Jaffe: Games Don't Match CSI for Emotion
The old 'games as art' argument raises its poncy head
CSI Miami makes us feel that Horatio is AWESOME.
David Jaffe, believe it or not, has disappeared into another... well, we don't want to say 'rant', so we'll say 'monologue' - this time zooming in on the 'games as art' and 'emotional content' arguments. The God of War man says that, even when developers fire on all cylinders, they fail to match an "average prime time television show".
In a very lengthy blog post responding to a video rant about 'games as art', Jaffe wrote of games that aim to pack an emotional punch, "And NONE of us have succeeded at a level that matters enough for me to go, 'AHH! We're onto something!'....as I've said before, it took years and years of work to establish character and meaning and game mechanics that mirror emotion and game play that is metaphor and in the end, very few were moved or affected by it.
"And the ones that were- while they applaud our efforts - are MUCH More affected by an average prime time television show. See, when we fire with all our ammo, all our effort...we still can't come close to an episode of CSI in terms of emotion. Granted, that's just us. Just cause WE can't do it, doesn't mean it can't be done. But I'm just saying that even our best game makers have not come close to an average level of emotion or meaning that you get from the TV."
So, you might think you've got something in your game-playing history that trumps Jaffe's assertions. He doesn't think so. He states in a written blog, "And yes, I've played Ico and Shadow and Passage and Today I Die and Braid and Flower and September 12 and many others... And so I am saying is that I am aware of the 'emotional cannon (sic) of games' and I still stand by my statement. Granted, it's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. But I cry at fucking coffee commercials so I'm easy; easy enough that you'd think a great game with artistic and emotional intent would have gotten to me. But so far, nothing worth shouting about", he wrote.
There's plenty more in there. Jaffe also posted a video on the subject, which you can see below. Give us your thoughts in the forum.
In a very lengthy blog post responding to a video rant about 'games as art', Jaffe wrote of games that aim to pack an emotional punch, "And NONE of us have succeeded at a level that matters enough for me to go, 'AHH! We're onto something!'....as I've said before, it took years and years of work to establish character and meaning and game mechanics that mirror emotion and game play that is metaphor and in the end, very few were moved or affected by it.
"And the ones that were- while they applaud our efforts - are MUCH More affected by an average prime time television show. See, when we fire with all our ammo, all our effort...we still can't come close to an episode of CSI in terms of emotion. Granted, that's just us. Just cause WE can't do it, doesn't mean it can't be done. But I'm just saying that even our best game makers have not come close to an average level of emotion or meaning that you get from the TV."
So, you might think you've got something in your game-playing history that trumps Jaffe's assertions. He doesn't think so. He states in a written blog, "And yes, I've played Ico and Shadow and Passage and Today I Die and Braid and Flower and September 12 and many others... And so I am saying is that I am aware of the 'emotional cannon (sic) of games' and I still stand by my statement. Granted, it's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. But I cry at fucking coffee commercials so I'm easy; easy enough that you'd think a great game with artistic and emotional intent would have gotten to me. But so far, nothing worth shouting about", he wrote.
There's plenty more in there. Jaffe also posted a video on the subject, which you can see below. Give us your thoughts in the forum.
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David Jaffe
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