“Loves It or HATES IT!!! 4.30.10 Games As Art - 411mania.com” |
| Loves It or HATES IT!!! 4.30.10 Games As Art - 411mania.com Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:06 PM PDT Loves It or HATES IT!!! 4.30.10 Games As Art | Posted by Justin Weinblatt on 04.30.2010 In this week's edition of Loves It or HATES IT!!! 411's Justin Weinblatt passes down his judgment on the entire medium. Does Shadow of the Colossus deserve a place next to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa? Welcome back to another edition of Loves It or HATES IT!!! In this column I debate various gaming topics with the only man I've ever loved, myself. Last week, I discussed the Wii. Lets check out some feedback. "I've always been a huge Nintendo fan. The reason being is that while I owned Sega consoles and handhelds, they just couldn't make any games I cared about as much as Nintendo. My favortie franchises are Mario and Zelda, which are awesome. But outside of that, it's hard to find a large number of games to play on the Wii. And, I'm sick and tired of waving a plastic **** around to play a game. I would never give up my Wii. But, if you want an all-around gaming experience, you need a 360 or PS3 to supplement the Wii. Buy the same token, if you want an all-around gaming experience, you need a Wii to supplement a 360 or PS3. Posted By: Comment Board Poster (Guest) on April 23, 2010 at 12:54 PM " That may be, but here is the big question. If you had to choose one console, which would it be? As much as I'd like to say "Wii" I can't really justify that. I think you forget one area where the Wii appeals to hardcore gamers THE MOST: retro games. Simply put-- nothing on XBLA or PSN even comes close to the wealth of awesome old games (and, unlike now, a lot of NES games are actually hard, look at Kid Icarus) Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on April 23, 2010 at 09:10 AM Have to disagree with you there. The Wii has some awesome retro games, but 360 and PS3 get stuff like Braid, Flower, Splosion Man, Castle Crashers, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, etc. Not to mention that emulators exist (if you're ok with stealing that is). "I'll only have a problem with the Wii if motion controls become the norm from now on. I know there are people out there who like them, and i don't have a problem with them being an option, but the fact that the Wii prints money (that gif made my day) will make the other two try to force motion controls down our throat. Other than that the Wii is fine by me, just not something i want to buy.I'm not gonna hate it though cause i'm probably not in their target audience, just like i'm not a part of Micrsoft's target audience due to my hate for FPS'. It won't make me hate them, i just won't really care about them. Posted By: Guest#6766 (Guest) on April 23, 2010 at 05:39 AM" You don't seem to get how this works. If you like the PS3 then you HATE the X-Box 360. You must wish death upon all those that enjoy it. If you like the Wii you have to HATE any device which has better hardware.
Seems someone forgot that Sony has already the casual market sewn up with the PS2. (~200m console sales), Wii sales are a drop in the ocean compared to this. Posted By: Mark (Guest) on April 23, 2010 at 03:24 AM" That's completely and utterly untrue. First off, the PS2 has sold about 140 mullion units. So you're off by about 60 million there. 70 million is hardly a drop in the ocean compared to 140 million. It's about half, in about half the time. Secondly, the PS2 had no real competition. The Dreamcast (sadly) failed, and the Gamecube/X-Box sold about 40 million units combined. The 360/PS3 have already sold around 75 million combined. So, the Wii is facing stiffer competition, and has a lot less hardcore gamer support. Seriously, I'm not trying to start a fanboy war, but why is it only Sony fans who make comments like this? After doing marketing research on the Wii for a college class I have to chime in here. That is the core gamer is community is shrinking. The 80 / 20 rule applies here. About 20% of the population buys 80% of the games. What Nintendo has done is tap into that 80% population and got them to start buying systems and games. People who have never played a game are now playing them with the Wii. Here Nintendo is also creating Brand loyalty with these customers because of the interactivity and simple concepts of the Wii. The hard core gamer does not make up the market anymore. Nintendo has found a whole new community to tap into and has reaped the benefits and will continue to reap the benefits. You got to remember no one has tapped into the demographics like Nintendo has. The Demographics for games for 15-40 Males. They were the ones that bought the most games until the Wii. Now "soccer moms and kids" are buying Wiis. Because women work a lot more