Jon Schnaars"Genre is about economy." In "Pleasurable Genres," Jon Schnaars explores the ways in which the genre itself defines our expectations, and how survival/horror games give you more of what you need.
Issue 51 - Pleasurable Genres
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
Original Comment by: Chris
http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh
Good article, very interesting stuff.
What has struck me as interesting about the horror game genre is that it encompasses such a large variety of game mechanics. Even Resident Evil 4, which you describe so well in this article, is quite a departure from earlier games in the series. Though we usually group games together based on mechanical similarities ("platformers", "driving", "shooters", etc), horror game fans go looking for games that contain the themes they associate with the horror genre. Consider Doom 3, Resident Evil, or Clocktower 3. These three games are mechanically very different, but all three of them can easily be grouped together under the horror banner. I think that this grouping by theme rather than mechanic gives developers a lot more freedom to experiment with game design because they can rely on their thematic elements to attract their audience. I think this in turn mitigates innovation risk to developers and breeds better games.
http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh
Good article, very interesting stuff.
What has struck me as interesting about the horror game genre is that it encompasses such a large variety of game mechanics. Even Resident Evil 4, which you describe so well in this article, is quite a departure from earlier games in the series. Though we usually group games together based on mechanical similarities ("platformers", "driving", "shooters", etc), horror game fans go looking for games that contain the themes they associate with the horror genre. Consider Doom 3, Resident Evil, or Clocktower 3. These three games are mechanically very different, but all three of them can easily be grouped together under the horror banner. I think that this grouping by theme rather than mechanic gives developers a lot more freedom to experiment with game design because they can rely on their thematic elements to attract their audience. I think this in turn mitigates innovation risk to developers and breeds better games.
Original Comment by: Michael Eaton
Sooner or later it had to happen. Sooner or later The Escapist was going to publish something that sucked.
At first, I was only going to ding this article for not being Old School enough and not giving props to Infocom's The Lurking Horror for being a pioneering game in the horror genre. The Amiga port of The Lurking Horror was actually a very notable milestone for gaming and Infocom in particular, in that the Amiga version contained exquisitely timed sound effects to accompany the gameplay. Infocom always referred to their games as "interactive fiction" rather than games and the pretention was not unwarranted. Being pure text, they rendered all their graphics through the APIs of my imagination, and a good Infocom game was every bit as satisfying and memorable as a good short story. By adding sound, they infused The Lurking Horror with a new level of anxiety. I think most people involved in TV, Film, and games understand the importance of sound in setting mood. Sound often adds special value in horro with providing the anxiety caused by things you can hear but cannot see. The Lurking H0rror was a unique blend of text and sound that really did freak you out while you were playing it, and it was released in 1987, two years before Sweet Home.
Mind you, that isn't really a relevant ding against the article. That is just fanboy whining, or maybe fan-old-fogy whining to be more accurate. More damning is the fact that this is the most passionless article I have ever read at The Escapist. I hate to admit it, but I have written many things like this myself. They were all college papers. Where is the love, or the fear for that matter, in this article about horror? Not to be found, unfortunately. This article is completely detatched from its primal and visceral topic, and I can't help shake the feeling that the guy is shilling for Capcom.
II dunno, maybe Resident Evil 4 really is the pentultimate example of horror gaming, so much so that you can unravel the mysteries of horror construction and execution through its levels and cutscenes. I also once read a Freudian analysis of The Cat in the Hat that really was ROTFL funny, but I didn't buy that one either.
Sooner or later it had to happen. Sooner or later The Escapist was going to publish something that sucked.
At first, I was only going to ding this article for not being Old School enough and not giving props to Infocom's The Lurking Horror for being a pioneering game in the horror genre. The Amiga port of The Lurking Horror was actually a very notable milestone for gaming and Infocom in particular, in that the Amiga version contained exquisitely timed sound effects to accompany the gameplay. Infocom always referred to their games as "interactive fiction" rather than games and the pretention was not unwarranted. Being pure text, they rendered all their graphics through the APIs of my imagination, and a good Infocom game was every bit as satisfying and memorable as a good short story. By adding sound, they infused The Lurking Horror with a new level of anxiety. I think most people involved in TV, Film, and games understand the importance of sound in setting mood. Sound often adds special value in horro with providing the anxiety caused by things you can hear but cannot see. The Lurking H0rror was a unique blend of text and sound that really did freak you out while you were playing it, and it was released in 1987, two years before Sweet Home.
