I can't help but agree with him. When I saw that game about the grandmother walking into the graveyard, sitting down, reminiscing, then leaving (and sometimes dying), I did not see the point. When I played Blueberry Garden and had no idea what was going on, I did not see the point. When I played Cave Story and was repeatedly shown "unintended consequences" of my railroaded actions, I fucking QUIT.
"Art", or evoking emotion, is a little cherry on the top of a cake. If you're trying to go purely for that, you're missing the point. The idea is that if you really want that emotion to come through, you need to draw the player into your game world and immerse them; something you can only do through all the other standard elements of design (good gameplay, world design, character). THEN, maybe you can punch them with some sort of meaning.
An example of an art game I DID like (bar its stupid "plot sequences" via books) was Braid. It was genuinely fun, and the calm atmosphere worked somewhat. It's not everyone's intense cup of tea, but by the end of it it's incredibly engaging, and the ending definitely evokes emotions as it's meant to.
"Art", or evoking emotion, is a little cherry on the top of a cake. If you're trying to go purely for that, you're missing the point. The idea is that if you really want that emotion to come through, you need to draw the player into your game world and immerse them; something you can only do through all the other standard elements of design (good gameplay, world design, character). THEN, maybe you can punch them with some sort of meaning.
An example of an art game I DID like (bar its stupid "plot sequences" via books) was Braid. It was genuinely fun, and the calm atmosphere worked somewhat. It's not everyone's intense cup of tea, but by the end of it it's incredibly engaging, and the ending definitely evokes emotions as it's meant to.