Wolfire Games Forums

Just like movies and books are a way of telling a story, so are games. Infact, I've come up with a bunch of stories myself that would not work outside of a video-game.

That said, a game should have a good story and fun gameplay, if either is sacrifised, the game looses it's charm. Unless the story is sacrifised to the point of hilarity. "GO SAFE TEH PRINCEAS"

I think Hollywood should stop doing what they have done to movies, over use the same plots over and over. If I were to right a movie, Id let the watcher make his owen ending for himself in his owen mind. I see the same fucking plot in most comman movies.

Protagonists have problem, they come up with a way of over comming problem, they make sucsess, they fall out with each other, become enemys, loose what they had, come back together and save the day, happly evber after.

NO, I hate that... Burrn them all. Kill them off, let some one else bask in glory for a while. Let them be crushed, maybe let them have there owen ass hole medicen?

Mind you, your talking to a guy who kills off his main charictors in storys at the end of them in some cowardly and humiliating way.

Chainsaw man wrote:I think Hollywood should stop doing what they have done to movies, over use the same plots over and over. If I were to right a movie, Id let the watcher make his owen ending for himself in his owen mind. I see the same fucking plot in most comman movies.

Sound like you're a fan of Owen Wilson

I totally agree - I'm talking about art here though, and naturally a negligeable percentage of everything that's been written, performed or filmed can be called art. Art and capitalism are at odds you see, because the former needs to come up with new ideas while the latter wants something tried and true they know will sell. It's the same thing as the difference between Science (the search for answers) and technology (the search for products).

I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea that a game is like a museum (A famous Japanese designer who's name I forget said this: it's quoted on the Wolfire blog as well I seem to remember) - to believe as much is to deviate from the heart of what makes games special, because you're simply seeing them as ways of tying together other mediums.
The important thing where games are concerned is the fact that there is INPUT as well as ouput, and if the game is good, the input will influence the output (no shit!) in a MEANINGFUL WAY (apparently beyong 99.9% of game designers). If not, you'll get the same story each time (when I say "story" I'm referring not just to the game's backstory but to the "player's story" - think of all your fondly remembered rampages in GTA) - I think this is more or less what Chainsaw man was talking about.

What we're seeing at the moment is more interesting art styles (Feist) more mind bending puzzles (Fez) and that's an improvement, but we're still a long way from really seeing art in video games.

That's NOT what this thread is about though - this thread is about the lows, not the aspirations, of the industry - I know we'll get there eventually. Besides, most of us here at least think about making games (I've made about 7 half games so far and am proudly yet to finish anything I've started) and so all we need to do is to put our minds to the buisness of making a new generation of games that mean something. On the other end of the spectrum we have rape the video-game and a butchering of litterature. And, on a lighter note, Gorbatchev: http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/03/ ... heavy.html

Almost makes me want to make my own game.

Shame my ICT classes suck so much I wouldn't even know where to begin. And that I'm far too lazy to complete a project like that.

Wilbefast wrote:

Renegade_Turner wrote:Also, I think you're taking a game, which doesn't even take ITSELF seriously, waaay too seriously. The guys making Stalin Vs. Martians are making fun of all the other strategy games. They are taking the piss. Jesus.[/color][/b]

Yeah, because I was being serious when when I said that Stalin Vs. Martians was too silly

Yeah, because you really indicated that. Tones are so easy to decipher on the internet, apparently! The title of the thread was about commercial games stooping "so low". But yeah, how ridiculous of me for expecting you to stick to your point in the first post!

Wilbefast wrote:

ecyor0 wrote:At the same time, the game Flower is being developed for the PS3.

Flower is the gaming world's try-hard - seriously, games that try to be art tend to fall flatter than games that try to be pornography. At least the latter suceed occaisionally.

Ahh yes, intending to create art has the opposite effect, great point! So the only pieces of art ever made were made by accident. Note the sarcasm.

"Leonardo, this is a work of art!"
"Wait...what?! It IS?! DAMN IT, NOT AGAIN."

I've jumped right down to the reply button without fully reading the post, because I'm assuming and bulchy, but I've given EA some slack recently because it does actually seem like they've been trying to make an effort with some of their new titles, alongside the normal crap sports games they shovel out.

I think they're probably falling back into old habits, mainly because they've not been making as much money with their unprofitable crap, but go easy on them, eh? I'm sure they're not the soul-less corporate idiots we all imagine them to be.

And Flower is epic, and is a rare sparkle in amidst a sea of over-hyped rubbish.

Its problem is subtly, and how the market audience for games doesn't appear to have any.

Uberbeard wrote:Its problem is subtly, and how the market audience for games doesn't appear to have any.

