Jason Rohrer at GDX

[nilsonvsfrankenstein]

its weird how many people are really interested in this argument. i guess i will just go make an action rpg based on finnegans wake.

[degauze]

For people straining to hear what games were mentioned:

Akrasia - game about addiction

Honorarium - ian bogost

The Marriage

I wish i were the moon

Braid

[ChrisDevl]

Half-Life got it right with cutscenes..

Actually, Valve always gets it right with anything..

[MJimiD]

It's funny that Jason brings up games being in a 'cultural ghetto' because in more ways than one, they truly are. The idea of a 'game' began as a cultural activity to impart lessons. This lesson wasn't spelled out. It was learned through the player's own observation and introspection. Although they were always fun, they contributed toward the maturation of the young. That maturation induction has been removed and subbed with purely nonsensical entertainment--Games have been ghettoized indeed.

[Halbmond]

I agree that cutscenes are a horrible element in video games because they are passive. I think video games should embrace their interactivity much more than they currently do. However, I do believe that there is nothing wrong with the idea of a cinematic presentation or a complex story. I think that most cutscenes could be made interactive.

BTW I think his mentioning of Fallout 3 is an awful example because Fallout 3 is really all about story and interactivity and not at all about headshots.

[kikeb0y]

good stuff

[TheDoveFlying]

I totally agree with Jason. We should be able to see a lot more games that are compelling rather than addictive, especially if the story is of the utmost importance. And as his presentation clearly showed, games' storylines don't have to be 30 hrs. long or so, or even 10 hrs., for that matter. They can be just as meaningful if you play through them within 20 minutes or even 5 minutes.

[iamjot]

Yes, i´d love to have been in this show. I dont know what people are in the crowed, but you know, we gamers are pretty often pretty introverted.

Jason Rohrer speaks in such a motivating way, its just great to listen to him.

[rlmcviii]

All I can say is BOOOOO! to the crowd for being so apathetic to this fantastically important speech.

Ironically this speech is good not because it's perfect but because it brings up the issue of alternative fuel in Games. The Game of Chess runs cleanly on the most efficient inexhaustible fuel imaginable the Human Mind. Of course in comparison the synthetic 'money shots' of modern games seems geriatric.

[rlmcviii]

But don't get me wrong Chess is about the money shot too and this is where Jason misses the mark. The sex of Chess takes place almost wholly in the players mind and anyone who doesn't know that it's self satisfying masturbation hasn't played the game.

What Jason is saying is that games should be less Porn and more real substance. He's right but he's forgetting that even real sex doesn't work without Fantasy.

[rlmcviii]

If we recognize that all games are about fantasy then we realize that any game that suspends our disbelief and entangles us can be a good game. It can be an art house game "braid" or a large production game "half life".

I think that to be honest Jason's attention to "low tech" is just a shrinking of his palette. If "low tech" is a metaphor for "be a good game first and a pretty second" then I hope it helps people think that way.

[AsmoAD]

I think it's an issue with the way the sound was set up rather than the audience being apathetic.

[riodragon]

Personally, I understand what he's saying, but I feel that's not the best way to approach game design. I feel like all need to do is think of different games to make with their own new ideas and quirks.

'Mainstream Gaming'? That is already coming with the age groups that are getting into gaming. I'd rather create a unique gaming experience now and have it sell tons of copies 10 years later than make something I'm afraid of putting my heart into for fear of isolating the 'mainstream gamers'.