A few minutes ago - when I wrote this - I was in a good mood... Not so much now. For some stupid fucking reason I decided to again take the easy route and digitally acquire Bioshock: Infinite. The download process went more smoothly this time, but GODDAMNFUCKING PSN added double the requested funds to my "wallet!" Now I'm in the bowels of Sony's support page, which works so well that it's making me want to burn things. Krrghh... Anyway, good morning and what-not. On with the show.
I spend a lot of time complaining about video games, and I’m not alone. We hardcore gamers and game writers spend inordinately large swaths of time dismantling every aspect of game creation, debating their artistic merit, and downright complaining about everything from obtrusive objective markers and murky color palettes to cookie cutter male leads and unoriginal weapon choices. This game’s not good enough because ____. The game industry isn’t realizing its potential because ____.
But deep down, below the debate and the bullshit and the need to belittle multimillion dollar projects, I’d like to think we do it for the love of the game. And while our childhood clutches a Ghostbusters action figure as it slowly backs into the time fog, I’d like to think that every once in a while, we’re allowed to forget all of this “adult” shit and just stand in awe. I mean look at this fucking video game.
I sat through all 17 minutes of that video with a stupid grin on my face, and managed to keep Cynical Ned (the rat bastard) chained up in the back of my mind for the duration. That’s what the hardcore/game writer set seems incapable of doing. Though one excuse is understandable: Every time a person on the internet gushes about a video game, the fanboys descend, tearing him to pieces. If a reviewer does it, accusations of bribery fall from the sky like birds in a Hitchcock movie.
But today, and consequences be damned, I’m going to gush. Look how far we’ve come. The complexity of the modern video game is astounding. Motion capture, weather effects, lighting, physics, sound effects, music, AI, all coming together in a ballet of interactive storytelling. Game developers have managed to turn animated board games into the storytelling and artistic medium of a generation. Like it or not, play them or not, video games are an entirely new means of conveyance that are just beginning to understand their own greatness, and they belong to our generation.
In spite of arguments about their being violent and encouraging anti-social behavior, digital distribution and the general awesomeness of The Video Game has spread these creations around the world, bringing together people of all races and religious backgrounds so they can call each other fags on Xbox Live. So what, we’re all having a good time.
They aren’t quite there yet, but games can change the world. They can deliver experiences and messages without language or edict, and will be the legacy of a generation. The artistic medium of the digital age.
And I suppose this gives us some answers as to why we complain so much. Games really can be so much more than they are, but seem at every turn to be ham-stringed by ultra-violence, sophomoric philosophy, and over-muscled supermen. But dissecting a game, popping the hood and seeing the dozens or hundreds of men and women that manage to put these things together, and it seems high time that we step back and applaud their efforts, for creation of these games is no easy task.
And did you see that trailer?! The dude was all bang-bang-bang, and the building was all BOOOSH... That shit was awesome.
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