Mind you, that isn't really a relevant ding against the article. That is just fanboy whining, or maybe fan-old-fogy whining to be more accurate. More damning is the fact that this is the most passionless article I have ever read at The Escapist. I hate to admit it, but I have written many things like this myself. They were all college papers. Where is the love, or the fear for that matter, in this article about horror? Not to be found, unfortunately. This article is completely detatched from its primal and visceral topic, and I can't help shake the feeling that the guy is shilling for Capcom.
II dunno, maybe Resident Evil 4 really is the pentultimate example of horror gaming, so much so that you can unravel the mysteries of horror construction and execution through its levels and cutscenes. I also once read a Freudian analysis of The Cat in the Hat that really was ROTFL funny, but I didn't buy that one either.
It's interesting to read your perspective, Michael. I disagree with you, of course, but I appreciate the effort you put forth in presenting your argument in a rational manner.
We were just talking about this article in the office yesterday. What I like about it is that it's something you don't usually see in game journalism, and something for which those who claim the industry is lacking a critical voice have clamored: Real game criticism. We believe it is among the first of its kind, and I for one am terribly excited to have been able to present it in The Escapist.
I honestly can't say for sure that you'll be seeing more of it here (because, let's be frank, most gamers and game writers today aren't nearly as smart as Mr. Schnaars, myself included), but seeing more of our contributors try their hand at in-depth, informed game criticism of this kind certainly wouldn't break my heart. I think the industry is ready for it and I think that (Michael's dissenting voice aside) our audience is hungry for it.
We were just talking about this article in the office yesterday. What I like about it is that it's something you don't usually see in game journalism, and something for which those who claim the industry is lacking a critical voice have clamored: Real game criticism. We believe it is among the first of its kind, and I for one am terribly excited to have been able to present it in The Escapist.
I honestly can't say for sure that you'll be seeing more of it here (because, let's be frank, most gamers and game writers today aren't nearly as smart as Mr. Schnaars, myself included), but seeing more of our contributors try their hand at in-depth, informed game criticism of this kind certainly wouldn't break my heart. I think the industry is ready for it and I think that (Michael's dissenting voice aside) our audience is hungry for it.
Original Comment by: David Pettitt
http://360.yahoo.com/icecreamsuit
I'm a little confused, here. If I understand Mr. Schnaars correctly, RE4 is a good game because it indulges in nearly every generic convention of the horror genre? Everything he had to say about horror in general sounded good to me, except for that. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I'd played the game myself; I gave Code Veronica X a try once, and found it alternately frustrating and boring. Perhaps it's because the Resident Evil series has chosen to focus on zombies, which I don't find particularly frightening. What hidden inner desire do zombies represent? What innermost fear of mine is embodied by zombies? Marx's proletarian bodies? OMG, lock the doors and grab the shotgun! The Proletariat are coming! Yeah, I think not.
http://360.yahoo.com/icecreamsuit
I'm a little confused, here. If I understand Mr. Schnaars correctly, RE4 is a good game because it indulges in nearly every generic convention of the horror genre? Everything he had to say about horror in general sounded good to me, except for that. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I'd played the game myself; I gave Code Veronica X a try once, and found it alternately frustrating and boring. Perhaps it's because the Resident Evil series has chosen to focus on zombies, which I don't find particularly frightening. What hidden inner desire do zombies represent? What innermost fear of mine is embodied by zombies? Marx's proletarian bodies? OMG, lock the doors and grab the shotgun! The Proletariat are coming! Yeah, I think not.
Original Comment by: Ray Blaak
Don't listen to Michael. I loved the article. When I first played RE4 I was officially against violent video games. I wouldn't let my kid keep on playing "Destroy all Humans" because I was bothered by the alien feeding on human brains (they're innocent people dammit!). I hate the idea of GTA. WW2 games bother me, why can't we be over that war?
But for some reason I was intrigued by RE4, and 10 minutes in I was hooked. I sooned learned to love pistols, shotguns, magnums and the damage they can do to infected villagers. I first time I (Leon) got my head sliced off by the chainsaw guy was a revelation: this game is for real.
Why? Why do I accept this game, but am disturbed by other ultra violent games?
I think it is exactly the horror movie vibe. RE4 is clearly made by true fans who are passionate about what they love and are completely obsessed with detail.
I love horror movies and the thrill of them. RE4 made it past my moral defences and got that same thrill going in me with a lovingly intense, excellently crafted video game.
Don't listen to Michael. I loved the article. When I first played RE4 I was officially against violent video games. I wouldn't let my kid keep on playing "Destroy all Humans" because I was bothered by the alien feeding on human brains (they're innocent people dammit!). I hate the idea of GTA. WW2 games bother me, why can't we be over that war?
