Game Theory: Path to Pretention
Posted 10/28/09 at 01:00:00 PM by Thomas McDonald
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One thing I learned while attending art school was that anyone who thinks he or she is an Artist-with-a-capital-A, isn’t. Anyone who tries to produce Art—complete with layers of meaning and a message and prepackaged interpretations that they are just dying for some sensitive soul to uncover, is inevitably going to produce self-conscious garbage. It will probably be boring, almost certainly ugly, and without question, philosophically tendentious.
In any art, pure technique (honed by hard work and diligent practice) and pure instinct (some mystical combination of observation, perception, and interpretation, most of it subconscious) mingle to create something that speaks as “art.” You can’t fake it.
Thus, when I boot a pretentious art-house game like The Path, I know I’m in for instant seating at the crap buffet, complete with a tepid chaser of trite, high-school-level philosophy about MEANINGFUL THINGS. The Path is… words fail me.
It’s a Little Red Riding Hood game, where you play as six girls, who I guess represent Feminine Archetypes in Our Modern World. (Or something.) I stopped caring when I realized that the designers hate me, which they made clear by firmly instructing me to stay on the path and go to grandma’s house, which is how you lose the game.
You see, you’re not supposed to follow rules! Stupid rules! They’re all arbitrary! Make up your own rules! Grandma is a tool of the establishment! Let her save herself! You have a Voyage of Self-Discovery to embark upon! (Or something.) Wander in the dark and scary forest, complete with fuzzy visuals, sluggish controls, ghastly bits of free verse, and a creepy pedophilic vibe! Get eaten by wolves!
But maybe the wolves are a metaphor for….
And then I realized I don’t like games with metaphors. And I could use about 50 percent fewer similes while we’re at it.
But co-designer Michael Samyn doesn’t think much of your new-fangled games: “Videogames today are simplistic, deal with stale subjects, treat the players like morons, and offer no emotional or intellectual depth, in favor of attempting to please your ego on some caveman level.”
Or something.
Thomas L. McDonald has been covering games for 17 years. He is Editor-at-Large of Games Magazine.
Not just me then
Submitted by Atrus00 on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 10:17am
I really tried to enjoy The Path, even when I was finding it extremely grueling to play. I kept at it, worried that if I gave up it would somehow mean I wasn't intelligent enough to "get it." After a while, I finally realized that I didn't care if I "got it," and just stopped playing. I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this way. I can appreciate an attempt to create something artistic, but there are plenty of artistic games that are still good games. This isn't one of them.
Submitted by Blazar on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 3:26pm
Hear, hear.
Submitted by Blazar on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 7:26am
Unfortunately, technical skill has taken a back seat to lame, subjective "meaning." Nowadays, the sad truth is that if you can throw paint on a canvas then there is a museum somewhere that will display it.
The game designer's comments
Submitted by logicmaster2003 on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 6:33am
The game designer's comments bounced back to himself in this game content. This is a real 'caveman' game - looking at the in-game trailer, it appears this caveman used DirectX 7.0 to develop the game and it looks really boring !
Submitted by ExarKun1138 on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 7:00am
I agree. It really looks like a game made for the Mac crowd. PC gamers want more than this kind of crap! Definitely pass on this one!
Submitted by Raspop on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 10:41pm
I haven't played The Path, but the author hits the nail square on about art and pretentious art students. Well said.
Complaining about a $10 game?
Submitted by highsidednb on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 5:13pm
Really, how about $60 for repetitive mastubatory military simulators like Modern Warfare 2? The creator of The Path is right when he talks about the terrible state of video games today. What's wrong with a few indie creations that turn things on their head? Have you tried "Dear Esther", a source mod available on steam for free. It's a total mindf***. It's very interesting and it totally pushes the boundaries of what you would consider a first person shooter.
Yes, The Path has a whole host of other issues but like Braid, Wolrd of Goo, Xeno Clash, Dear Esther, and AAAAaaaaAAAAaa!!!!!, it's doing what big corporate design-by-committee games can't.
Submitted by Scootiep on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 6:01am
Well, personally, I wasn't complaining about the price of this game. I was complaining about the content.
I also don't like the designer's comments. I will agree with you that a majority of the FPS's out now are quite similar. However, FPS's aren't the only style of game and even a decent number of FPS's have intriguing content (TheOrange Box beign a good example in my mind). There are plenty of strategy based games that require you to think and outmanuver your opponent and not just blast your way through them.The developer is lumping all video games into the same category when he says "Videogames today are simplistic, deal with stale subjects, treat the
players like morons, and offer no emotional or intellectual depth, in
favor of attempting to please your ego on some caveman level.” proving that he is looking at the gaming industry from only a single viewpoint. Oddly enough, this flies directly in the face of the concept he is trying to convey. This being that video games need to force people to think (incomming overused phrase) outside the box. Did Samyn just decide to ignore the entire RTS and RPG side of the industry? What about upcomming games like Gratuitous Space Battles that are more about preparation, learning from your previous encounters and adapting to new situations. Or maybe the Star Ocean style is more up your alley for story content? I could go on to ridiculous lengths listing game after game that doesn't fit Samyn's perfect little mold of "Every game is for idiots but mine". If you like the game, fine, that's your opinion. But for Samyn to say that the entire video game genre is crap is, in itself, crap.
To start press any key...ohh, where's the "Any" key. - Homer Simpson
you make a valid point, but
Submitted by pl4t0 on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 11:47am
you make a valid point, but I thought The Path was a very intelligent game...
Submitted by Scootiep on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 11:03am
It would've been far less painful to cover my neck and upper torso in chain mail and then feed myself to starving wolves forcing them to devour me slowly. "The Path" is exactly everything that I hate about art. It's just a few individuals attempting to prove that they are more intellectual than everyone else (and failing miserably).
To start press any key...ohh, where's the "Any" key. - Homer Simpson
INTERESTING
Submitted by OD PRO on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 11:01am
I enjoyed the path. Watching the characters shake their butt as they walk thru the woods.
True ...sluggish controls especially at grandmas. The designer REALLY called other games repetative...what is collecting 144 flowers.
All said I found the game more entertaining than most I've played.
Submitted by Who on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 10:31am
...but I have to admit I liked the mindf**k that is MGS2, even if it made no sense whatsoever by the end; everyone needs a good mindf**k once in a while.
Submitted by Who on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 10:28am
You went to art school?
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