[No MGS spoilers] Let's be real about Kojima for a second.

[BarryMcCociner]

No, I'm not talking about the quiet bikini snoipah.

Let's talk about Kojima and metal gear.

The auteur theory of film is true, watch 10 Kubrick films and 10 Hitchcock films back to back, I defy and dare you to tell me it isn't. And for every medium there's a certain manifestation of auteur theory.

Compare Clutch to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, there's two distinct and separate and wonderful worlds of music there. Compare Rembrandt to Michelangelo, there's obvious differences in their stylistic choices. Compare Stephen King to Tolkein, there's distinctions there that run far deeper than their cadence.

Now, if you were to point to video games and go "Find me the auteurs of this genre" who would I be able to point to beyond Kojima and maybe David Cage on a good day where I don't feel pissed off by David Cage?

Fuckin' nobody. When I pick up a Kojima game I know I'm playing a Kojima game, he knows what people think while they play games, he knows how to get into a players head (which is, to an extent, why I'm most disappointed he didn't get to finish Silent Hills) and he knows how to deliver an artistic message through game mechanics alone which sadly, a lot of developers don't understand.

Here's the discussion I want to have: which developers, beyond Kojima, are capable of delivering artistic messages solely through their game's mechanics?

I can think of Ed McMillain with Fingered, that's about it and thatgamecompany with Journey. There has to be more than two.

 

[FalloutJack]

I've always turned to Atlus for unique gaming experiences. They're well-known for distributing a number of deeper games, through message or practice or what-have-you. Now, not all of them are this way, but things related to Shin Megami Tensei are so far rivaled by very few. Other games try to be heady. These ones actually are, and are good.

 

[mad825]

Here's the discussion I want to have: which developers, beyond Kojima, are capable of delivering artistic messages solely through their game's mechanics?

You mean like having to spend 30 minutes watching a game? You mean like coming-up with the most insane acid trips? You mean like spending 6 minutes listening to an audio log?

Yes, the developers are capable of delivering """"artistic""" messages solely through their """game's mechanics"""". Kojima? Gameplay? More like a failed film director.

Wait what? wasn't DS all about delivering a message through gameplay? Is that suppose to be a masterpiece in that field!?

 

[Bombiz]

Why would you even consider David Cage?!

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Solely through game mechanics? I don't know. I'm not sure that even Kojima does that. He delivers a message, sure. But I don't think it's through the mechanics in the game. It's through the game as a whole.

There are a few people that can do that. Ken Levine and Rockstar's Houser brothers. They have their own styles that are pretty obvious. I can't really pinpoint the exact thing that Ken Levine does. But Rockstar does it with satire through world building. Their styles are not as striking as Kojima's perhaps. A Hideo Kojima game is so obviously a Hideo Kojima game like you can't mistake a Tarantino movie for anything other than a Tarantino movie. It's a certain flavour of madness that can't be copied.

If we're talking about companies instead of just individuals, I'd like to name CD Projekt RED. The Witcher 3 and the whole idea of letting the player choose what they think is the lesser evil instead of painting the obviously good and obviously bad choice like Bioware is an example of communicating ideas to the player through game mechanics.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I've always turned to Atlus for unique gaming experiences. They're well-known for distributing a number of deeper games, through message or practice or what-have-you. Now, not all of them are this way, but things related to Shin Megami Tensei are so far rivaled by very few. Other games try to be heady. These ones actually are, and are good.

Very true. Atlus has done quite a good job with this and so has Spike Chunsoft, the developers of Danganronpa. The older RPGs, such as Wild ARMs and Grandia, did this to a degree, too, but in recent times, Atlus and Spike Chunsoft are the ones that caught my attention.

However, this is not solely through gaming mechanics. This is through the entirety of the stories presented. Regardless of what means they present their messages, it's good to see that some developers are good enough to deliver a good game along with a message, and not neglect one for the other.

 

[Fox12]

No one mentioned Dark Souls? Really? It's the poster boy for this.

The whole story is about death, nihilism, and the entropic decay (heat death) of the universe. It makes you feel that nihilism through its brutal difficulty, and the myriad deaths you will suffer. And, when you ultimately succeed, it means nothing. The world will still end. The curse is broken, and you will die. You embrace the inevitable, or hold it off for a few brief moments.

