Games to change the public view of video games.

[Erana]

Everyone at the Escapist is firmiliar with how video games are viewed by the lay man; Violent, childish, and yet not very child-friendly. My question is what games would best serve as an introduction to the beauty of virtual interaction to people who bash this art form?

At the top of my list is The Endless Forest. TEF is beautiful, artistic, and n00b-proof. Tale of Tales is associated with museums and schools who work to create more content for the game. The indie company is all about making artistic games, and is free.

Another game, or rather a series, that brings people around the console is anything related to Mario. Family-friendly and...
Wait, why am I explaining Mario on a gaming site?

Casual games are here, it seems, to stay. Although they are the fast food of the video game industry, they might encourage people to try fine cuts of virtual beef later on.

Spore seems very promising, as well.

What do you think?

 

[SargentToughie]

PSYCHONAUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[meatloaf231]

I don't know about Spore. It is definitely not the average kill-everything-that-moves game, and it has some really great ambitions for gaming in general, but there is a problem. I already know that there will be a religious outcry.

 

[Zombie_King]

PSYCHONAUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/slap

Um.....I don't have the fondest idea. How about Pokemon? Yeaaahs.
Everyone knows what 'Pokemon' is. From adults to children, it's a very recognizable name. It may not have changed the public outlook on games, though...

 

[TheIceface]

I really don't agree with all this "pander to the whiney people" movement thats going on. If people want to complain that video games are too violent, don't play them.

If someone is uninterested in gaming, their loss, I don't think companies should have to try to make games for an audience that doesn't want to play them. I know casual games make butt-loads of money, but trying to specifically design games to get non-gamers hooked just ends up with a bunch of boring and unchallenging video games.

My parents both love the Sim games, my mother plays "The Sims" and my father plays "Sim City" and "Sim City 2000". I don't mind slower games like that, however, because they manage to stay interesting to the people who are going to continue to support the gaming industry as well as "boring people".

 

[SargentToughie]

PSYCHONAUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/slap

Um.....I don't have the fondest idea. How about Pokemon? Yeaaahs.
Everyone knows what 'Pokemon' is. From adults to children, it's a very recognizable name. It may not have changed the public outlook on games, though...

.../Doubleslap

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

This is probably going to offend a lot of people but Super Columbine Massacre RPG always impressed me because you really become horrified at all the violence and destruction. By using their actual journals and video recordings...it does something neither a documentary nor a book could ever do. It makes you see their side of the story and truly reject it, not just because someone tells you to but because you experience firsthand what a load of crap all their ideas and views really are.

I realize this isn't going to do much in terms of getting your Mom to like video games...but the power of having a moral lesson taught firsthand if used for different applications could be staggering.

 

[the monopoly guy]

Um.....I don't have the fondest idea. How about Pokemon? Yeaaahs.
Everyone knows what 'Pokemon' is. From adults to children, it's a very recognizable name. It may not have changed the public outlook on games, though...

/headbut

how about a game based on a reality TV series! yea! American Idol, and Deadliest Catch and Big Brother! These games would appeal to the laymen!

The sad thing 2 of those games are real...

 

[Archaeology Hat]

At the top of my list is The Endless Forest. TEF is beautiful, artistic, and n00b-proof. Tale of Tales is ]associated with museums and schools who work to create more content for the game. The indie company is all about making artistic games, and is free

What do you think?

Well... I thing TEF is deeply creepy and deserves every single one of the "points" Something Awful gave it...

Other than that, Spore will make me happy.

 

[ChaosDragon]

Most of gaming culture seems to be "underground" compared to other forms of entertainment; and I think a lot of gamers prefer it that way. You can immediately spot another gamer in conversation (I know I can); and trying to make gaming more mainstream than it already is seems to flood the market with terrible games by developers wanting a quick buck.

Games aren't just a medium of sorts, it's a very distinctive culture that requires its individuality; and trying to make it more appealing to everyone will probably destroy what precious little good titles we have left.

 

[aRealGuitarHero707]

Most of gaming culture seems to be "underground" compared to other forms of entertainment; and I think a lot of gamers prefer it that way. You can immediately spot another gamer in conversation (I know I can); and trying to make gaming more mainstream than it already is seems to flood the market with terrible games by developers wanting a quick buck.

