Why? I don't get it. Darkness, depression, and blackness in general has become an iconic gaming genre onto its own recently. Is it fun to be bad? Of course. Is it fun to be good? Honestly, yes. So why the focus on "evil" games? And does being bad necessarily mean being a VIP at Hot Topic? Hell no!
I think a great contrast can be seen between two recent blockbuster games; "The Darkness" and "Overlord".
I think a great contrast can be seen between two recent blockbuster games; "The Darkness" and "Overlord".
Both games focus around evil and dark issues. The intention of "The Darkness" is to be a very serious game that focuses on the realm of the underworld while "Overlord" is more a comical take on the day-to-day of a demonic being. Even so, both fall into the category of "evil" games. And I'm just curious as to why that is. Why do people think it's necessary to build "evil" games when 70% of the people who played Fable chose to be good instead of evil? Why is it so hip to be the destroyer of things instead of a creator of things? Is it simply that it's easier to program a building to collapse instead of causing one to be constructed? Or is it that we as consumers have some sort of itchy trigger finger to be badasses? To be the very bad man who ends up doing slightly good things through his devilish acts? Is chivalry not just a thing of the past but something that is seen in such a negative light that it can't even appear in works of fiction?
Nintendo always talks about their games not having to be serious or contain any depth because they're just fun to play. You're not a knight saving a princess from an evil dragon or a gansta ridin' in his benzo going to cap some flagrants in the undercity. It's just all silly. It's all games and no real meat. They just completely ignore the good vs. bad factor of gaming. It's simply not an issue. You might play as a plumber trying to save a princess but you're not fighting hordes of orcs with your +2 plunger, you're loading yourself into cannons and blasting yourself midair to headbutt a mushroom, star, or other odd iconic symbol. That's fine and dandy but I like the good vs. evil games.
I like being able to choose in games. Not just because it allows the game replayability or because I know that I could easily save the game and go balls to the wall crazy for a bit... but because when I make an honest hero, a pinnacle of justice and truth, it was because I was able to withstand all the temptations the game could throw at me. And with games like Fable, that might not be so difficult given how clearcut the choices were. However, in games like Oblivion, where there is no "good vs. bad" slider bar but just grayed responses to your every action, it really makes a difference if you're the brave knight who was able to withstand temptation.
As I look through the EBGames line-up for upcoming games, it's really hard to find a title that doesn't exploit debauchery in one way or another. If you can't steal it, kill it, or sex it... you're probably stuck with the latest Naruto title. And what could be worse than that? Pretty much nothing. It's fun to be bad but most of us would rather be good if we could. It's a shame most of the titles today are set on vengenceful and gothic backgrounds.
Nintendo always talks about their games not having to be serious or contain any depth because they're just fun to play. You're not a knight saving a princess from an evil dragon or a gansta ridin' in his benzo going to cap some flagrants in the undercity. It's just all silly. It's all games and no real meat. They just completely ignore the good vs. bad factor of gaming. It's simply not an issue. You might play as a plumber trying to save a princess but you're not fighting hordes of orcs with your +2 plunger, you're loading yourself into cannons and blasting yourself midair to headbutt a mushroom, star, or other odd iconic symbol. That's fine and dandy but I like the good vs. evil games.
I like being able to choose in games. Not just because it allows the game replayability or because I know that I could easily save the game and go balls to the wall crazy for a bit... but because when I make an honest hero, a pinnacle of justice and truth, it was because I was able to withstand all the temptations the game could throw at me. And with games like Fable, that might not be so difficult given how clearcut the choices were. However, in games like Oblivion, where there is no "good vs. bad" slider bar but just grayed responses to your every action, it really makes a difference if you're the brave knight who was able to withstand temptation.
As I look through the EBGames line-up for upcoming games, it's really hard to find a title that doesn't exploit debauchery in one way or another. If you can't steal it, kill it, or sex it... you're probably stuck with the latest Naruto title. And what could be worse than that? Pretty much nothing. It's fun to be bad but most of us would rather be good if we could. It's a shame most of the titles today are set on vengenceful and gothic backgrounds.
