Edge
There was an excellent programme on the TV last night, looking back over the life of John Peel. Known for his eclectic and wide-ranging tastes and his support for anything that was different, someone on the programme said that he was always interested in music with an edge. Which got me thinking about games and how that games in general seem to have lost their edge.
I'm not talking about "cutting edge" graphics or technology, but an edge that used to come from a game being done in a bedroom by a couple of mates or brothers. An edge caused by not worrying how well a sprite animates, but how many you could throw at the player in the later levels. An edge that came from keeping the graphics simple on purpose because the only thing that counted was the gameplay. An edge that came about because games were not designed by a huge committee.
Now, before people think that I'm advocating a return to retro gaming, I'm not. I like the fact that games can give us so much more than they did before, that a game can be such a rich experience, it's simply that so many high production values can leave a game feeling a little empty. It's like The Phantom Menace in many ways - it should have been such a good film, but they expected the production values to carry what was a weak plot and under-developed characters. What resulted was a film without a soul.
In contrast, I was watching Memento the other evening. If ever there was a film with edge, this is it. Though I thought there were a couple of plot issues, the writing, acting and direction made up for this by a long way. Clearly, games need to look for their edge in new ways.
What I would hate, though, is for games to suddenly be copies of Memento, because that would actually create the opposite effect. Edge only comes from originality. That doesn't mean a wholly original game, but an original slant on an important aspect of the gameplay, or the way that the gameplay is used to progress the story, or an original take on character progression.
One of the most interesting things I've seen recently was a preview movie for the Nintendo DS and the interesting things that are being done with the touch-sensitive screen. Suddenly, here are games with an edge that could give a welcome shot in the arm to the industry. Let's hope that it spreads to other platforms, too.
I'm not talking about "cutting edge" graphics or technology, but an edge that used to come from a game being done in a bedroom by a couple of mates or brothers. An edge caused by not worrying how well a sprite animates, but how many you could throw at the player in the later levels. An edge that came from keeping the graphics simple on purpose because the only thing that counted was the gameplay. An edge that came about because games were not designed by a huge committee.
Now, before people think that I'm advocating a return to retro gaming, I'm not. I like the fact that games can give us so much more than they did before, that a game can be such a rich experience, it's simply that so many high production values can leave a game feeling a little empty. It's like The Phantom Menace in many ways - it should have been such a good film, but they expected the production values to carry what was a weak plot and under-developed characters. What resulted was a film without a soul.
In contrast, I was watching Memento the other evening. If ever there was a film with edge, this is it. Though I thought there were a couple of plot issues, the writing, acting and direction made up for this by a long way. Clearly, games need to look for their edge in new ways.
What I would hate, though, is for games to suddenly be copies of Memento, because that would actually create the opposite effect. Edge only comes from originality. That doesn't mean a wholly original game, but an original slant on an important aspect of the gameplay, or the way that the gameplay is used to progress the story, or an original take on character progression.
One of the most interesting things I've seen recently was a preview movie for the Nintendo DS and the interesting things that are being done with the touch-sensitive screen. Suddenly, here are games with an edge that could give a welcome shot in the arm to the industry. Let's hope that it spreads to other platforms, too.
posted by Steve | 3:45 PM
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