crankyoldman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crankyoldman) wrote2010-09-21 06:30 pm
crankyoldman) wrote2010-09-21 06:30 pm
Entry tags:
Insularity: Problematic in So Many Ways
I have a lot of things on my brain lately. In between my on the side work for my mentor's non-profit organization (she runs 4 of them now... and she's retired) and my marketing research for work, I am busy (but not STRESSED busy). Today had slow points, which was good. Haven't had those in a while.
Anyway, today I got into a discussion with my Game Design Intern, as I do every now and again, because he's a smart kid and for reasons that kind of surprise me some days, I am something of an authority figure.
We were talking about books, and I was mini-lecturing him about how he's missing out by basically never reading anything (even what he's supposed to in school; he just reads cliffnotes and is smart enough to pull it off). Now, I am not nearly as well read as some of my friends, but I like to think I'm well read enough for my current situation and most importantly, haven't stopped reading. It's not as high on my to do or entertainment lists as it used to be, but it's not something I give up on. And by the sheer amount of other things I read (particularly on the web), I generally try to keep abreast of the world.
Also I go outside. Really.
Anyway, his thing is videogames. As you know, I am not opposed to videogames; on the contrary, I think they are a media with a lot of potential. There are worse things a kid can do than play a lot of videogames.
However, if that is your overwhelmingly primary media source, there is a problem.
See, unlike Literature, which has been around for a long ass amount of time, videogames in their current form are still pretty new. If something is barely older than me, it's going to still have sophistication issues. I'm not saying that some of them aren't fantastic in narrative devices or beautiful experiences that tug at the emotions; but if that is ALL you have, you miss a lot of context. And context is very very important.
For instance, I really love the game ICO, which is one of those beautiful art games with a story that really takes advantage of the unique narrative opportunities of the gameplay. And I kind of adore the female character in it, Yorda.
However, I come about liking Yorda because I am: a girl, and I have seen quite a few characters of her type that are amazing and I will notice the subtle strength she has. Because it is subtle. But if say, you're a boy (or even a girl, but it helps if you're a boy) whose only other female examples are the Princess is in Another Castle type, you're likely to mostly see her as a helpless burden and the emotional context could very well be lost. Or even worse, you could get all Nice Guy about her, this perfect being of light that you "saved".
Narrative sophistication in videogames is only in its infancy, and despite all the characters and plots we like despite it, it doesn't even touch the surface of the various types of thought and experiences shown in literature (but in some of the areas that have been covered quite a. Because even while in schools there is a limited voice shown to students (which improves with good teachers), in videogames those experiences and voices may not even exist. I think this is part of the reason I like writing fanfiction for videogames more than other media; I can at least try to inject some of a different perspective into it. But that's a whole other discussion.
I'm not saying that videogames CAN'T achieve that, I'm just saying that there's still some work that needs to be done. They are at least at the level of ART in some cases, despite what snotty movie reviewers may say (and film ain't exactly amazing all the time either).
Somewhere along the line he said something about "I don't have to be a part of your culture, I'll stick to mine" (referring to videogame culture as opposed to book culture...which is silly because I am in quite a few "cultures" and don't exclude one because of the other). I told him that in the real world you'll eventually run into people whose experiences you won't even have a vocabulary to understand if you keep up that attitude. And you'll be a bad game designer (because that's what he wants to be when he grows up... keep in mind the kid is 16, which is why we have these discussions at all) because all you'll have is retreads of the games you've already played and you end up with space marines and Mario (nothing wrong with Mario but there is SO MUCH MORE).
Also, books can be just as fun as a videogame! I'm not saying that you always have to be reading something DEEP. But even the most shallow stories can sometimes lend an insight, particularly if they were written by someone not Just Like You.
Anyway, I hope I got a point across. Insularity and surrounding yourself with ONLY people like you is a recipe for a juvenile mind down the road, and you have to explore multiple ways of learning. I think I can attribute a lot of my successes to always wanting to learn and seeking out ways to learn; it's something I think a lot of successful people do.
At least I hope so.
Anyway, today I got into a discussion with my Game Design Intern, as I do every now and again, because he's a smart kid and for reasons that kind of surprise me some days, I am something of an authority figure.
We were talking about books, and I was mini-lecturing him about how he's missing out by basically never reading anything (even what he's supposed to in school; he just reads cliffnotes and is smart enough to pull it off). Now, I am not nearly as well read as some of my friends, but I like to think I'm well read enough for my current situation and most importantly, haven't stopped reading. It's not as high on my to do or entertainment lists as it used to be, but it's not something I give up on. And by the sheer amount of other things I read (particularly on the web), I generally try to keep abreast of the world.
Also I go outside. Really.
Anyway, his thing is videogames. As you know, I am not opposed to videogames; on the contrary, I think they are a media with a lot of potential. There are worse things a kid can do than play a lot of videogames.
However, if that is your overwhelmingly primary media source, there is a problem.
See, unlike Literature, which has been around for a long ass amount of time, videogames in their current form are still pretty new. If something is barely older than me, it's going to still have sophistication issues. I'm not saying that some of them aren't fantastic in narrative devices or beautiful experiences that tug at the emotions; but if that is ALL you have, you miss a lot of context. And context is very very important.
For instance, I really love the game ICO, which is one of those beautiful art games with a story that really takes advantage of the unique narrative opportunities of the gameplay. And I kind of adore the female character in it, Yorda.
However, I come about liking Yorda because I am: a girl, and I have seen quite a few characters of her type that are amazing and I will notice the subtle strength she has. Because it is subtle. But if say, you're a boy (or even a girl, but it helps if you're a boy) whose only other female examples are the Princess is in Another Castle type, you're likely to mostly see her as a helpless burden and the emotional context could very well be lost. Or even worse, you could get all Nice Guy about her, this perfect being of light that you "saved".
Narrative sophistication in videogames is only in its infancy, and despite all the characters and plots we like despite it, it doesn't even touch the surface of the various types of thought and experiences shown in literature (but in some of the areas that have been covered quite a. Because even while in schools there is a limited voice shown to students (which improves with good teachers), in videogames those experiences and voices may not even exist. I think this is part of the reason I like writing fanfiction for videogames more than other media; I can at least try to inject some of a different perspective into it. But that's a whole other discussion.
I'm not saying that videogames CAN'T achieve that, I'm just saying that there's still some work that needs to be done. They are at least at the level of ART in some cases, despite what snotty movie reviewers may say (and film ain't exactly amazing all the time either).
Somewhere along the line he said something about "I don't have to be a part of your culture, I'll stick to mine" (referring to videogame culture as opposed to book culture...which is silly because I am in quite a few "cultures" and don't exclude one because of the other). I told him that in the real world you'll eventually run into people whose experiences you won't even have a vocabulary to understand if you keep up that attitude. And you'll be a bad game designer (because that's what he wants to be when he grows up... keep in mind the kid is 16, which is why we have these discussions at all) because all you'll have is retreads of the games you've already played and you end up with space marines and Mario (nothing wrong with Mario but there is SO MUCH MORE).
Also, books can be just as fun as a videogame! I'm not saying that you always have to be reading something DEEP. But even the most shallow stories can sometimes lend an insight, particularly if they were written by someone not Just Like You.
Anyway, I hope I got a point across. Insularity and surrounding yourself with ONLY people like you is a recipe for a juvenile mind down the road, and you have to explore multiple ways of learning. I think I can attribute a lot of my successes to always wanting to learn and seeking out ways to learn; it's something I think a lot of successful people do.
At least I hope so.
no subject
no subject
Yes, like the way I was raised. :|