Games aren't just a medium of sorts, it's a very distinctive culture that requires its individuality; and trying to make it more appealing to everyone will probably destroy what precious little good titles we have left.

i fully agree while i'm sure all of us would like to see great games appreciated for the works of art that they are by the mainstream population
if games where to go mainstream it would kill some of the joy that these games bring
if anyone has ever stomached a watch of some red-carpet coverage that Hollywood loves to do for just about everything
imagin a coverage of your favorate game in a format like that

 

[L4Y Duke]

Na na, na na na na na na na na katamari damacy

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

PSYCHONAUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...jumping on the Psychonauts bandwagon much? Though it's still great, I say Grim Fandango is a much better bet to convince the general public of gaming's worth. An art-style to die for, killer story and much more humour than Psychonauts. I played it again recently (hence the avatar change) and was astonished at how good it was. Again.

 

[Nargleblarg]

Ya Grim Fandago was a great game and a art form in itself with the theme of death and pretty funny.

But I also think think Nintendo has been different as a not kill everything that moves games (which are still good don't get me wrong) but I feel that they show what else games can be to the public.

 

[babyblues]

At the top of my list is The Endless Forest. TEF is beautiful, artistic, and n00b-proof. Tale of Tales is associated with museums and schools who work to create more content for the game. The indie company is all about making artistic games, and is free.

TEF is NOT n00b-proof. Something Awful trolled them pretty badly. Also, the world by and large is freaked out by furries and deer with human faces, so I don't think it'd help the image of gaming any.

BTW if you want to see the link, it's right here: http://www.somethingawful.com/d/mmo-roulette/endlessforest.php

 

[rosiethorn]

Okami- it's so pretty, and playing it on the Wii is just about perfect. Spore too, and ditto on anything Sim.

I think it's more of a challenge with console games, since you have to convince people to buy both the game and the box. Many people already have a PC. So are PC games are the gateway marijuana to console crack?

 

[TheIceface]

PSYCHONAUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...jumping on the Psychonauts bandwagon much? Though it's still great, I say Grim Fandango is a much better bet to convince the general public of gaming's worth. An art-style to die for, killer story and much more humour than Psychonauts. I played it again recently (hence the avatar change) and was astonished at how good it was. Again.

I haven't played Grim Fandago yet, I actually have the game, but it won't run well on this computer, so I have to wait till I get back to the US to try it out. As for Psychonauts, I don't really see what the big deal is, yes it was underratted, but it really wasn't that great a game. I played it, and it was pretty boring, albeit trippy. Plus the fact that they named the character after Rasputin kinda annoyed me for some reason.

 

[Silver]

I'd say Spore is probably going to be really good for that, I'm afraid it's a little bit too complicated to really draw people in, but it shows another face to gaming. My father absolutely fell in love with the creature generator, he couldn't stop laughing.

Released games though, I would say within a deep forest. It's a completely adorable game, and almost completely non-violent. The only things that die are balls, that respawn. They do have eyes and look very cute, but still. They are balls... Balls you very much sympathise with, especially the glass one... But inanimate objects and all that, except they're not inanimate. Aww! Poor ball!

Hrm... Right... I know there are a number of games I've played, recently even, that would fit this cathegory perfectly, and I have the names on the tip of my tounge, I just can't place them. It's infuriating. Ah, well. Post 'em when I remember 'em.

 

[haruvister]

The problem with convincing people of the artistry of video games is that few artistically conceptual games sell. Not sure how well Okami is doing on the Wii, but it didn't do much on PS2. And we all love ICO and Shadow of the Collossus, but mention those titles to a member of the general public and they'll look back at you blankly. The thing is there ARE artistically credible and very intelligent games which defy the assumption that video games are not a artform and sell plenty of units - Mario Galaxy, BioShock, Mass Effect, et al - but the casual observer will assume those games are nothing more than a simple kiddie platformer, a mindless shooter, and a self-contained adventure for Star Trek aficionados respectively.

I realise I'm not offering anything constructive here, but I have to go to work now!