Passage and Esther

When playing passage I had the realization that games without amazing graphics have to have more meaning. Due to the lack of visual eye candy the content needs to compensate. Although Call of Duty Black Ops looks pretty, there isn't much to the gameplay. It follows a very linear structure without much freedom for the player to explore. Even in "Passage" although walking to the right like a typical sidescroller is an option, there is plenty of depth and means of exploring the rest of the 8-bit world. It certainly offers a lot for such a tiny sized game with a 5 min limit. I believe it offers more in those 5 min then an hour of mindless shooting in COD. Esther certainly made me rethink my idea of what a video game really is. When you think about it technically it is a video game because you have full control over the character and the story changes depending on the way you play. In my opinion although no crazy actions have happened in our time playing it, we told our own version of its story through our experience through the game. That experience can be very different from the one that I might have had by myself without the guidance of Kyle and the rest of the class. My style of play through this "interactive narrative" would be very different than that of anyone else's in the class I would imagine. Now with Graveyard I was very confused. I find the idea of watching a creepy-looking old person walk to a bench to die among a very straight path within a graveyard, not exactly a game; however, I recognize how it can be considered one. Within the typical definition of a game, it does fit the description, albeit not my most favorite type of game. I personally like a game with more depth in immersion of the virtual world. Although the visuals are striking in the game, there isn't much room for exploration, nor would I want to at the snail's pace that is the walking speed of the elderly woman. Overall these games have certainly showed me a different perspective on gaming and what constitutes a game space.