I thought here it would probably be best to go back, and take myself through a brief history of the gaming side of my life. My first glimpse into gaming was when I was very young (of course not counting those click-and-learn games for toddlers that I'm sure pretty much all parents bought for their kids in the 90s). I have distinct memories of playing Tomb Raider with my Dad a few years on from that. Playing it on PS1 now, I have no idea how we managed, because the controls are near impossible. I don't remember what they were like on the PC, but I remember that one of our favourite things to do was lock the butler in the fridge (who didn't love doing that?). I'm going to have to try and play them again at some point because it was so long ago now that I don't really remember them too well.
CORE DESIGN (1997). Tomb Raider II [CD] PC and PS1. Eidos Interactive.
Another favourite was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for PC. I had both versions (PC and PS1) but they were both completely different. The PC version was better, graphically, but I also felt like it was more fun and that there was more to do.
KnowWonder (2001). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.[CD] PC. Electronic Arts.
I remember spending hours and hours on this game, occasionally making Mom take over if I got to a bit I couldn't do. I still think it's great, even now, but that's probably because of the nostalgia I feel when looking back at games like this.
Other favourites were games like Spyro, Jak and Daxter, etc. My favourite games definitely hold alot of strong gameplay and storytelling elements. Or, most of them do anyway. Generally, games with a strong story to follow give you more of an opportunity to escape from the real world, which I think is something we'd all like to do now and again.
As I got a bit older, I also started to play more handheld games like Pokemon and Harvest Moon. This, oddly enough, was probably what sparked more of my interest in how games look. These games, with their pixellated characters and environments held an odd charm and I've always found them oddly captivating. For instance, in the 3rd gen of Pokemon games, you could create your own little den and place your own items in it and so on. A really small feature of the game, but it was always one of my favourite bits. I still find this charming even now, maybe because it reminds me of a younger version of myself, staying up way later than I should have, playing it with the covers pulled over my head.
GAMEFREAK (2002) Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. GBA. Nintendo.
Here we move on to what, even now, are two of my favourite games I have ever played. Games like Dark Cloud, and it's sequel, Dark Chronicle, sparked my interest further towards games being used as an art form. I mean, the graphical quality of these games isn't fantastic, but considering the time they were pretty good, and a hell of a lot of fun to play. I find it quite funny, now I love playing games like this and looking at separate elements in the game and the textures and stuff. It's a lot of fun now that I've had some experience of the work that goes into the assets in these games. I loves the fantasy element incorporated in Dark Cloud and found the designs of the architecture, characters and monsters very inspiring. Here is a small section of the game.
Level-5 (2000). Dark Cloud.[DVD] PS2. Sony Computer Entertainment.
Dark Chronicle, the sequel, was brilliant too. I loved it very slightly less than the first, mostly because of the cheesy voice-overs that had now been included, despite the fact that it's probably better. I didn't like that as much but I very quickly got used to it. In fairness, that's just me being nit-picky. Still brilliant though. The game took on more of a graphical style, with a lot of black outlines, which personally I think works well with the themes of the game.
These two games incorporate a lot of what I love about games. They're dungeon crawl, RPG style and as you go along you collect what is known as Atla. From here, you rebuild the world to its former state. Fantastic.
Level-5 (2002). Dark Chronicle. [DVD] PS2. Sony Computer Entertainment.
There was a much more involved storyline in Dark Chronicle, which is probably what makes it so much better. I think Dark Chronicle had much more personality than its predecessor, and it's storyline was a lot more absorbing. That being said, Dark Cloud had a lot more emotional themes throughout. Various characters have their cut scenes to the past, giving the game much more depth to it.
Nowadays, I don't generally have that much time for games. I'm the kind of person now who buys games, excited to play them, and never gets the chance. Hopefully the summer break will change that, although I'm not sure. I got Skyrim shortly after its release date though, and because I had more time back then spent hours and hours and hours on it. A lot of people say that graphically it's not that good but personally, this game is another one of my absolute favourites and it probably always will be. Skyrim will be one of those games I will always want to return to, because I personally think it's gorgeous. There is a story to it, well, several, but in a more obscure way. You go about quests in the sort of order you like, so it feels like you're making your own story in a sense. One thing I do feel about this game is that the character doesn't really react to anything, so it feels a bit impersonal at times.
These are some of the games that stick out a lot to me when looking at my gaming life as a whole, although there are many others that I love.
Which brings me back to the question.. what interests me about games?
The evolution of games being used an art form is something that raises a lot of questions. Games being pretty never seemed that important when I was younger. It probably wasn't that important really either. I mean, there was a time when aesthetics weren't important at all. Games didn't have massive art teams working to makes sure that it was appealing to the eye, it only really incorporated the actual act of playing the game. It's only as I have gotten older that more and more, games have become more like beautiful playable storybooks, where you are the hero.
This actually brings to mind an art game I played called 'Dear Esther'. Visually astounding, there's a lot of debate whether this is actually a game or not.
The Chinese Room (2012). Dear Esther.[Download] PC, Mac and Linux.
I wasn't sure what to think about this game to be honest. It holds all the suspense and atmosphere of a thriller in some senses. There is an immense feeling of isolation as you walk around the island, only for nothing malicious to be there. Not that this is a criticism, just that this is not the point of this game. This game is a true example of games being used as an art form. I agree though, that it doesn't really feel like a game. There is a very interesting and mysterious story to follow as you go along, so it feels more like an interactive story than a game. It's beautiful though, and I'd highly recommend having a look at it.
I think, in a way, things like this broaden the horizons of what we can do with games and how we can push them further. I think the story behind a game and the atmosphere it creates holds a lot of the intrigue for me, and as games are becoming more and more filmic, it's an element that's getting stronger in games too. Games are more narrative and story is getting more and more important.
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