I've met probably... two people who can talk to each other and translate effectively. Oh, also Ellie and Joss in Contact, but they're fictional. ;)

Watched that again a few nights ago. :)

So did I. Lost my shit and cried when Ellie met her dad again on Vega. Tears down my face. So much going on.

The movie's opening crushes me. Love it.

(Not that the movie was bad - they did an excellent job of condensing a lot of material.)

I've met probably... two people who can talk to each other and translate effectively. Oh, also Ellie and Joss in Contact, but they're fictional. ;)

Watched that again a few nights ago. :)

So did I. Lost my shit and cried when Ellie met her dad again on Vega. Tears down my face. So much going on.

I've been scared of my parents choking on popcorn ever since seeing that movie in theaters as a kid... even though that's not even what happened.

I've met probably... two people who can talk to each other and translate effectively. Oh, also Ellie and Joss in Contact, but they're fictional. ;)

Watched that again a few nights ago. :)

So did I. Lost my shit and cried when Ellie met her dad again on Vega. Tears down my face. So much going on.

But bad at explaining social systems I mean... that's kinda crazy talk. That's the foundation of a huge swath of multiplayer games, from massive MMOs (EVE generally gets, highlighted here, but just about any MMO has some kind of major exploration of social system), experimental things like B.U.T.T.O.N. Board games, especially Euro game tend to get into this too.

I meant explanations in the narrative and thematic sense, not in terms of the systems that rise from the game mechanics.

I've met probably... two people who can talk to each other and translate effectively. Oh, also Ellie and Joss in Contact, but they're fictional. ;)

Watched that again a few nights ago. :)

So the point is that it's hard to have a polyamorous relationship? WOW, what an insightful statement right there. Not. If you go on to explore WHY, then you may be on

to something. I promise you it's not hard just because you can't share a bed.

Man, I just thought this was a fun little example of making a point procedurally. You seem to have taken it personally.

Which is the point, games are really good at defining and explaining systems, as it's what they are. Explaining the nuance of a system through words, or diagrams is hard, but a games do it really well.

Games are extremely bad at defining and explaining social systems and emotional complexity.

I mean the second... sure, that's something games struggle with.

But bad at explaining social systems I mean... that's kinda crazy talk. That's the foundation of a huge swath of multiplayer games, from massive MMOs (EVE generally gets, highlighted here, but just about any MMO has some kind of major exploration of social system), experimental things like B.U.T.T.O.N. Board games, especially Euro game tend to get into this too.

Like with your evolution quip, lots of uneducated folks think there is two sides to that debate. Yeah no.

I've found a lot of people just don't realize that they are speaking two different languages in those debates, one in science, another in myth, with neither side knowing how to translate the other.

A billion times this.

I used to be solidly in the myth camp, now I'm in the science camp. Both camps (in my mind) have made peace with each other, so it's interesting. Your quip, right there, is probably the most valuable thing I've learned to date.

I've met probably... two people who can talk to each other and translate effectively. Oh, also Ellie and Joss in Contact, but they're fictional. ;)

I don't think it is possible to have a good experience with that game.

One sunny day, I took the disk and played frisbee with my dog at the local park.

My dog died from mouth cancer, we got a freak thunder-hailstorm, and the park has since been replaced with a strip mall. So, you're probably right.

Gamers are trained to expect certain things from games, like explicit rules, goals, visual quality, and of course, agency. To put it frankly, gamers are set up to be colonial forces.

No more drugs for you.

Maybe somebody had a bad experience with Aliens: Colonial Marines? :p

Gamers are trained to expect certain things from games, like explicit rules, goals, visual quality, and of course, agency. To put it frankly, gamers are set up to be colonial forces.

No more drugs for you.

My main quibble with player-centric design is the fetishized iterative process

A lot of people who love this medium want to see it taken seriously as art. This is not how you go about making your case.

Like with your evolution quip, lots of uneducated folks think there is two sides to that debate. Yeah no.

I've found a lot of people just don't realize that they are speaking two different languages in those debates, one in science, another in myth, with neither side knowing how to translate the other.

Like with your evolution quip, lots of uneducated folks think there is two sides to that debate. Yeah no.

Not to mention the educated ones! :)

I actually consider myself to be incredibly open minded, and I continually challenge what I think. I have studied visual art in a philosophical context officially for 4 years, and unofficially ever since then. To me, my views on these arts are as certain as a biologist's view on evolution.

The first and last sentences don't go together. My advice is to keep studying.

Oh really? Any Biologist who came across a piece of evidence that offered an alternative to evolution would change his mind if it was sufficiently compelling. Just like I would change my mind if an argument were compelling enough.

However, as Hume says extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. And it would certainly take an extraordinary argument to counter the great thinkers who have written about visual arts and video games.

I actually consider myself to be incredibly open minded, and I continually challenge what I think. I have studied visual art in a philosophical context officially for 4 years, and unofficially ever since then. To me, my views on these arts are as certain as a biologist's view on evolution.

The first and last sentences don't go together. My advice is to keep studying.

Haha. I am so glad you said this.