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Forums - Gaming Discussion - This trend of spitting on casual gamers...

ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
It might have been kiddie playing video games years ago when the older generations were non gamers, but now the average age of the person playing Halo is not in the low teens and it will go further and further up as gamers grow up and there are more of them in the coming generations.

To somehow tell me that violent video games are immature is pretty baseless as violence is probably the topic that has most interested man throughout the ages and engaging in simulated violence does not make it automatically less than playing a strategy game.

Here's another task for you, Ckmlb:

Go find me any movie or book, ever, that has been canonized and deals with a super spy killing hundreds of bad guys. Any one. Or heck, how about a super soldier killing hundreds of space aliens? Or a World War II soldier killing hundreds of Nazis?

 


That's the game element of the equation. Do you expect the game to have one enemy or something and that you go and kill some guy then it would either be really short or not a game but an interactive movie. For it to be a game there has to be levels, enemies, obstacles, challenges.

You really think this proves your point? You do know that a game revolves around a player going around interacting with others.

Also here's a task for you:

Find me a book that canonizes someone creating a bunch of characters and putting them in a house and making them do daily things (sims) or that canonizes a brain teaser. Does this prove my point? NO.

You have this idea that what is artistic is only what was handed down to us as art from past generations. I'm sure the best movies now would have never been considered art in the old narrow definition.


There ABSOLUTELY are canonized works that focus on the same things the Sims does: everyday, normal activities. Here are several:

Annie Hall
In the Company Of Men
Straight Story

And books:

Confederacy of Dunces
Brothers Karamazov
Emma

I'm sure I could think of dozens more. And as I've already stated, games CLEARLY do not have to include such action. Yes, absolutely, games could have one killing/death in the entire game. You act like there's nothing else to fill a game with. How about more mature dialogue? Psychological tension? How about diplomacy, a la Civilization? Or heck, even washing dishes, a la "The Sims?"

 


How do you fill up the rest of the game if you are after one person. What you are asking is an interactive movie. Also obstacles don't have to be killing stuff you know. Any obstacles that come between you and the rest of the game.

Also if you think those books are focused on the day to day and aren't meat to convey hundreds of other things then you are definitely wrong. If you think of it that way then any book has day to day activities occuring in it, is that the point of the book? NO.


Uh, absolutely, I'm aware that these books have theme and meaning underlying the daily actions. But the books -- just like the Sims -- detail everyday activity, just as the Sims does. Saying "but the books have more in between the lines!" does absolutely nothing to change the fact that both the books and The Sims have the same things on the lines.

And if I'm asking for interactive movies, you're asking for interactive movies, as well. How are Halo or Gears of War all that different from StarShip Troopers? Because you actually press the buttons and make the decision when to kill stuff. That's it, really.

Similarly, dialogue doesn't have to follow some pre-formed plan. We can already make games that have flexible, variant responses to conversation -- just look at the Sims, or Civilization. And yes, I agree that obstacles don't have to be killing people; but it just so happens that in Gears of War, God of War, Killzone et. al, that is PRECISELY what the obstacles are, without fail. 



http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Arkives/Disccopy.jpg%5B/IMG%5D">http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Arkives/Disccopy.jpg%5B/IMG%5D">

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Fuzzmosis said:
And it's fairly easy.

Civilization: Religion is a tool, applying bonuses/penalties for using and converting agents against enemies etc.

FFX: The religion of Yevon and it's interactions with the world and Sin drive the entire god damn storyline. I don't think it's possible to not note the power they give religion and the good and the bad it drives in people if you've actually played the game.

Well that was what I meant, it is the theme. Like WW2 themes were you kill nazis or allied forces. It doesn't "deal" with WW2. It is just its theme. You didn't deal with religion and what difference it makes. Basicly what you said about religion in Civ is true, but that is the whole object of the game.



Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:





Brain Age has SPECIFICALLY been found to increase neurological function. Directly and explicitly. In this case, the adult value is in it's intellectual activity, not in it's purely aesthetic quality.

"Research has shown that reading out loud and performing calculations quickly are effective for training your brain."

Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Okami are very good, and you know I liked Shadow of the Colossus a great deal. But their "art" is largely just visual, unlike "The Sims" or "Civilization," whose maturity is in the gameplay directly. And please note that these are three games in a library of 1,500 Playstation 2 games. It's dismally low.

And again, my main concern is for something to be intellectually stimulating, the way Picasso's Guernica, or Robespierre's The Spirit of the Laws are. I do agree that aesthetics matter -- it's just not my main goal here.


