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Games As Transformative Works

Posted by Soulskill on from the rigorous-game-journalism dept.

Deepa Sivarajan sends word that the journal Transformative Works and Culture has published an issue that focuses on games, containing a variety of articles which examine how games interact with modern culture. One essay takes a look at how developers gain an understanding of the systems and structures that drive gameplay, and another discusses motivation and "participatory culture" in games that have a substantial degree of user design involvement, such as mods and addons. There's also an evaluation of how the enthusiast press affects the perceived value of games. The issue includes game-related book reviews and interviews, which can be found at the bottom of the full list of articles.

6 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. I'd ultimately argue... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...that video games are a richer form of entertainement than any other, since the interaction between a player and a game is much more deep and complex than that between a reader and a book, or between a viewer and a film.

    (yeah, there are shitty games out there, obviously, but there are also shitty books and shitty films, so shut up)

    1. Re:I'd ultimately argue... by CarpetShark · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Games are more interactive, yes. But are they really complex or deep? I don't think so. When you can turn an entire county back from a hellish war full of maddened characters by visiting every town and shown them the bodies of their children, and NONE of that was scripted by the game designers, then you'll have complex and deep interactions. Then, games will truly take the crown of entertainment (and more). However, when you shoot stuff and people say "I surrender" and an outro plays, then a book or even a good movie with decent portrayals of the human condition is still WAY a more interesting, complex, and life-changing experience.

      But on the bigger point here, that games, 3d art, and software in general are great creative works, that deserve more recognition by the traditional art community... right on. It's been a long time coming, and there's a long way to go yet before the digital world (and digital artists, including coders) have been properly recognised for their contributions.

    2. Re: I'd ultimately argue... by Steve+Franklin · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Personally, I have found that video games, especially the adventure/puzzle type, have improved my ability to solve real world historical problems. The scary thing is, some of the solutions begin to look an awful lot like video game solutions, raising questions about the ultimate nature of historical reality.

      --
      Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.
    3. Re:I'd ultimately argue... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Same AC here - I wasn't talking about complexity in terms of scripted vs. procedural elements, but something much more basic. Controlling a character, the ability to look around at the scenery, being a part of the story rather than simply observing it... As gamers we take this for granted, but it's actually pretty involved.

      A good game will make the player feel like he's making the story unfold ; whether this is achieved through scripted behaviour or excellent IA is just a detail of implementation, and entirely irrelevant to the the player's enjoyment (or lack thereof).

      Even the best literary work is merely a static object, presented to the readers who can then observe and interpret it as they please. Same goes for architecture, films, etc. As a medium, video games have the potential to go further, much further than that.

    4. Re:I'd ultimately argue... by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have to say I have yet to see a game where I feel like I effected the story rather than just having fulfilled some trigger condition to see the pre-written next part of it that could be shown even without the trigger if the developer had not locked it away.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    5. Re:I'd ultimately argue... by grumbel · · Score: 2, Interesting

      since the interaction between a player and a game is much more deep and complex than that between a reader and a book

      The interaction between a player and a game is extremely simple and most of the time not much deeper then "press button, see character fall dead". Even worse, since the players view in a game is more or less 'locked' to the main character, games have a far smaller range on how to present things, since it would break the gameplay to move away to a non-playable character. Also because a game needs to fill the player with constant interaction, games tend to be pretty comical and unbelievable.

      That said, not every game has to be a typical current day first person shooter. We already have Tetris, Wii Sports, abstract stuff like Passage or story driven things like Monkey Island, Planscape Tourment and we will certainly see completly new genres emerge in future. But most stuff that would fall into the "deep and complex" category just fails mass-market appeal and thus never gets made in the first place, which leaves current day games fall quite a bit behind their potential.