14 ms·

While I agree that pessimistic games are essentially non-existent, there's good reason for that. Why would a video game developer make a completely depressing,

While I agree that pessimistic games are essentially non-existent, there's good reason for that. Why would a video game developer make a completely depressing, humdrum, everyday office worker game? Game designers and gamers want something more flashy, fun, intriguing, competitive. They want to escape daily routine, not return to a virtual version of it.

jerf 8y ago
Video games always have the additional move that the developer can't remove: "Turn The Game Off". If your game can't compete with that, you're going to have very "selective appeal". Not that I need every game to be a maximally-empowering dopamine releaser to compete, but if you're going to present me with something that's actually bleaker and more draining than my own real life, you're not going to last long. Other forms of art have their own additional ways of compensating for that sort of thing that I don't see being options in video games, although, even then I'd suggest the appeal is fairly selective. French movies in black and white about existential crises and the fundamental meaninglessness of life don't compete very well with $MARVEL_MOVIE at the summer box office.
- platz 8y ago
  Does art in general try to compete for your attention like modern media does?
  - jerf 8y ago
    It does, whether it likes it or not. This isn't anything new; there have been 24 hours in a day and limited number of years in a life for a long time now.
- moate 8y ago
  Selective appeal is fine. Black and white existential French films don't need to compete with the latest MCU flick because they weren't filmed on a $200Mil budget. Similarly, making a AAA video game title about ennui is stupid, but small indie studios doing $10-20 releases for a 5-10 hour gameplay art-game is a thing.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- watwut 8y ago
  You can close the book and turn off movie or tv-series too. Pessimistic pieces and tragedies exists and have audience.
  - jerf 8y ago
    Is anybody complaining there aren't enough of them? I see very occasional complaints they aren't popular enough, but it's rare. The fundamentally different interactivity of video games may have an impact here. There's no particular shortage of evidence that reading about something pessimistic or depressing may still have some appeal to it; entire subcultures and genres are based on it. Adding interactivity may fundamentally intensify the experience in a way that makes the appeal even more selective, though.
    - watwut 8y ago
      Primary difference is that there are plenty of thst in books and movies and paintings and music. I am saying that as someone who likes that stuff and can find plenty of it whenever I am in mood. Interactivity has nothing to do with it. As much as I like games, they are not that much different. Nihilumbra the game is great and depressive, it can be done just like comedy games could be done or romance games could be done or any other genre could be done. The only difference is that western game industry moves like herd, everybody doing pretty much the same thing at dame time. It has much less variety then other art forms and is too much winner takes all for companies to be creative.
OskarS 8y ago
If that's the case, why is that true for video games but not books, painting, art or cinema?

jerf 8y ago

Video games always have the additional move that the developer can't remove: "Turn The Game Off". If your game can't compete with that, you're going to have very "selective appeal". Not that I need every game to be a maximally-empowering dopamine releaser to compete, but if you're going to present me with something that's actually bleaker and more draining than my own real life, you're not going to last long. Other forms of art have their own additional ways of compensating for that sort of thing that I don't see being options in video games, although, even then I'd suggest the appeal is fairly selective. French movies in black and white about existential crises and the fundamental meaninglessness of life don't compete very well with $MARVEL_MOVIE at the summer box office.

platz 8y ago
Does art in general try to compete for your attention like modern media does?
- jerf 8y ago
  It does, whether it likes it or not. This isn't anything new; there have been 24 hours in a day and limited number of years in a life for a long time now.
moate 8y ago
Selective appeal is fine. Black and white existential French films don't need to compete with the latest MCU flick because they weren't filmed on a $200Mil budget. Similarly, making a AAA video game title about ennui is stupid, but small indie studios doing $10-20 releases for a 5-10 hour gameplay art-game is a thing.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
watwut 8y ago
You can close the book and turn off movie or tv-series too. Pessimistic pieces and tragedies exists and have audience.
- jerf 8y ago
  Is anybody complaining there aren't enough of them? I see very occasional complaints they aren't popular enough, but it's rare. The fundamentally different interactivity of video games may have an impact here. There's no particular shortage of evidence that reading about something pessimistic or depressing may still have some appeal to it; entire subcultures and genres are based on it. Adding interactivity may fundamentally intensify the experience in a way that makes the appeal even more selective, though.
  - watwut 8y ago
    Primary difference is that there are plenty of thst in books and movies and paintings and music. I am saying that as someone who likes that stuff and can find plenty of it whenever I am in mood. Interactivity has nothing to do with it. As much as I like games, they are not that much different. Nihilumbra the game is great and depressive, it can be done just like comedy games could be done or romance games could be done or any other genre could be done. The only difference is that western game industry moves like herd, everybody doing pretty much the same thing at dame time. It has much less variety then other art forms and is too much winner takes all for companies to be creative.

OskarS 8y ago

If that's the case, why is that true for video games but not books, painting, art or cinema?