Comments on: Games seen from the outside http://tale-of-tales.com/blog/2008/12/27/games-seen-from-the-outside/ Auriea Harvey & Michaël Samyn telling tales of Tale of Tales Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:01:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Michaël Samyn http://tale-of-tales.com/blog/2008/12/27/games-seen-from-the-outside/comment-page-1/#comment-31056 Michaël Samyn Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:52:42 +0000 http://tale-of-tales.com/blog/?p=1028#comment-31056 The dilemma of the games industry is that the people who are buying the games are the same people who are holding back their evolution. The conservatism of hardcore gamers punishes any kind of innovation or straying from the consensus. Up to the point where the consensus makes no sense whatsoever outside of the little hardcore elite (seen from the outside, most videogames are simply absurd). What has happened to adventure games (stagnation) is happening right now to triple A action games, which is -according to the author- the place where artistic evolution is most likely to happen. But without evolution, videogames will remain toys and will never become a real medium. Which is not a problem for most hardcore gamers, I think. But a damn shame for the rest of humanity. The dilemma of the games industry is that the people who are buying the games are the same people who are holding back their evolution. The conservatism of hardcore gamers punishes any kind of innovation or straying from the consensus. Up to the point where the consensus makes no sense whatsoever outside of the little hardcore elite (seen from the outside, most videogames are simply absurd). What has happened to adventure games (stagnation) is happening right now to triple A action games, which is -according to the author- the place where artistic evolution is most likely to happen.

But without evolution, videogames will remain toys and will never become a real medium. Which is not a problem for most hardcore gamers, I think. But a damn shame for the rest of humanity.

]]> By: Louisload http://tale-of-tales.com/blog/2008/12/27/games-seen-from-the-outside/comment-page-1/#comment-30990 Louisload Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:24:30 +0000 http://tale-of-tales.com/blog/?p=1028#comment-30990 Thank you for sharing such an article! I'm going to read it soon. I couldn't agree more with Mr.Lanchesters opinions, that you expressed here. Yes. yes. <cite>...the beauty and detail of their imagined worlds, combined with the freedom they give the player...</cite> Those are the keywords which define videogames as what they are. But most videogames nowadays don't give the player the freedom they actually need. Which is a shame, really, because even though the player can walk around, and blabla stuff, he is predetermined to end the game in a way that is already written, on most of the cases. Unfortunately, it's not easy to give the player the freedom he needs. It's never easy. But we can do it. <cite>The interiority of the novel isn’t there, but the sense of having passed into an imagined world is.</cite> THIS is exactly what I've been saying to people who criticize me for playing games. Games are portals to other worlds. Those worlds aren't always about sex and drugs, violence, bad behavior, flying airplanes, driving cars, etc etc. They can have storys behind them. They can have philosophies, hidden messages... Sometimes it's best to play a game than reading a book. That's what I believe. Thank you for sharing such an article! I’m going to read it soon.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr.Lanchesters opinions, that you expressed here.

Yes. yes.
…the beauty and detail of their imagined worlds, combined with the freedom they give the player…
Those are the keywords which define videogames as what they are.
But most videogames nowadays don’t give the player the freedom they actually need. Which is a shame, really, because even though the player can walk around, and blabla stuff, he is predetermined to end the game in a way that is already written, on most of the cases. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to give the player the freedom he needs. It’s never easy. But we can do it.

The interiority of the novel isn’t there, but the sense of having passed into an imagined world is.
THIS is exactly what I’ve been saying to people who criticize me for playing games.
Games are portals to other worlds. Those worlds aren’t always about sex and drugs, violence, bad behavior, flying airplanes, driving cars, etc etc. They can have storys behind them. They can have philosophies, hidden messages…
Sometimes it’s best to play a game than reading a book. That’s what I believe.

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