Spoiler

We see it in Seeth the Scaless. He's obsessed with immortality, and it drives him mad, causing him to torture people in experiments. We see this in the crystal that heals him. Gwyn allows awful things to happen in order to keep the first flame lit. The Witch of Izolith tries to prevent the death of the universe, and accidentally creates abominations. Gwyndoline resorts to human sacrifice. And this is all told to you indirectly through the environment and game play. And, if you give in, and never finish? You've turned hollow.

Both the story and themes are told through the environment and through game play. Latrec was in love with Fina. We see that in the armor, which has two arms rapt around it. We see it in the ring you can never remove from your finger- a wedding ring. You discover the fate of Tarcus through context clues in the environment. Miyazaki is the best game developer working in the industry today, period. Much better then Kojima, and certainly David Cage (I wouldn't call his games art).

Alternatively, The Last of Us doesn't get enough credit for this. You feel small and helpless when you play the little girl. You feel the need to protect her as her father, but you feel vulnerable, because you can't defend yourself. You have to depend on Tommy. When you play as Ellie, it takes longer to push heavy objects, because she's weaker then Joel. The best example is the snow storm. You depend on the enemy sense ability, which highlights the enemy in white. You can't see it in the snowstorm, though, which makes you as blind and disoriented as Ellie is in that moment. Genius. The game play helped tell the story, and immersed you in the characters.

Also, Atlus, but that's been mentioned.

 

[Glongpre]

Whoever made Shadow of the Colossus. I honestly felt sad after killing each one. That is something I seldom feel in other games. Also, just the overall atmosphere really conveys a lot of what the main character must feel. There are only boss fights, so it is just you and your horse. Not to mention you brought a dead girl with you, the game really makes you feel alone.

I second CD projekt Red, they do choices exceedingly well.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Yeah, I'm going to say with the rest, why are you only mentioning Kojima and *hurk* David Cage?

And I ALSO want to point out an even more important point that when you attribute a games success to any one person, you are doing a MASSIVE disservice to the rest of the team that put that game together. Game development, most ALL of the time, is not done in a vacuum by one person. It is a team. A team does the work. The team works together. The team combines and focus all their efforts and creative ideas and powers into one shining game. Now, that is NOT to say that the head devs had barely anything to do with the development of a game. Far from it. But just don't say that, oh, this game was successful because of this one person or that or Todd Howard or Ken Levine or Hideo Kojima or Hulk Hogan or whatever.

It was everyone. Everyone on the team contributed to the game. And don't you forget it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Valve's visual storytelling throughout Half Life and Portal. Half the time there's no dialogue and you are left to discover what happened in a particular area just using the gameplay either via gravity or portal gun.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Now, if you were to point to video games and go "Find me the auteurs of this genre" who would I be able to point to beyond Kojima and maybe David Cage on a good day where I don't feel pissed off by David Cage?

Yasumi Matsuno, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Shigeru Miyamoto, George Kamitani, Hideki Kamiya, Masahiro Sakurai, Tetsuya Takahashi, Tim Schafer, Jordan Mechner, Toshiro Tsuchida, Koji Igarashi, Daisuke Ishiwatari, and Toshimichi Mori. There, I gave you over a dozen off the top of my head. It's not exactly an exclusive club.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

No mention of Sid Meier in here? I am very disappoint. >:/
Also, Chris Avellone, Tim Cain and Brian Fargo all seem like they should make the list.

 

[Adam Locking]

Nobody else mentioned Suda51 yet, there's no way of ever mistaking one of his games for anything else! Also, Will Wright on his unending quest to simulate everything.

Whoever made Shadow of the Colossus. I honestly felt sad after killing each one. That is something I seldom feel in other games. Also, just the overall atmosphere really conveys a lot of what the main character must feel. There are only boss fights, so it is just you and your horse. Not to mention you brought a dead girl with you, the game really makes you feel alone.

Fumito Ueda, seconding him as well.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Rocksteady has swiftly been building a very recognizable style of story/characteristics through gameplay. While I didn't like Arkham Knight too much, it did have some brilliant little moments that completely take you by surprise. It still needs to be seen though if they can transfer this style to an original setting.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Here's the discussion I want to have: which developers, beyond Kojima, are capable of delivering artistic messages solely through their game's mechanics?

You mean like having to spend 30 minutes watching a game? You mean like coming-up with the most insane acid trips? You mean like spending 6 minutes listening to an audio log?

Yes, the developers are capable of delivering """"artistic""" messages solely through their """game's mechanics"""". Kojima? Gameplay? More like a failed film director.

