The problem with ‘Games’
‘Game‘, noun.
- An amusement or pastime, eg: children’s games, party games.
- A scored, competitive activity or sport between two or more players, often played before spectators.
- An activity which is played in strict accordance with a set of rules.
My name is Simon Kaye, and I am not a ‘gamer’.
I play many ‘computer games’, and ‘video games’; more often than not, on a PC with a microprocessing core. I have been playing these ‘games’ since I was twelve. Indeed, I often read a magazine entitled PC Gamer.
But I do not consider myself to be a ‘gamer’. Because the word ‘game’ in ‘video game’ or ‘computer game’ is desperately misapplied, inadequate in describing the sheer breadth of the industry.
Type ‘Game’ into an online thesaurus, and what do we get back? Amusement. Distraction. Diversion. Festivity. Frolic. Merriment. Piddly.
‘Game’ is a dismissive word, and it allows others to be dismissive and condescending of our hobby. Some might point to Deus Ex, others to System Shock, again others to the simple beauty in certain arcade classics. Ours is a truly interactive medium, a collaborative art that is the first to involve the direct collaboration of its audience. It deserves, in cases of excellence, to be taken very seriously indeed.
‘Game’ is an immature word, and it allows others to assume that our hobby is completely immature, or played by the immature. Which, admittedly, it often is. LOL n00b headshot haX WTF? etc. But this is an age of 18-rated releases. It is an innate feature of our hobby- our ‘gaming’- that allows the Daily Mail to claim that it is destroying the ethical framework of a generation, or Hilary Clinton to take cheap shots at it on the campaign trail. If our hobby’s noun did not directly imply a youth audience, how could such ill-conceived, nannyish positions remain viable?
‘Game’ is a word that brings with it connotations of childishness, of unreality, of cops-and-robbers. Worse, it linguistically implies competition and scores, rather than experience and spectacle. Who, precisely, am I competing against in Bioshock? The computer itself isn’t an adversary, it’s a platform. Too often do I hear talk of someone ‘beating’ a new ‘game’. Yes, there is a competitive element: online, or multi-player, we are often vying to display the greatest skill or attain some vaunted position or score, and against other human beings. Yes, even single-player ‘games’ usually involve an element of tactical or physical conquest over ‘enemies’ which are controlled by the software’s AI. But this by no means covers the whole gamut of modern video-’gaming’.
And yes, I’ll say again: there’s a whole load of crap titles out there. And after that, there’s a lot of titles that are good, or even brilliant, but are still essentially ‘games’. But every time the word ‘game’ fits a new release, it fails to apply in another case. What about super-realistic simulations? What about strategy titles with many, many times the complexities of chess or Risk? What about plot and dialogue-based titles like Planescape or Dreamfall? And what about the masterpieces of emergent interaction - modern or ageing - like Deus Ex or Bioshock?
In these cases, the word ‘game’, as a label, is simply wrong. Describing Half Life 2 as a game is like using the word ‘cartoon’ to describe the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Except more people worked on HL2, and arguably for longer.
It’d be very easy at this point to simply accuse me of linguistic snobbery. What does it matter, after all, right? It’s just a fucking word. A game by any other name would play as sweet.
If only this were true.
Firstly, ours is a hobby under siege. In Britain in particular, as the press and the politicians begin their latest frenzy over youth violence and gun/gang-culture, out hobby is clearly in the firing-line. And, for a moment, let’s be fair: computer games have been full of violence from near the very beginning. They are stuffed with killing. The problem here isn’t with simulated violence, it’s with a public assumption that the violence is designed for the consumption of children. Children who buy and play games.
Secondly, and more essentially, our words make our reality. Our labels are half of our perceptions. For a growing but still minority medium, video ‘games’, thus labelled, are set up for a fall. People cannot help but approach with a preconception of silliness, of lightness. God help anyone who picks up Bioshock expecting a ‘game for Windows’ and is given an intensive, horror-driven, beauty-filled art-deco romp instead. Along with a strong critique of Ayn Rand and absolutism in ideology.
Of course, all this leaves me without a new term for one of my favourite pastimes. Suggestions welcome.