But for some reason I was intrigued by RE4, and 10 minutes in I was hooked. I sooned learned to love pistols, shotguns, magnums and the damage they can do to infected villagers. I first time I (Leon) got my head sliced off by the chainsaw guy was a revelation: this game is for real.
Why? Why do I accept this game, but am disturbed by other ultra violent games?
I think it is exactly the horror movie vibe. RE4 is clearly made by true fans who are passionate about what they love and are completely obsessed with detail.
I love horror movies and the thrill of them. RE4 made it past my moral defences and got that same thrill going in me with a lovingly intense, excellently crafted video game.
Original Comment by: Boris
Fascinating ... both the article and the wholly unexpected commentary by my fellow zomb -- erm, excuse me, proletariat comrades.
M. Pettitt raises an interesting question: why is RE4 considered good because it is generic? M. Blaak assures us of the unique nature of RE4, but does so by reiterating facets of "genre pleasure" that our author details.
I have played RE4 through, and never developed a genuine emotional investment. But I did, in fact, play it through. Why is this? I hold no special love for the RE franchise, I'm not a horror film fan, and ultraviolence is a take-it-or-leave-it-and-it-don't-matter-to-me affair. So what possessed me to devote a good 20 hours to a game that I found predictable and derivative?
And in my mind, this is where our author nails it:
[...] Horror cinema has been the vehicle through which the subjugated get their revenge by terrorizing the civilized that wander too far into the woods.
Speaking in the mindset of a typical Westerner, we want to fight back when our privileges are threatened -- after all, we subjugated "those folks" in the first place. We need to know that we can stay in power, and we hope that our experiences in this "game" will prepare us. Let's face it, there's very few of us reading this article that think, "Yup, I'm prepared for a psuedo-zombie encounter."
And yet, in the back of our mind, the thought nags: what if it really happened? And by feeling through RE4 (or the DOA series, or the Mario games, or any racing game, etc.) that we are preparing ourselves, we assure ourselves (however falsely) that our hideous deaths won't be caused by these genre-defined cliches -- instead we'll have gone out kicking: knowing the exact heft and arc of a grenade, the proper way to quickly load a shotgun, precisely how quickly the enter an on-ramp in busy suburban Italian traffic, and how much running it takes to nail the jump between the mountain cliff and the platform of salvation.
Which is why I played RE4 -- not because of genre pleasure, but from genre training.
After all, when the time comes, I'm going to be the proletariat waiting for your stupid ass to trudge around a dark corner looking for a weapons dealer, and then you will be unceremoniously boned by zombie justice. I know what your weaknesses are and how terrible your are at organizing your inventory, so prepare to join our Potluck O' Brains.
Fascinating ... both the article and the wholly unexpected commentary by my fellow zomb -- erm, excuse me, proletariat comrades.
M. Pettitt raises an interesting question: why is RE4 considered good because it is generic? M. Blaak assures us of the unique nature of RE4, but does so by reiterating facets of "genre pleasure" that our author details.
I have played RE4 through, and never developed a genuine emotional investment. But I did, in fact, play it through. Why is this? I hold no special love for the RE franchise, I'm not a horror film fan, and ultraviolence is a take-it-or-leave-it-and-it-don't-matter-to-me affair. So what possessed me to devote a good 20 hours to a game that I found predictable and derivative?
And in my mind, this is where our author nails it:
[...] Horror cinema has been the vehicle through which the subjugated get their revenge by terrorizing the civilized that wander too far into the woods.
Speaking in the mindset of a typical Westerner, we want to fight back when our privileges are threatened -- after all, we subjugated "those folks" in the first place. We need to know that we can stay in power, and we hope that our experiences in this "game" will prepare us. Let's face it, there's very few of us reading this article that think, "Yup, I'm prepared for a psuedo-zombie encounter."
And yet, in the back of our mind, the thought nags: what if it really happened? And by feeling through RE4 (or the DOA series, or the Mario games, or any racing game, etc.) that we are preparing ourselves, we assure ourselves (however falsely) that our hideous deaths won't be caused by these genre-defined cliches -- instead we'll have gone out kicking: knowing the exact heft and arc of a grenade, the proper way to quickly load a shotgun, precisely how quickly the enter an on-ramp in busy suburban Italian traffic, and how much running it takes to nail the jump between the mountain cliff and the platform of salvation.
Which is why I played RE4 -- not because of genre pleasure, but from genre training.
After all, when the time comes, I'm going to be the proletariat waiting for your stupid ass to trudge around a dark corner looking for a weapons dealer, and then you will be unceremoniously boned by zombie justice. I know what your weaknesses are and how terrible your are at organizing your inventory, so prepare to join our Potluck O' Brains.