Meaningful games
- Thread starter ElPoco
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ElPoco
Hardcore Member
I liked the approach of Ultima IV, but found it disappointing. To me the virtues were too mechanical and just led to a different type of grinding. Instead of just killing monsters, you also had to donate money, let monsters escape, and do other similar stuff, and in the end, it felt just like grinding again.
But it was still a nice idea, and it's still deeper than most of today's RPGs.
But it was still a nice idea, and it's still deeper than most of today's RPGs.
Oh yeah! This blew us away as 12 year olds playing back in the early 80s.
Nintendo
Nintendo Switch
I got lost in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas (in the Nevada desert to be more precise) and in turn got to choose between good and bad factions.
And I know that people get this kind of feeling from most games, but it really gave me a sense of escape from my reality.
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ElPoco
Hardcore Member
One of the updates of the Pathologic Kickstarter had something interesting that I think resonates with some of what has been said in this topic. What made me particularly think is the idea that video game don't necessarily have to be fun.
This is completely counter-intuitive, but at the same time, it's the same for all form of art. Not all movies are meant to be fun, and a movie can be very good without being fun at all.
A difference I can see is that games have to be engaging. For a movie, you just need to watch. Stopping the movie requires more effort than watching it through (except for movies that are really difficult to watch, either because they're bad, scary or make you feel bad or uneasy). For the game, you need efforts to keep playing, and it often takes longer.
But I think that the player can be engaged by something else than the promise of fun. The promise of a great story, of a good atmosphere can engage as well. They both did engage me in both the original Pathologic and The Void, no matter how "not-fun" they could feel. But just like an engaging movie might still be difficult to watch, an engaging game can be difficult to play. So in the end, it will still require willpower and effort from the player to play through the game. I don't think that can be avoided.
But if we accept that we can require the player to use this willpower and effort, I guess we can really make different, and very interesting games.
This is completely counter-intuitive, but at the same time, it's the same for all form of art. Not all movies are meant to be fun, and a movie can be very good without being fun at all.
A difference I can see is that games have to be engaging. For a movie, you just need to watch. Stopping the movie requires more effort than watching it through (except for movies that are really difficult to watch, either because they're bad, scary or make you feel bad or uneasy). For the game, you need efforts to keep playing, and it often takes longer.
But I think that the player can be engaged by something else than the promise of fun. The promise of a great story, of a good atmosphere can engage as well. They both did engage me in both the original Pathologic and The Void, no matter how "not-fun" they could feel. But just like an engaging movie might still be difficult to watch, an engaging game can be difficult to play. So in the end, it will still require willpower and effort from the player to play through the game. I don't think that can be avoided.
But if we accept that we can require the player to use this willpower and effort, I guess we can really make different, and very interesting games.
I consider Spec Ops: The Line one of the most important games of recent history. Its main character is driven to eventually become the hero after all, despite the horrible things he has done in the course of the story. It really makes one reflect on what heroes are and how they are portrayed in current media, especially in the modern war shooter genre.
rygD
Nihilistic Mystic
I wouldn't exactly call Papers, Please fun. Another game I really like, the original Tetris for Game Boy, falls into that category as well. That one doesn't even have a story. Sure, I might play it and get some sort of enjoyment out of it, but my goal is usually to improve my skills so that I can reach a certain score. When I play Tetris there is much more frustration and irritation than there is fun in my quest for proficiency.
Marijus_Pikelis
Still Fresh
Fahrenheit is definitely a very meaningful game. Give it a try 
ElPoco
Hardcore Member
I liked the beginning of the game. The end, not so much. The story becomes completely absurd and the gameplay focuses on QTE where the actions you do having little to no relationship with what's happening on the screen.
iprice
Certified Guru
My AquaVenture game has a conservation aspect t it - you aren't allowed to harm the sea-life or allow them to be harmed.
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This is no place for advertisements and spreading environmentalist agenda. Mods please handcuff this guy
