http://www.systemsofplay.net where ludology and narratology make sweet, sweet love Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:53:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Why is it that a Halo gamer will sit down and read a Halo novel, but likely wouldn't want to read through a paragraph if it appeared on-screen? I think the answer is more complicated than "I don't want to read, I'm playing a game!" It's not just that they're different ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2009/08/06/thought-for-the-day-the-dismissal-of-text/ Jonathan Blow first brought up the conflict between story and challenge back in November 2008 at MIGS. Blow describes the problem as a conflict where “the challenge part is trying to hold the player back and keep him from getting to the next segment. But the story part wants you ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2009/05/27/overcoming-blows-challenge-vs-story-dilemma/ Christian Nutt has an interesting article on how Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII has taken a small step forwards in meshing together gameplay and story. The innovative way Crisis Core tells its story with vignettes during battle through the Digital Mind Wave (DMW) system is definitely something to praise, and ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2009/01/22/crisis-cores-small-step-forward/ This one will be quick. Take a look at this quote from Chris at ihobo.com: This is the nub of the issue here: a story can make you cry by empathising [sic] with the protagonist (or another character), but a game (when viewed as a formal system) cannot do this. It ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/12/10/games-could-make-you-cry/ If you want a great example of why a good story isn't necessary for a game to be fun, take a look at Tom Cross' opinion piece on Dead Space. I haven't gotten around to playing Dead Space, but according to Tom, just about everything non-game is "carefully and stylishly ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/12/02/a-dead-space-of-possibilities/ I was reading an analysis by Daniel Cook over at Gamasutra that at first made me nod in agreement. Games have repetitious themes and often implement them in disjunction with or with disregard for their game mechanics. It's good to see yet another member of the games industry catch on ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/11/05/confusing-themes-and-terms/ The "eye" or  "camera" in video games (essentially the player's viewpoint) has always been designed pragmatically to allow the player to play the game. Rarely has there been any consideration of what the viewpoint is telling the player about the experience, other than purely game-related facts. If I could make ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/10/05/the-all-storytelling-eye/ Rubes over at The Monk's Brew has a few thoughts on the tricky problem of trying to have a realistic protagonist that fits into the story... who is also controlled by an unpredictable player. The problem is of course that all too often a game's mechanics will allow the playful ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/09/02/the-unpredictable-protagonist/ Welcome to part III of The Flaws of Narrative, Manifested, a look at Michael Abbott’s Narrative manifesto. Check out part I and part II, to see what I think about the rest of the manifesto. Keeping the best (and most difficult) for last, part III is dedicated to Jonathan Blow. I ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/08/13/the-flaws-of-narrative-manifested-part-iii/ This is part two of the Flaws of Narrative, a look at Michael Abbott's Narrative manifesto. Click here to read part I. If I were to follow Michael's order, I would next comment on Braid's visionary designer Jonathan Blow, but since I basically agree with everything he says, that's going to ... http://www.systemsofplay.net/2008/08/11/the-flaws-of-narrative-manifested-part-ii/