Homework for March 29th
1.Grodal makes an interesting case but I think that a game to be fun and sucessful needs both narative elements and elements of real life simulation. Many games are grounded in reality of actual things someone can do in real life, but enhanced in a way, for example being able to jump or hover in a platform game. Sure I can jump in real life but I am not able to do a double jump or hover by spining around with my arms out or with a raccoon tale. If games stuck to real life to closely they wouldn't be fun to play because you could, you know, actually go outside and jump and hover instead of pressing the a button twice. On the other side of the coin the game needs elements of a story to drive the action. Sure jumping and hovering might be fun for a few minutes but if there is no where to go or nothing to accomplish then the player loses interest and quickly quits playing. The interesting thing about games though is they need minmal story to drive the action unlike passive media. In Super Mario Bros. the whole story is the Princess has been kidnapped and you need to save her. Even more modern games that we think are story driven still have a very basic structure to them. Most of them are " Oh no Aliens have invaded the Earth save us!" or something of that varitety but now they feature character development that wasn't possible in the past.
Overall, I think Grodal makes a good case for figuring out what games mean to society. The only flaw is the fact that not all games are entirely real and have to be looked at with a critical eye to figure out their meaning.
2. I do agree that tactile senses anchor us to games. Over the years developers have figured out to make games for each platform that work to the srengths of the platform they are one. Console games are played in the family room or a kids bedroom where a comfortable couch or bed is and the player can sit down for hours in front of the television and play the game. Console games are also much simplier then their PC cousins because since the player has to hold the controller they can't have too many buttons to press or it would be uncomfortable to hold. The PC on the other hand is where most more complicated game styles like RTS or simulation games are played. these games are succesful on the PC because the keyboard gives developers more options for keys that can be used as commands. The addition of the mouse also allows for the precise movements these games require. Also many PC games are designed, some exclusively, to be played online against or with other people. This is due to the fact that developers know that almost any PC will have an internet connection that the player can use to play the game online. Arcade games are different all together and have gone through a few phases. The first one was during their golden age when games were designed to be quick and simple. They had to be simple so a person could walk up and play it and right away feel sucessful. Presently since home systems offer a similar or better experience then arcade games can offer, arcade games have turned into things like Dance Dance Revolution. Games that are really unique and can't be played at home. Games that feature skis that a player rides on or a dirt bike that moves and shakes as the player rides it are examples of the unqiue experiences developers are bringing to arcades.
1.Grodal makes an interesting case but I think that a game to be fun and sucessful needs both narative elements and elements of real life simulation. Many games are grounded in reality of actual things someone can do in real life, but enhanced in a way, for example being able to jump or hover in a platform game. Sure I can jump in real life but I am not able to do a double jump or hover by spining around with my arms out or with a raccoon tale. If games stuck to real life to closely they wouldn't be fun to play because you could, you know, actually go outside and jump and hover instead of pressing the a button twice. On the other side of the coin the game needs elements of a story to drive the action. Sure jumping and hovering might be fun for a few minutes but if there is no where to go or nothing to accomplish then the player loses interest and quickly quits playing. The interesting thing about games though is they need minmal story to drive the action unlike passive media. In Super Mario Bros. the whole story is the Princess has been kidnapped and you need to save her. Even more modern games that we think are story driven still have a very basic structure to them. Most of them are " Oh no Aliens have invaded the Earth save us!" or something of that varitety but now they feature character development that wasn't possible in the past.
Overall, I think Grodal makes a good case for figuring out what games mean to society. The only flaw is the fact that not all games are entirely real and have to be looked at with a critical eye to figure out their meaning.
2. I do agree that tactile senses anchor us to games. Over the years developers have figured out to make games for each platform that work to the srengths of the platform they are one. Console games are played in the family room or a kids bedroom where a comfortable couch or bed is and the player can sit down for hours in front of the television and play the game. Console games are also much simplier then their PC cousins because since the player has to hold the controller they can't have too many buttons to press or it would be uncomfortable to hold. The PC on the other hand is where most more complicated game styles like RTS or simulation games are played. these games are succesful on the PC because the keyboard gives developers more options for keys that can be used as commands. The addition of the mouse also allows for the precise movements these games require. Also many PC games are designed, some exclusively, to be played online against or with other people. This is due to the fact that developers know that almost any PC will have an internet connection that the player can use to play the game online. Arcade games are different all together and have gone through a few phases. The first one was during their golden age when games were designed to be quick and simple. They had to be simple so a person could walk up and play it and right away feel sucessful. Presently since home systems offer a similar or better experience then arcade games can offer, arcade games have turned into things like Dance Dance Revolution. Games that are really unique and can't be played at home. Games that feature skis that a player rides on or a dirt bike that moves and shakes as the player rides it are examples of the unqiue experiences developers are bringing to arcades.
posted by The Poison Ninja at 1:19 PM
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