What We Want

[andersgeek]

Man, whoever started this fucking comparison better not admit it while I'm present. Getting slapped hard will the least of their problems at that moment.

 

[Ishal]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

 

[Flames66]

HAH! THat was awesome

And for those who are getting the same error as I am heres the punchline:

Love the cardboard cut out in the last frame, thats fucking perfect.

I still don't get it. Can has explanation?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

But I still have to question why it's considered that benchmark that we need to meet. Putting aside the other question of why we feel the need to keep up with the film industry instead of forging our own identity.

Because Film is the media we most closely resemble, we are nothing like writing, music, or performance art.

And the reason it was a bench mark is because it did so many things fundamentally different to other films of it time and changed film making forever. THAT is the bench mark gaming needs, a fundamental shift in how things are done for the better that will enhance the medium as a whole.

Except the video games are interactive and films are not. That's a pretty big difference. And thus I don't see why we should be using a film as a benchmark.

 

[Legion]

The problem is that I have never seen Citizen Kane nor read any reviews of The Last of Us (except the Escapists).

Spoiler: So the conclusion I got was that the suits looked at The Last of Us and basically saw this:

I based it on the last image basically being "dudebro" cover art. I thought it was them mocking how they saw the white, gruff male protagonist and the female support character, but only saw the male protagonist (like they always seem to).

I should probably read some reviews and watch Citizen Kane...

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

This is why I'm on the Suit's side rather than Erin's. Emotionally engaging characters are for movies, not games.

 

[Flames66]

HAH! THat was awesome

And for those who are getting the same error as I am heres the punchline:

Love the cardboard cut out in the last frame, thats fucking perfect.

I still don't get it. Can has explanation?

Sure, I will repost the explanation I made earlier about it.

So all we want is ultra violence? Is that the joke? Also what's with the Invisible Man?

Its not an invisible man.

its a Suit. People in charge of companies that are fairly faceless and bureaucratic are called Suits, they have no personality, all about the numbers ect.

And its not really about violence, it is about the fact that people are all comparing Last of Us to Citizen Kane in its impact and depth, and in gaming things have to be turned up to 11 and marketing says people like actiony covers acording to the folk that made Bioshock Infinite.

Thus its SUPER Citizen Kane, where Kane is

Spoiler

Holding his sled rosebud

over his shoulder like Dewit was holding a shotgun so the pose is more action oriented, and battlefield is a very popular cover as well so they mimicked that as well.

And sorry for double quotes, just wanted to make sure Flames got an inbox notification ^.^

Thanks, that makes slightly more sense. I don't really keep up with a large portion of popular culture (anything that isn't references to things I like or based on hats).

I like the suit though. I have been referring to them as suits for a while now, I also call what they do "paper" (in the most disdainful tone I can muster).

 

[Zhukov]

Heheh.

Yeah, that phrase is getting pretty damn tired. I wish they could come up with a different way of praising good games, even if only for the sake of variety.

I've never actually seen Citizen Kane. Perhaps I should.

 

[lacktheknack]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

This is why I'm on the Suit's side rather than Erin's. Emotionally engaging characters are for movies, not games.

Well, crap. Text adventures just got WAY more difficult to write. Thanks.

OT: I wish they'd make "Citizen Kane" a game genre. I'd peruse it.

 

[Casual Shinji]

But I still have to question why it's considered that benchmark that we need to meet. Putting aside the other question of why we feel the need to keep up with the film industry instead of forging our own identity.

Because the gaming industry, for all it's billions of dollars of revenue, still has a big selfesteem problem. And also still has the image of being toy manufacturers, and providers of shallow indulgence, thus nothing to grant any serious attention.

That's why so many games try to go all Hollywood blockbuster. As if to say,"See, see, we can be just like you. Can we come to your party now?"

 

[Headsprouter]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

Yeah, I think we know what happens when we don't know what distinguishes the two.

And I don't want my games to become "choose the ending!" scenarios. I think stuff like Bioshock Infinite tried so hard to be movie-ish and artsy, to the extent where the shooty bits felt juvenile. The difference between games and movies is games don't need stories to be fun, they just need a premise, that's why they're games...

[sub][sub]...*mumble*...Timesplitters 1...[/sub][/sub]

 

[Ishal]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

This is why I'm on the Suit's side rather than Erin's. Emotionally engaging characters are for movies, not games.

I love emotionally engaging characters. I love Mass Effect. But I also love Dark Souls.

It comes down to selfishness on my part. Dark Souls was able to give me a degree of feelings (good and bad) and level of fun and enjoyment a movie never could. Interactive media like games aren't like movies. Film and TV were the most recent media to be recognized as art forms, gamers are self conscious about not yet having this for their medium. I just think it doesn't matter.

