Well, it's taken some time but it appears that somewhere in the mainstream media, people are waking up to the power of videogames as a major cultural force.
The august former New York Times editor and current New Yorker magazine contributor, Chris Suellentrop has been playing some Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and has the following to say:
"Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are often quiet games, and they are often slow. They are not filled with the Skinnerian rewards—whether coins or points or dead bodies—that lead some people to describe games as “addictive.”
"I was drawn to these games, and I was seduced by them. But they never felt like compulsions. And not a minute of the time I spent inside them was wasted. They did not leave me feeling empty, because they are not empty. Back in 2005, a certain film critic wrote that the point of art is to “make ourselves more cultured, civilized, and empathetic.” Playing Ueda’s games has precisely these effects."
Full thing is here.
The august former New York Times editor and current New Yorker magazine contributor, Chris Suellentrop has been playing some Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and has the following to say:
"Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are often quiet games, and they are often slow. They are not filled with the Skinnerian rewards—whether coins or points or dead bodies—that lead some people to describe games as “addictive.”
"I was drawn to these games, and I was seduced by them. But they never felt like compulsions. And not a minute of the time I spent inside them was wasted. They did not leave me feeling empty, because they are not empty. Back in 2005, a certain film critic wrote that the point of art is to “make ourselves more cultured, civilized, and empathetic.” Playing Ueda’s games has precisely these effects."
Full thing is here.
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