Strange Tomato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strangetomato) wrote2009-07-11 05:14 pm
strangetomato) wrote2009-07-11 05:14 pm
And Now For Something Completely Different: The Marriage
Since I've started using Mr. Humble the NPC as a character in my story, I became more curious about the real Rod Humble. It didn't take me long to stumble across some reference to his own game, The Marriage. It's a bit of an experiment in using the videogame as a medium for conceptual art. It's something I was really interested in a while back (videogames can be more than just entertainment, I figured, since I was in art school at the time), and I was pretty curious to see how Mr. Humble handled this "artgame" (nice term, that).
As suspected, as art increases, fun goes down. :P It's conceptual art, no doubt about it. At best, it'll start a conversation, but it's probably more likely to make you want to punch things. But don't take my word for it (or my SO's words, which declared, "This game sucks"). Please, go here and download The Marriage. Play it and tell me what you think.
As suspected, as art increases, fun goes down. :P It's conceptual art, no doubt about it. At best, it'll start a conversation, but it's probably more likely to make you want to punch things. But don't take my word for it (or my SO's words, which declared, "This game sucks"). Please, go here and download The Marriage. Play it and tell me what you think.
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I dunno. I think where Humble went wrong is here: "As such its certainly meant to be enjoyable but not entertaining--" which, no. Bad. Fail. Et cetera, etc. Games are entertainment, first and foremost.
I definitely agree that games can be MORE than entertainment, with a message and meaning, but the key word, "entertain," is still there. The best example I can think of off the top of my head is a game that was released in 1999, "Planescape Torment." It's a heavily story-driven RPG largely based around the concept of exploring the question "What is the nature of a man?" From all that I've read, and experienced myself while playing (but haven't finished-it's a long ass game, and I have no time D:), it's a game that makes players think. It's a video game, but it can be more than that.
It's also fun.
Mostly, I feel like meaningful games can't lose sight of the fact that they are still games and there is nothing wrong with that. Games are the sort of entertainment that can be artistic and meaningful, but it kinda seems like Humble got too caught up in the ~art~ and ~meaning~ that he forgot about the ~game~.
If any of that makes sense. :')
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*ahem*
*points at title*
That's why it's called The Marriage. :P
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I especially disagree with the concept that as one grows, the other suffers. If I were to make the same "artgame" it would involve the two squares, blue and pink, slowly becoming more purple and more alike overall, and slowly becoming more and more joined, until they're one single blob.
But, well, what do I know? :P
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Heehee, well that's good to hear. ;p
From what he wrote, it seems what Humble was trying to get at wasn't so much that one person in a relationship suffers as the other grows, but that men and women have different needs in a marriage that need to be kept in balance. Which, frankly, doesn't seem much better and I'd be curious to know Mr. Humble's thoughts on what those different needs are. It doesn't help that the blue square shrinks while the pink one grows when they "kiss." So...what, the male is hurt by affection with his loved one while the female needs it? What?
Or maybe I'm over thinking things and looking for a reason to be offended. :/
I like your idea much better. P:
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But don't you know that MASCULINE and FEMININE are TOTAL OPPOSITES? It's a constant battle! One wants to watch football and drink beer while the other wants him to help her hang up the new curtains. And if he does he'll be a little less manly. It's just how it works!
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