• What do you consider a video game?
    12 replies, posted
I've been having an issue where I'm not exactly sure what a video game is anymore. On one hand I've heard the argument that video games require difficulty to be called video games. It makes sense, considering this is what most video games these days build some of their entertainment value on. Others rely more on heavy cinematics and graphics and some mostly on story. On the other I've also got the notion that video games only need to be entertaining. If they're not particularly difficult but can accomplish their goal of giving the player a good time, then can it be called a game? I'm having a hard time thinking about this mainly because it's two concepts clashing in video games. One is that of an evolving form of storytelling; one that began from books, advanced into movies and now can be interacted with. The other is that of playing games; competition, practice and success for a great or even moderate reward. So I'm stuck between two options the way I see it, and I can't tell if either of them is the right one. I want to hear your opinions, FP.
I consider them a great medium for narrative, and are as valid of an art as movies, music, paintings, etc. Of course you have games like Call Of Duty, which are like summer action flicks, that aren't meant to be the next big thing. A game doesn't have to be easy or hard, just engaging in some way, to be considered good to me. Garry's Mod is engaging in how you can do or make what you want. Heck, as a game, Bioshock kind of falls flat, and Morrowind's combat really is a thing of it's time, but they are considered classics by many for it's setting and narrative. Video Games are truly a unique experience that can't really be recreated in a movie.
Well first, you need to look at the definition of a game. A game is what we do in our leisure time that has set rules that people need to follow in a form of play. It can be decided by skill, luck, or strength depending on the situation at hand. Since now we know that is the definition of a game, let's look at video game. It's a game that's played electronically manipulating images by a computer program on a television screen or monitor. So basically video games needs set rules the player must follow, as well as needing some sort of "skill" in order to complete the task at hand. The rules in this case can vary between games greatly. Puzzle games' rules are that you need to follow a certain way of doing things by using your mental capability in order to solve the major goal, which is to complete the puzzle. Role playing games' rules are that you need to advance in your capabilities as a character in order to survive. And so on. Now this can get tricky as well though, if we are talking about Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde as a game, it DOES have rules. Somewhere deep within that game there are rules that you need to follow, but the player can't. That does not mean it's not a video game though, because it still has rules. So, theoretically, anything that's moving on a screen and you have a controller in your hand to follow what the game asks you to do is considered a video game.
It's places where you press W and click your mouse. Since this post contains the letter 'w' and I had to click to post it, this post is a video game.
[QUOTE=Riller;42533029]It's places where you press W and click your mouse. Since this post contains the letter 'w' and I had to click to post it, this post is a video game.[/QUOTE] Go away, pyro
[QUOTE=Riller;42533029]It's places where you press W and click your mouse. Since this post contains the letter 'w' and I had to click to post it, this post is a video game.[/QUOTE] GOTY
Anything that's interactive and it gives you something in return for your inputs. Such vague definitions are what's so cool about video games, where it can range from full rule bound RPG, to something like Flow, TWD, etc. [editline]16th October 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Zadrave;42532952]So, theoretically, anything that's moving on a screen and you have a controller in your hand to follow what the game asks you to do is considered a video game.[/QUOTE] [url="http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/29/4783934/experimental-horror-game-vanished-uses-only-audio"]Even that definition is hazy at best.[/url]
Video games for me are entertainment. Some genres don't need a good story to be an excellent game. However, if it's an RPG it DOES need a good story. I sort of don't like when people won't play an old game because of the graphics. And a game doesn't need to be sparkly or shiny to be considered 'a game'. If you're going to look at the trees and think to yourself about how "detailed" the trees look. Then as a gamer, you may have a shallow mind on what the term "game" means. Gameplay is what makes a game. If the gameplay is good, that [B]does[/B] essentially mean that the game is good. Story as well, but without good gameplay, the story falls apart. The meaning of what a video games are is what you as a player think.
An interactive virtual world.
A game But on the screen
The way I see it is that there are three things that can classify an interactive digital program as a video game. It must be either a creative, challenge focused, or narrative experience controlled through the players actions in some shape or form through digital means. Those three principles can overlap very easily but can also be standalone in the way they present themselves. Some examples of standalone would be Tetris as purely challenge focused, Heavy Rain or The Walking Dead as narrative driven, or Kerbal Space Program for kosher creative play. Each is a game in a way but very different as a final product. Challenge focused games are also commonly considered arcade while the most common games we see today consist of challenge and narrative mixed together.
if it's not pong, it's not a videogame
The basic requirements I go by are, does it have interactivity and does it have a fail state? If yes to both then yeah, it's a game. Now, obviously a good game needs more than just that, but those are the basic rules. Honestly I don't think OP's definitions are clashing because games can definitely do both and do them incredibly well. I'd say they're both correct because there's no one-size-fits-all for video games; there's games like Doom that are all action with basically no narrative, there's games like Heavy Rain that are made by their narrative, and there's games that combine both. Dark Souls has a rich and deep story while still being one of the hardest games ever made. To conclude I'd say both of OP's definitions are technically correct, because games can be either as deep and engaging as a book (arguably they can be moreso), or they can be mindless fun.
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