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The author is right that the cruelty of capitalism is absent from cozy games, but doesn't actually consider why that is the case. It is easy to just hand wave
by slg 3y ago
The author is right that the cruelty of capitalism is absent from cozy games, but doesn't actually consider why that is the case. It is easy to just hand wave that away as a design choice, but I think it is fundamentally because cozy games are traditionally single player.
The developers can design Tom Nook to not be cruel because he is an NPC that was designed not to be cruel. Imagine if Animal Crossing was an MMO and Tom Nook was actually another human player. Do you think he would be as kind and forgiving or would some of that cruelty slip back into the world due simply to that Nook character maximizing their own experience of the game? And that isn't necessarily any fault of Nook. They are just viewing the world through a different viewpoint. From their viewpoint, someone occupying their property while not paying is likely going to be viewed as cruel too. Because that is the fundamental trait of capitalism, competition. Any type of zero-sum game is going to have winners and losers and the losers will feel that as cruelty.
There is a reason that most multiplayer games in which you play with the open internet are harsh and unfriendly places, because the average player cares about their own experience and fun infinitely more than they care about yours. That is a better simulation of the real world than a single player game in which everything can be designed for the enjoyment of a single person because that is what happens in the real world too. My landlord cares about their own financial wellbeing infinitely more than they care about mine and therefore their behavior towards me feels cruel.
- abetusk 3y ago> Imagine if Animal Crossing was an MMO and Tom Nook was actually another human player. I don't agree with your sentiment but I think it's an interesting question. As a counterpoint, consider "One Hour, One Life" by Jason Rohrer [0]. It's an MMO where you spend an hour, or less, living out the life of a player character, starting off as a baby then progressing on through old age. The dynamics of the game are such that you are necessarily completely dependent on other player characters for your survival during the first few minutes of your session. > There is a reason that most multiplayer games in which you play with the open internet are harsh and unfriendly places, ... I would guess that this is because they're designed that way. Combat and antagonism are what's customarily used for game play mechanics, so it's no wonder they end up being combative and antagonistic towards players. Different game mechanics lead to different styles of play. Note that the games I most enjoy playing with friends are co-op, not vs. [0] https://store.steampowered.com/app/595690/One_Hour_One_Life/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/595690/One_Hour_One_Life/
- slg 3y ago>Note that the games I most enjoy playing with friends are co-op, not vs. Yes and that was basically my point. Capitalism is inherently about competition. It is a versus game. You can find niche games that were specifically designed to elicit different behavior or play with friends who will have some investment in your enjoyment/wellbeing, but those would get you even further from a simulation of the real world in which most people you interact with on a capitalistic basis are indifferent to you.