I'll admit that my experience with the series is limited (I've only played Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid) but I agree with this guy. I was never able to finish MGS because I couldn't stomach the amount of time I had to sit around listening to idiots harping on about shit I didn't care about. Definitely not story via gameplay.

I'll admit there was a cool bit in Metal Gear where

Spoiler

the Boss betrays you but you don't know it yet and his instructions lead you into an ambush where you'll probably die

but that's about it.

Anyway, you (the OP) start your topic talking about auteur developers then branch off into developers delivering a message though game mechanics but I don't really see how the two are related.

Anyway.

Who are some other auteur developers? Tim Schafer, John Romero (briefly), Peter Molyneux maybe, Suda 51. Suda and Schafer definitely have distinctive styles.

Games that deliver a message or tell a story through gameplay? A few have already been mentioned. Dark Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, Journey. I'd throw Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP in there as well. Then there are games that give you choices with consequences like Telltale's games.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Fuckin' nobody. When I pick up a Kojima game I know I'm playing a Kojima game, he knows what people think while they play games, he knows how to get into a players head (which is, to an extent, why I'm most disappointed he didn't get to finish Silent Hills) and he knows how to deliver an artistic message through game mechanics alone which sadly, a lot of developers don't understand.

As others have said; game mechanics are the last thing most people would think of when Kojima springs to mind. Tonal dissonance, bewilderingly long cinematics, and poor mechanics/controls are where my mind goes to first.

(I'm kinda fine with extended cutscenes, btw, but I certainly don't think of them as evidence of good design in an interactive/hybrid medium)

Here's the discussion I want to have: which developers, beyond Kojima, are capable of delivering artistic messages solely through their game's mechanics?

I can think of Ed McMillain with Fingered, that's about it and thatgamecompany with Journey. There has to be more than two.

As others have said, Hidetaka Miyazaki and the Souls - and soulsian - games is an exemplary example right now. Peter Molynuex could be considered, although many also question his core design, too (along with the whole brain-mouth issue he has re new projects... ). Sude51 definitely counts, too.

Aside from those namechecks: what does it matter? Games can be great art in a different way to other great art, so the medium doesn't necessarily need more auteurs, if that's the direction you're going in. I'd say the indie and homebrew scene is a place where the business model and scale can suit auteurs and auteur 'teams' better, which is only natural.

 

[Durai]

As has been stated before, Suda51 games have an unmistakable style and feel to them. So yeah, that would be my two to compare.

I'd post more but money doesn't earn itself, so farewell!

 

[Amaror]

Here's the discussion I want to have: which developers, beyond Kojima, are capable of delivering artistic messages solely through their game's mechanics?

What? Seriously what? Kojima delivers very little through game mechanics and mostly through long, long cutscenes.
Now don't get me wrong, i like Kojima.
Metal Gear Solid 5 is my first MGS game but i am having a lot of fun. The Story, while wacky and silly, is interesting so far and the gameplay is just so much fun.
And there are some aspects of the game that get delivered through subtle hints of the game, like Big Boss's Appearance and how it changes the longer you are away in the field. But not much of it is through the actual Gameplay. The Stanley Parable delivers a message through gameplay. MGS really doesn't. But as i said, that's ok.
Kojima is more like Tarantino. He has his own unique Style. He's silly and wacky and doesn't take his games too seriously, while exploring very serious thematics and scenarios. And he still manages to make it all fit together surprisingly well, which is pretty much exactly what makes Tarantino's movies so special.
You can even draw more parralells.
Tarantino is known for long, drawn-out conversations in his movies, Kojima is known for long, drawn-out cutscenes in his games.

 

[Arkliem]

You want a game that delivers an experience through game mechanics, try out Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Controlling two characters at the same time gets pretty interesting and the game does well at playing with how you handle them.

 

[Evonisia]

Team Silent relied mostly on the sticky combat, world details and surreal items to inspect or obtain in order to create an unmistakable world of despair and misery with grim stories. All four of the games are vastly different in their visuals and symbolic choices, yet somehow all feel part of the same universe with the same identity. There are cutscenes, but the world and how the characters interact with it tell more of the story.

All brilliant games that deliver their story and world mostly through when you interacted with it. There's a reason Homecoming wanted to be Silent Hill 2 so badly. Why Shattered Memories used Silent Hill 1 as a jumping off point for a re-imagining of the story to be even more grim and melancholic. Why Downpour branched out while retaining elements of all the games that came before it.