Video Games Are Better Without Stories • Hacker News Board

Re: Video Games Are Better Without Stories

#21

Post by cableshaft » Wed, Apr 26, 2017, 2:47 PM UTC

mcphage wrote: post #19

cableshaft wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a game designer and a hobbyist writer, and I traditionally have had a terrible time of putting stories into my designs...but yeah, there's some really fun interactive narrative / rpg games out there and I don't think the author has bothered to give them a try (he's only focused on the recent 'walking sim' genre in the article). Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa, Persona 4 and 5, Life is Strange... all really great, and…

> I don't think the author has bothered to give them a try The author is Ian Bogost, a veteran game designer, developer, and and critic. Check out his biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bogost#Bibliography

Ah, Ian Bogost. Yeah, I'm familiar with him. Professional critic, seems to turn just about everything he writes into the equivalent of literary criticism; full of vocabulary but lacking meaning and authenticity.

Also obsessed with 'games as art pieces or commentary' and not for fun and entertainment. Two examples: Cow Clicker, a commentary on human's instinctual responses to Skinner Box design, and A Slow Year, a game about 'observing' where one of the mini-games has you drink coffee while staring at a window, which how that won awards is beyond me.

It's working great for him, I wish I had half the success he's had, and I do read his work from time to time, but we definitely don't have the same approach to games. He spends most of his time thinking about academia and politics, while I prefer to spend my time thinking about interesting mechanics and making things fun.

I'd say both are important, and before he came around his side wasn't really out there at all, so I'm glad he's around, but it's not surprising we have different opinions on the matter.

Re: Video Games Are Better Without Stories

#22

Post by mcphage » Wed, Apr 26, 2017, 3:01 PM UTC

cableshaft wrote: post #21

mcphage wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think the author has bothered to give them a try The author is Ian Bogost, a veteran game designer, developer, and and critic. Check out his biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bogost#Bibliography

Ah, Ian Bogost. Yeah, I'm familiar with him. Professional critic, seems to turn just about everything he writes into the equivalent of literary criticism; full of vocabulary but lacking meaning and authenticity. Also obsessed with 'games as art pieces or commentary' and not for fun and entertainment. Two examples: Cow Clicker, a commentary on human's instinctual responses to Skinner Box design, and A Slow Year, a gam…

> I'd say both are important, and before he came around his side wasn't really out there at all, so I'm glad he's around, but it's not surprising we have different opinions on the matter.

I certainly don't always (often?) agree with him, either, but I do expect he's at least familiar with what's going on, especially in regard to game narratives.

Re: Video Games Are Better Without Stories

#23

Post by cableshaft » Wed, Apr 26, 2017, 3:27 PM UTC

mcphage wrote: post #22

cableshaft wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, Ian Bogost. Yeah, I'm familiar with him. Professional critic, seems to turn just about everything he writes into the equivalent of literary criticism; full of vocabulary but lacking meaning and authenticity. Also obsessed with 'games as art pieces or commentary' and not for fun and entertainment. Two examples: Cow Clicker, a commentary on human's instinctual responses to Skinner Box design, and A Slow Year, a gam…

> I'd say both are important, and before he came around his side wasn't really out there at all, so I'm glad he's around, but it's not surprising we have different opinions on the matter. I certainly don't always (often?) agree with him, either, but I do expect he's at least familiar with what's going on, especially in regard to game narratives.

Yeah, he most likely is, although it's certainly difficult to keep up to date with all games out there. There's just so damn many of them nowadays. I still haven't gotten around to playing the highly acclaimed Gone Home he talks about in his article myself, for instance, and I've stopped trying to keep up with most mobile or Steam releases.

And my backlog of games I actively want to play is at least 20 games long at this point, and then I've got 50 more that own but have barely played, but not actively wanting to play (maybe eventually, when/if I play the others).

I mainly made that comment without realizing who the author was. I'm sure he's at least heard of games like Phoenix Wright and Life is Strange, even if he hasn't been able to play them.