Probably true - I guess when you think about it all the world's problem come down to the average man being a complete dolt.

Renegade_Turner wrote:

Wilbefast wrote:

Renegade_Turner wrote:Also, I think you're taking a game, which doesn't even take ITSELF seriously, waaay too seriously. The guys making Stalin Vs. Martians are making fun of all the other strategy games. They are taking the piss. Jesus.[/color][/b]

Yeah, because I was being serious when when I said that Stalin Vs. Martians was too silly

Yeah, because you really indicated that. Tones are so easy to decipher on the internet, apparently! The title of the thread was about commercial games stooping "so low". But yeah, how ridiculous of me for expecting you to stick to your point in the first post!

I agree, tones are indeed easy to decipher over the internet and yes, that was indeed ridiculous of you. After all have I ever stuck to any point I've ever made since joining this forum? Seems you're just a ridiculous person all told - I suppose you can't help it though

Renegade_Turner wrote:

Wilbefast wrote:

ecyor0 wrote:At the same time, the game Flower is being developed for the PS3.

Flower is the gaming world's try-hard - seriously, games that try to be art tend to fall flatter than games that try to be pornography. At least the latter suceed occaisionally.

Ahh yes, intending to create art has the opposite effect, great point! So the only pieces of art ever made were made by accident. Note the sarcasm.

"Leonardo, this is a work of art!"
"Wait...what?! It IS?! DAMN IT, NOT AGAIN."

Thanks for the compliment - it was indeed a great point, if I do say so myself - clearly great minds think alike. You should lay off the fat purple text though - it's giving me this serious agression vibe, and you know what they say about people who write in purple ink?



That they use purple pens

Wilbefast wrote:Hey guys,

I stumbled across this new project from Electronic Arts a while ago: apparently they are turning part 1 of the Divine Comedy, which is to say Dante's Inferno (that masterpiece of Italian verse), into a game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykU-ogIGKjQ

I'm really suprised that the red, weepy eyed marketing rep was able to keep a straight face while talking about "our reimagining of Dante" - in case you're curious, the poet is remplaced with your typical surly veteran with an axe to grind and a troubled past: you know, the generic holiwood fare. The story is likewise being modified - rather than a guided tour of hell, Dante's is going to be killing everyone: no suprises there. Oh, and the dialogue and poetry are going to be cut down a bit - Dante will of course be showing his sentimental side in between butchering various odd looking critters - he's on a quest to save his wife or something: again, about as generic as it gets.

Keep it simple stupid.
...
Speaking of the book itself, its hard to read. I was even reading the "modernized" version where the main character is some skater punk. Had some cool images and descriptions, but I could only read a bit at a time.

Another equally ridiculous project is "Stalin vs Martians" - not sure where the fits into the indie/commercial spectrums, but it's about as stupîd as it gets - if the name doesn't say it all then I think this video will. Somehow it's so bad that it almost comes full circle back into good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfsSA6_GrE

I'd buy it just for the name.

Finally, on a more serious note, the news this week is Amazon refusing to sell a new game from Japan called "Rapelay" - again, the name says it all. I wonder if this says more about the lows that the commerical game's industry has fallen to, human nature or simply how fucked up the Japanese are (my apologies to anyone Japanese reading this but... I mean wtf?!) - probably a combination of the three:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandte ... mazon.html

There goes my preorder, I wonder if they give refunds.

Wilbefast wrote:You should lay off the fat purple text though

Balls no.

Grayswandir wrote: Keep it simple stupid.

I think we're getting closer to "keep it stupid, simpleton" these days...

Grayswandir wrote:

Another equally ridiculous project is "Stalin vs Martians" - not sure where the fits into the indie/commercial spectrums, but it's about as stupîd as it gets - if the name doesn't say it all then I think this video will. Somehow it's so bad that it almost comes full circle back into good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfsSA6_GrE

I'd buy it just for the name.

Agreed, provided it's not too expensive.


Speaking of Stalin - Great film: "Nunta mută"/"Silent Wedding"/"Au Diable Staline, Vive les Mariés"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUu4DmKh5cU

When are we going to see the epic battle between everyone? Stalin vs. Hitler vs. Aliens vs. Dracula vs. Rocky vs. Predator vs. Freddy vs. Jason... and so on.

That would be a fighting game that would sell. Screw Marvel vs. Capcom!

"The Ultimate Showdown", anyone?

Except a game, not a song meme!

It does sound extremely interesting, indeed.

Grayswandir wrote:Balls no.

We need a "everyone speaks in bold+color for a day" day.

ROYAL RAINBOW!