What really irks me about these scientific studies that try and prove that video games are good for people is that they are pointless. Citing these studies is similar to reading the nutrition labels on a package of Oreo's. They do nothing to validate your reasoning for playing video games.
Video games are more or less an indulgence. They're a lot of fun, and you can lose yourself in them. We exist in a culture where "bingewatch" has been added to the dictionary. People are very indulgent and do things that they please, just because. Sure, it isn't very healthy to sit in front of a television for hours at a time, but it isn't that uncommon.
I don't quite understand why we have to keep on conducting and releasing new studies that have some new statistic about how video games can improve cognitive activity in the human brain. That's all well and good, but there is much more to a game than its gameplay and interactivity. Games have other elements that are essential to complete the experience for the player. Story, art, music, characters, and many other elements that combine to create the total aesthetic of the game. What kind of game would The Last of Us be if it was just about its gameplay? If Joel would go through each scenario without story or purpose?
I know that I am not approaching this from a wrong angle. However, video games are the things that are still trying to be validated, so that others don't criticize gamers quite as harshly. It's why I write my blog. There is so much more to video games than people let on. Perhaps there is a communication barrier, and to others video games seem like a waste of time. Video games are not a waste of time, and they are not bad for you. As Shigeru Miyamoto said, "Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock& roll."
Friday, October 23, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Gamers, Submit to your Games
Video games are all about providing players with amazing experiences and giving them a sense of power and significance. So, it would make sense for games to give players the opposite of that, right?
The trend of really difficult games has made a bit of a comeback. Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Super Meat Boy have all been examples of absolutely crushing players. Back in the day of NES, and the arcade, games were crazy difficult. However, when a player would overcome the challenge, it felt a lot more rewarding.
Games still provide a challenge to present the player with, yet there is more of a focus on the overall experience of the game. With new consoles and technology, games can do a lot more than they used to. The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption and many more games are all examples of this. Telltale Games has carved out a very profitable niche based entirely around storytelling and providing an experience for the player. The thing is, though, these games are kind of easy.
All of these games have a certain kind of flow, and they allow players to go through the story mode at a decent pace. There are still roadblocks and choke-points that the player still comes across, yet they seem to be few and far between. Even when playing on the hardest difficulty, players can still find a rhythm and relearn how to play to the game's rules. All of those games still provide the player with a sense of awesomeness and agency where they are the focal point, and make them feel good about themselves and the overall experience. However, there is something to be admired in a game that absolutely crushes the players confidence.
Super Meat Boy was a good experience for me, because it was really difficult. Sure, I have years of video game playing experience, but nothing I had done would prepare me for what Super Meat Boy is. I had do take a deep breath and humble myself before the game. I knew that I was going to die a lot when playing the game. I think that's why gamers get so frustrated and angry when they die in a video game.
Gamers lack humility because most games build them up as being unstoppable badasses. When they come to a point that they can't get through with ease; to them, it doesn't make any sense. It's also why gamers get so frustrated when they lost in multiplayer games. It isn't fun to lose, but you should be able to accept that you're not the greatest gamer ever. It's important to be able to recognize where you are, and be humble about it. Do not doubt yourself just because you are not where you want to be, but instead; realize that you have a ways to climb and that the only way to go is up.
The trend of really difficult games has made a bit of a comeback. Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Super Meat Boy have all been examples of absolutely crushing players. Back in the day of NES, and the arcade, games were crazy difficult. However, when a player would overcome the challenge, it felt a lot more rewarding.
Games still provide a challenge to present the player with, yet there is more of a focus on the overall experience of the game. With new consoles and technology, games can do a lot more than they used to. The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption and many more games are all examples of this. Telltale Games has carved out a very profitable niche based entirely around storytelling and providing an experience for the player. The thing is, though, these games are kind of easy.
All of these games have a certain kind of flow, and they allow players to go through the story mode at a decent pace. There are still roadblocks and choke-points that the player still comes across, yet they seem to be few and far between. Even when playing on the hardest difficulty, players can still find a rhythm and relearn how to play to the game's rules. All of those games still provide the player with a sense of awesomeness and agency where they are the focal point, and make them feel good about themselves and the overall experience. However, there is something to be admired in a game that absolutely crushes the players confidence.
Super Meat Boy was a good experience for me, because it was really difficult. Sure, I have years of video game playing experience, but nothing I had done would prepare me for what Super Meat Boy is. I had do take a deep breath and humble myself before the game. I knew that I was going to die a lot when playing the game. I think that's why gamers get so frustrated and angry when they die in a video game.
