tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post653083732955684155..comments2023-09-28T07:23:51.376-07:00Comments on ProjectPerko: Disjoints as ArtCraig Perkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-49031950554309229912013-06-22T06:22:36.511-07:002013-06-22T06:22:36.511-07:00Yeah. The question is, how do we use that in a mor...Yeah. The question is, how do we use that in a more powerful way?Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-15578286476273016312013-06-22T06:12:05.466-07:002013-06-22T06:12:05.466-07:00I think that the material expression of the game--...I think that the material expression of the game--what it looks like and how the interface works--is as much a part of the game as any of the other rules. Sure, some of it is superficial theming that you look through to find the deeper systems, but even that changes how the player initially approaches the game. And on the micro level, changing the pixels being displayed or the input scheme can have a huge effect on the feel of the game.<br /><br />Assigning meaning to a system through inference and metaphor from the interaction of other systems is definitely one of the strengths of video games. It's not strictly limited to emergence, but emergent effects are one of the most obvious expressions of this. The player becomes a part of the system in a way that we can't quite experience in most of real life.Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09981225682631417415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-35930738594013941062013-06-21T11:38:58.214-07:002013-06-21T11:38:58.214-07:00I agree, but on the other hand, I think Flower is ...I agree, but on the other hand, I think Flower is worthwhile as an artistic pursuit. Graphics, sound, pacing, and so on are all part of the interactions we have with game worlds, and they all help us to rapidly build meaningful and nuanced context.<br /><br />It's occasionally worth thinking about video games as a completely different kind of thing from board games as well, just to shake off some cobwebs. After all, plays and movies are quite different.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-29375736517394498922013-06-21T11:31:05.901-07:002013-06-21T11:31:05.901-07:00Haha, that's exactly how I feel - like we'...Haha, that's exactly how I feel - like we've got all the build up here but no punch line. Does that mean that we should strive for games with more emergent, procedural content? Or does it mean that we need narrowly crafted rules that make the emergent content rarer and more meaningful? Or does it mean something else?<br /><br />I does seem clear at the very least that games should, first and foremost, be games, especially if they are art. I remember in the big Roger Ebert "games can't be art" debate a lot of his opponents had arguments like "Sure, chess isn't art, but new games these days with fancier graphics, like Flower, can be." This always seemed backward to me - if you want to explore games as art you have to start with the assumption that chess is art and figure out what it has to say. If it has nothing to say then adding more icing on top won't make the medium art.Ellipsishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13554930621825481241noreply@blogger.com