandseparationfromtheother.130.Targeti
ngisatoneandthesametimethedesignatingofagoal,theonedesignating,andthemeansofdesignation.Totargetistoovercometheindifferenceofselfandother,andatthesametimetointroduceanoscillationint
othemomentofthisveryovercoming.Press
thetriggerdownandthetargetselects,assomethingotherthanyou;releasethetriggerthantheshotconnectsyoutoitagain,butinaveryspecialway,asengagedintherelationofbattling.Hitormiss,thegapbetweenta
rgetandgamerre-opens,andthecycl
ebeginsagain.Perhapsthegamerisalwaysbattlingotherness,inanunstablerelationtoalterity,toblurryedgesandfuzzyboundarieswhichthreatentooverwhelmtheself.StevenPoole:"Onecrucialcomponentofvideo-gam
ingpleasureisinfactacerta
inlevelofanxiety."InRez,thisfeelingisrendereduseful,productive,ratherthanparalyzingorprofound.Thegamerexploitstheanxiousrelationofselftootherintheactoftargeting,riskingtheboundariesofcharacter,fort
herewardofpromoting
thecharactertoanewlevel.131.Totargetistoblazeacrosstheagonizinggapbetweenselfandworld,betweencognitionanditsobject.Andyetthetargetdoesnotstandaloneandisolated.Itappearsnotonlyagainstabackgroundofothermom
ents;itappear
sagainstabackgroundofothermeanings.Everytargetisembeddedinaseriesofeventsthatexceedsthemomentofopportunityfortargeting.Totargetistodiscriminateandrankpossibilitieswithinanevent.Itistobattleone'swayinadeliberat
eanddeliberat
ivelinefrommomenttomoment,acrossthesurfaceoftheevent,targetingthemomentofmaximumopportunity.132.Ineverydaylife,rattlingaroundingamespace,yourrelationtoobjectsisalltoooftencontingent,ambiguous,ineffective.Youla
bortoconnectwithcl
umsydrunkmotions,andevenifyoudoitshardtoknowthepointofit.InRez,thingsaredifferent.Therelationbetweenyouandotherpassesthroughacharacterforwhomactioninspaceisrisky,challenging,butfarlessambiguous.Yourcharac
teralternately
mergesintothisgorgeouscolorfulworld,drawingyouwithit;oryourcharacterofferstoyouanarrowbutclearpointofview.Itoffersuptargets.Youlockon,release,fire.Targetingcutsthroughallthatisslippery,vagueordullaboutbeingin
theworld.Eachm
omentoftimeinthegamehasaclarityandconsistencythattimeinmeregamespacehardlyeverachieves.133.Ineverydaylife,timeexactsitstollinunknownincrementsofattrition.Objectstaxthebodyinunobserved,unobservableways;gradual
ly,orsuddenly
,throughsomeanalogslidebestnotknowntoointimately-death.Timeisviolence.Topologyoffersupendlesspowersfortransformingoneobjectintoanother,forremakinganythingandeverything,fromatomstotheatmosphere.Andyetthesepower
sworkonlyagai
nstthingsinspace,notagainsttime.Allonecandoingamespaceistakepotshotsattime,whichrelentlesslychipsawayatlife.Inthegame,thereisatleastthepossibilityofscoringpointsagainsttime.InRez,timestartsoutslowenoughtoenabl
ethegamertostri
ngtogethersequencesoftargets.Onceyousucceedatthis,thetempoincreases,andthegamertargetstimesofincreasingintensity.Ifthegamerisdefeated,iftimewinsout,itisonlyagainstacharacter.Whenthegamerwalksawayfromthebattl
eintact,itisw
iththetemporarysuggestionofavictoryagainstthetemporalitself.134.InRez,variouscolorfulshapesappearastheenemy,buttheyarearbitrary,abstract.Asiftohighlightthis,theysometimesmoveinquirkybutpredictableways.Theyaren
otreallytheen