But whatever we opt for- isn’t it high time we re-branded?
I wish they’d stop making crap new titles and instead do good remakes of classic game titles.
I find I go looking for 5-8 year old games instead of trying out the latest and greatest because they used to focus on immersion and content more.
Not sure I’m with you there, engtech. Sequel-itis can be as destructive for this medium as for movies. But thanks for the comment all the same!
this isnt an article about sports? damnit. wll i used to play video games alot, i was almost addicted. Then one day i realized that playing video games was a waste of life, so i stopped. sports are much better.
http://www.drunkenpanda.com
Nice blog. Movie Tie-in games are usually worse offenders when it comes to droll game play (there has been exceptions though). I avoid them at all costs.
Nice blog entry.
I was recently talking to somebody who said he never understood war games – why would anybody want to relive the Second World War? Of course, in the single-player missions mode in these games, you are always a soldier fighting on the side of the Allies, so it’s the good guys versus bad guys concept, with more than just a touch of mainly American patriotism. Unfortunately competition and bloodthirsty killing sprees are what sell these days.
Now video games are getting all the more “interactive”. This concept of virtual reality, and strong physical involvement in gaming, which all started with joysticks made like aircraft controllers. And I remember when I was about seven, the massive bazooka (well it seemed massive at the time) that accompanied the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. You had to rest it on your shoulder and shoot down any spacecraft that appeared on the screen, and shoot them down mercilessly. And it felt so real, with the bazooka. No wonder I now have tendencies towards aggression and violence…
Nintendo seem to be in the lead with all this interactivity, with the Wii console (which I admit I do have in my house, and I do play). But the physical involvement in the game makes it fun – it’s no more about sitting in front of a television set for hours on end until child obesity reaches record levels in the country. And the Wii games tend to be more child-friendly – although there are some violent games out there. But it’s generally good fun… until the remote control flies out of your hand and starts dishing out black eyes and shattered television screens.
There will always be aspects of games that we will not like. But I’d certainly prefer to have games with their flaws, than no games at all. *Hugs and strokes all her games consoles*
Oh and I think the Final Fantasy series is the perfect example of this “sequel-itis” that you speak of. I always steer clear of that series.
You know, I honestly don’t mind a bit of violence. It’s sort of the meat-and-potatoes of the medium, an essential mechanic in at least 80% of everything out there. Someone should try to delve into why, precisely, this is the case. May refer back to the nature of the film industry at the time of the birth of video ‘gaming’. Or maybe something more innate, a slice of human nature?
But adult entertainment has always featured simulations and portrayals of violence. We can’t rule out these simulations and portrayals from being considered as art.
As for the second world war, and other conflicts- do we really imagine that it’s alright to make Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates, but not Call of Duty and Medal of Honour?
I’ve played just about every game I can get my hands on for the PC. I also love playing games on every console, but I’m more of a “PC gamer.”
It started out when I was a couple of years old with the NES. Then it progressed to the point where I built my own computer in order to play the best, newest games out there several years ago. I’ve been known to use the “k thx n00b”-ness, but it’s all in fun. I’m an adult and I realize that it just goes along with playing online, with games like Counter-Strike were teamplay and having fun with it is the point of playing.
Out of the tons of games I have played, few stand out. Few have what it takes (for me) to play them again and not toss them aside like an old movie or book. Usually, these are RPG’s. Actually, to this day I still play the Baldur’s Gate series a couple of times a year and AD&D games as well. RPG’s that are slightly open ended, but not too open (Example: Morrowind.) call for another play or two because I want to try to be evil or good or whatever instead of what I did to beat it in the first place.
But, then again, I’m also a strange sort–I’m a female gamer. While playing online, I try not to disclose this, for the simple reasoning of stupid, immature people. That’s just common sense to me, but not to every female that plays. So, my thoughts on gaming may be completely different from the masses, though I really don’t care.
Sorry for the long post. I tend to ramble. Did I even get my point across? I don’t know.
PS – I miss Black Isle. :*(
..Oh, and a quick add to an above comment. Sports are games. Video games are, well, games. One is not better than the other, it’s just a personal preference.