 In the case of Okami I can see how you say the art is largely visual. But in case of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus if you think it's mainly visual then you definitely missed the point of both games and need to go back and play them and get into them more closely because there is so much in such simplicity. Ico has to be the most beautiful story I have encountered in a game, so simple and so compelling that I can only describe it as beautiful.

That's the kind of game that I think even people who hate traditional games in general would admit is art. 



Thanks to Blacksaber for the sig!

Regards Brain stuff... Have you seen Big Brain something ad on Amazon.com? This ad clearly define audience of Wii... and I'm telling you it's not sophisticated or arty stuff (BTW it's even more shitty than Super Paper Mario)

Casuals - they don't even percieve themself as a gamers.

http://www.amazon.com/computer-video-games-hardware-accessories/b/ref=gw_br_cvg/002-9145012-3096033?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=468642&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-nav-1&pf_rd_r=17C50C0H24CEB7KEXZNH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=285525001&pf_rd_i=507846

The object of the game is to make your civilization dominant. Religion in that game is a tool, much like military and economic power. It's one area where you must cover due to the nature of humanity.

Where as FFX's story actually... you know, has a story involving religion, power and life etc, though it takes a nearly Amish turn for a while. Albiet, it is in a fantasy realm, hence entirely fictional, but applicable. So, if what I said about religion is true in Civ, then Religion, though fictional, is given a wider and deeper story and examination in FFX.



See Ya George.

"He did not die - He passed Away"

At least following a comedians own jokes makes his death easier.

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ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Games are about more than just fun, the good ones at least. Do I really need to explain this to gamers? Also, I like how people totally ignore the games that do push artistic boundaries when dealing with traditional console games and go straight to what is easy to put down as violent and 'for teens'.

Such as Civilization, the Sims, Tetris, and Brain Age? Sure, I agree, those are more than just fun.

What games are you talking about? Just curious, because I can only think of one or two that remotely fit the bill.


Ico is more than just fun. Shadow of the Colossus, Lumines, Okami, Killer 7...

What is there to Brain Age other than fun? Please tell me. I assume you are going to go with the whole idea that brain age is art which is even more ridiculous than me claiming Gears of War is art. I congratulate you for making my argument easier since I never ever claimed Gears was art, I did say it is artistic to some extent and Brain Age is not artistic in any way shape or form.

If it makes you feel good that you are engaging in artistic endeavor by playing Brain Age that's good and all but that doesn't make these games the equivilant of art house flicks....


Brain Age has SPECIFICALLY been found to increase neurological function. Directly and explicitly. In this case, the adult value is in it's intellectual activity, not in it's purely aesthetic quality.

"Research has shown that reading out loud and performing calculations quickly are effective for training your brain."

Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Okami are very good, and you know I liked Shadow of the Colossus a great deal. But their "art" is largely just visual, unlike "The Sims" or "Civilization," whose maturity is in the gameplay directly. And please note that these are three games in a library of 1,500 Playstation 2 games. It's dismally low.

And again, my main concern is for something to be intellectually stimulating, the way Picasso's Guernica, or Robespierre's The Spirit of the Laws are. I do agree that aesthetics matter -- it's just not my main goal here.


I meant more than fun in the realm of art because you claim that Brain Age is art. I'm sure using your brain to solve stuff obviously means more brain activity lol I thoght that was given.


In most cases, good "art" is something that is intellectually, emotionally, or thematically sophisticated. While you may insist that Brain Age isn't art, it's certainly intellectually sophisticated. 

As I've always stated, my goal isn't exactly to make games "art," although that would be nice. My goal is to make games that are mature, intellectually and/or emotionally sophisticated, and adult oriented. Intellectually stimulating games such as Brain Age fit that bill; Gears of War does not (as always, Gears of War symbolizes games that fit it's description. I single it out as an archetype).  

 



http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Arkives/Disccopy.jpg%5B/IMG%5D">http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Arkives/Disccopy.jpg%5B/IMG%5D">

Fuzzmosis said:
Your people discover Buddhism! You gain one Monk! Use that monk to convert your opponents and lower their territory! The Shangri-La Accomplishment can now be built!

Seriously, that's all I know of the religion in the Civ series. If there's more, I missed it by not playing single player.

yes then you did miss it. The whole idea of religion in civ was to show how different religions interact, different religions make people feel, different people make countries allies and different religions help you conquer. It shows you the importance of religion like no other game does.  Thats what makes it mature. It is completely different than FFX where it is simply the theme of the game.



Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:



 






How do you fill up the rest of the game if you are after one person. What you are asking is an interactive movie. Also obstacles don't have to be killing stuff you know. Any obstacles that come between you and the rest of the game.

Also if you think those books are focused on the day to day and aren't meat to convey hundreds of other things then you are definitely wrong. If you think of it that way then any book has day to day activities occuring in it, is that the point of the book? NO.


Uh, absolutely, I'm aware that these books have theme and meaning underlying the daily actions. But the books -- just like the Sims -- detail everyday activity, just as the Sims does. Saying "but the books have more in between the lines!" does absolutely nothing to change the fact that both the books and The Sims have the same things on the lines.

And if I'm asking for interactive movies, you're asking for interactive movies, as well. How are Halo or Gears of War all that different from StarShip Troopers? Because you actually press the buttons and make the decision when to kill stuff. That's it, really.

Similarly, dialogue doesn't have to follow some pre-formed plan. We can already make games that have flexible, variant responses to conversation -- just look at the Sims, or Civilization. And yes, I agree that obstacles don't have to be killing people; but it just so happens that in Gears of War, God of War, Killzone et. al, that is PRECISELY what the obstacles are, without fail.


 If you're gonna go ahead and say that pressing a button to make your character carry out actions is an interactive movie then there are literally no character based games and that's totally wrong.

Also, convincing me that the sims is similar somehow to those books because it also deals with the day to day is a pretty light argument in that this is a very shallow similarity in the way that I can claim oh Halo is similar to the Illiad because there are two sides fighting each other...

Makes no sense really. Also the use of killing to clear away obstacles in games is definitely very common and it would be good to see more variety in that. 



Thanks to Blacksaber for the sig!

Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Bodhesatva said:
ckmlb said:
Games are about more than just fun, the good ones at least. Do I really need to explain this to gamers? Also, I like how people totally ignore the games that do push artistic boundaries when dealing with traditional console games and go straight to what is easy to put down as violent and 'for teens'.

Such as Civilization, the Sims, Tetris, and Brain Age? Sure, I agree, those are more than just fun.

What games are you talking about? Just curious, because I can only think of one or two that remotely fit the bill.


Ico is more than just fun. Shadow of the Colossus, Lumines, Okami, Killer 7...

What is there to Brain Age other than fun? Please tell me. I assume you are going to go with the whole idea that brain age is art which is even more ridiculous than me claiming Gears of War is art. I congratulate you for making my argument easier since I never ever claimed Gears was art, I did say it is artistic to some extent and Brain Age is not artistic in any way shape or form.

If it makes you feel good that you are engaging in artistic endeavor by playing Brain Age that's good and all but that doesn't make these games the equivilant of art house flicks....


Brain Age has SPECIFICALLY been found to increase neurological function. Directly and explicitly. In this case, the adult value is in it's intellectual activity, not in it's purely aesthetic quality.

"Research has shown that reading out loud and performing calculations quickly are effective for training your brain."

Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Okami are very good, and you know I liked Shadow of the Colossus a great deal. But their "art" is largely just visual, unlike "The Sims" or "Civilization," whose maturity is in the gameplay directly. And please note that these are three games in a library of 1,500 Playstation 2 games. It's dismally low.

And again, my main concern is for something to be intellectually stimulating, the way Picasso's Guernica, or Robespierre's The Spirit of the Laws are. I do agree that aesthetics matter -- it's just not my main goal here.


I meant more than fun in the realm of art because you claim that Brain Age is art. I'm sure using your brain to solve stuff obviously means more brain activity lol I thoght that was given.


In most cases, good "art" is something that is intellectually, emotionally, or thematically sophisticated. While you may insist that Brain Age isn't art, it's certainly intellectually sophisticated.

As I've always stated, my goal isn't exactly to make games "art," although that would be nice. My goal is to make games that are mature, intellectually and/or emotionally sophisticated, and adult oriented. Intellectually stimulating games such as Brain Age fit that bill; Gears of War does not (as always, Gears of War symbolizes games that fit it's description. I single it out as an archetype).

 

 How is it intellectually sophisticated to link numbers in order????? Please stop telling me Brain Age is art it is not art in any way shape or form it is a series of brain busters that you can get kicks out of and work your brain solving. It is not art....

Thanks to Blacksaber for the sig!

Well I have to agree with ckmlb that I don't think brain age is art, but I don't think any game is art for that matter. maybe my art standards are just to high