Psychonauts and Brütal Legend designer Tim Schafer has said that the biggest barrier between fresh audiences and videogames is a lack of varied subject matter. Stating that games need to get beyond just a handful of basic genres, the respected game creator posits that the industry has a long way to go if the mainstream will embrace the medium.
"I think it's a subject matter barrier. Not everybody wants to get into these super violent worlds and yet here I am making a game about broad axes and decapitation," he explains. "But I think humour would get more people into games.
"It's getting better, it used to be that the games industry had a short list of inspirations. You had Tolkien-esque fantasy, Star Wars, and then new things get added. I think GTA brought a whole new level of inspiration. And I think the broader that gets, the more people will be interested in games.
"If you look at movies, they deal with everything about life. They deal with all aspects of life: romance, comedy, serious dramas. And games are mostly limited to the summer action blockbuster. They haven't really gone outside of that. But I think they will, and hopefully they will soon, or else people will be solidified in their view of games. Their expectations are set."
I would love to see videogames get big enough balls to tackle meatier subject matter, but I must disagree that it's limited themes that are proving to be a barrier. If anything, the Wii has proven that it's significant simplicity and a further dumbing down of videogames that attract new people. Still, show me a good romantic comedy videogame and I'll be convinced that games have arrived.
Contest:
9:20 AM on 06.18.2009
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I don't think this is technically a sentence.
Psychonauts and Brütal Legend designer Tim Schafer has said that the biggest barrier between fresh audiences and videogames.
What is the biggest barrier?
AAA quality games with broader subject matter.
Then again, getting a game dealing with the realities of depression probably doesn't benefit from a level editor or wicked multiplayer.
But if someone really tried....
That's funny, I just wrote a post on humor in games and how games should be exploring a wider variety of emotions than murder, mayhem and brooding. I completely agree with Schafer here. Why are video games so one-note?
Check it out, if interested:
http://presspausetoreflect.blogspot.com/2009/06/humor.html
yeah, that's it...
We have "Rambo" in any variation, some "Indina Jones", "Lord of the Rings" and "A Thin Red Line" and a little "Saw" but that's pretty much it. Except for individual attempts to go beyond.
I'd like to know how many other gamers see killing wave after wave of enemies as a base gameplay as worn out concept. For example - I'd like Mass Effect (and most RPGs) much better if there were 10 times less random hostile grunts. Clearing some sewers or evil fortress room after room (where enemies notice only after you come to their room ;) ) AGAIN is a waste of time for me.
Sign my face!
Exactly. Waves of enemies is alright but I want MOAR!!!!
Probably not. But that was what, 14 years ago? The setting and subject matter didn't seem to make an impact on the games afterwards, in the big picture.
aliens, predator, and starwars/startrek are the sci-fi staples
rambo/terminator2/diehard/THE MATRIX are the action game staples.. obviously there's more, but those movies need to be removed from the shelf of influence. if I see one more giger-ripoff xenomorph as the antagonistic force, I'll scream. (I wont be in space, so I can do it)
Wii is just another fad toy and not a vehicle by which to get video games into the mainstream.
I personally don't care about video games becoming main stream but I crave something new from the medium. I'm so tired of hack and slashes and shooter games. Yes it's cool blowing someone up in the most awesome way possible but after about 10000000 times i'm kinda bored. Give me something new like Flower but bigger and better. Make me feel an emotion other than "wow dude that's totally awesome".
Count me too. Oh and my cousins down the street who didn't think they would like gaming but now enjoy and support games (both "casual" and "hardcore") Alot more people will probably enjoy a "casual" system and then countine to buy games then a "hardcore!" one.
1.Story
2.Game play
3.music
4.graphics
5.everything else
There are games that have stories, that have little or no violence. There are story driven RPGs, Dating Games, MMORPGs, puzzle games, and more that contain all sorts of different activities to get the next piece of the story. Gamers who come on to forums and blogs are typically not the type that play these games, but there are millions of people who do.
There are violent games and movies that are not all B-movies or Summer Blockbusters. There's a difference between Saving Private Ryan and Starship Troopers.
Now for the tough sell...
There are still gamers and game developers out there that think the Story isn't about the experience of someone on the screen but instead the experience that the gamer has. Whether it's Wii Sports, Karaoke Revolution, Rock Band, DDR, Carnival Games, Tetris, or most Retro style games (where you get 2 screens of story at the beginning and end of the game, with several hours of uninterrupted game play in the middle) the story is the feeling and experience of the person or people playing the game.
That's something that movies can't do and why I post on forums and blogs about video games, not movies. Why I care about video games more than movies.
So make fun of the Wii. Make fun of the millions of people who play simple PC games. They are truer gamers than the people I see on the internet, hating on everything that they don't like.