Video Games without all the boring bits

VIDEO GAME MOVIES MAKE ME ANGRY - by Mr Biffo

27/9/2015

Cyberbunny3000

28/9/2015 08:05:51 pm

The problem with the 'Angry Birds' movie is that it imposes a standard plot and characterisation onto something that was, at least to begin with, refreshingly sparse.

The very simple opening cinematic went like so; 'You're birds. Your eggs have been stolen. Bastard pigs! DESTROY!!!'

What more do you really need to play a game? The big challenge facing video games is how cinematic sensibilities are creeping in and forcing it into a straightjacket. Who really gives a monkey's about cut-scenes or motion captured acting? No one. Let's kill something, or solve a puzzle. Or just keep the plot safely contained to the instruction manual.

Mr Biffo

28/9/2015 08:59:55 pm

Oh, I agree. It works both ways. The Order 1886 is a good example.

Mr Smith

29/9/2015 02:49:58 pm

Bloody hell, why did I wait so long to watch this vid. One of the best things Digi 2k has put out.

Kinda sad to see it has so few comments compared to the other, lighter entries. :(

This also reminds me a lot of this video which I discovered not too long ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwlt4FqmS0

Basically, both are about the same thing: games are unique because of the interactivity and non-linearity.

Actually, while I used to shout about how great game "stories" can be, I do that less now. I think the excessive focus on game stories is why we're so obsessed with comparing games to Hollywood. I prefer to emphasise mechanics, even in story based games. For example, Deadly Premonition allowed you to skulk around outside every major character's home and watch their daily routine through their windows. Seriously. I became suspicious of the mean spirited diner chef, so put off the main quest for a while to watch him and his wife through the windows of their suburban home. Someone in Japan had actually coded entire complex routines for every character - it was mind blowing. Well, maybe a bit boring too, but I eventually sussed that he wasn't the main bad guy, he was just a jerk who never got enough sleep. And... I did actually sort of figure the real bad guy. (Hint: his windows are boarded up, so you can't spy on him.)

Two other excellent examples are the Disaster Report series, and Steambot Chronicles. In both you had mechanical "game" goals, but you could also define your own character and world. In Disaster Report you could screw others over to guarantee your own survival, leading to multiple branching pathways. In Steambot you could ignore everything and just play jazz in the streets for money. Or dig for fossils. Or become a gladiator. Or even join the bad guys and play through a parallel evil part of the game that sees you ending up in prison at the end.

I could describe numerous little specialised narratives I've played out in games over the years (Morrowind was great for this, notably robbing one of the great House's underground vaults). But your vid sums it up nicely.

Games can copy films and provide an entertaining narrative story.

But there are some games, a few very special games, where the specific joy they provide could absolutely never be replicated in any other medium.

---

You want to know something super weird/interesting? Jodorowsky's 1970 film, El Topo, actually watches like a prototype game film from which a whole bunch of games later copied ideas. It's too long to explain, but he starts off wandering a desert, killing 4 gun masters and taking their powers. Later he grinds for money in a town to complete his quest. It's weird how it foreshadows a lot of RPGs.

It's also got a whole bunch of super creepy, super disturbing, super offensive scenes in it.

Mr Biffo

29/9/2015 03:05:24 pm

Cheers, feller. Yeah, I was pretty pleased with the video too. Hasn't been hugely popular, but never mind. It's a learning curve...!

VIDEO GAME MOVIES MAKE ME ANGRY - by Mr Biffo

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