Thinky stuff: Games don't necessarily have to equal fun

I've come across real-life situations where the thought that is the title of this post has rung true in my head. I didn't dare speak it out lest I were uttering blasphemous words, but a recent read of a favorite blog of mine confirmed my suspicions that I may be on to something.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, lo and behold, games don't actually have to be fun! But they could be still good for you.

*Gasp* you say.

Let me explain: you see, games have long been purely a medium of entertainment. Generations of teenagers and nerdy adults picking up their game controllers or putting fingers to keyboard and mouse to shoot, click, and explore their way through virtual worlds and stories as a means to unwind, and to escape the grimy reality of life.

Looking at its bigger cousin, film has come a long way to show grotesque and horrifyingly nauseating images in order to push us out of our comfort zones, and affect us in profound ways. We've accepted that film, literature, and music are allowed to do this.


But why not games? Why can't games be as impactful or thought-provoking? Why can't Australia allow entrails to slip out of some zombie's belly after we pump it full of lead? Or why can't we show scenes of a Holocaust in a World War 2 game?

Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little here to get across my point. There are already games out as it is, pushing the envelope of what us small-minded gamers can take. Pathologic explores humanity at its darkest and most horrifying. Armed Assault makes us sweat and think harder than we normally should in order to experience war at its most realistic. The Path is an exploration of our fears on the lost of innocence, and I can say that is in no way a fun game.

So what?

I know I'm pushing my own point of view more than be objective on this, but I sincerely believe that games should be appreciated by their power to show us more than enjoyment. We should be made to feel uncomfortable in our games too. Only in this way will games garner the same respect as other mediums, as a true art-form that encapsulates all that is life, even the bad stuff.

So, I am sad when I hear people put down Armed Assault or Braid because they think these games are not "fun" enough, or too "challenging", or too "serious", etc. And the ending of Braid is seriously worth the play-through.


If a game is hard, I do believe people should stick it out as best as they can in order to appreciate what it is trying to put across to you. You play an "un-fun" game because there is something to learn from it: be it an artistic flair, deep message, or even to metaphysically affect.

Of course, if you don't think that that's your cup of tea straight out, then you cannot say you appreciate games deeply. It just isn't done. People are too simple-minded if they think games are all about just shooting shit, jumping platforms, and clicking the next monster to death.

Games are more than that.

Peace.

---
And if you're interested in where I got the inspiration for this rant, see Quintin Smith's post on Pathologic on Rock Paper Shotgun.

This is his take on why games don't have to be fun, and he possibly explains it better than I did:

"A couple of years ago I had an argument with a friend, one of those differences of opinion that leaves you fuming and coming up with witty ripostes for days afterwards. I was saying that a good game doesn’t have to be fun. She was saying that was ridiculous.

My argument, though I botched my explanation at the time, is that games have incredible untapped potential in the field of negative emotions. Just as the lowest common denominator of any art form appeals to ‘positive’ emotions, whether it’s humour, arousal or excitement, so it is that our young games industry is obsessed with the idea of ‘fun’.

I think this is one of the core reasons that the games industry hasn’t had its Casablanca or Citizen Kane- we’re still in the era of musicals and slapstick comedy. No games developer’s going to try and make its audience feel sad, or lonely, or pathetic, at least not for long stretches. You might get games that dip their toes into that water from time to time, but by and large developers are keen to keep you smiling.

But that debate is just a big, ugly thorn bush that I’ve run through too many times already with nothing to show for it. The point is that Pathologic fearlessly wields desperation, brutality, hopelessness, exhaustion, cruelty, even ignorance and pain, and, if you can stomach it, the result is phenomenal."