top of page
What's in a game?
- XxSh4k3Sp34rExX
I think games are at their best when they are tricking players into learning new subjects, emotions, ideas and skills by means of intuitive fun. The experiences I never forget are the ones that manage to expand my sense of self: either by getting me interested in something I never paid any mind to, or letting me express myself physically or emotionally in new ways. Because of this, I am always looking for experimental media/art of all kinds - so that I can adapt and bring these new concepts over to our pattern-seeking, low attention span brains through play.
Through mastery of mechanics or visceral comprehension of themes, we install new purpose in our brains with unprecedented ease. The greatest games give us tiny new reasons to live by making obscure awes accessible, engaging and beautiful.
The medium has long transcended childhood entertainment, having infiltrated into our lives more profoundly and effectively than any other form of art. Game creators are informers of opinion, shapers of taste, sparkers of interests, starters of careers, inventors of sport, progenitors of communities and bringers of joy for all ages and backgrounds. No part of a game can be taken for granted, nor is any of it apolitical or unchained to the circumstances of our current day.
Thinking profoundly about the DNA of such a vital piece of modern society is crucial for responsible designers, obviously. But I'd also recommend it to anyone who has ever been interested in a videogame. Wouldn't it be lame if we just brushed off this major part of our life, thinking of it only as escapism? And I don't mean that everyone should start shallowly giving out review scores and pretending to be harsh critics. I mean that we should consider maturing our discourse alongside our growth as vivacious adults. We can start with how games make us feel. What they make us reflect on, intentionally or otherwise. What concepts they desensitize us to in the name of blissful satisfaction. Why we invest so much in them. Who plays what and why. What they mean to us as players - the most important component of any game - without whom such softwares would be truly pointless.
To be a conscious player is to be a conscious person. Everything's in a game, including us. Games get more interesting, the more interesting we are!
bottom of page