Games with Intellectual Content

[Jester]

Sorry to jump in the middle from the end, but I think Pete stated it better than I did. I don't intend to discount the possiblity that games present a ne medium for intelectual content, I'm just doubting that the medium is mature enough at this point that anything meaningful has come from it.

I think I was really trying to make 2 points, one was the above, and the second was along the lines of Pete's second paragraph. When reviewing a book or movie as a spectator you have a better opportunity to evaluate the message and the level of success in its delivery. When playing as the protagonist in a linear story, are you more focussed on the game's message, or the current fetch quest? I'm not smart enough to do both at the same time, and so I'd prefer to consume my intelectual content as an observer.

What causes a medium to "mature" except people using that medium pushing against the boundaries of what's been done? It's not like media just suddenly grow old, and become more than they used to be. That's part of why I made this thread, to talk about the games we've liked that went a little farther than just "There is a bad man in the dark place! Kill him and I will give you a reward! Shiny shiny thing!" I think such games exist, and I gave some of my top contenders. Certainly there is no video game "Citizen Kane" yet.

For an interesting take on the "fetch quest" issue, Adam Cadre's short-but-neat 9:05 is worth a look. It doesn't take more than 15 minutes or so to play. (That link should go straight to an in-browser version.)

I will say that non-commercial genres, like interactive fiction and to some extent graphical adventures have pushed harder against these boundaries than commercial games have. People do like fetch quests neat, no olive. The success of WoW, where you do just about any idiot thing for 13 gold and a handful of rep, is evidence enough of that.

-Jester