When it comes to old school games, sparking the imagination is the job of the games. When it comes to new school games, sparking the imagination is the job of the marketing.
I could go on and on about games that sparked my imagination, but I’ll just discuss two of them.
The Goonies II is one of the first NES games I truly played. I didn’t care that it was different from the movie (I guess I realized back then that games were going to be silly and whimsical). I just loved the worlds, and seeing what was beyond them. First there was the shed, then the sewers below, and then it turned out there was a different sewer and shed on the other side. Then there was a cave, and an ice world, and an underwater cave. What’s next? What’s going to be on the other side of this door?
And even some of the 3D games can do this. Final Fantasy VIII is far from a perfect game, but the art direction is the most beautiful of any game I have ever played. I love looking at that world and wondering what might be in the rest of it. Any proper sequel or remake should allow us to explore more of that world, not less.
But Final Fantasy VIII is admittedly a new school game, and a lot of gamers found the game really disappointing after all the hype. All the games from VII onward are made in the trailers out to be the huge, epic games, and most don’t really live up to that. Thus gamers rush out on opening week, but the games don’t have legs.
Another major example is Duke Nukem Forever. I haven’t played the game, but these people have. The videos are a really good example of great hype, weak reality. They start out really pumped after watching the trailers and opening of the game, but by the middle, their excitement is visibly fading, and by the end, they actually apologize for the game creating such a weak episode of their show.
Also, the same thing about sparking imagination could be said about movies, and why we have far fewer genuine hits these days.
Finally, I’m again thanking you for actually standing up for the mainstream, instead of treating them like a bunch of ignorant rabble.
It’s a good point. The imagination of the New School is found in the marketing, in the hype. When you get to the game, that hype pushes the gamer forward for a couple of weeks. Then, they realize the game sucks, and they sell it used or just play multiplayer online.
Theater used to be very popular until ‘realism’ and realistic stage sets appeared. Video game makers need to rely more on sparking the imagination instead of replacing it.
I remember when cutscenes used to be used only to ‘spark’ people’s imagination. But, it was never meant to replace the imagination. Usually such a cutscene appeared at the beginning of the game to ‘get the player excited’.
Here is a video I thought was interesting that relates to this subject:
