Yeah seriously Lord, that was an assinine comment you made. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like for the past number of months your posts are just filled with hate and annoyance at everything you talk about. Or maybe you've always been that way. Or maybe it's just the posts of yours that I read. :P

How is it asinine? Just because someone feels differently only proves my comment is not a universal opinion, which I never claimed or implied otherwise.

But experiencing a game is not a valid counter, as you can't actually experience a game if you are playing it. Experiencing is a passive thing, while games are active.

As for my tone, that's just what you are inferring, and by your choice of words, it seems like you're doing that to avoid actually looking at, or addressing, my points.

Damn bro you're taking it all too seriously. Couldn't you tell by the tongue face that I was just giving you a jab? That's exactly what I'm talking about, you always seem so tense, serious, and ready to chop at someone/something.

You said that the 3D doesn't improve the game, and that no one should tell you otherwise. That's what I found assinine. So while you weren't saying your opinion was universal, you were dismissing anyone who had a different opinion.

As for experiencing games, i think it's possible to play something and experience it at the same time. I don't think that the two are mutually exclusive at all. The main thing that comes to mind is Majora's Mask. I love walking around and seeing the world move in motion as time passes around me and I do my tasks, and every time I play that game I see something new and cool. I love just exploring and messing around in that world. To me, that's part of experiencing something. Maybe you just have a different, narrower, definition.

1. Um, I didn't see a tongue face in your message, or else I would have taken it differently.

2. Okay, I can see how that comment would be interpreted that way. I mean that if I don't enjoy the game with 3D, don't act like I just don't get it or haven't played it enough. When the design is weak, the 3D won't undo that, and 3D will just be icing on design that is good.

It's okay man. it was the :P at the end of my message. I don't know how to do the special smiley faces, and so that's all I could muster.

I would actually like to hear more about your experience vs. playing argument though. I've never heard that before and I'm interested to hear more about what you mean.

Well dropping the quote train first.

Anyway, this site auto makes them, you just need a hyphen between the "eyes" and the "mouth".

As for experience, in the context of how it's used in regards to graphics for games, special effects in movies, and music, it means sitting back and taking in the stuff presented to you. Gaming is active, which is not really suited to passively having stuff presented to you.

Now while cut scenes might be the former, those are non-game elements in a game, merely by the fact that you don't play them.

Basically, you can't "experience" a heated multiplayer FPS match, or you'd get creamed. Even a survival horror game can just use its effects and atmosphere to add mood, which is still not really experiencing, as you still need to pay attention to avoid getting killed.

I know that's not a very good description. This is written off the cuff.

So experiences are something you passively see, but not something you do?

So hiking up a mountain and going snowboarding aren't experiences? I think i'm confused by what you mean.

I would argue that wandering around the world and searching for quests or hidden items is experiencing the world in Majora's Mask, just as I would argue that wandering around the spooky mansion looking for clues and puzzle keys in the mansion in Resident Evil 1 is an experience.

Just like the experience of going to the mountains and exploring around, hiking, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc are all experiences.

What part of your argument am i missing?

Again, the context of "experience" used to justify 3D or HD graphics is what I mean here, not any possible definition of it.

Okay, but you said this:

"But experiencing a game is not a valid counter, as you can't actually experience a game if you are playing it. Experiencing is a passive thing, while games are active."

Experience is a passive thing, and games are active.

However, for things like snowboarding, mountain climbing, etc, I would consider them experiences. I think actions you take and physically are active in are most definitely experiences.

So what exactly did you mean?

Again, I meant a different context. But as I just typed that up on the fly, I phrased it really poorly.

I think how I should be putting this is instead of "active vs passive", it should be "style experience versus substance experience". The former would be a movie with a weak script, but lots of special effects. The latter would be a movie with a good story and good visuals, like Star Wars or A Fistfull Of Dollars. Mountain climbing would be the latter, as you can't just have stuff thrown at you without meaning.

A good game can be an experience to play, but a weak game with gimmicks will still be weak, just trying to distract you with flashiness.