Modern Computer Games and their artistic merit
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
I see your point, Al. In terms of the quote yov posted, such a statement essentially implies: "It's a fake game," or "not a game as I label a game" and your reaction is essentially to get annoyed with such narrow-minded "labeling."
Alas, semantics have been known to start wars. If only we didn't get so hung up on silly words!
Alas, semantics have been known to start wars. If only we didn't get so hung up on silly words!
- axordil
- Pleasantly Twisted
- Posts: 8999
- Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:35 pm
- Location: Black Creek Bottoms
- Contact:
There are no silly words, only silly people. Except "flibbertigibbet."
As far as electronic interactive entertainment and artistic merit goes: obviously some games are quite nice to look at, or have decent music. The question mark seems poised by the story elements, for those games having any. Bradbury's assertion, from Fahrenheit 451, that allowing the viewer into the decision tree trivializes fiction raises its pre-Pong head here, at least for me. Can we call any interactive story literary? If not, is there (forgive me) a label we can attach to it that allows its evaluation as art?
As far as electronic interactive entertainment and artistic merit goes: obviously some games are quite nice to look at, or have decent music. The question mark seems poised by the story elements, for those games having any. Bradbury's assertion, from Fahrenheit 451, that allowing the viewer into the decision tree trivializes fiction raises its pre-Pong head here, at least for me. Can we call any interactive story literary? If not, is there (forgive me) a label we can attach to it that allows its evaluation as art?
Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying but aren't you essentially saying you're annoyed with the "it's not a game" label because you want to use "game" as the label?Alatar wrote:Its not contradictory. I object to labels because they try to tell me what I should think. My point is that I consider any type of game a game.
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Hmm I was really looking forward to the idea of discussing artistic merit in video games, instead of which we have what seems to be a pretty silly discussion on what constitutes a game and what doesn't.
If I consider something to be a game, and you don't it still happens to be a game, for example if you played golf and I told you my view was that it was not a sport, but a activity for people with too much time and too little imagination, would it be any less a sport in your eyes.
Having spent a lot of the last two years teaching on computer games courses and being an admirer of the really beautiful games I would really have enjoyed other folks appreciation so please return to the topic /[end pompous mode]
If I consider something to be a game, and you don't it still happens to be a game, for example if you played golf and I told you my view was that it was not a sport, but a activity for people with too much time and too little imagination, would it be any less a sport in your eyes.
Having spent a lot of the last two years teaching on computer games courses and being an admirer of the really beautiful games I would really have enjoyed other folks appreciation so please return to the topic /[end pompous mode]
Since 1410 most Welsh people most of the time have abandoned any idea of independence as unthinkable. But since 1410 most Welsh people, at some time or another, if only in some secret corner of the mind, have been "out with Owain and his barefoot scrubs." For the Welsh mind is still haunted by it's lightning-flash vision of a people that was free.
Gwyn A. Williams,
Gwyn A. Williams,
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Oh, I got that. But I just had to participate in extending the pun. The irony of eborr's statement was too rich to pass up!
ETA: eborr - you don't happen to teach at UCONN, by any chance?
ETA: eborr - you don't happen to teach at UCONN, by any chance?
Last edited by Passdagas the Brown on Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Al and eborr,
Thought you might appreciate this. There was once a poster at TORC named Amphiaraus Bis, who participated in a LOTRO kinship of ours. He was also a professor of games and myth at the University of Connecticut.
Here's the description of a course he taught in the latter part of last decade:
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/2008/04/ ... e.html?m=1
Part of that course involved actually playing LOTRO, and much of his research took place on the Landroval server.
An interesting guy. And his work is especially relevant for a thread on the artistic (and educational) merit of games.
Thought you might appreciate this. There was once a poster at TORC named Amphiaraus Bis, who participated in a LOTRO kinship of ours. He was also a professor of games and myth at the University of Connecticut.
Here's the description of a course he taught in the latter part of last decade:
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/2008/04/ ... e.html?m=1
Part of that course involved actually playing LOTRO, and much of his research took place on the Landroval server.
An interesting guy. And his work is especially relevant for a thread on the artistic (and educational) merit of games.
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Here are also his more recent blogs:
http://www.playthepast.org/?author=7
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/?m=1
http://www.playthepast.org/?author=7
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/?m=1
-
- Posts: 3154
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:31 pm
I think that's generally true. But I have a soft spot for Middle earth-based stuff (especially if it's not connected to the films!)Alatar wrote:Looks interesting PdG. Will have a look later. Of course, its worth noting that most of the really good games are original concepts. Film and Book tie-ins rarely hit the mark.
It's fun to get lost in LOTRO's Moria for a while...
I enjoy it more for its connection to Tolkien than for its quality as a game. There is no question that World of Warcraft is a far superior game, but I don't get to travel through Middle Earth in WoW! Also, in my personal experience, the online community in LotRO are much more friendly and helpful than in WoW.
The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End