At its most absurdly ambitious, Double Jump aims to change the way people think about videogames.
Like movies before them, games are in a transition phase, especially lately. Technology has made it possible to express a lot more than before. I know that the vast majority of games can't really be considered "art", whatever that even means. But there are some.
Shadow of the Colossus completely changed the way I look at games. I was so affected by that game that I was trembling during the last portion of it. I've never had a movie or TV show do that to me. SotC is a perfect example of how games are different than anything else.
This is the minority, I absolutely understand this.
David Wong's article brings up a really good argument, that gamers are partly to blame for the state of gaming today. As gamers, we have a lot of built-in expectations for games, and get upset when a game doesn't conform to them. We have to get rid of, or change, our expectations if we want gaming to move forward. That's what I want Double Jump to do, on however small a scale as it could.
I love videogames, and not just because they're fun. Shadow of the Colossus gave me a glimpse of what the future of games could be, and it single-handedly brought me back into gaming after a years-long hiatus. I'm really serious about this, as you can tell. If you haven't played this game, if they rerelease it for PS3, that would be a perfect chance to experience it. I could write a book on why I love that game.
Double Jump is a fun show to make (hopefully that makes it fun to watch). But I take gaming as a medium very seriously and I really want to use the show to explore gaming in a way most other shows don't. This blog is a chance for the discussion to expand beyond the show. I hope a lot of people watch the show and relate to its mission, then come to the blog to contribute to the conversation. With how I look at games, I can't be alone.
Shadow of the Colossus impacted me too. I felt like I was part of the game and was amazed by its realism. There have only been a few titles thus far that I rave about and would actually go as far as buying it for someone so they get the experience. I love the mission of the show...as a fellow gamer, Game Informer magazine junkie, one who can't let go of this wonderful gift of appreciating video games for what they are from the start of them till now, and having a collection of video games of at least 200 with the mission to beat the all...great show my friend.
ReplyDeleteShadow of the Colossus might be responsible, indirectly of course, for me having this show.
ReplyDeleteI'm super excited that you enjoyed the show. The second episode will debut this monday and I think it's much better than the first. It's also a full length episode. Stay tuned.