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Subject: Do you think gaming will become more mature?

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."

Let me clarify here: Do you think that games will start presenting more mature characters and plots? Examples of this are Heavy Rain, Journey, Alan Wake, Dear Esther, and possibly Shadow of the Colossus. Even Braid went deeper than the first glance would imply. Lately I've mostly seen
1. "Graahhh alienz shootz dem guise!"

or, of course
2. "Graahhh Russians shootz dem guise!"
Even games that have great potential for very strong storytelling don't seem to try very hard. I liked Heavy Rain because it treated the player as someone who actually cared about the plot and were capable of understanding it without it all being explained to them. Take games like Gears of War; the gameplay is fun, but the characters are painfully one-dimensional. The only recent RPG in which I cared about the characters was The Witcher II.

So do you guys think gaming will eventually stop catering to an audience that only wants to blow things up and start presenting more mature plotlines, or are they going to stay where they are forever?

[Edited on 11.29.2012 10:05 AM PST]

  • 11.29.2012 10:00 AM PDT

Posted by: Changsta inc
Racism isn't wrong if it's funny.

Gaming will become the next major form of entertainment. I wouldn't be surprised to see it supplant television eventually.

  • 11.29.2012 10:01 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: Nannerpus
Gaming will become the next major form of entertainment. I wouldn't be surprised to see it supplant television eventually.


I agree, to an extent; but for that to happen, it needs to start being treated like the best medium for storytelling (which it has the potential to be.) Shows like Lost delivered excellent characters, and (in my opinion) a really interesting plot. Games don't seem to care about either of those facets very much.

  • 11.29.2012 10:03 AM PDT

Considering how immature the gaming community as a whole is I seriously doubt it.

  • 11.29.2012 10:03 AM PDT
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Well, here we are. I guess that it was destined to come to this.

I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 8 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 8-year old than a jaded 19 year old.

  • 11.29.2012 10:03 AM PDT
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I find that the audience is progressively getting dumber and dumber, while the gaming companies are decking all the consoles out with "family friendly" stuff.

I doubt you'll get quality stuff like what you listed up above when the things I posted up above continue.

  • 11.29.2012 10:03 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: Recon Number 54
I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 8 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 8-year old than a jaded 19 year old.


I respect your opinion, but I fail to see your point: Does the idea of a game delivering realistic, deep characters and an engrossing plotline that treats the player as an intelligent person not appeal to you? I just want to see gaming become the storytelling medium it could be. Do you think that's a bad direction for gaming to take?

  • 11.29.2012 10:05 AM PDT

With games like angry birds and Lolipop Chainsaw, I guarantee things are only going to get more mature from there /sarcasm

  • 11.29.2012 10:05 AM PDT

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Posted by: Recon Number 54
I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 7 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 7-year old than a jaded 19 year old.

fix'd

  • 11.29.2012 10:05 AM PDT

Posted by: Alex Mac Kee
If pen­ises were planes Jimmy's mouth would be an airport


Posted by: DarkBen64
Don't punch a British kid, the queen'll come after you.

I really can't see it being held as a high-brow entertainment medium.

  • 11.29.2012 10:06 AM PDT

you killed poonflip!

the flippiest poon i ever knew!


Posted by: Recon Number 54
I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 8 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 8-year old than a jaded 19 year old.
THIS.


OT: As the current generation of gamers continues to age, i think game companies will release some more mature titles to appeal to the older section of the demographic.

  • 11.29.2012 10:07 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: Sandtrap
I find that the audience is progressively getting dumber and dumber, while the gaming companies are decking all the consoles out with "family friendly" stuff.

I doubt you'll get quality stuff like what you listed up above when the things I posted up above continue.


I think, when gaming became popular initially, developers were passionate about having their careers seen as more than just a waste of time, a novelty. They tried to deliver plotlines that could be taken seriously. Now, since gaming is widely accepted, it's almost as though nobody cares if it moves forward again.

  • 11.29.2012 10:07 AM PDT
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"The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been."
-Albert Einstein

"To live is the rarest thing in the word. Most people exist, that is all"
-Oscar Wilde

Steam

I seriously hope so.

  • 11.29.2012 10:07 AM PDT
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Well, here we are. I guess that it was destined to come to this.


Posted by: swvjdirector

Posted by: Recon Number 54
I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 8 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 8-year old than a jaded 19 year old.


