Art Convergence

I've mentioned in previous blogs very briefly that video games are comprised of nearly every form of entertainment media carefully mashed together into an interactive experience all its own. I wanted to take a moment and really look at just how daunting a task this has turned game making into.

Creating any form of entertainment media with the intent of making money off of it is no easy feat. You have to take into consideration what people like and then create something to show them their entire life has been a hollow mess without (Insert Media Title Here). Point being, you've got to drop some jaws with whatever you do otherwise you've essentially been wasting your own time and everyone else's.

When drafting up the next big thing in any media industry it requires the attention of extremely talented individuals to write, produce, edit, film, tweak, etc. So what happens when a new video game is born? You get to go find talented people for every form of media.

I think this is why management for video game projects can be so difficult at times, you're effectively managing a vastly diverse set of very talented individuals, all fully fit with their own style and ideas. Then you have to get them all to conform to one specific type of art in their respective fields. If you had a game that didn't intentionally feature 63 different art styles you'd have a visual mess that would detract from the continuity in other fields.

Despite my perception of this making game design a managerial nightmare I also think this is the most intriguing part of video games. You capture so many different things in any video game experience. Games are some of the most emotionally provocative forms of media out there simply because it hits you on so many levels. You can listen to a sad song play in an emotional climax of a dramatic movie and be moved to tears but what happens when you're viewing an emotional climax of something you've not only been directly involve in but also retains those same visual and auditory elements?

The result is a powerful mix, not only is the player drawn in by the audio and visual elements but they've also invested time into vicariously living out the story of these characters. This often results in a deep attachment to the characters that they players have been playing. It's always sad to see characters I know and love end up dead. Zack Fair's death in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is one that always gets me. It paves the way for the events of FFVII to happen and due to Crisis Core's nature as a prequel, Zack's ultimate fate is something already known by the players. You're essentially walking through the story knowing full well that this character you're playing does not make it out alive. It's quite a powerful story telling device.

I love games, I love how they bring creative media together and give us truly interactive story experiences that, for me, transcend all other current forms of expressive media.