now, kids have more buying power. That is because moms or dads are as home much and are more willing to buy their kids stuff in order to make up for that. Also another point to make is that if the Wii was not taping into a whole new market like it is, why is Sony and Microsoft copying the Wii. The motion controls presented by Sony and Microsoft is a realization that the Wii has a monopoly on a whole new untapped market. Thus the Wii might not be for the hard core gamer, it will continue to succeed because of their monopoly of the market they present their product to. People have underestimated this market and can not really see it because they are not a part of it. But being able to sell to everyone from kids, to soccer moms, to grandmas, to adults is an incredible feat and one that will keep Nintendo on top for a while. Posted By: Guest#9125 (Guest) on April 23, 2010 at 09:19 AM I should explain that while I try to be objective, ultimately this column is written from my perspective as a hardcore gamer. While people may underestimate the casual market, I think some people are underestimating the hardcore market. For example, I'm a hardcore Nintendo fan. I have a younger brother and when he was five I got him a GBA. When my sister saw me playing Phoenix Wright, she went out and bought a DS. My Aunt came over my house, played Wii Sports, then went out and bought the Wii. Hardcore gamers are instrumental in spreading the gospel. Now my little brother by now is a hardcore gamer. My sister is not. She has a DS and will buy the newest Phoenix Wright game, and occasionally something like Nintendogs. My Aunt only owns Wii Sports and Wii Fit. In contrast, I own about a dozen Wii games and at least 2 dozen for my DS (and I'd own way more if my gaming dollars weren't split between the Wii and 360). So, even if Nintendo moves more hardware, the X-Box 360 (and PS3) has a higher attach rate. Also, those soccer moms and kids may not have the same rabid brand loyalty that hardcore gamers have. Nintendo has survived through the lean N64 and Gamecube years on the strength of their hardcore fanbase (and Pokemon), so maybe they should try to keep them while they build a new fanbase. Nintendo didn't abandon the hardcore gamer. The hardcore gamer abandoned Nintendo first. Now lets say Nintendo put out a system that was designed to appeal to the hardcore gamer. In fact it was better than Sony's compeating system. Would you then buy it? Oh wait they did. It was called the Gamecube. But it never got the same amount of development as other systems did . Posted by: Minimoose on April 23, 2010 at 2:30 PM There's more to the post, but I had to cut it off for brevity's sake. The Gamecube was a purple console, modeled after a lunchbox, that had candy colored buttons, and a funky controller that was ill suited to many games. Nintendo also decided to take their biggest hardcore franchise and cel-shade it. I played my Gamecube far more than any other system I've ever owned, but in terms of marketing it to the hardcore gamer, Nintendo completely failed. That's probably why Capcom decided to put RE4 on the PS2, they needed to do that to turn a decent profit on their spectacular game.
Games as Art Blah blah, Ebert blah. I'm sure most gamers have heard his comments by now. While that has definitely inspired me to write this column at this particular moment in time, it's something I would have written eventually anyway. As a gamer my first reaction to hearing that games aren't art is to scream BULLSHIT, and then cover my eyes and ears while humming very loudly. So, this week, I'm going to take a deeper look into the subject. Bear in mind I'm not responding to Ebert, or anyone else. Rather, I'm trying to see whether I personally consider games art.
 Are games art? Games are definitely art- I guess the first thing to be done is to define what art is. Brilliant minds have been debating this for centuries, so don't expect a complete definition from me. Since this is about gaming I'll use a definition given by Tim Schafer (developer of Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, and Brutal legends). Art is "creatively expressing thoughts or emotions that are hard … to communicate." You can do this with a game as well as you can with any medium. The only thing a "video game" requires is some sort of image, and some sort of input mechanism. I don't see how exactly pressing a button would disqualify a game as a piece of art. Games are not high art- I'm not trying to argue that games are not art, because no matter how hard I try I can't really do that convincingly. However, the question is not really whether or not games are art. The question is, should games be held in the same regard as films, literature, sculpture, and other such artistic mediums. As I'll explain, I think games have quite a ways to go before we get there.
