Monday 7 December 2009

PC Gaming can cock off


I know immediately what you're thinking: Robert Wade is one of the game guys for Emotionally Fourteen. He seems to eat, sleep and breathe gaming. What can he possibly mean by "PC Gaming can cock off?" Is he actually saying that he doesn't like games after all? The answer is simple: Of course not, simpleton! Incidentally, I don't eat, sleep and breathe gaming, otherwise I'd be dead. Stupid phrase, really.

However, there are certain trends within the gaming industry that are beginning to bug me that I thought I'd share with you. Today's lecture focuses squarely on the PC gaming scene. Now, despite video games being worth record amounts in terms of global revenue, certain trends seem to be creeping into popular video gaming culture that seem intent on devalueing the artistic merit of video gaming as an entertainment media. Incidentally, anyone who questions the validity of video games as an entertainment media should play a game like Bioshock, and we'll talk later. In the meantime, the first of my little gripes.

"Hidden object" adventure games

Now, I've always loved my adventure games. I downloaded The Secret of Monkey Island at the first opportunity available when it became available as a special edition, simply because I'd played the entire series of four to death. Now, admittedly, I've fallen out of step with the series, as there are now downloadable episodes for that series, but it's safe to say that the old "point-and-click" adventure games have been a staple part of my gaming history, and that they've always been a particular favourite of mine.

With that in mind, I was happy to see a large number of adventure games return to the PC shelves at my local GAME store (although the PC games shelves are becoming ever smaller), though I was confused as to why they seemed to often be relegated to the budget ranges of 3 for £10. That is to say, until I played one.

I've played one myself, one of the Mystery Case Files series. I was put in as a detective, and told that I'd be solving crimes in order to move up the ladder. "Great", I thought to myself. I was anticipating some classic adventure gaming, and received none of what I expected whatsoever.



The screen you see in front of you is a very simple idea of what to expect from this game. Incidentally, that is ALL you can expect from a hidden object adventure game. A screen on which a standard picture is displayed, with a large selection of objects overlaid on the picture. But wait, here comes the twist! You're looking for specific objects within that picture, hidden among the mass of innocuous objects.

Essentially, what you're paying for is a "Spot the difference" puzzle, only there's no difference.

Imagine my horror, therefore, at playing this game. Instead of the Police Quest style of game I was expecting, where you would be maybe solving one crime to find that there was a much larger plot and much more at stake than simply one crime, instead I was made to click through three screens of this bilge in order to gain puzzle pieces.

What were the puzzle pieces for, you ask? To assemble a crime scene photo of the perpretrator IN THE PROCESS OF COMMITTING THE CRIME! Surely, one of the questions you have to ask yourself is: Why did they need a detective at all? All they really needed was a Boots' photo booth and something to do for an hour while they waited for the photos to develop.

See, the problem I have with these games is not simply about their existence. I've played plenty of casual games in my time, I even own a few. There's plenty of appeal to them if you like that sort of thing, and anything that bulks up the library of video games, and thus the audience that enjoys them will only serve to accelerate the growth of the industry. The problem I have with them is that people who play these games WITHOUT playing the original style of adventure games will never know how much they're missing out on.

What's more puzzling (see what I did there?) is simply the number of games available in the "Hidden object" genre. A quick browse of the casual gaming website Gamehouse brings up over ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY results for the game. Surely you would think that there wasn't that much that could be done to vary the genre sufficiently to make the games remarkably different. Well, bearing in mind that a large selection of those are Mystery Case Files series games, I'd say you were right.

So I urge those of you out there now: If you play, or know someone who plays, these "hidden object" games, set them up with a the knowledge that there is plenty of choice out there. The Sherlock Holmes series, a game known as Still Life, the downloadable Sam and Max and Tales of Monkey Island series among others. Indicate these things, and help them to see that there is more to adventure games than these games. There you have it.

"Hidden object" adventure games: "Point-and-click" without the point.



1 comment:

  1. I have to concur. The quality of video games is only going down as the quantity increases.

    For fans of old-school adventure games (as opposed to "Where's Wally?" hidden object games, I have to recommend the freely downloadable "Five Days A Stranger" - http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/5days/

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