Baldur’s Gate remains an absolute favourite. I was there the day the Black Isle sank. I think that left an impression on all who witnessed it. Like when Looking Glass folded.
It’s a nice surprise to hear from a couple of girls on this! Only 2% of all gamers are women, if I remember my statistic. Maybe you’ll know better? Either way, it’s sure to give a unique perspective.
The problem with games is there isnt enough personalization. Even sandbox games, everyone has nearly the same experience.
“Yo, ahaha, youll never guess what happened, I was playing GTA, and I picked up this hooker, and we fucked, ahahahaha”
“Yeah. It gives you back some health.”
“… wait, that happened to you too?”
“Dude, that happens to everybody.”
And thats why I tend not to play those types of games.
If there was a single game that you could pin on me as what defines me as a gamer, it would have to be Bushido Blade.
Two opponents fighting each other, no health bars. Just a choice of character, and weapon, and possibly the most realistic fighting system ive ever came across. (Basically, a fight can last an hour, or a second. Hit someone in the head with the warhammer, and they’re toast. Jab someone in the side with a rapier, and they’ll barely notice.)
Its only in an enviroment when two players can come together and fight each other in a thought out enviroment that you gain something from. But thats just me.
y6′know games aren’t restricted to the cybernetic variety, you seem to have forgotten as tabletop gamers. actually tabletop gaming involves all board games and miniature games. so yeah, even Kaspov’s a gamer in that sense.
but i degress, unless a better word can be found i don’t mind the label “gamer”.
Randomly found my way here from WordPresses “fastest growing blog” list.
I love this post but partially disagree with your conclusion. A big part of the problem isn’t that computer “games” have the game tag, which is associated with immaturity. It’s that games have that association with immaturity.
Humans and games go hand in hand. Explore any society, any culture and you’ll find a breadth of games to occupy people from the craddle to the grave. Ideally, games serve some larger goal in our development but that is by no means universal. So why consider something immature, just because it’s a game?
In my opinion, the real problem with the label “computer game”, is the word computer. It highlights a very real problem with these games in that they can get in the way of direct human interaction. Even MMORPGs are, to some extent, anti-social.
That said, I’m a gamer too and I’ve spend (wasted?) many hours of my life on the Baldur’s Gate and Civ series.
Thanks for the comment, Kevin. Please don’t see your hours of BG and Civ as a waste! I’m currently a history student and I’m pretty sure Sid Meier was one of the main reasons that happened.
I take your point on games not being innately childish, on their being an important developmental and social aspect of any normal life. However, the connotation of childishness may not be universal, but it is widespread. Perhaps my main complaint is in the fact that to define something as a “game” seems to preclude it from being definable as “art”. And this is something which may change over time.
Gray: I think I’ve called this little meeting so we can work up a better word! any ideas?
Ah man, you just had to go and remind me about LG. I loved the Thief series, and that’s where I got my game name. ;D Though the games made me a bit sick with the first-person point-of-view and graphics, those games were great.
I’m not actually too sure about the amount of female gamers out there. There seem to be tons more playing online games through consoles rather than the PC. Personally, I can’t aim with a controller for anything, so I use a mouse with 15 sensitivity.
And, I really don’t think of spending time playing games as wasting your life, at least in general. It’s the same as people putting tons of time into their hobbies and it’s just something fun to do. Do you like reading books? Do you accomplish anything by reading them? No, not anything that you can show for it. Games are about the same way.
Also, there are exceptions to the rule. Children that play so much that they actually die from it are extreme cases, but it happens. There will always be individuals out there taking whatever they love to the far end of the scale, no matter what the subject is.
Ack, before I forget.. I love table games! (Yes, I’m a HUGE geek.)
On the idea of a new name for what people in general use for gaming, I have no idea. Something simple, but not so simple that people will be like, “What did that mean again?” would be good.
In any case, when you get a couple of suggestions, please put them up in a poll so I can randomly vote.
