tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post242660629663396399..comments2023-05-27T11:14:02.426-04:00Comments on Some Space to Think: When Boring is FunAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-60087805307015886702010-03-25T21:39:18.002-04:002010-03-25T21:39:18.002-04:00I think this is a problem of analogy: similar is n...I think this is a problem of analogy: similar is not the same. Other media handle this differently from games and from each other, and games shouldn't be looking to mirror another medium exactly. I'm not sure that it should be trying to portray boring, either, for the same reasons other media tend to shorthand it. Computer games are a bit of an exception here, since the actual act itself can be fun, and there's usually a reward cycle of some sort, even at the micro level. An RPG *could* do that, but I don't think it's a strength and certainly not a necessity.Matthew D. Gandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10385705569087231697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-2967354955714679172010-03-22T17:57:10.207-04:002010-03-22T17:57:10.207-04:00When it comes to games, boring isn't fun for m...When it comes to games, boring isn't fun for me. I'd rather abstract it, somehow. A die roll at the beginning of every session, representing progress made on down-time. A montage focusing on the few exciting bits.<br /><br />If I want to experience a long period of little gain cumulating in success, I have real life for that.Uncle Darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15153259977898899885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-60016211860398803782010-03-19T12:27:24.308-04:002010-03-19T12:27:24.308-04:00I always thought that traditional rpgs were much c...I always thought that traditional rpgs were much closer to theatre than storytelling (except perhaps the audience is in the mirror).<br /><br />But like computer rpgs, it also relies heavily on dopamine triggers for enjoyment (commonly referred to as the anticipation of success). Like rolling that 20 to kill the monster, or climbing that cliff. It is an immediate, rather than delayed,* fulfilment.<br /><br />Attempting to create this same feeling as fiction is impossible (especially if you are part way through the book). It is slightly easier in film and television, provided that you manage to get the audience to empathise closely with the protagonist.<br /><br />Which is why the good fiction based on game franchises consistently breaks the paradigm of the game rules. You can only game the storyline presented in the book by fudging the game.<br /><br />[Of course, with the bad fiction, the common complaint is that you can hear the dice clattering in the background. The <i>Battletech</i> franchise has copious examples of both types of authors.] <br /><br />And why should you really expect the reverse transformation to be true. The elements of good authorship don't necessarily** make for good gaming. In fact, strong plotting often occurs at a detriment to good game play (as the players become helpless to change their situation and are at the mercy of the storyline).<br /><br />As always, YMMV.<br /><br />[* A delayed fulfilment would be probably called an accomplishment, such as reaching the peak of the mountain. The immediate fulfilment is getting that grip in the crack that you need.]<br /><br />[** The exception probably being games that are complete in and of themselves. Such as convention one-shots (especially with predetermined characters performing a specific mission), or gamemasterless games such as <i>Fiasco</i>, <i>Polaris</i>, and <i>Gangaganganagangarok</i> (I never spell it right, so why bother trying), that have a definite end. To borrow Robert Carse's description: a finite game. Which, even given that they may be storytelling games where you take a role, are not really traditional role-playing games, which have more in common with being an infinite game (one where the objective is to continue playing)]Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-3047736032225248062010-03-19T10:29:08.762-04:002010-03-19T10:29:08.762-04:00Chuck keeps talking! More good stuff here.
@cam I...Chuck keeps talking! More good stuff <a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2010/03/19/once-upon-a-playtime-ii-revenge-of-the-gamestory/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />@cam I think Accomplishment is pretty broad. It includes endurance, but I don't think it's limited to it. Though that's probably the closest term in common use.<br /><br />-Rob D.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-84346064758360605942010-03-19T10:26:10.393-04:002010-03-19T10:26:10.393-04:00Isn't satisfaction out of endurance (or anythi...Isn't satisfaction out of endurance (or anything you strive toward through adversity) "accomplishment?"Cam_Bankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16162534181760938499noreply@blogger.com