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The Escapist - Playing it Properly

by Aries100, 2012-10-24 17:44:11

In an editorial at Ed Smith from The Escapist ponders over if seasoned video game players aren't playing the games incorrectly. Using Heavy Rain as an example, he tells the story of how his girlfriend plays Heavy Rain. Here's his thoughts on this:

I start to feel like she's playing it wrong. Not badly, you understand, just incorrectly. See, for all its lengthy dialogue and scripted action, Heavy Rain is pretty choice-heavy; you can talk to that guy, or this guy, or neither, and your decisions affect the game. My girlfriend's talking to all the wrong people. Take one of the early levels. As FBI agent Norman Jayden, she's meant to be rounding up evidence from a muddy crime scene. After about fifteen minutes of scanning for fibers and walking around, she's turned up nothing but cop DNA and dead cats. Another detective comes over and asks if she's ready to leave. Shrugging, she hits "yes" and I only just manage to grab the controller before she gets back into her car.

And here's his conclusion:

And then it hits me. Like Batman staring down at Harvey Dent's body, I suddenly realize I've become the thing I hate. Nagging my girlfriend to do what she's told, I'm the scoring system at the end of each level, the angry support character telling you off for doing it wrong. I'm the thing that kills videogames, the prodding performance review that won't let you be.

Heavy Rain is an adventure game, but when I read this, I wondered whether or not we,
the veterans of the rpg-genre, are doing the same as Ed Smith is. Please discuss.


Source: The Escapist

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