Wasn’t it neat how the site was down most of the day? Yeah, that was awesome. In light of that, I’m going to let Dracula X marinate up here a little longer and push you over to a piece I’ve been plugging away at over the past month: A comparison of similar narrative beats in Mad Men and Metal Gear Solid 3, and how film and games can use different means to achieve the same ends. I’m not 100% happy with it, but it’s one of those articles I could rewrite another few times and still not be entirely satisfied… but I’m still pretty danged happy with it.
5 thoughts on “Please enjoy a link”
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Despite reading that, I still can’t make any sort of mental connection between the two. I’m so familiar with both the game and the movie that I have my own preconceived notions about what made those scenes meaningful, so it was kind of a stretch for me.
I agree with the concept, though: games do things differently, but still make your mind go to similar places. There are many ways to involve someone. I had a hard time understanding why something like Shadow of the Colossus or Metroid had such interesting lore, despite really not having a whole lot going on. For instance, I could wax philosophical about how Super Metroid created the most perfect feeling of isolation despite a comparatively crude pixelated world, or how that one room with the statues of the bosses was more terrifying than having some in-your-face action scene. I think that providing a simple skeleton structure and letting the player fill in the blanks can make for a far more memorable narrative experience. Even with MGS, I remember the series fondly because of my interaction with the characters, which can turn something decidedly not cool (even embarrassing if viewed in isolation, like some of the cutscenes are) into something I regularly use to make associations with. I don’t think about Rambo first when someone mentions action heroes– I think of Solid Snake. It’s more than rose-tinted glasses or unwarranted nostalgia; the games made a real impact.
“Both Snake’s challenges and successes become the player’s own, and so it becomes easier to care about the few things the character expresses sentiment for.” I can definitely relate to that.
I didn’t see the piece as necessarily comparing the two things, though. It was ultimately a piece about how each medium is different and create emotional resonance using different devices.
I enjoyed that Jeremy brought in an element of personal experience to the piece. Whether I agree or disagree with what he thinks is connected (I haven’t seen Mad Men so I don’t know) I enjoy reading pieces where I hear the writer’s voice.
For sure. Just…why Mad Men and MGS3? If anything, I’d pick a game more representative of the medium. MGS is an anomaly, really.
Whatever, though. Better that than Heavy Rain!
Didn’t read the intro paragraph, huh?
Of course I read the introduction. The breakdowns are what throw me off. Even in my wildest imagination, I would never see even a tangential link between something like the scene with Salvatore and The End.
Just struck me as far-fetched, is all.