As we're now expanding our horizons to include other fascinating forms of digital entertainment, it seems like an appropriate time for me to voice my disdain in regards to film and television series'. The simple and underline reason behind my mindset being 'what do you accomplish by sitting and staring at a screen for an hour and a half?' And it's 100% true, the answer is nothing.
 |
| The only redeeming factor of movies: The My Little Pony on is only getting released to the unsuspecting American public and to the pure untainted minds of ours. |
Now here's the part where smart people and resident Peter-haters come forward and say 'But Peter, that's just what playing a video game is,' and in some respects, you may be right, but the fact of the matter is that watching a movie and playing a game are two completely different things. Look at it this way, what seems more interesting to you? A guy called James Bond runs around town blowing stuff up, getting laid and in the end thwarting some evil man's plans to blow up something-or-other, and you just watch him do it; or YOU are a man who works for an undercover secret agency, and its up to you to drive recklessly around town, knocking over and knocking up whores on the streets while shooting bad guys as you work towards defeating the ultimate villain and bring peace to your city once again.
 |
| These guys get to visit a snowy wonderland where Jesus is a lion in the back or their wardrobe but all I get in mine are moths, dust and a space for the corpse of Justin Beiber. The conclusion? C.S Lewis is a prick. (And before any of you smart-arses come at me for this, yes I know it was a book first, but I wanted to visit Narnia too dammit!) |
The key difference here is your role in the story, in the first example you're just a simple bystander, you sit and watch the events unfold and are powerless to do anything about them, if the character has to choose between his family and the love of his life; in a movie he will choose one of those things according to what the director wants, regardless of what you think he should do, but in a game you would be able to do either, and a whole new realm of story would open up because of it, either your family would be dead or your lover, and you would have to live the rest of the story with the consequences of your decision. In a film the outcome of the story will become known, and it will keep moving forward, in a game, if you don't have the ability to pass a level, the story ends there for you, if you die the story ends there for you, granted it wouldn't be the be-all and end-all of things because you could try the level again in a game, but the point is you wouldn't be able to continue the story unless you get through the level without losing your life. It's much more enjoyable a challenge and it's more personal. You have five minutes to make it to the bad guy or he'll kill both your love and your family? then you have to get there, not someone else who will miraculously make it with a second to spare, the lives of those people ride on your shoulders, and you know what will happen to them if you fail, there might even be a sequence in the game that shows you it. You think about how you failed, what went wrong, what you can do to get around the hard parts, you're the protagonist so what happens is what you make of it, whether you're playing as yourself or a character, the outcome is still down to you, the player, and that is what makes video games a much better experience and entertainment medium compared to movies.
 |
| A lot more fun doing this yourself than watching someone else do it isn't it? |