Video Game Tests the Limits. The Limits Win.

[Mr. Happy]

whoops, woulda quoted him, let me use your words and change them

how do you know the "east" loves em? have you spoke to most of the people there? I doubt it.
I'm 100% sure most of the people over there are opposed to terrorism and do voice their opinions.

[Sorrow]

so you're saying I'm right @ majority of the people in Iraq are too afraid to voice themselves?

[Mr. Happy]

Yes, but do voice their opinions. I've heard so many.

This is so off-topic but fun!

[-[Getty]-]

Back on topic:

"I believe that games have a greater capacity to invoke emotion and thought than film, and that they should not be censured in this way. "

I don't believe so, I always feel much more emotional after watching a serious movie than game... I rarely have strong emotions after or during playing a game unless it's really good..

I agree, I don't think games are to the level where they can evoke as much emotion as movies. I'm not sure if it ever should, either. It will take away time, resources, and concentration on gameplay and other, more important, game related aspects.

Also, making a game based on Columbine is a horrible and just plain pitiful idea. I'm glad it was shot down.

[Meotwister]

how do you know the "east" loves em? have you spoke to most of the people there? I doubt it.
I'm 100% sure there are people over there who are opposed to terrorism but are simply afraid to voice their opinions or aren't really important people (the random civilian)

Once again you take somethin I've said too far... ah well. I didn't say the east loves them I said a lot of civilians all over the east loves them.. biiig difference and I hope you see it. mr. happy I know a lot oppose it and voice their opinions there are also a lot on the opposing side all over the area over there. But no it's not just or even mainly Iraq.

doh got offtopic again.. well I agree with getty that games like that colombine one seem counterproductive to the very nature of a video game. Unless this is a precursor to a new genre that not a lot of people are gonna be crazy for.

[Sorrow]

(sorry, always wanted to use that one sometime)

I suppose the East in general love the pictures

[Mr. Happy]

Back to the topic at hand, I'm a complete HL fanboy/nerd/whatever the word is these days.

When HL2 first came out, and I saw the Gman's face on my screen I jumped up with excitement giggling. The trainstation had me saying "who, what, huh?" and when the Citadel first comes into view i stood there in awe.[/awe]

Whenever I play it, or Episode 1 and something awesome or classic happens, Barney giving me the crowbar, or I see Kleiner on that screen after the subway I get an electric feeling in my body, thrill of excitement. Hell, the end of his speech made me laugh.

When the Stalker fell on Alex I freaked out, she was screaming and crying and the stalker was going nuts. I really felt [i]bad that it took me so long to get it off of her.

I haven't player throug HL in quite a while, something I really need to do, but there's a few memorable moments. I was young when I first played it, so I think my reactions were stronger. I've never really liked gore and when the lazer cut barney's body in half I was startled! When the grunts shoot glasses I said "oh my god!"

These games have done a great job effecting me emotionally, I think it's because I can look past the graphics. The people aren't human actors, they don't have all the nuances in acting and expression, and looks, but if you let yourself get immersed, if, like in any good movie, you allow yourself to believe that they aer real it will affect you. Alot.

As for Athelete's statement about Geurnica, that is an extremely good example of expression in art. Of abstraction showing meaning, but what about other forms of art, the work of Chuck Close, or oh...I forgot the name, there's a painting in our art museum of the inside of a cathedral. Extremely detailed and naturalistic, and the perspective of the painting actually appears to change as you move past it.

Game desisn, particularly level and character deisgn, fall into the representational branch of art. Comparing a game to geurnica makes no sense, since geurnica conveys its emotion through visuals and games through action. However, the visuals or a game are art in themselves. They may not be as picture perfect as some, but they are a representation of real or imagined locales. A landscape, if you will, with all of the dramatic lighting and composition that a well done painting has. They may not be perfect, but what about an early Greek Kuoros statuette? Rough, idealized, semi-abstracted. Later Kuorus' are much more naturalistic, the forms perfected, every curve of the body shown. Still, this is not because the later work is a "better" piece of art, it is because of the tools, traditions, and skillset available to the artist. Game design is the same way, we do not have the capability to create perfect worlds, flawless in detail, form, and portrayal of the subject, but one day we will, and the art will evolve.


OMG I TYPED SO MUCH!

[Sacul15]

I believe that SCM is very tasteless and wrong in many ways, and for this reason I will not download. However I firmly believe that it is a person's right to want to do so.