This blogpost about Maniac Mansion by J. Chastain recently changed a lot of how I think about adventure games, the genre I just sort of let become my default favorite. I've spent a while not playing a lot of adventure games and I have to admit I don't play many console games either. The last adventure game I did play, ironically, was The Cave, on a friend's Xbox 360. And while I enjoyed that game enough to play it repeatedly, trying every character on, I was struck by the roteness of repeated gameplay in an adventure game. These are not necessarily games built to be played immediately after you just beat them (although the running-around aspect of The Cave maybe worsened it). Okay, trying to cut to the chase, this bit of that blogpost really stuck out to me:
What exactly makes adventure games fun? I enjoy playing them, sure, but is there really 'fun' in their gameplay? Descriptions can be funny or interesting, I can enjoy dialog or the machinations of a plot or my choices resulting in a different ending (although even that's hard to integrate without making it pretty obvious where the cut-off choice is being made) but when it comes down to it aren't they just sort of multiple-choice-answer-sheet packets of art and plot? Is there such a thing as a fun adventure game with boring writing and bad graphics? Does this sound jaded? I don't really know, I'm just wondering about this thing I used to like a lot and still think I probably like a lot, but haven't really been able to investigate lately.
And then off the subject of whatever I think, like the blogpost suggests, is it really possible for you to feel like you're embodying a character when you play a game like this? Like you're not just controlling a little dude on a screen who says stuff or looks cool, but that maybe you have some emotional connection? I don't really know what I'm looking for here but I'm interested in some discussion, unless this stuff's been covered extensively.
QuoteUse item A on character B. Watch cutscene. Get item C. Walk to next room. Walk to next room. Combine item C with item D to create item E. Use item E on object F. Watch cutscene. This is a script on a drip feed. Your Rubber Chicken and your Crowbar and your Can Opener are keys that unlock doors within this prison world. The doors only lead to more rooms within the prison.
What exactly makes adventure games fun? I enjoy playing them, sure, but is there really 'fun' in their gameplay? Descriptions can be funny or interesting, I can enjoy dialog or the machinations of a plot or my choices resulting in a different ending (although even that's hard to integrate without making it pretty obvious where the cut-off choice is being made) but when it comes down to it aren't they just sort of multiple-choice-answer-sheet packets of art and plot? Is there such a thing as a fun adventure game with boring writing and bad graphics? Does this sound jaded? I don't really know, I'm just wondering about this thing I used to like a lot and still think I probably like a lot, but haven't really been able to investigate lately.
And then off the subject of whatever I think, like the blogpost suggests, is it really possible for you to feel like you're embodying a character when you play a game like this? Like you're not just controlling a little dude on a screen who says stuff or looks cool, but that maybe you have some emotional connection? I don't really know what I'm looking for here but I'm interested in some discussion, unless this stuff's been covered extensively.
I'll stop with the smilies.
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