Originality. (Totally not about Twilight)

[Dags90]

Why do some people put such emphasis on originality. I swear, the word "original" in all its forms comes up in no less than half the threads about entertainment. I'm not saying I don't enjoy things which are original, but I don't think originality is something inherently good. Nor do I think being unoriginal is inherently bad, or that works based off of or similar to previous works are immediately "less than".

There are certain things I can enjoy over and over again, like chicken salad. It's nothing new to me; the flavors aren't complex and the formula is fairly rigid, but it's enjoyable if it's made with thought and care. You can change the amount of chicken or other ingredients and it's still more or less the same. Every now and then someone uses a different binder, I was wonderfully surprised when I had some chicken salad made with Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise. It added a nice bit of tang and really gave me a new outlook on what chicken salad could be. It wasn't original, and it still had all the basics: chicken meets carrots, celery intervenes and in the end they all wind up on bread. So is chicken salad.

Do people just want an excuse to put on the Rose Tinted Glasses or is "I didn't like the execution" not catty enough or something?

 

[Swarley]

I'm more intrigued that you have 346 posts yet no avatar, but anyway

OT: I agree with you, originality isn't all its cracked up to be, and most of the biggest successes that are praised universally are rarely original. Most things in media these days are borrowing from something.

 

[Good morning blues]

Originality isn't essential, but unless your innovation is stupid I don't see why it isn't an asset.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I don't really crave originality, I just want more fresh games to provide me with a fresh gaming experience.

Rarely does this happen however, as it is very daring to make a "new" and "fresh" IP. Mostly because it's not guaranteed to sell.

Take one of the most critically acclaimed TV-series ever: Firefly. Great show, fresh concept, poor ratings, cancelled.

Now while a tv-show isn't the same as a videogame, the premise is the same: New hardly sells.

The last months I've been finding myself drawn to games that I find feel very fresh and unique: Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, BlazBlue and Mount & Blade have been taking up much more of my time than Dragon Age: Origins or Bioshock 2, both of these games which are in my possession.

So while I do think saying that a game lacks originality is a bit redundant, since originality is like a dog that speaks Norwegian (Come my lovelies and solve my reference!), but I understand what they actually mean when they say that. They don't mean that they want something original. They want it to feel original.

 

[arsenicCatnip]

So while I do think saying that a game lacks originality is a bit redundant, since originality is like a dog that speaks Norwegian (Come my lovelies and solve my reference!), but I understand what they actually mean when they say that. They don't mean that they want something original. They want it to feel original.

I agree with this. Originality isn't overrated in my opinion, but known properties are what make the big money. Once something is known and recognized, you can innovate or expand on it, but it'll sell better if the public recognizes SOMETHING about it.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

I think something like Left 4 Dead 2 is a good example of this. It's a sequel to a game that took it's atmosphere, simple plot, and basic character outlines from a movie that already existed. It became very successful not due to originality but because of it's production. Valve made a game that was fun to play regardless of where the ideas came from.

Now that said, rehashing old ideas half-assedly is no good. New things are often nice as well.

 

[Frybird]

People don't really want originality, unless it's hyped enough.
That is why the next Call of Duty has a Release Date and the next Beyond Good and Evil doesn't.
And Beyond Good and Evil wasn't even THAT original, wich i take as further proof.


That said, i personally don't really care about originality as much as i care about keeping things fresh.
For example, Dead Space may not be much different from Resident Evil 4, but it being a new IP with a new Setting and Story makes it so much more interesting. Even if new IPs don't really do things that much differently than other games, they are still more exciting than the third or fifth sequel of an established franchise.
As for real originality, i'm still mad at you guys for bitching at Mirrors Edge, effectively preventing the continuation and inprovement of one of the most original titles in years.
So it wasn't perfect, great, what did you expect? I was and still am sold on the POTENTIAL!

 

[Fbuh]

I'm more intrigued that you have 346 posts yet no avatar

That in itself could be original.

 

[Folio]

Eating the same salad without any new or different things will bore you eventually. You can't always add 'dressing' to games. Eventually it will be a 'chicken, tomato, paprika, union, shoe, whale, Plutonium salad' so it gets too much. (and maybe a bit funny in taste)

Yes, we want things that we recognise, if we don't know what it is, we get frustrated.
Yes, we want the same good experience with the sequel we get. We know in advance that it's got to be good.

But sometimes game companies just want to 'make a succesfull shooter' just because they don't think further than that.

Now I crave for originality to an unhealthy level. I refuse to hear: "Everything is already done before." because that's just giving up on the new things. You don't know what has been done before because you didn't think of it.
Sadly, you can think that a wheel is like a rock, a rock is like a mountain, a mountain is like a volcano and a volcano is just Mother Earth's zit...

But the feeling of something new is always able to amaze us somehow. It gives us more reason to explore, more reason to try.

Some will just stick with games made by the formula because they can stand it (or learn patterns slowly).
Others just want new experiences every time, so they crave new things.

