Poll: Should games make you think?
- Thread starter geldonyetich
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Ah, they call those "serious games [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_games]."fullmetalangel said:
Yes and no, I think that there should be some games that require thinking to play them and provoke thoughts and discussions. There should also be games that are just mindless fun. Not everything needs to be an intellectual experience.
Yes. But only some of them. It would be nice to have some variety in the AAA titles, like anything other than the run of the mill RPG/FPS.
SHOULD?
Nah.
I personally however like games that makes my mind sharp and being abe to handle multiple things at once.
RTS games (Company of Heroes mainly) where unit management is cirtical to your success ar ethe kind of games that I like for my mind.
Nah.
I personally however like games that makes my mind sharp and being abe to handle multiple things at once.
RTS games (Company of Heroes mainly) where unit management is cirtical to your success ar ethe kind of games that I like for my mind.
Haha, I think everyone is going the 'yes and no' route because sometimes you want different things from a game. Sometimes you do just want to blast everyone senseless, just relax and have mind-numbing fun to forget about everything else, whilst sometimes solving puzzles and actually having to work out a strategy to beat a particular section is exactly what you want to do.
Saying that of course, games which make you think (think as in solve puzzles, or think as in a deeper sense? Like thinking about character development or mysteries of the plot or what the meaning is behind certain parts of the game - now I'm making it sound like an English essay...) are indeed usually very good games.
People will play different games at different times depending on what mood they're in or what they feel like getting out of a game. Hence why most people will go the 'yes and no' answer because they do want different things from a game depending on what they personally feel like themselves.
Saying that of course, games which make you think (think as in solve puzzles, or think as in a deeper sense? Like thinking about character development or mysteries of the plot or what the meaning is behind certain parts of the game - now I'm making it sound like an English essay...) are indeed usually very good games.
People will play different games at different times depending on what mood they're in or what they feel like getting out of a game. Hence why most people will go the 'yes and no' answer because they do want different things from a game depending on what they personally feel like themselves.
I'm not sure I see the difference. For example, PeaceMaker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PeaceMaker_(game)], a game that invites players to play out the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is built to try to get the player to understand where the different sides are coming from IRL. It falls under the genre of a serious game for the same reasons a WW-II FPS that brings players to understand the horrors of the holocaust would.fullmetalangel said:
That is an example of a game really trying to make the player think about a real world situation, moreover its trying to educate. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact it's probably a good thing as it makes the game a lot deeper and more intelligent than it would be otherwise if it did not have this, and of course, as long as the player is sensible about it then making them think and be educated about a real world situation is something that should continue to happen in games.geldonyetich said:
I'd go with yes and no. There are the types of instinct driven games like the more tank play oriented FPS, if you get my meaning. In games like this, experienced gamers should in theory be able to find their fingers flowing from stick to button or from key to key as needed. Then we have games related to RPGs and survival games which often require some thought and preparation. For example, if I play an RPG or an RTS, I try to make careful effort I'm well prepared for whatever it is I'm about to endeavor in and that I have a practical strategy, or when I'm playing Left 4 Dead, in which it's terribly hard to not think about what your shooting or looking at without inviting a very swift, possibly painful death.
It depends on the game to be honest. Not all games need to offer a challenge to the player - just like all movies don't. There's a place in gaming for thought, and of course different kinds of thought; however, not all games will find an improvment in more cerebreal content.
GTA is a great way to do it - if you want to turn off your brain and spray bullets all over the place, you can do that; if you want to pay attention to the political commentary and social satire, you can do that too.Draygen said:
There will always be a place for complete escapism - everybody loves picking up a Serious Sam-like every once in a while. That said, I think that every game that takes itself seriously should be an attempt to make the player think about its subject matter, and optimally to make the player think critically about its subject matter.