I respect your opinion, but I fail to see your point: Does the idea of a game delivering realistic, deep characters and an engrossing plotline that treats the player as an intelligent person not appeal to you? I just want to see gaming become the storytelling medium it could be. Do you think that's a bad direction for gaming to take?

I am saying that in order to enjoy playing, that a part of us that is willing to believe in the story, that is willing and more eager to suspend disbelief, that is more child-like (but not necessarily childish) should be targeted by the creators of the entertainment/diversion.

That "maturity for maturity's sake" usually translates to "more sex and drugs" if you look at cable television dramas (especially HBO and Showtime examples). I am saying that adults can as easily be sucked into a Star Wars universe, or a BSG, or something fantastic and fantasional and appreciate adult-conflicts and themes without being bombarded with adult-only entertainment.

  • 11.29.2012 10:09 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: teh Chaz
I really can't see it being held as a high-brow entertainment medium.


Out of curiosity, why not? It has the potential to be the most immersive, intense, interactive, and beautiful medium of entertainment ever. It could even transcend that and become art. I think it's more for lack of effort than inability that it hasn't already.

  • 11.29.2012 10:09 AM PDT

心の中に弱い風が吹いています。

>Gamers
>Mature

Pick one.

  • 11.29.2012 10:10 AM PDT

"There's a very fine line between not listening, and not caring. I'd like to think that I walk that line every day."

Posted by: swvjdirector
I agree, to an extent; but for that to happen, it needs to start being treated like the best medium for storytelling (which it has the potential to be.)
Never considered this, but it makes sense to me.

Especially due to the fact that games have the ability to be immersive like almost nothing else.

  • 11.29.2012 10:12 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: Recon Number 54

Posted by: swvjdirector

Posted by: Recon Number 54
I am intrigued by the Jason Jones quote in the recently leaked IGN article that "Destiny is made to appeal to the 8-year old in all of us".

It's been a while since my inner 8 year old has really been engaged properly and in a way that excited me like I could be back at that age. If it is possible and they can pull it off?

I would rather enjoy being like an excited 8-year old than a jaded 19 year old.


I respect your opinion, but I fail to see your point: Does the idea of a game delivering realistic, deep characters and an engrossing plotline that treats the player as an intelligent person not appeal to you? I just want to see gaming become the storytelling medium it could be. Do you think that's a bad direction for gaming to take?

I am saying that in order to enjoy playing, that a part of us that is willing to believe in the story, that is willing and more eager to suspend disbelief, that is more child-like (but not necessarily childish) should be targeted by the creators of the entertainment/diversion.

That "maturity for maturity's sake" usually translates to "more sex and drugs" if you look at cable television dramas (especially HBO and Showtime examples). I am saying that adults can as easily be sucked into a Star Wars universe, or a BSG, or something fantastic and fantasional and appreciate adult-conflicts and themes without being bombarded with adult-only entertainment.


I think you may have misunderstood my usage of "mature". The last thing I was asking for is gratuitous sex, nudity, language, or drug use. None of those things translate to "mature" at all. In fact, many of them being used, as you put it, for "maturity's sake", only hurt the quality in the long run. It comes across to me as developers saying "We can't make anything truly engrossing and emotional, so let's slap some wildy inappropriate content on for a bit."

That's not where gaming needs to go. I don't know if you're familiar with Lost , or Heavy Rain, but both of them sucked me in because the characters were so well developed. I think making someone become emotionally vested in a plotline and the characters is when developers have won. That's not happening with games much.

  • 11.29.2012 10:13 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: BROWN HAWK
Posted by: swvjdirector
I agree, to an extent; but for that to happen, it needs to start being treated like the best medium for storytelling (which it has the potential to be.)
Never considered this, but it makes sense to me.

Especially due to the fact that games have the ability to be immersive like almost nothing else.


Of course. The level of interaction from the player combined with ever-improving visual technology has so much potential. Just thinking about the possibilities for storytelling and character development combined with player choice gets me pumped up-but then I remember that games like Halo and Battlefield are the most popular ones at the moment.

Not that they're bad games; they're fine. I just wish gaming would start taking itself seriously; it has the potential to make characters seem real. I know I've brought up Heavy Rain a lot already, but it's one of the games to make me feel as though I really knew the characters. I miss that.

