Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Are Games Needlessly Long?
Just something I was washing around in my mouth I thought I'd spit out, all over you guys.
I was reading an IGN interview (read the full interview here) with Mike Capps, President of Epic Games (Gears of War, UT3). He was asked why, with all of the big names in gaming putting out sequals, a gamer would choose Gears 2 over all the others. His argument for Gears 2 revolved, oddly enough, around Valve's huge success with Portal. His claim was that shorter games with a solid core would provide an overall more pleasurable gaming experience.
It's an interesting concept. After beating Gears 1 in a single night of intense gaming, and nearly finishing it again on two other difficulty settings on that very same night, I think one of the first things me and Alex said to each other was "WOW THAT AWESOME...and short..." There was a huge awesome rush of badassery, only to be followed with a bit of disappointment at the lack of extra content. Going back through for the dog tags was fun, but I think we were both aching for some deeper story revelations. The characters were badass, but some of the developments felt hollow and certain avenues for more depth were left unexplored. Of course we were being picky, but thats how gamers should be.
Still, on the flip side I have Morrowin IV: Oblivion sitting on my computer, my mouse still unable to click the "uninstall" button. Why? Because I never finished it. Despite over a week of intense (albeit OCD) adventuring, I was still only scratching the surface of Oblivions content. Sure, that's the sell of the game. Do anything you want, go anywhere, be anything....but once the you begin to realize the benefits of your leveling do nothing since it's all scaled you're really left with a really long game that falls flat and boring 6-10 hours in. Is this an argument for shortening the game? Maybe not, but it certainly is an argument for editing content or perhaps reconsidering game mechanics that might make the game boring after a certain point. In other words, EARN your hours boys. Earn em' good.
At times, however, Capps feelings seem like a borderline defense of the casual gaming culture. I find it ironic that at one point he says the Wii's gaming experience falls flat after 2 months of ownership whereas you could make the same argument for any game that advocates Capps time constraints on games. "When do I have time?" he asks. It's a good question to ask, but ultimately it demonstrates a trend in video gaming that has already hit the movie market. In a world where thought takes too much time, it's safer business practice to make games like Gears than it is to make games like Stalker or Dwarf Fortress. The move away from steep learning curves, intense amounts of content, and longer complex story-telling is a win for console gaming, which supports this "pick up and play" mentality. Its the same reason table-top gaming has been on the decline...it's just too hard for the average person.
Without getting too off topic, I won't bash on casual gaming too hard because I appreciate "casual games" just as much as the next person. In fact, as a gamer, I relish the casual experience when I've been frustrated for the last damn time with something else and need a break. Still, knowing that despite an overwhelmed feeling I keep coming back to Oblivion, finishing a mission here and there (despite all its issues) tells me there IS a place for long games, but that as gamers we must assess whether each hour was worth its salt. At $60.00 dollars a pop, you deserve to be critical.
I was reading an IGN interview (read the full interview here) with Mike Capps, President of Epic Games (Gears of War, UT3). He was asked why, with all of the big names in gaming putting out sequals, a gamer would choose Gears 2 over all the others. His argument for Gears 2 revolved, oddly enough, around Valve's huge success with Portal. His claim was that shorter games with a solid core would provide an overall more pleasurable gaming experience.
It's an interesting concept. After beating Gears 1 in a single night of intense gaming, and nearly finishing it again on two other difficulty settings on that very same night, I think one of the first things me and Alex said to each other was "WOW THAT AWESOME...and short..." There was a huge awesome rush of badassery, only to be followed with a bit of disappointment at the lack of extra content. Going back through for the dog tags was fun, but I think we were both aching for some deeper story revelations. The characters were badass, but some of the developments felt hollow and certain avenues for more depth were left unexplored. Of course we were being picky, but thats how gamers should be.
Still, on the flip side I have Morrowin IV: Oblivion sitting on my computer, my mouse still unable to click the "uninstall" button. Why? Because I never finished it. Despite over a week of intense (albeit OCD) adventuring, I was still only scratching the surface of Oblivions content. Sure, that's the sell of the game. Do anything you want, go anywhere, be anything....but once the you begin to realize the benefits of your leveling do nothing since it's all scaled you're really left with a really long game that falls flat and boring 6-10 hours in. Is this an argument for shortening the game? Maybe not, but it certainly is an argument for editing content or perhaps reconsidering game mechanics that might make the game boring after a certain point. In other words, EARN your hours boys. Earn em' good.
At times, however, Capps feelings seem like a borderline defense of the casual gaming culture. I find it ironic that at one point he says the Wii's gaming experience falls flat after 2 months of ownership whereas you could make the same argument for any game that advocates Capps time constraints on games. "When do I have time?" he asks. It's a good question to ask, but ultimately it demonstrates a trend in video gaming that has already hit the movie market. In a world where thought takes too much time, it's safer business practice to make games like Gears than it is to make games like Stalker or Dwarf Fortress. The move away from steep learning curves, intense amounts of content, and longer complex story-telling is a win for console gaming, which supports this "pick up and play" mentality. Its the same reason table-top gaming has been on the decline...it's just too hard for the average person.
Without getting too off topic, I won't bash on casual gaming too hard because I appreciate "casual games" just as much as the next person. In fact, as a gamer, I relish the casual experience when I've been frustrated for the last damn time with something else and need a break. Still, knowing that despite an overwhelmed feeling I keep coming back to Oblivion, finishing a mission here and there (despite all its issues) tells me there IS a place for long games, but that as gamers we must assess whether each hour was worth its salt. At $60.00 dollars a pop, you deserve to be critical.
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