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Video Games Are Boring

gamesindustry.biz

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Re: Video Games Are Boring

#261

Post by cloudjacker »

eropple wrote: post #239
cloudjacker wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firewatch is a really big step in the right direction. But try playing it as a child or a woman marginally interested in a gaming experience and you get unnecessary swearing and tropes from a man's perspective. Oh well. I wish there was possibility for a mode. Not one you are forced to select, but one based on a profile, more akin to the predictive one advertisers already have on you.

A "possibility for a mode" dilutes the artistic message of a game. If you don't like what the authors did, I would suggest doing something that presents a different viewpoint that you find valuable. (And that's not a cop-out--there are loads of indie developers doing exactly that, and a lot of those games are awesome.)

I understand that, and this understanding has been pervasive for 30 years, which is why this exact article was written, and is still being circulated on HN.

Dare.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#262

Post by jprzybyl »

From the Tao of Programming:

A master programmer passed a novice programmer one day. The master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game. "Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?"

The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master. "I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said the master. "Yet every such device has another level of play, where the device seeks not to conquer the human, nor to be conquered by the human."

"Pray, great master," implored the novice, "how does one find this mysterious setting?"

The master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it underfoot. And suddenly the novice was enlightened.

I've played video games since before I could walk. Some games I connect with and can't stop playing - Undertale and Papers Please come to mind. Most don't anymore, not even an old favorite like Doom.

I feel like there's something to this article, but I think it's larger than "I don't like Game of Thrones". There is room for games that really dig into humanity, rather than being meaningless mechanics.

I mean, I like sports. But I like books, too.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#263

Post by mysterydip »

nrjames wrote: post #251
AdrianB1 wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it's the games you play, not the single player mode. I play both and I have no preference for the type, but for specific games.

I think this is a good point. I've felt that way about single player games for a while. When I recently played Firewatch, which has a story with some complex emotional layers, I realized that I now need more than "mechanics" for a single player game to appeal. Now, I try to find games with more emotional depth. There aren't many out there. We all change in different ways and I suspect you can find single player games…

Sounds like "This War of Mine" might appeal to you. Check it out if you haven't yet.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#264

Post by shmerl »

jprzybyl wrote: post #262

From the Tao of Programming: A master programmer passed a novice programmer one day. The master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game. "Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?" The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master. "I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said the master. "Yet every such device has another level of pla…

I didn't play Undertale yet, but soundtrack there sounds pretty good: https://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/bonetrousle

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#266

Post by TrevorJ »

I agree with the general thesis of the article, but I don't buy the cop out that things are the way they are because the creatives in the industry are white men. That wouldn't be an acceptable thing to say about (insert any other gender/race combination here) so I don't think it's an acceptable excuse or reason here either. It's clear that the industry sorely needs some new thinking and new creative ideas, but I believe those new ideas can come from anyone, regardless of gender or race.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#267

Post by pessimizer »

advantark2 wrote: post #152
pessimizer wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if the idea that tampons are made for women is sexist. It's just an absorbent object, and you're free to use it how you like. These products weren't things that exploded from a volcano, or discovered in the center of an apple pulled from a tree. They were created by people to attract other people enough to surrender cash.

I wish this were a joke. A tampon is unambiguously designed for women. Video games are designed for those who enjoy them.

> Video games are designed for those who enjoy them.

This doesn't make any sense. How can something be designed for the people who enjoy the thing that hasn't been made yet?

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#268

Post by jprzybyl »

shmerl wrote: post #264
jprzybyl wrote: post #262

From the Tao of Programming: A master programmer passed a novice programmer one day. The master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game. "Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?" The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master. "I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said the master. "Yet every such device has another level of pla…

I didn't play Undertale yet, but soundtrack there sounds pretty good: https://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/bonetrousle

It is indeed good! (I actually have the soundtrack on my phone.) But I suggest playing the game and letting the soundtrack surprise you. It really is worth a play.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#269

Post by eridius »

TrevorJ wrote: post #266

I agree with the general thesis of the article, but I don't buy the cop out that things are the way they are because the creatives in the industry are white men. That wouldn't be an acceptable thing to say about (insert any other gender/race combination here) so I don't think it's an acceptable excuse or reason here either. It's clear that the industry sorely needs some new thinking and new creative ideas, but I beli…

The fact that the video game industry is dominated by white men is a bad thing. But you're saying that pointing that out is bad, and that seems completely backwards to me. If you don't acknowledge the current reality, things will never get better.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#270

Post by shmerl »

jprzybyl wrote: post #268
shmerl wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't play Undertale yet, but soundtrack there sounds pretty good: https://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/bonetrousle

It is indeed good! (I actually have the soundtrack on my phone.) But I suggest playing the game and letting the soundtrack surprise you. It really is worth a play.

Yeah, I usually avoid listening to the soundtrack before playing some game, but I've heard Bonetrousle somewhere, and couldn't resist buying the whole OST on Bandcamp :)

The game sounds somewhat controversial with some liking it a lot, while others quite disliking it. I might give it a try at one point.

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