Comments on: What Exactly is a “Video Game” Anymore?

By: geekoutsw

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 10:02:10 +0000

Amusingly, even a game that says “make your own rules” has rules to keep it a game.

It is interesting how minimalistic you can make a game. Kick a can down the street and see how many times you kick it: people consider that a game.

This is why I love gaming, it’s ridiculously diverse. From can kicking to being an entirely different (fictional) person, gaming has no median, hence it appeals to such a crowd :)

But I agree: how far can we go? ;)

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By: Hatm0nster

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:36:22 +0000

Won’t that be an incredible thing! The thought sure makes one excited for the possibilities that lie ahead!

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By: Hatm0nster

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:33:44 +0000

True VR is finally starting to show some real promise. Have you heard of the “Omni”? It’s a stand you strap yourself into that works in concert with an Oculus rift, allowing the user to physically walk around a virtual world.

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By: Hatm0nster

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:30:57 +0000

Great point. It’s still a game so long as there are rules and some element of “play”.

Still, it’s becoming difficult to see the rules in some. Take Dear Esther, it’s more or less wandering along a path. What are the rules in there?

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By: duckofindeed

Mon, 10 Feb 2014 16:04:56 +0000

You’re right, video games are indeed more than games, and many people don’t seem to realize that. They are so much more, and I see them as more of an opportunity to experience a different life other than my own. It allows us, as you said, to be someone else and explore places we could never go on our own. We can be soldiers and aliens and even little purple dragons and explore places that only exist in the imaginations of those who created them.

But, video games only let you do so much. They only let you make so many choices. Most games only have one outcome, even if you can make some choices throughout the game. Maybe someday games will become even more advanced, and our choices will be even more meaningful and create even more outcomes. Then, if we can really influence our world, we will be able to be an ever bigger part of the games we play. Then, we can really see how OUR choices would affect events in that world, not just the choices of the characters we are controlling.

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By: Kooky

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 18:32:08 +0000

To me, video games haven’t really changed much because I think their main purpose has always been to provide us with experiences that we would’ve not otherwise been able to have in real life and provide us with a distraction from the real world.

Even when playing Pong!, you could imagine yourself as a great athlete. The very first games ever made were ones where you could be a tennis player, a strategist, or a captain of a spaceship.

What’s changed over the years is the delivery of these experiences. Rather than just having players create their own stories, creators can now express the stories they want to tell and create a deeper immersion because of how technology has advanced.

There are so many things in the world that have been here for centuries and yet, are still being improved and developed today. Video games have been here for less than a century and ideas are constantly bounced around to create new ones, so I don’t think we’re approaching a limit just yet. Virtual reality is showing promise and I doubt developers will stop there.

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By: geekoutsw

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 17:30:10 +0000

To me, a game is an interactive medium that ultimately is fun. Something must be controllable and there has to be defined rules, no matter how loose the rules. All games, however, are sets of rules which when given a visual representation are fun to feed input into.

Video games will mean so much more to civilisation as the years go on. If you had said when Pong first came out that many years on, people will be playing games together from all across the world with computers and consoles with super realistic graphics, people might have laughed at you.

Now, it’s hard to believe a game like “Pong” is the reason we are where we are. Ultimately: Games, be video game, board game, pen and paper or just games you play with friends, are inherently designed to be fun :)

Great post and a great question.

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