I see where you’re coming from, but I think this is one of those things where the bleating voices (the Jack Thompson type idiots in the US) are basically squawking because they no it has passed them by – games and gaming are a part of our culture now, and are only likely to increase. My generation (I’m 24) grew up with them, and we simply aren’t tossing them aside as we “grow up” – the people who do the complaining are an older generation that can’t (and in many cases, doesn’t want to) understand what this is all about.
On topic of favorites, KOTOR, Civ 2, Football Manager/WWSM, Monkey Island make my list.
Lady: You ARE a huge geek. Marry me?
Fourthtimearound: Good point, well made. But wouldn’t it be nice for our hobby to get recognised when it scales the heights? Taken seriously?
Now let’s play favourites! Freespace, Thief, Deus Ex, BG, Planescape, Total War…
Duex Ex was brilliant – I liked Freespace, but the greatest game in that genre will always be Escape Velocity Nova (the Mac port) – just fun.
On the larger point, I agree with you – it would be nice if they took it seriously. But then I ask myself – do I give a shit if they do? The people whose opinion I care about do take it seriously, and enjoy it (and even those who don’t accept it). Those who need to understand, do. Does that make sense? I’m not sure if I’m being very clear.
Ah, so sorry on that one. Taken. Actually, planning on getting married soon. What kind of weird gamer cake should we have? Hehe.
Hmm.. Favorites. I do not want to think about that. I wouldn’t pick any of the many of the games I’ve played on consoles. They’re just not my thing. I guess if it was a matter of what games I’ve played the most, it’d be a toss up between BG2 & NWN. NWN, simply because I enjoyed playing different people everytime and I had more customization than BG. (That and I liked making modules for it!)
What a fucking sap.
I’ll assume that’s directed at me, shall I, Quigs? Why does your love hurt so much? Why?
Actually, it wasnt. It was directed at lady, for getting all moist over cookie cutter totally not jap rpgs
Lady, I like your style. I also hope that you don’t give a toss what any other person thinks of you, because you are entitled to air your enthusiasms. For what it’s worth I think your attitude ROCKS. Congrats on your forthcoming nuptials. How about an Icewind Dale scene for your cake decoration? ( the idea of a snow scene with some insane monster or cavern or suchlike instead of bride and groom dolls tickles me).
. I’m enjoying reading the comments very much. Here’s an idea for an alternative term to ‘games’ (although I must admit that for me the words ‘games’ and ‘gaming’ have no negative connotation. Games are the most important activity a human engages in, to my mind. A good game involves dedication, focus, involvement, ingenuity and enthusiasm, and these qualities characterise most genuinely developing and growing individuals (mind you, plenty of people stagnate instead of growing, and you can usually identify them by their narrow opinions. Such people may indeed denigrate games as somehow unworthy. But who cares about their attitudes anyway? Fossils can’t grow and the only change they undergo is decay).
Simon, well done for giving rise to this most stimulating discussion and for pulling in the readers like herrings to a plankton bed. Brilliant
But back to the question in hand. Would you go with the term ‘virtual Action’? … No? Ah well. Back to the drawing board, then.
Party on, dude!
So your basic comment was smart people like the stuff that you do, so your smart.
Cool.
Smart people make fun of people like you,
Im a crazy motherfucker dont fuck with me,
I got the blood red eyes and the chainsaw teeth,
Im a vegetarian, aint got no beef,
so keep jerking your mind off,
otherwise you wont get relief.
Andrew ‘Quigs’ Quigley: Vocational bastard.
And SooooooooooOOOOoooo done before lol
Oh yeah, cause the wordy snobbish prick persona is just F-R-E-S-H fresh…
Douchebag.
Just call yourself private hudson now and get it over with.
How about ‘Virtual Exploration’, Simon? Could be abbreviated to Virtex.
Oh, hey, Simon! Pursuing that last train of thought a little further, I’ve just thought of another one: Most people appear to assume a different self-image/awareness (not just a different persona) when they’re gaming online. Or perhaps we should say, even if their avatar or game identity IS simply an act they never lose sight of, nobody else online can be aware of this unless they are explicitly informed. They take that avatar at face value. Do you agree? So one could argue that, for the duration of the game (sorry for using that word so often, I know you hate it), people BECOME the new person they present online. Hence, I suggest ‘Virtual Ego’, ‘Virtego’ for short. And if you wanted to turn it into a verb (as in “I’m just off to do some …. “, you might say something like ‘Virtual Ego Tripping’ or ‘Virtego Tripping’. (Sounds a bit Hitchcock, I admit. Is that a bad thing?)