  • 11.29.2012 10:18 AM PDT

Posted by: Alex Mac Kee
If pen­ises were planes Jimmy's mouth would be an airport


Posted by: DarkBen64
Don't punch a British kid, the queen'll come after you.

Posted by:1 swvjdirector
Posted by: teh Chaz
I really can't see it being held as a high-brow entertainment medium.


Out of curiosity, why not? It has the potential to be the most immersive, intense, interactive, and beautiful medium of entertainment ever. It could even transcend that and become art. I think it's more for lack of effort than inability that it hasn't already.
Not to say that it cannot be, it's just that from the way things are going I can't see it happening any time soon. Also most good writers prefer to lend their talents to more respected media like film and literature.

  • 11.29.2012 10:18 AM PDT

"I will show you how a true Prussian officer fights!"

"And i will show you where the iron crosses grow..."

- "Cross of Iron"

I play a lot of mature strategy/tactical games.

Games like Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy and Fortress Italy, these games cater to hardcore gamers who like history and realism over anything else. There is an audience out there that is already mature.

  • 11.29.2012 10:20 AM PDT
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"The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been."
-Albert Einstein

"To live is the rarest thing in the word. Most people exist, that is all"
-Oscar Wilde

Steam


Posted by: teh Chaz
Also most good writers prefer to lend their talents to more respected media like film and literature.


This is why I respect Chris Avellone and Ken Levine so highly.

  • 11.29.2012 10:20 AM PDT

"What are we holding on to, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."


Posted by: teh Chaz
Posted by:1 swvjdirector
Posted by: teh Chaz
I really can't see it being held as a high-brow entertainment medium.


Out of curiosity, why not? It has the potential to be the most immersive, intense, interactive, and beautiful medium of entertainment ever. It could even transcend that and become art. I think it's more for lack of effort than inability that it hasn't already.
Not to say that it cannot be, it's just that from the way things are going I can't see it happening any time soon. Also most good writers prefer to lend their talents to more respected media like film and literature.


That's why I'm majoring in creative writing; I intend to be a writer for a game development company. I want to see the industry grow and be respected in a way nobody has seen yet. I have a lot of passion for the potential ahead of games; I really want to see them reach it. I think that makes it even more upsetting for me to see games that don't even make an effort to fufill that.

  • 11.29.2012 10:21 AM PDT

"There's a very fine line between not listening, and not caring. I'd like to think that I walk that line every day."

Posted by: swvjdirector
Of course. The level of interaction from the player combined with ever-improving visual technology has so much potential. Just thinking about the possibilities for storytelling and character development combined with player choice gets me pumped up-but then I remember that games like Halo and Battlefield are the most popular ones at the moment.

Not that they're bad games; they're fine. I just wish gaming would start taking itself seriously; it has the potential to make characters seem real. I know I've brought up Heavy Rain a lot already, but it's one of the games to make me feel as though I really knew the characters. I miss that.
Yes, I've heard it's notorious for its story, although I've never played it (don't have a PS3).

But I think that first-person shooters also have that potential, due to the fact that they're first-person and players can become a character in the game. And because of the fact that big-title FPSs have such a huge population, I think it's one of the best chances to give gaming a big boost, if there's a general sort of movement toward that side of gaming.

  • 11.29.2012 10:21 AM PDT

Posted by: Alex Mac Kee
If pen­ises were planes Jimmy's mouth would be an airport


Posted by: DarkBen64
Don't punch a British kid, the queen'll come after you.

Posted by: swvjdirector
I agree, to an extent; but for that to happen, it needs to start being treated like the best medium for storytelling (which it has the potential to be.)
I don't entirely agree with this.

I think that interactivity from the player is more of a limitation on storytelling because the playable character generally needs to be somewhat of a blank slate in some respects that the player can fill in. Any actual character development can only really take place in cutscenes and that falls into the medium of film than games.

Games' defining feature, gameplay, doesn't actually have much to accommodate for storytelling because it is all "do" instead of "tell". The only games that really allow for some story to seep into gameplay are games like Mass Effect where you choose replies to conversations and what have you, but still, this is pretty basic and is nowhere near the level of storytelling that literature achieves.

TL; DR
The vast body of storytelling in games takes place in cutscenes with actual gameplay mainly serving as intervals to break up the cutscenes.

[Edited on 11.29.2012 10:27 AM PST]

  • 11.29.2012 10:24 AM PDT

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