What makes a good computer game?
November 3rd 2006 03:45
"Number one, the game allows the player to experience something they’ve never felt before, whether it’s some kind of new experience in the game or new emotion. And number two, that the game be very easy to play and easy to control."
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One suggestion here is that computer games can provide experiences that it's difficult to find elsewhere. And though the truth of it might be controversial (or not), the idea itself should be unsurprising. After all, would anyone claim that words can give you what music gives you, or that paintings are a substitute for movies?
And this is also a reason why, in general, one shouldn't use cheats.
It's true that games are made to be beaten, and don't constitute a real test of skill -- you might as well save the time. But by shortcuts one deprives oneself of whatever experiences (saga of the journey? relief? achievement? senses of mastery and gradual skill accumulation? right to reward? inadequacy?) one gets through and after hard work, and of the way experiences colours the events you encounter.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles Shigeru Miyamoto and Donkey Kong.
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Comment by PokerPro
To quote Miyamoto "Number one, the game allows the player to experience something they’ve never felt before, whether it’s some kind of new experience in the game or new emotion."
I wonder how the success of The Sims sits with an assertion such as this. I suppose you could argue that the Sims allows players to build any life they choose. Yet, the basic mechanics of it are simply living as a normal human would and people love it!
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
I reckon the Sims could be interpreted to fit his answer, or his answer could be interpreted to fit the Sims, but maybe it's easier to talk about what people get a buzz out of when they're playing the game.
And apart from the vicarious escapism, this might include such things as: social experimentation; curiosity as to what would happen if...; being caught up in, distracted by, an endless series of tasks; gradual immersion in and attachment to this imaginary world, these imaginary characters; and skill-pride in being able to successively manage something...
Comment by katyzzz
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Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Thanks for the comment Katy!
Comment by katyzzz
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katyzzz
Comment by Justin
I also think cheating ruins the gameplay for the experience. 'Cause we're playing it primarily for the ride, not merely picking up anything to play to finish. We don't have a Aristotilian perspective of 'telos', or goal to be met, regardless of what we have to go through to get it, e.g. cheating.
To be argumentative and critique Miyamoto, you could argue against him by saying that cheating also gives a new experience never acheived before. Though in doing so, ruining the other 3/4 of the game he intended people to experience.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
There's a certain something in turning on God mode and pretending to be the Terminator. And one of course might make the decision, "Gameplay sucks. I'm just in it for the storyline", and therefore use cheating as a sort of fast forward of the inane bits.
Miyamoto might reply: that's why we built cheats into the game in the first place. Buy my merchandise and play the games both ways.
Comment by Justin
He sure is a devil if he's already implemented a critique to experience as paramount in his games, but has the audacity to hide behind experience (assumedly meant without cheats) yet still having a trump card to beat the cheating argument.
..I'm getting confused now. Anything before 10:30am and my brain doesn't work.
Comment by Anonymous
I also think cheating ruins the gameplay for the experience. 'Cause we're playing it primarily for the ride, not merely picking up anything to play to finish. "
this may be your opinion as such but some may find cheating as a sense of overpowerment because they are able to destroy anything they wish this may be cause by different reasons such as being bullied ect but once again it is ones own choise whether or not to spoil a well designed game or play by its rules and enjoy the ride.