I may be missing the point here, but something bothers me a lot when games as a whole are held up to such lofty ideals. There absolutely are developers out there who's intelligence, vision, and skills are able to create something more impactful than, say, your standard platformer, but they're usually still just setting out to make something cool (or turn a profit, hah). A lot of games that TRY to elevate themselves to a more "artistic" level end up being largely viewed as pretentious or full of themselves.
I dunno, I wonder if it's more on what each individual is looking to get out of it or is capable of gleaning from a game? Beginner's Guide is something that can really touch you personally, but it's also something that you only really get the full affect of experiencing once. But then, other games are easier to go back to, and may be more rewarding on a second playthrough because of your increased skills... You may still love the characters and story just as much.
I dunno, am I making any sense or am I way off base here?
I may be missing the point here, but something bothers me a lot when games as a whole are held up to such lofty ideals. There absolutely are developers out there who's intelligence, vision, and skills are able to create something more impactful than, say, your standard platformer, but they're usually still just setting out to make something cool (or turn a profit, hah). A lot of games that TRY to elevate themselves to a more "artistic" level end up being largely viewed as pretentious or full of themselves.
I dunno, I wonder if it's more on what each individual is looking to get out of it or is capable of gleaning from a game? Beginner's Guide is something that can really touch you personally, but it's also something that you only really get the full affect of experiencing once. But then, other games are easier to go back to, and may be more rewarding on a second playthrough because of your increased skills... You may still love the characters and story just as much.
I dunno, am I making any sense or am I way off base here?
LOVE the article! Thank you for writing. Really got me thinking.