 

[TKB]

I believe a lot of grief comes from what i expiriance in a lot of books that i read. When a character is introduced, if after about five pages in i can accurately predict their fate then the impact of it happening is lessened to the extent of not having one sometimes. If I know what is going to happen 1-5 pages in advance it ruins the whole feel of the book. That's why i love books like the Gaunt's Ghosts series and The Night Angel trilogy because things happen near consistantly that I don't see coming and have no logical objections with it happening (though i do often have an emotional one).

So in short, I believe that the want for originality is lots of times the want to not be able to predict what is going to happen and yet still have a good story.

 

[Tallim]

I don't really crave originality, I just want more fresh games to provide me with a fresh gaming experience.

Rarely does this happen however, as it is very daring to make a "new" and "fresh" IP. Mostly because it's not guaranteed to sell.

Take one of the most critically acclaimed TV-series ever: Firefly. Great show, fresh concept, poor ratings, cancelled.

Now while a tv-show isn't the same as a videogame, the premise is the same: New hardly sells.

The last months I've been finding myself drawn to games that I find feel very fresh and unique: Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, BlazBlue and Mount & Blade have been taking up much more of my time than Dragon Age: Origins or Bioshock 2, both of these games which are in my possession.

So while I do think saying that a game lacks originality is a bit redundant, since originality is like a dog that speaks Norwegian (Come my lovelies and solve my reference!), but I understand what they actually mean when they say that. They don't mean that they want something original. They want it to feel original.

Most of this is how I feel, though it is as much the consumers fault that we rarely get new IPs simply because they don't sell well due to being an unknown quantity.


The reference is from Black Adder, the Dictionary episode

 

[iLikeHippos]

Originality is one of the spices that keeps us moving forward with innovative ideas.
... Okay, that is not true in theory, I admit. People are too damn lazy to make new ideas and/or alternatives these days, at the exception of power sources.


As for myself, I think it's outright impossible to be 100% original in the basics of things.
But you can add details to it, making it original and special from other creations; showing what they don't have with an obvious shine.

I assume that can go for all things possible when it comes to being imaginative and productive.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

In my humble opinion, a review (particularily of games) that has as it's thesis "this is generic" is a hack review. Unless the thing is literally shovelware, it should be reviewed in it's own merits. Because if it has a different engine than another game, then the gameplay is going to be different.

Like all the people who said BFBC2 and MW2 are the same, if you've actually played them, they play quite differently, right down to the movement, with MW2 being more sluggish and BFBC2 being very quick. Also, if you say you like a game, why the hell are you bitching about another game the plays similarily? Don't you want more gameplay? Sometimes IGN pisses me off...

 

[Anomynous 167]

I'm more intrigued that you have 346 posts yet no avatar, but anyway

OT: I agree with you, originality isn't all its cracked up to be, and most of the biggest successes that are praised universally are rarely original. Most things in media these days are borrowing from something.

I have over 500 posts, and have been here for 2 years. Where is my praise?

 

[Swarley]

I have over 500 posts, and have been here for 2 years. Where is my praise?

Says you have 279.

Anyway, I wouldn't call it praise. I just find it odd when people with a fair amount of posts haven't grabbed an avatar, it's how I remember all these people.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

I believe a lot of grief comes from what i expiriance in a lot of books that i read. When a character is introduced, if after about five pages in i can accurately predict their fate then the impact of it happening is lessened to the extent of not having one sometimes. If I know what is going to happen 1-5 pages in advance it ruins the whole feel of the book. That's why i love books like the Gaunt's Ghosts series and The Night Angel trilogy because things happen near consistantly that I don't see coming and have no logical objections with it happening (though i do often have an emotional one).

So in short, I believe that the want for originality is lots of times the want to not be able to predict what is going to happen and yet still have a good story.

Hmm, you ever tried reading the Wheel of Time series? It's damn well executed and pretty original to boot.

 

[Anomynous 167]

I have over 500 posts, and have been here for 2 years. Where is my praise?

Says you have 279.

Anyway, I wouldn't call it praise. I just find it odd when people with a fair amount of posts haven't grabbed an avatar, it's how I remember all these people.

It's hard keeping track of my post count accross multiple forums, ok?

 

[SmartIdiot]

Originality is great when the creator has a genuinely interesting idea to bring to the table (though it's hard to come by, as we all know that all great artists, writers and musicians plageurise). However it seems at the moment many people are simply trying too hard to be original, to the point where their ideas come across as contrived pretentious bullshit. If people spent less time worrying about what others would be picking out of their work it wouldn't really be an issue.

 

[blankedboy]

I love all originality.
I love an original game if it's pulled off well.
There's a huge difference there. For instance, my discontinued (i'm lazy) book was, in my eyes and my friends' eyes, incredibly innovative, original, and awesome. But although I'm a good writer for my age, my skills are nowhere near enough to get published. When I look at my bios that I wrote I think "Holy shit, I came up with THAT?", then realise that it'll never be finished. :/

 

[Dags90]

I love all originality.

So if I were to make a video of three live birds being put into a blender, and being sliced to bits entirely in slow mo. you would love it? (At least, I think that's an original idea)