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Revenge Of The Highbrow Games
simoniker writes "In the follow-up to last month's popular 'Where's Our Merchant Ivory?' feature, The Designer's Notebook author Ernest Adams responds to the wealth of feedback submitted by further examining what a 'Highbrow Game' might be, and categorizing the potential audience for such a product." From the article: "Several people pointed out that much of what we see as high culture achieved that status because it's old. Longevity imbues a work of art with respectability regardless of its original purpose — and of course, time tends to weed out the inferior works. For every Mozart there are dozens of classical composers who went to their graves and are forgotten."
A "highbrow" game may not have the lasting power of a piece of classical music. Furthermore, can a game not be highbrow but still have longevity? I'd argue that Ms. Pacman will have longevity. I'd wager that 200 years from now, there will be as many Ms Pacman fans as there are currently fans of any popular piece of classical music. Is Ms. Pacman highbrow? Hardly.
I think defining a highbrow game would be easy if you compare it to highbrow books:
1) Does it mostly appeal to people with graduate degrees (especially to the point where the feel compelled to write papers about it)?
2) Do players of the game look down on all other gamers? Do other gamers feel like players of the game are priggish nutjobs?
3) Does it sell at WalMart, Target, Toys R Us? (If so, it's automatically disqualified.)
I can think of examples of games that meet one of the three qualifiers (#1: text-based Adventure, #2 Eve Online, #3 lots), but I can't seem to think of a single game that meets all three.
Chris Crawford tried for a "highbrow" commercial game with "Balance of Power" in 1984-1986, an "Un-war" game about thermonuclear cold (and hot) war. He wrote a book about it later, and this experience lead to the founding of the first (that I know of) newsletter for computer game designers, and then to the founding of the Computer Game Developer's Conference, still running today.
I guess im just a low rent gamer, if I had to define HighBrow gaming I would describe it as gaming were fun takes a backseat to realisim. I can remember back in the early days of gaming I had a friend who was the "Highbrow" sort, he would spend hours and hours playing "Reach For the Stars" getting angry at his computer and spouting on and on about how such and such political this and money that. I on the other hand became totally obsessed with a game called "Star Control" his was all about managing resources and mine was about pretending your Han Solo smuggling, making contact and usually battling it out Omega Race style (ships movement was based on inertia, a bit confusing for newbies but great fun once you learned how to bank and drift). He nearly had ulcers over his game which he declared as vastly superior, mine just brings back warm smiles. In his later divorce, part of the Irreconcilable differences defined in the proceeding was his unhealthy obsession with his games. I think in way turn based strategy for him was a way to feel that he was in control of something, in real life he was low rank grunt who was usually in trouble more than not.
I have a friend now that is obsessed with Flight Sims, he has a special chair, dual thrustmaster controllers and pedals, a triple monitor display and half the time he is nutty enough to wear a flight jacket while playing. I think he is half insane but he enjoys it. I think the bottom line is how you approach gaming it you obsess to the point were its a tedious job then you need to get out and get a life. If you look at it as a hobby and remember its supposed to be fun I dont see any problems.
Great point! And let's not forget a nod to Marathon, perhaps the first FPS with a truly excellent and well-constructed storyline.
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