And lets not forget about those talented musicians! Music and sound effects really help to set the mood. Making it to Wily's castle wouldn't be quite as exciting without the awesome music, Mass Effect wouldn't be as engaging without the spectacular voice acting, and Sephiroth wouldn't have been as badass without his theme. Looks aren't everything- Just because games do incorporate other art forms doesn't make them an art form themselves. For example, if a Friskees commercial features an orchestrated score would it be art? What if a tampon commercial had stellar CGI graphics? The graphics of a video game are not designed for purely aesthetic purposes. They also have to be functional. You have to be able to interact with all of the virtual objects, and navigate the world comfortably. This need for functionality limits the possibilities available to art designers.
 Okami shows that games can be very beautiful. We Loves The Stories- Video game stories have evolved tremendously over the years. It's hard to imagine that 30 years ago, a monkey stealing your girlfriend was a good premise for a game. Bioshock tells the tale of a purely capitalistic society being crushed under its own ambition. Silent Hill is the personification of a man's guilt. Pokemon tells the story about how children, when left to their own devices, turn into Michael Vick. A great story is a great story, regardless of the medium in which its told. We Hates The Stories- Stories in videogames are indeed becoming much better, but they have a long way to go before they can reach the levels of other mediums. BioShock's story of a utopia gone wrong is indeed great, but I don't think it can compare to Orwell's 1984. There's just not enough information to make Rapture feel as real or terrifying as Orwell's futuristic Britain. Comparing Silent Hill 2 to Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves will again lead to a literary victory. Is Grand Theft Auto 4's Story as good as the Godfather? I don't think it's even a close call. Of course, I haven't played EVERY video game out there, but out of the ones I have, none have really approached the narratives of other genres.
 Sorry junior, but you've got a ways to go. We Loves the Interactivity- What those narratives you mentioned don't have is interactivity. No matter what you do, Winston will betray Julia. Michael will kill Fredo and so on so forth. Video games are a unique and exciting medium where your fate is in your hands. A great example of this is Mass Effect. In the Mass Effect Series, you have a great deal of control over the game world. Are you a alien sympathizer or do you think humans should dominate the galaxy? Do you like loose bald women or do you prefer the more reserved type? Do you go by the book, or do you bend the rules? You make the decisions, and the ramifications are real. I felt like a part of the Mass Effect universe. I've never felt like a part of the Star Wars universe in the same way. We Hates the Interactivity- Interactivity sounds nice, but the technology just isn't good enough for you to really feel in control of the narrative. In 99% of the games that hype some sort of choice system, you just choose between "good" and "evil". You're either Jesus reincarnated, or you're busy boiling up a batch of puppy stew. It's far too simplistic. Even your beloved Mass Effect really doesn't succeed. In the end of Mass Effect, you're faced with the choice of saving the Council (a sort of alien Senate) or letting them get killed so humanity could take over. I assumed this choice would have huge ramifications for Mass Effect 2, but the story line pretty much played out the same way except for one different scene. I admire the effort, but the technology really isn't good enough to make interactivity a compelling part of the narrative. Switch We Hates the Fun- One of the things holding games back from being true art is the demand of functionality. If a game can tell a good story or provide great scenery, that's great, but gameplay is still of primary importance, and this inhibits the medium as an art form. Other art forms don't have the obligation to be fun. I mentioned 1984 before (cause it's my favorite book). I was interested in the book from start to finish, and I was glad I had read it, but I certainly wouldn't describe the experience as fun (and if you do you're a messed up person). You can bet that when developers are designing a game the first question they ask is "is it fun". "Is it meaningful" is a distance second. This limits what they could do, artistically. We Loves The Fun- Who says that fun and art are mutually exclusive? Shadow of the Colossus is frequently cited as an example of games as art. Shadow of the Colossus is a game with both artistic merit and fantastic gameplay. The two can easily coexist.
