Comments on: The Princess, the Plastic Guitar, and the Hook Shot http://mropgd.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/the-princess-the-plastic-guitar-and-the-hook-shot/ Self-descriptive titles are their own reward Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:50:18 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Mrop http://mropgd.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/the-princess-the-plastic-guitar-and-the-hook-shot/#comment-69 Mrop Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:50:18 +0000 http://mropgd.wordpress.com/?p=364#comment-69 Almost all games have "system exploration"/pattern recognition or whatever you want to call it. It is the most compelling and "true" way to experience a game, yet it is also the most abstract. The reason it is so highly valued, I think, is that it is unique to the medium of games. If it also can express a theme or a message within its patterns and systems, we could reach the Holy Grail of games as art. The problem is that this kind of art is so abstract and in many ways different from "linear" art, that it might be hard to communicate more complex ideas. Almost all games have “system exploration”/pattern recognition or whatever you want to call it. It is the most compelling and “true” way to experience a game, yet it is also the most abstract. The reason it is so highly valued, I think, is that it is unique to the medium of games. If it also can express a theme or a message within its patterns and systems, we could reach the Holy Grail of games as art. The problem is that this kind of art is so abstract and in many ways different from “linear” art, that it might be hard to communicate more complex ideas.

]]> By: akuhar http://mropgd.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/the-princess-the-plastic-guitar-and-the-hook-shot/#comment-68 akuhar Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:48:07 +0000 http://mropgd.wordpress.com/?p=364#comment-68 System exploration can become incredibly powerful when it eases the player into reconsidering their own actions. Powerups and new tools could provide rampant play, but providing some stark contrast to all that in the end segments, or how a game secretly teaches you things to use in more dire moments is something I find, personally, more rewarding. It's interesting though how you describe these means of play as the weakest link in being able to talk games cross-generationally. We often find it difficult to make sense of our time well-wasted, to those less informed by the medium's potential. The most resonant feedback is always to most moving, and to the disservice of explanation sometimes, abstract. System exploration can become incredibly powerful when it eases the player into reconsidering their own actions. Powerups and new tools could provide rampant play, but providing some stark contrast to all that in the end segments, or how a game secretly teaches you things to use in more dire moments is something I find, personally, more rewarding.

It’s interesting though how you describe these means of play as the weakest link in being able to talk games cross-generationally. We often find it difficult to make sense of our time well-wasted, to those less informed by the medium’s potential. The most resonant feedback is always to most moving, and to the disservice of explanation sometimes, abstract.

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