Muzman on 16/8/2012 at 16:45
By the by: "Art Fag Games Drool" would be a great name for some sort of indie games con'
Jason Moyer on 16/8/2012 at 17:06
The Intel Art Fag Games Drool Powered By Unreal Technology Presented By EA Sports "If It's In The Game It's In The Game" Con 2013 Live From The MGM Grand Hotel And Casino
demagogue on 17/8/2012 at 05:57
I wish I had more time to play art games.
My conception of an art game is something where the gameplay taps into emotions, whatever other kinds of arts tap into, and that's what it's after... either something like well written interactive fiction, or something like Another World or Niffla's games or whatever La La Land series is (which people might question whether it's a *good* art game series, but it's one nonetheless).
They can be entertaining, but I think entertainment isn't the main purpose of them, or anyway that's not the part making them artistic, even if it was a major purpose of them (in the same sense as other kinds of arts)... It's whatever the experience is they're trying to evoke.
I think they can have gameplay or not, those would be different types of art game... But personally I really like when an artistic experience is expressed through the gameplay itself. It's not all art and almost no game (like Dear Esther or La La Land), or a normal game in a very beautiful package (like all these pastel platformers) -- although those are fine -- but when the gameplay itself is drawing out the emotion, the player is part of it, I like that... That's why I get into good IF, since I think the best IF uses gameplay as part of its storytelling; some adventure games as well. Maybe you could say that about something like Passage, which I thought was on the right track, just not the best representative. if a game like Dear Esther had some gameplay built into its narrating, I'd really like that style I think.
SubJeff on 17/8/2012 at 10:32
Yeah, as much as like Dear Ester it doesn't have much gameplay.
dema - I really, really, really, really,really, really,really, really,really, really,really, really suggest you try Journey. It has gameplay, which is fun, but it's arty out the wazoo. I've never had such an emotional experience playing a game. You meet other people but your communication is limited to a noise you can make (and you'll find yourselves "singing" to/with each other). Playing together has other quirks I won't spoil and it's just so damn uplifting.
demagogue on 17/8/2012 at 10:42
Duck was already plugging Journey to me a while ago. It's just that I don't have a PS3 and now I'm in Thailand and don't really have access to one (although a lot of people have contemporary laptops around here; they really aren't all that backwoods... just no tv set around). Very tempted to watch a play through because I don't know how long it'll be.
SubJeff on 17/8/2012 at 11:29
Don't watch a playthough. Wait til you can play it. You'll be depriving yourself of something great.