And it's not like gamers are buying these games just because they have great gameplay. They're buying these games because of their strong narratives and other artistic features. Take a look at BioShock and Mass Effect for a moment. BioShock is a fun game, but really pales in comparison to other FPS'. The first Mass Effect's gameplay was incredibly flawed. Despite this, both of these games sold very well.  Fun as hell? Yes. Art? No. WE HATES THE LACK OF VARIETY- Now, here is my biggest criticism of games as an artistic medium. Aside from simulation games (Madden, the Sims), and a few others, almost every videogame out there is about a battle between good and evil. You are the hero, and there is a villain out there (or perhaps multiple villains). You have to destroy a legion of enemies en route to defeating them and saving the world. Along the way you may have to collect a few artifacts or something. Don't get me wrong, I love killing bad guys. If I didn't I suppose I'd choose another past time. And there is a good deal of variation within that basic frame work. However, as long as games are confined to this realm it will limit what they are capable. There are a wide range of different emotions, stories to be told, and thoughts to be conveyed. Most of those cannot be expressed by beating the tar out of aliens. We Loves the Variety- There is more variation within that basic framework than you care to admit. Can you really group the stories of Shenmue, Zelda, Metroid, BioShock, Devil May Cry, and Braid neatly into one category? Each of these games feature some sort of combat, but they all tell incredibly unique stories. I don't think we've reached the potential of what can be done within this basic framework. Combat is indeed a major focus of gaming, but as time goes on we'll see more and more games straying from that formula. The recently released Silent Hill: Shattered Memories contains next to nothing in the way of combat. Likewise, Shenmue contains very little fighting. Adventure games like Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk abandon fighting altogether.
 Oh... we're shooting aliens... again... The Verdict Anytime a new medium emerges, its artistic merit is challenged. Even novels and operas, which are now generally considered among the upper echelon of art, were doubted at first. Games are most definitely a capable medium for expressing ideas and emotion in a creative way. However, the industry has a lot of maturing to do before it can be held in the same esteem as other art forms. I would say that until somewhere in the N64/PSX era, developers were still trying to figure out how to make games work well, and look good. Now that we have pretty much figured out how to make game work well, we're going to have to find new ways to innovate the genre. Part of this innovation is definitely going to come in the way of improved narratives, and more creative use of visuals. Already we've seen some great examples of artistic games. Mass Effect features an amazingly compelling cast (aside from Kaiden who I always leave on Vermire), and the ability to make choices has huge potential. BioShock has a great story and adds tons of little visual and audio details to make Rapture feel alive. Braid's game mechanics really made me reflect on my life, and games like Metal Gear Solid and Killer 7 have incredibly rich and intricate stories. Unfortunately, for every one truly artistic game, there are 20 pieces of trash. Of course, there are many books and movies without a shred of artistic merit, but I'd say the ratio in gaming is even worse. In addition, we're still confronted with one huge problem. Games have been almost entirely focused on the same foundation. A struggle between good and evil, where your character plays the pivotal role of savior. There are some games that break free from this mold, but not nearly enough. When you look at the incredible amount of variety in movies (compare the Hurt Locker to Up to Avatar to District 9 to Precious) and literature, (compare Hamlet to 1984 to Beloved to House of Leaves) it becomes incredibly clear that games are lacking. I don't mean to belittle any of the many great games that have been released. There are plenty of games I would consider art. Unfortunately, the medium as a whole is a bit restrictive. We're already seeing some incredible creativity being brought to the medium, and hopefully this will continue. Unfortunately for now I have to conclude.
If you feel differently (or want to emphatically agree with me) then feel free to leave it in the comments section. Also check out my list of ten games that I do consider art right here. And check out the twitter.
411mania Till next week.
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