tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post1945118849783545256..comments2024-01-07T18:12:05.881-08:00Comments on Versus CluClu Land: Midwifery in the Living RoomIroquois Pliskinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14324582950813408440noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-22942582259127374762013-07-06T07:07:54.752-07:002013-07-06T07:07:54.752-07:00It took us three years to build the NeXT computer....It took us three years to build the NeXT computer. If we'd given customers what they said they wanted, we'd have built a computer they'd have been happy with a year after we spoke to them - not something they'd want now.<br />mba application essay tipshttp://www.mbaapplicationessay.com/mba-application-essay-tips/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-27425210135911650502008-09-09T12:04:00.000-07:002008-09-09T12:04:00.000-07:00@Iroquois Pliskin Thanks for the reply! I didn't m...@Iroquois Pliskin <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the reply! <BR/><BR/>I didn't mean to attribute all of video game art opposition to those drinking hater-ade, only to highlight the difficulty of making the transition. I just feel like when we are truly at the dawn of significant artistic works out of the industry, there will be a tinge of unnecessary force preventing an otherwise seamless ascent.<BR/><BR/>@mtvernon <BR/><BR/>"But until the experience is complete, you can't stop to examine it fully. And by the time it IS complete, you've likely been ushered into something else that's (also) utterly absorbing."<BR/><BR/>That comment is really on target. I find myself in that position all the time. It definitely has something to do with the structure of modern games, which (in general) strive to be lengthy and complex. This theory proves true when you look at discussions and interpretations of Braid. It inspired incredibly deep conversation yet the game itself took a radical approach by being short and compelling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-86577874173833800662008-09-08T10:33:00.000-07:002008-09-08T10:33:00.000-07:00In my opinion, one of the biggest roadblocks facin...In my opinion, one of the biggest roadblocks facing games' acknowledgment as art has to do with their "radically participatory" nature. In fact, I believe that the demands of interactivity tend to stifle traditional critical interpretation. For instance, I'm totally behind Pliskin's take on the Arsenal Gear portion of MGS2 (<A>http://versusclucluland.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-sic-brecht-on-arsenal-gear.html</A>), but there's a reason points of view like this don't surface with greater frequency: they're especially difficult to formulate. As the player you're thinking, "Wow -- this is really weird; what's going on here?" But until the experience is complete, you can't stop to examine it fully. And by the time it IS complete, you've likely been ushered into something else that's (also) utterly absorbing.<BR/><BR/>I'd love it if more developers would include something vaguely akin to Valve's developer commentary. This kind of tool is extremely helpful for folks who like to carve out a little distance between themselves and the game playing experience. But then again, I don't think anyone would want to see a critically limiting in interpretive "key"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-30934896619858479892008-09-07T21:45:00.000-07:002008-09-07T21:45:00.000-07:00@omari: I'd like to be optimistic, but I disagree ...@omari: I'd like to be optimistic, but I disagree with you that the problem just comes from haters. One of the reasons people are resistant to games as art is that we don't really have any other models at hand to describe the participatory nature of games. As you point out, maybe games are't very good at communicating the developer's viewpoint; but if art isn't about communicating a vision of the world, what is it about? Aside from this point, (and maybe this is my old-media bias speaking) I think games (as a medium) need to earn the right to be considered art by producing works of emotional and intellectual profundity. And we don't have any games that match the better cinema or literature on this level. There are people that have ambitions on this front, and that's what does make me optimistic.<BR/><BR/>@Toaster: You're totally right in that games are radically participatory in a way that's different from other arts. We bring different things to them than we bring to other kinds of art. I don't know if they're the beginning of a new kind of culture. At this point I'd settle for them becoming the kind of works that matter to us the same way that movies and books do.Iroquois Pliskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14324582950813408440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-66920978000773762542008-09-05T17:05:00.000-07:002008-09-05T17:05:00.000-07:00Games as an art form is an interesting idea; what ...Games as an art form is an interesting idea; what sets it apart from other forms of art is that most other art forms are essentially passive. Not passive, that's not what I mean, but you bring your mind and your heart and your experience to a painting, song, or sculpture. When you play a game, you bring all that plus your skill, intellect, and dexterity. This sort of interaction with an art form is, to my knowledge, unheard of in art. Perhaps it's the beginning of the next stage of our evolution, where we begin to interact with our peers and our world not only as people, but as artists: We are excellent to each other, but also we are creative to each other, and instead of balance, money, or happiness, we strive to create an aesthetic first and foremost. The trick is to take it out of our consoles and create a narrative of our lives. Or maybe I'm just whistlin' dixie...Brian O'Blivionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04132415773450239595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-7904895627407474682008-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:002008-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:00I am an optimist. I see games of the future as a w...I am an optimist. I see games of the future as a world changing artistic medium, but I am just as confused as the next guy in terms of where exactly they are headed. <BR/><BR/>Your description of the delicate balancing act that desires games to be sufficient guides yet formidable obstacles is completely accurate. And it is true that games themselves have quite interesting roles as the connection between designers and players. One that can be both intimidating and enlightening. I personally believe that a great artistic accomplishment will be in games where designers can impressively disguise or completely hide their intentions. There has been some buzz about a Fable II Pub Games glitch that allows you to cheat to make more money in the game. It discussed the possibility that the great P.M. purposely imposed the glitch as yet another test of morality. Turns out they are releasing a patch and they weren't quite as crafty as we would like, but it was a nice thought. <BR/><BR/>Honestly, we all want games to evolve and receive that universally accepted artistic characterization, but there always will be , for lack of a better term, "haters", who disapprove of a new medium apprehending the sacred title of "art".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com