Mike Thomsen on IGN says video games are not games. I hear people saying games should be relabled as inerteractive storytelling. This is why Ebert is right about games.
My opinion may be iconoclastic with the norm but the I think popular conception of art hurts video games. I'm talking about the art games that downplay the "game" part in video games.
Game journalist and many in the industry secretly hate games. Tale of Tales openly hates games. I know this because of the ten thousand articles lamenting the direct multiplayer competition, the high scores and the skill based single player experience, asking for something "more". There is no more. Games are games, they are there for overcoming challanges and improving skills. The Story and art mearly make the game more apetizing to the senses. Games like Heavy Rain and Flower are basically bad games but their popularity with the gamer who desires cultural recognition will probably lead somewhere unpleasent.
For all the my complaints about the idea of "interactive art" the idea becoming its own form of entertainment might be a good thing. Since then all those other non-games could leave me alone.I wouldn't have to hear news coverage for them and would never here another article complaining about real games. I would be able to go through forums without annoyance. The only time I would have to here about the art games is when I find an internet blogger willing to tear them apart. Let just hope not to many good developers are lost in the process.
This post will only raise this issue back up and cause me some torment but I absolutely feel the need to vent.
My opinion may be iconoclastic with the norm but the I think popular conception of art hurts video games. I'm talking about the art games that downplay the "game" part in video games.
Game journalist and many in the industry secretly hate games. Tale of Tales openly hates games. I know this because of the ten thousand articles lamenting the direct multiplayer competition, the high scores and the skill based single player experience, asking for something "more". There is no more. Games are games, they are there for overcoming challanges and improving skills. The Story and art mearly make the game more apetizing to the senses. Games like Heavy Rain and Flower are basically bad games but their popularity with the gamer who desires cultural recognition will probably lead somewhere unpleasent.
For all the my complaints about the idea of "interactive art" the idea becoming its own form of entertainment might be a good thing. Since then all those other non-games could leave me alone.I wouldn't have to hear news coverage for them and would never here another article complaining about real games. I would be able to go through forums without annoyance. The only time I would have to here about the art games is when I find an internet blogger willing to tear them apart. Let just hope not to many good developers are lost in the process.
This post will only raise this issue back up and cause me some torment but I absolutely feel the need to vent.