Escapism vs Games with heavy politics/philosophy

Gambit on 1/9/2008 at 14:30

I often see people on movies/comic books/rpg/game forums often complaining that their favorite media shouldn´t contain political/philosophical issues because it is an escapist media.

I find this ridiculous. Any media can pass any message it wants to. Some of us may pick up a book/movie/etc to have fun, and some to reflect about social problems and the nature of the human soul.

So are you interested in games with political content, based on grounded issues instead of the common fictional evil overlord ?

Do you think publishers would be open to it or their would fear the gamer´s reaction ?

Some cool examples:
- MGS: A very anti-nuclear game. Always showing the horror of the cold war weapon race. Also many discussions about nature and how far we are defined by our genetic makeup.

- Lot of JRPGs: Environmental friendly. Gaia is often in trouble because of the actions of men and we must find balance, and kill a bad guy with the power of friendship.

I will post more later...

zombe on 1/9/2008 at 15:41

Quote Posted by Gambit

- Lot of JRPGs: Environmental friendly. Gaia is often in trouble because of the actions of men and we must find balance, and kill a bad guy with the power of friendship.

Somewhy, this sounds like some extraordinarily bad Steven Seagal movie ... sort of anti-fun to me.

But that is just me.

Koki on 1/9/2008 at 15:56

Yeah, seriously. And MGS is about as anti-nuclear as 3" x 5" card with "NUCLEAR BOMBS ARE BAD" on it.

Fragony on 1/9/2008 at 16:26

Let's not make gaming too pretentious, it would probably annoy that small group of gamers that would be interested in at least the idea.

addink on 1/9/2008 at 16:29

I don't mind the use of anything within any medium, as long as it's well done.

Videogames are just a medium that can be used to convey any message. Personally I prefer philosophical over political, I rather see questions than 'answers'. But I assume that preference is mainly caused by the tendency of political issues generally being oversimplified.

Fragony on 1/9/2008 at 16:49

Quote Posted by addink

Well it will just annoys me at least, I can take it in Metal Gear because Metal Gear is so shamelessly gamey but I really don't want anything that takes itselve too seriously. A hint of thought here and there ok but please not too much.

heretic on 1/9/2008 at 17:56

Quote Posted by addink

I don't mind the use of anything within any medium, as long as it's well done.

That's where I'm at as well.

If whatever subject matter is done well, such as in games like 'Deus Ex' or 'Braid' the game can be all the richer for it.

If not done well they are easily reduced to preachy hamfisted rubbish, such as 'Blacksite' Area 51...even if the gameplay itself is not that bad.

demagogue on 1/9/2008 at 18:08

I'm a fan of games pushing into this kind of territory ... I think they're still a little immature at it, like movies in the early days, but there's great potential there to be developed.

Here are some guys I've been keeping an eye on, just to see what's going on and what might turn up:

(http://www.seriousgames.org/) (general site following these kinds of games)
(http://www.impactgames.com/) (e.g., (http://www.peacemakergame.com/) Peacemaker, you're the Isr/Pal PM managing the Israel-Palestinian conflict; great balancing)
(http://www.seriousgames.dk/) (e.g., Global Conflicts, Palestine & Latin America; you're a journalist)
(http://www.gamesforchange.org/) (an archive, a little on the tree-hugging side maybe)
(http://www.manifestogames.com/) (general indie game site that tends in the direction).

And for inspiration: (http://www.participantmedia.com/)
(producers of Syriana, Inconvenient Truth, Charlie Wilson's War, Kite Runner, Food Inc, etc, etc...)

heretic on 1/9/2008 at 18:42

Quote Posted by demagogue

Here are some guys I've been keeping an eye on, just to see what's going on and what might turn up:

From what I could gather, (aside from Manifesto) those links lead to folks that seem more interested in creating vessels of proselytization than entertainment with a brain.

I'd agree more or less that they are worth watching though, as surely something of interest will come along eventually... and it is interesting to watch any media mature, especially one like gaming.

polytourist97 on 1/9/2008 at 19:26

I think having philosophically and politically charged themes is ok as long as they bubble up naturally within the game's framework. What turns me off of having content like that is when a developer has to forcefully draw attention to it in order for it to have any impact within the game.

An example, in Deus Ex, when the player has the meeting with Lebedev, there is no in game lecture or suggestion on how to handle the situation. Depending on what one decides to do, the characters within the game react differently and the themes of morality are explored quite naturally. That's the kind of thing I like to see in a game.

An example of how to do it poorly is how Bioshock handles the meeting with Ryan. The player gets a long lecture that points out in melodramatic detail the theme of the entire game, and isn't allowed any input in the matter. The only reason the theme is explored is because it's pointed out rather blatantly. That's the kind of thing that makes me roll my eyes.