I don’t play AAA games (and haven’t played an ND game since Jak 3) so I don’t have a horse in the Naughty Dog race, but Druckmann’s take on “fun” was a valid one. A work of art can be engaging and emotionally impactful even if it isn’t “fun”, and sometimes evaluating a game based on whether testers are, in their own opinion, “having fun” is counterproductive. Is Papers, Please fun? Is Kentucky Route Zero? Is To The Moon? Hell, what would a tester say if you asked them if they were having fun after spending an hour with Disco Elysium?
Either way, you can hate the game and its plot, but to call TLOU2 shovelware is genuinely deranged. When’s the last time you played an actual shovelware release?
but Druckmann’s take on “fun” was a valid one. A work of art can be engaging and emotionally impactful even if it isn’t “fun”,
Nah. The opposite of a fun game is a boring, frustrating, and uninteresting one. I’m glad you brought it up, because Papers please is a perfect example of a game that isn’t just neon colors and Mario kart style light hearted action, but is absolutely still a fun game. The gameplay is satisfying, flows well, and does a good job at integrating into what the game is trying to convey.
And to that end, naughty dog absolutely nailed making sure their games aren’t fun. I’m solidly with Reggie on this one. “If it’s not fun, why bother”
I don’t play AAA games (and haven’t played an ND game since Jak 3) so I don’t have a horse in the Naughty Dog race, but Druckmann’s take on “fun” was a valid one. A work of art can be engaging and emotionally impactful even if it isn’t “fun”, and sometimes evaluating a game based on whether testers are, in their own opinion, “having fun” is counterproductive. Is Papers, Please fun? Is Kentucky Route Zero? Is To The Moon? Hell, what would a tester say if you asked them if they were having fun after spending an hour with Disco Elysium?
Either way, you can hate the game and its plot, but to call TLOU2 shovelware is genuinely deranged. When’s the last time you played an actual shovelware release?
Nah. The opposite of a fun game is a boring, frustrating, and uninteresting one. I’m glad you brought it up, because Papers please is a perfect example of a game that isn’t just neon colors and Mario kart style light hearted action, but is absolutely still a fun game. The gameplay is satisfying, flows well, and does a good job at integrating into what the game is trying to convey.
And to that end, naughty dog absolutely nailed making sure their games aren’t fun. I’m solidly with Reggie on this one. “If it’s not fun, why bother”