I like the “Virtual Ego Tripping.” Hehe.
LOL… no offence intended, natch.
Over whelming responses very HIP, Killer attitude in the gaming field for all to enjoy.!!!!!!
Hey that’s such an impressive comment, Harry
Another term that could incorporate all of ‘Virtual Ego/Exploration/Tripping’ (if Virtego is just too corny for you) might be ‘Veet’ (noun) ‘to veet’ (verb) ‘veeting’ (participle) “I had the best Veet ever, yesterday” you could say airily, tossing off a dwarf-ale in the nearest Cool Cats Don’t Swim Dragon Cave (for over-18s only, crossbows and poison darts to be left with the troll at the cave-mouth) – or indeed in your nearest wine bar full of snobbish traders. And only another Veeter would understand.
Huh, Simon? (I was forced to start coining terms cos to my mind there’s no adequate synonym for ‘game’ around that doesn’t have the same connotation you so decry). So what d’you think?
I’m thinking that the phrase, “I veeted so hard last night that I have blisters on my thumbs!” would sound strange enough to anyone outside of the circle that they’d move away.
Also, an Icewind Dale cake sounds awesome. I just forgot to mention that before. XD
…And if you DO make an Icewind Dale cake deco, Lady, you must post it somewhere for us to see. Deal?
But of course. Admittedly, a strange AD&D themed wedding (Example: Underdark) would be sweet, now that I think about it. Sadly, if I mention this to my husband-to-be, I’m pretty sure he’ll think I’m crazy.
Whoa! You mean to tell me you’re not marrying a fellow-geek? But… but… but… how will he while away the dhours while you’re out slaying monsters?
(Oh hey, this is getting very personal; sorry if I’ve crossed a line. Backing off now, no offence intended)
Nah, it’s fine. He’s just a console boy, that’s about it. Though he plays tabletop like me (and more often, the bastard!), I doubt that he’s much into the whole “themed” thing.
On an unrelated note: A friend of ours is named after Superman. His sister, after Wonderwoman. His little brother, after Star Trek: Next Generation characters. If they had the chance, they would have had a Star Tred themed wedding. Hehe. So cute. I’m a trekkie too.
Oh wow, snap! Tell you what, you must bounce this one off Simon as well. I happen to know he’s the ultimate Star Trek geek. I mean, you could write what he doesn’t know about ST on a small penny black postage stamp and still have room for an address. LOL. Or should that be LLAP? … Tell me I’m wrong, Simon. (Where dat guy nowadays?)
Wow that’s weird. We practically raised our kids on a diet of Star Trek hehe. Tell you what, you should talk to Simon about it. He’s the ultimate geek, & I mean ULTIMATE. What he doesn’t know about the ST universe wouldn’t fit on the head of a pin LOL (or should that be LLAP?)
Ok now I’m scared. One of those two comments wasn’t supposed to show up. And here they both are. Alternative worlds collide etc. Sorry for the repetition.
I’m not that big an ultimate star trek geek. Even if I can inexplicably remember the innermost workings of an Annular Confinement Beam. DAMN YOU, TECHNICAL MANUAL!!! I could’ve learned a couple of languages, but noooo…
‘Veet’, as I recall, is a brand of feminine razor product. Or wax or something. Also, anything assosciated with ‘virtual’ tends to imply that there’s an effort to replicate or depict something that already exists. Which isn’t always the case.
On the subject of interactive media, There’s a fascinating interview with a Professor Henry Jenkins over at this URL: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=235 .
That’s IT! Call the whole online on computer experience ‘Jenking’, and be done with it.
Ok I’m going to stop hammering on about this topic now, thanks for the laughs, all. Live long and prosper (till we meet again).
Hey – a final thought, Simon. You KNOW what an annular confinement beam is, and how it works. I think you have DEMONSTRATED your ST geekytude. LOL
Later.