From: Constant Gaw [email address deleted]
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 3:08 AM
To: randy@justadventure.com
Subject: The Longest Journey and Adventure Gaming
You know, I just received my copy of The Longest Journey, imported
all the way from the UK, and have played it for probably a little
under an hour.
And in those few moments, I have felt a sense of happiness that
I have not experienced in computer gaming for quite some time. As
April stood on a jutting cliff gazing out into the brilliant sunset
of a beautiful and fantastical world, I sat back in my chair, and
sighed contentedly, saying to my friend, "I have really missed
the adventure game."
I am a 20 year old college student, and I must confess that your
comments regarding most of my peers are sadly true. And as much
as I enjoy blowing away my opponents in a competitive match of Half-Life,
nothing has been quite so fulfilling to me as an adventure game.
A mature, creative, story-central and character driven experience
that doesn't rely upon explosions, violence, and blatantly embarrassing
sexual appeal. This is gaming as an art-form, one that revels in
the imagination and the intellect, not in the base attractions of
bullets and gore. Admittedly, those elements have their place, but
that place is certainly not in the forefront of the gaming industry.
Isn't it truly sad that all must eventually give way to the lowest
common denominator?
I guess I'm a bit of an exception amongst people my age. I started
gaming at a relatively young age, and while I had my share of Space
Invaders and Mario Brothers, my primary passion rested
in the then prominent adventure games. Sierra and LucasArts were
my goddesses then, time and time again transporting me to amazing
worlds that made me laugh, stare in amazement, and at their best
and brightest moments, move me. I remember the first scene of King's
Quest 4, in which Rosella was forced to watch her father slump
to the ground, grasping at life. I remember later reading an interview
with Roberta Williams, and imagining the pride she surely felt as
she described a viewer that cried during the scene. What are most
of today's game designers proud of?
What truly great games have we been exposed to recently? At the
moment, I can recall only a handful: The Beast Within, of
course, a masterpiece of storytelling, direction, and design; The
Last Express, another example of great innovation and daring,
mature direction; Planescape: Torment (which is not an adventure
game, but is shockingly intelligent, adult, and daring in today's
gaming landscape); Xenogears (a console RPG, amazingly grand
and epic in scope, enormously ambitious, and quite thought provoking
and touching to those lucky enough to experience it); Grim Fandango
(which I actually, for some reason, have not played yet). That's
it for me, and some of these aren't even real adventure games!
You know what the sad thing in this whole situation is? The manipulative
and insidious process by which the gaming market molds the gamer.
Even someone such as myself, who was reared on good gaming, can
easily give into the offerings of the big companies. I didn't realize
it until recently, but I have been shaped by the mindless action
market to an extent that is somewhat disturbing. When a friend of
mine would show me the demo for the latest FPS, I would marvel at
the visuals and fly freely amongst the premises with a wicked shotgun.
And I would love it. I would come to expect little more from each
new offering. Even those games that I admired for storytelling ability
were typically filled with "action" and violence (such
as Metal Gear Solid). Playing Planescape: Torment, although
also filled with violence, proved to be a striking experience for
me. As I talked to character after character and delved into the
mind of the Nameless One, I slowly came to the realization that
I was experiencing writing that was truly mature, and truly intelligent.
I was enraptured, and read without any moments of embarrassment
that one might experience while playing, say, Final Fantasy 8,
which, while very strong in many respects, still contains writing
that is decidedly juvenile in many respects. That was sort of an
awakening, and a method by which I remembered why I got into gaming
to begin with.
I think adventure gamers will always be a minority, that is just
an unfortunate truth. All of the games I have listed above in my
list have not achieved blockbuster status in sales, although they
may have critically. Gaming has expanded into a much more mainstream
audience, and just as in all that literature and film that should
not be produced, we will forever be forced to wade through the muck
to procure that rare gem. But how brilliant is its shine when we
find it!
Your passionate remarks against the corporate giants couldn't ring
more of the truth. But I think we may be fighting an impossible
battle. Adventure gaming emerged in a very different time, when
computers were more conducive to creating the thinking man's game
than the trigger happy man's fix. I sincerely hope that the drought
we are experiencing now is part of a greater cycle, and that gamers
will eventually demand more from their games. Actually, I don't
doubt this trend at all; genre-blending is the way of the future.
But adventure gaming in its pure form, in the emphasis on story,
character development, exploration, and puzzle-solving, will probably
never again dominate the industry. There is, as we all know, simply
too much money at stake.
The Longest Journey, I believe, will be a great experience.
If it disappoints even a little, I have no doubt that my nostalgia
will aptly compensate. But such a statement is an insult to the
fine team at FunCom, and I am sure that the game will prove to be
nothing short of amazing.
For now, I guess we just keep up the good fight, eh? Perhaps if
I am ever able to break into the game industry and do some real
design (a tough course for an English major!), I will be able to
exert some significant "adventure influence." But until
then, I'll just complain and decry the practices of the new masters.
It is 3 in the morning and I have an English final that sorely
needs to be addressed. But I regret nothing of my time spent here.
This stuff needs to be said.