Games shouldn't down play their most impressive and unique elements just so some people can stand up on a cliff and proclaim "See!! Vidja garmez is art!" to a crowd that ultimately doesn't matter and who will never consider them art anyway.

I should play The Last of Us.

 

[Ishal]

I laughed at this.

But I wish Videogames would stop being compared to movies. The two mediums should be going in different directions not having one trying its best to emulate the other.

Yeah, I think we know what happens when we don't know what distinguishes the two.

And I don't want my games to become "choose the ending!" scenarios. I think stuff like Bioshock Infinite tried so hard to be movie-ish and artsy, to the extent where the shooty bits felt juvenile. The difference between games and movies is games don't need stories to be fun, they just need a premise, that's why they're games...

[sub][sub]...*mumble*...Timesplitters 1...[/sub][/sub]

They need a premise that allows you to create your own story. Games can be movies... (they shouldn't be, but they can be). BUT, movies can't be games. I think that is the important part. One has more options to work with than the other, and that is what makes it great. I see that. We've all seen that as gamers, I just don't see why we need to proclaim to the world that there can be a citizen kane of gaming. Roger Ebert said it himself... he said he didn't think games are art, but then he said the most important thing. " Why do you care what I think? I'm a film critic "

 

[1337mokro]

Grey a LOT of people aren't going to get this one. Because we can't see the punchline!

I thought the joke was quite transparent.

Most people couldn't see the third panel. There are two jokes in this comic. The second one was obscured with advertisements. Which in itself is a nice commentary on the current state of the internet where it has become the new TV which is entirely advertisement funded.

 

[Paragon Fury]

The only problem with this is that Citizen Kane isn't a very good movie; I remain convinced that the only reason critics and reviewers keep saying the movie is so good and keeps being put at the top of the AFI's Top 100 Movies list is because its essentially a giant circle-jerk/trolling party by the film industry.

The documentary about how the film was made is actually a better movie than the movie itself.

 

[Doclector]

I get it, but I don't quite get why the guy in the suit is invisible.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

But I still have to question why it's considered that benchmark that we need to meet. Putting aside the other question of why we feel the need to keep up with the film industry instead of forging our own identity.

Because Film is the media we most closely resemble, we are nothing like writing, music, or performance art.

And the reason it was a bench mark is because it did so many things fundamentally different to other films of it time and changed film making forever. THAT is the bench mark gaming needs, a fundamental shift in how things are done for the better that will enhance the medium as a whole.

Except the video games are interactive and films are not. That's a pretty big difference. And thus I don't see why we should be using a film as a benchmark.

Its what the film REPRESENTS thats the benchmark, IE a fundamental shift in how things are done, not the actual content of the different mediums.... ~.~

If you dont understand what I am getting at still, I guess we will just have to part ways, as I am not sure how else I could explain it... You will just have to take my word that it is a generally good thing.

Yeah, I get that. Maybe I just don't understand why we need out own Citizen Kane. Although doing something different now and then wouldn't be a bad idea.

But I still have to question why it's considered that benchmark that we need to meet. Putting aside the other question of why we feel the need to keep up with the film industry instead of forging our own identity.

Because the gaming industry, for all it's billions of dollars of revenue, still has a big selfesteem problem. And also still has the image of being toy manufacturers, and providers of shallow indulgence, thus nothing to grant any serious attention.

That's why so many games try to go all Hollywood blockbuster. As if to say,"See, see, we can be just like you. Can we come to your party now?"

Instead of maybe embracing the image of a toy manufacturer and running with it.

 

[Dalisclock]

I get it, but I don't quite get why the guy in the suit is invisible.

I take it you've never heard the term "Empty suit". It's basically an executive who doesn't do anything or doesn't do anything well.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who got the "Empty suit" joke right off the bat.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

The problem is that I have never seen Citizen Kane nor read any reviews of The Last of Us (except the Escapists).


I should probably read some reviews and watch Citizen Kane...

That doesn't really matter. As far as I can tell the joke is gaming executives seeing "Citizen Kane of gaming" crop up a lot in the reviews, then deciding that Citizen Kane is what people want in their games. The exact contents of the film and the reviews in question don't shed any extra light on it, except maybe the box art at the end, but that's secondary to the main joke.

 

[Doclector]

I get it, but I don't quite get why the guy in the suit is invisible.

I take it you've never heard the term "Empty suit". It's basically an executive who doesn't do anything or doesn't do anything well.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who got the "Empty suit" joke right off the bat.

Ah right, it all makes sense now. I'm a tad slow today...