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May 20, 2005
what will those crazy kids think of next?
its cool to see that wacky japanese games are getting their propers at E3 this year. after my stereotypical run with the atari 2600 like any kid growing up in the 80s, except for an occasional "over the shoulder viewing" at a friends' house, i had been on serious leave from the gaming world until the past year. i've been studying video games in education as part of my instructional technology and media program at columbia, and got hooked not on how far the graphics have come over the years, but rather the simple power of creativity, engagement, and gameplay inherent in the format--the same qualities that have been present as long as games have been around. when i travelled to japan in 2002, i was blown away by this hillarious limitless pursuit of the bizarre formats in japanese arcades, many of which, ironically, have more to do with mundane, every day tasks as compared to firing a flaming missle through your opponent's chest while jumping off a building (unless, of course, that is your reality). katamari damacy and orisinal games were really the ones that opened my eyes to how cool these alternative formats could be. though these titles are still not the top sellers, over time, i think we'll find that the aesthetics, game mechanics, and emotional engagement of these games will have strong influence over a broader scope of media.
Posted by brianf at May 20, 2005 12:57 PM
Comments
An interesting game called "Second Life" seems follow your prediction about aesthetics and emotional engagement will have increasing influence over time. Pretty interesting - check it out: http://secondlife.com/whatis/
Posted by: matt v at July 17, 2005 07:06 PM