Notgames Forum

I think what this guy has to say is valid. This is when non-interaction becomes annoying. I can see his point. He takes a jab at The Path as one of the offenders. ;)

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3230-The-Weird-is-Not-Enough (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3230-The-Weird-is-Not-Enough)

It's not fun to watch a game (or notgame) play itself.

Sorry, I could not bring myself to watch this all the way through. Didn't reach the part where he talks about my baby. Guess his video wasn't interactive enough?  :P

Gamers often mistake "interaction" for "action". They think interaction only happens when they are pushing buttons. Because they like rules-based games and they like winnning, they like to be in control. But this has nothing to do with interaction. Games are not interactive in and of themselves. It's the players who are interactive with each other. And there's only one player in single-player games.

Good grief, the Escapist used to be mildly intellectual, and now they have videos oin which the rhetoric is endlessly padded up with sexual jokes and cheap stabs. Truly sad.

Personally the most impressive moment in The Path was when the girls hold hands and walk back to the path. For a moment I got the impression there are little people in my computer doing something human and logical. If this Jim person wants to be a great part of the world and be a character-in-control in it he shouldn't play The Path, that is not what it offers.

Much about this very strongly worded 'games are not films' and 'games must be interactive' complaining consists of people playing games that were not made for them while they, in actual contrast to people interested in advancing the medium, have plenty of games to pick-and-play to please them. I personally thought Cooper's narrative of 1757 was uninspired and did not focus itself on what is important to a story for me, but if people do enjoy this style then that is wonderful for them for he was I believe quite prolific.

I know critique has been of all ages, but Critique is Walter Pater, not pointing a camera at yourself in a basement chastising Nobby Nobby Boy or Heavy Rain for so much not being your taste they had a damaging impact on your life.

(Michaël, you say his video was not interactive enough but the jokes were so random, teehee, how could you loose attention? Did you not see the part where he holds a toucan and demands to ride it as-if we are in some premature Huxlean future sans genetic selection? Welcome to the future of journalism, 'random joke to hold your menial attention'.)

Apart from the video not being very good, I agree with his view: Often the most interesting stuff that happens in a game are just cut scenes. This is also something I am hoping to make better and better in each game I make. For example Jeroen's feedback that there is this interesting relationship in Amnesia between Daniel and Alexander (that also was a really big part of the narrative) that was only ever eluded at through diary entries, is something I want to avoid as much as possible in future games.

His example as Path as a bad offender I cannot really understand. It lets you do a lot more interesting things than most other games. Sure there are plenty of stuff I would have liked to be interactive (pretty much all the girl-meets-wolf) stuff, but other games like Silent Hill, etc aint better at this (in fact Silent Hill is such  great example of a game(s) where the player is never allowed to take part when things get interesting). Also have to say (once again I think) that I, like Jeroen, just loved the walking hand in hand bit. But anyway, Jim Sterling not liking The Path aint something new. Did he not write two articles for Destructoid only saying so?

I hate Destructoid. But just because I don't like them, doesn't mean they have nothing valid to say. It keeps the whole notgames thing from becoming an echo chamber. I'm not saying we are even close to that point but why would we want to be? I think these alternate points of view are a good thing.

I agree, and for more of that I suggested reading this:
http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-gts/

Basically an overview why video games is not a narrative media. I think it has lots of good points, but I do not agree with the conclusion.