Arcadia

Recently, it seems that I’ve been enjoying arcade-style games more so than console-only ones. In an arcade, the goal is to have a few minutes of fun and move one. Because a person won’t play a game again if it doesn’t have some redeeming quality, developers are forced to work out the mechanics and sort out what makes the game, “fun.” If they don’t, no one will play it, no arcade will want it, and they won’t make any money.

Maybe it’s my impatience, but I just want to get into a game and play. Cut-scenes can be interesting, but if I wanted to watch a movie, I’d put in a DVD. Ultimately, games are played to have fun. If it gets in the way or limits the ability to have fun, it shouldn’t be in there. I think arcade games are more focused and to-the-point for this reason. Too much fluff and a person just moves on.

I’ve been wondering about the existence of QTEs in games and whether it’s a good thing or not. Ultimately, a game is just a person pushing the right button at the right time. But is pushing “X” as soon as the screen flashes “X” really fun? People loved Simon, but it was more about remembering the order rather than just hitting things. Ultimately, I think QTEs are ways of getting the player to interact with the movie.

Console games tend to encompass the holistic gaming experience – movies, interaction, feeling a part of the whole game, rather than stripping it down to the bare essentials for five minutes of fun