My altered view of MGS4 now that I've beaten it.

[greenmedic88]

 

HappySqurriel said:

greenmedic88 said:
I'm finding it hard to believe that there are people who would find answers to any of the fundamental questions at the root of philosophy in a video game, but then some people are able to find the meaning of life on the head of a pin, so far be it for me to tell anyone what they gain from any experience.

The intent of the MGS games, as is that case with any game, is first and foremost to entertain.

Anything the player chooses to take from the experience beyond that is entirely on that individual.

I seem to recall Kojima saying something along those lines in an interview: that MGS4 is to entertain the player. It's not meant to be didactic. It's not telling anyone what to think. He's not trying to predict the future. There are moral overtones, typically expressed by the script writers speaking through characters, but this is no different from any form of media conveying any semblance of a message, big or small.

I recently finished the game so now I can go back and watch the perspectives BR-D without worrying about any spoilers, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in there that has Kojima stating he's trying to present any sort of "truth" in an attempt to tell anyone how to think.

It's entertainment. Take from it what you will.

Personally, I have always found that good (creative) entertainment typically was produced in order to say something ... It may not be the deepest or most meaningful thing, and it will quite often be a cliche, but by simply having something to say you create structure to your story and it doesn't just become a bunch of stuff that happened.

The problem I have had with Metal Gear games in the past is they seem to been created by coming up with a bunch of "Cool" stuff that happens, and the characters seem to be choosen because they will make "Cool" boss characters, and then the message is preached to the player through a bunch of long winded cut scenes that are full of bad dialoge and voice acting.

Now, for writing in a game this doesn't bother me that much but when people start claiming that it is fine art and that it is better story telling than books or movies I really start getting annoyed ...

Ah. The vast majority of books and films are refuse. They entertain at best. Very few have any sort of lasting impact beyond commercial success when they are fortunate and well received enough for that.

When a work of literature or film stands the test of time seems to be the only indicator as to its lasting relevance. And that's often regardless of their inherent merits. Imagine all the works that were lost in the shuffle, never well received, long forgotten, but no worse than the works still being studied generations later.

And I agree with the "fine art" claim. Most video games go into the category of commercial art IMO. Same applies to MGS, with all its "cool" guy characters, bosses and gear. It still has to appeal commercially and crititcally to the players. Most people playing these games are not looking for a religious experience. At least I would hope not.

At any rate, most "fine art" falls into the same category as its literary and film counterparts. Most of it's imminently forgettable.

But that's one of the things I can appreciate about the MGS series; it's a genuine attempt to make something a bit more poignant than a series of unattached, meaningless events and conflicts. Unfortunately, most video games fall into this category which is why most people playing them aren't looking for fine art/literature/cinema