Gamers lack humility because most games build them up as being unstoppable badasses. When they come to a point that they can't get through with ease; to them, it doesn't make any sense. It's also why gamers get so frustrated when they lost in multiplayer games. It isn't fun to lose, but you should be able to accept that you're not the greatest gamer ever. It's important to be able to recognize where you are, and be humble about it. Do not doubt yourself just because you are not where you want to be, but instead; realize that you have a ways to climb and that the only way to go is up.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Then The Right Words Just Came To Me...
I love video games. I think they are pretty, dang rad. I go to them for escape, and I go to them for inspiration. I think that there is a lot that can be expressed in video games that other art forms cannot. On the simple basis that a video game has some level of interactivity, there are many different things that can be considered video games. Video games that are as simplistic as Journey can speak volumes to its audience. Games like Shenmue or Mass Effect can express ideals to its audience.
Many of us go through life and experience the ordinary. Not too many of us are confronted with the world changing decisions that video games present us with. Yet, I think that, by putting ourselves into these situations and fighting the good fight, we can learns something about ourselves and grow a bit.
Have you ever been in a situation where you just hurt so much, or have this kind of emotion that you just can't express? I think that everybody has at one point or another. Usually we can go to our favorite music, or movie and just kind of "fill the void" to cope with whatever it is that we're going through at the time. They can help us understand, or make us understand, and express something in a way that we couldn't think of, and suddenly it all clicks because of a lyric in a song or a speech in a movie. This is the magic of art. It can comfort us, or disrupt our reality. Bringing to light that which was hidden before.
So, why didn't I mention video games? Truth be told, I don't know. I've had moments where video games have brought things to light, and given me the strength to push forward in areas of my life. Although, video games are not quite as relateable as other artforms. For some reason, they are more obscure, and relegated to those that "have no life". So, clearly there would be no need of video games to teach us things. On the other hand, nobody seems to ask the "why" as to why we spend so much time in these realities. Perhaps it's because life has got us down. Perhaps it's because we want to get away from it all. Perhaps it's because we want to let out some aggression. Or, perhaps, it's simply because video games are fun, and we're just kinda bored.
These are the questions that I don't see being asked, or even considered, when it comes to people who play video games. I understand that ignorance is at thing, but people should still be considerate. I understand that this is something that cannot be done away with, and that there will always be people who don't quite understand video games. There will be people who don't quite understand any kind of thing that you love, but that is no excuse for their behavior. Nor is it any reason for you to give up.
I feel like I wrote about this last time I posted, but I care very deeply about this. I love my video games, and I don't think that I should be judged because I spend so much time around them. We all have our passions, and we all have our niches, and through these things, we can find comfort and inspirations. There are multitudes of things that we go to when we need to get away, or are in pain. For me, it's video games.
Many of us go through life and experience the ordinary. Not too many of us are confronted with the world changing decisions that video games present us with. Yet, I think that, by putting ourselves into these situations and fighting the good fight, we can learns something about ourselves and grow a bit.
Have you ever been in a situation where you just hurt so much, or have this kind of emotion that you just can't express? I think that everybody has at one point or another. Usually we can go to our favorite music, or movie and just kind of "fill the void" to cope with whatever it is that we're going through at the time. They can help us understand, or make us understand, and express something in a way that we couldn't think of, and suddenly it all clicks because of a lyric in a song or a speech in a movie. This is the magic of art. It can comfort us, or disrupt our reality. Bringing to light that which was hidden before.
So, why didn't I mention video games? Truth be told, I don't know. I've had moments where video games have brought things to light, and given me the strength to push forward in areas of my life. Although, video games are not quite as relateable as other artforms. For some reason, they are more obscure, and relegated to those that "have no life". So, clearly there would be no need of video games to teach us things. On the other hand, nobody seems to ask the "why" as to why we spend so much time in these realities. Perhaps it's because life has got us down. Perhaps it's because we want to get away from it all. Perhaps it's because we want to let out some aggression. Or, perhaps, it's simply because video games are fun, and we're just kinda bored.
These are the questions that I don't see being asked, or even considered, when it comes to people who play video games. I understand that ignorance is at thing, but people should still be considerate. I understand that this is something that cannot be done away with, and that there will always be people who don't quite understand video games. There will be people who don't quite understand any kind of thing that you love, but that is no excuse for their behavior. Nor is it any reason for you to give up.
I feel like I wrote about this last time I posted, but I care very deeply about this. I love my video games, and I don't think that I should be judged because I spend so much time around them. We all have our passions, and we all have our niches, and through these things, we can find comfort and inspirations. There are multitudes of things that we go to when we need to get away, or are in pain. For me, it's video games.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)