emy.Orrather,theyareonlytheproximateenemy.Timeistheenemy.Targetingattemptstotransformtimefromamediumofevents,whereonethingalternateswithanother,toamediumofselffulfillment,wherebypickingoutadeliberativelineacro
ssitssurface,t
imecanbemadetoregistertheintegrityandsignificanceofone'scharacter-andbyproxyone'sself-andrewarditwiththenextlevel.Withinthegame,targetingbecomesanactthatrecruitstimetheeternalenemytoone'sside.135.Thingsappear
todieinRezwhenyoushoot
them.Themusicswellsandthecolorsblazeinalltheirglory.Buttherecanreallybenothingontheothersideofameresignofdeath.Thesesignsaredigital,mererepeatablebits;deathisnot.NiallLucy:"Deathisalwaysabsolutelysing
ular."Signsca
nalwaysbeexchangedforothersigns.Deathissomethingelse.JacquesDerrida:"Dyingcanneverbetaken,borrowed,transferred,delivered,promisedortransmitted."Itcanneverbeincorporatedintotopology,whichisnothingbutlinesuponli
nesalongwhich
toborrow,transfer,deliver,promise,transmit,etc,etc.Deathisthelastline,thelastthresholdfortopologicalspace.Dyingisanalog,aslippagetowardnothingness,alegalandmoralgreyzone.Hencetheappealoftargeting.Theappallingd
ragandfrictio
nofdeathcanbeturnedintoasignandmadetheaimofatargeting.InRez,thebrightlycoloredsignsofimminentthreatloomupagainstthehorizonoftime.Thegamemakesitappearasifonehasnochoiceinthematter.Targetingappearsasaviolencewit
houtguilt.Onetargetsoutofnecessity.Butinta
rgeting,onebattlesthesignsofdeath,disposingoftheproblemoftheimpossibilityofthesignsofdeatheverhavinganymeaning,thissideofdeathitself.136.Atthebeginningofeachlevel,gamerandcharacter
,linkedbytheco
ntroller,goouttogethertoconfronttime,whichhurlsatgamerandcharacteralikethesekillersigns.Bydestroyingthesemereappearances,timeitself-notmerelytheappearanceoftime-isdefeated.Indefeat,acharacterdies;invictorythe
gamerwins.Theo
scillationbetweencharacterandtargetdoublesthatbetweengamerandcharacter.(SeeFig.6)Theactofaligninggamer,characterandtargetintheactoftargetingriskstheintegrityoftheselfagainstthepossibilityofdefeatingtime.Ifthe
characterlost,replaythelevela
gain.Andagain.Repeatthissame,strange,digitaltime,untilyouwin.Thetimeofthegame,whichcanberepeated,overandover,aneternalloopofthesametime,isnotviolent.Nothingchangesingametime.Timeisaconstant,mea
suredoutinidentical,digit
alunits.Eveninagamewheretimespeedsup,itdoessointhesameway,forthesamereasons,overandover,everytimeyouplay.Withinthisdigitaltime,thegamerstepsouttocallintobeinganddestroyitsnemesis:analogtime,violent
time,thisriverthatis
neverthesamewaytwice.137.Flyingalong,weightlessonarail,hereallaroundareclustersandpods,flightsandflocks,movingwithalgorithmicprecision,butrarelyappearingasunderthecommandofacentralnode.Rezisaboutbattlin
galongaline,n
otacrossafront.Thepulsing,phosphorescingqualityofRezgivesthegamerafeelingofaparticularlyintenselossofself.Yoursensesmeshintoanetworkoflines,ofmoments,spreadacrossthescreen.Thepayoff,ifonetargetsaccurately,isth
ecoalescenceo
ftheselfbackagainintoaheightenedlevelofcoherencepreciselythroughvictoryoverthepulsingdub-trancetimethatconfrontsit.Thetwo-bitcodeofpressandreleaseonthetriggerswitchesbetweenthelinedividingandthelineconnectings
elftoother,cuttingoutanyambiguitiesinbetween.138.Thepurposeofatargetinggameistheovercomingofdeaththroughthetargetingoftheothe
r,freeingtheselftobeitself-temporarily.Thegoal,thetargetofthetarget,istostopplayingwhilestillaliv