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It is becoming omnipresent amongst developers that their games should be, a bit of a brain twister in terms of plot and difficulty, if they are to be considered as a game for a mature audience. In the epic Final Fantasy 7 for the PSX, which was rated as a 15, you had to quickly formulate and then reformulate ideas about the characters true backgrounds as the plot twisted, and turned until it took the appearance of an over wrung tea towel. I bought this game for my 14 birthday. I started playing along; everything was going ok, until, a wall of confusion suddenly hit me.
The game suddenly had me starting to question my previous speculation and ideas about the characters, by throwing numerous lies and points of view in my face. I couldn’t quite handle this, after all I was only 14 at the time, so I branded the game boring, and left it to gather dust in a nearby drawer.
One year later I decided to give it another shot, I got further still into the bowels of the story, although slightly bamboozled at some stages I marched on. A good few more hours play and I was really getting somewhere. I could no longer stop playing. The speculation and the death of Aeris had me emotionally hooked, at her death you could not help feeling choked up inside, Sephiroths sword had not only scarred Aeris, but me as well.
The further I got the more intriguing and interesting the plot had become. Constantly being teased as the computer unearthed more key events, and left you wondering what was going to happen next, my brain was alive, and it felt good, for the first time in a videogame I was truly proud of what I had achieved upon its completion. Not just because it was a lengthy quest, but because I had managed to stay on top of the most complex plots I have ever interacted with in a videogame. It did not feel like I had finished a computer game, but an adult’s computer game.
Now if I compare this with another “mature” game. For this example I will choose Conkers Bad Fur Day on the N64. We can already see immediate differences between the two styles of maturity. Conkers bad fur day was not given an 18 certificate because the plot was too complex for minor gamers, or the game would take a large attention span. Instead it was because of three things: blood, swearing and toilet humour. Adults did not get a “mature” game here. They were treated to a game which would appeal more to an audience who would laugh if you said the word “fart”, an age group at around 12-18 year olds, who like games to be less serious, but there is nothing wrong with that.
The game was more centred around the taboos of gaming culture, it tried to shock and humour the gamer in order to entertain. But as with all games like this, once you have heard all of the naughty words, seen the blood so many times you hardly notice, and heard the word “fart” so many times you don’t even raise an eyebrow. You see the game for what it really is, repetition. If there is no core plot driving the game forward, players are left feeling helpless and bored.
So in answer to my question, does mature game mean confusing plot? Then if that means more involving, better structured and more intelligent then I will say yes.
Thanks for reading. CM :)
The game suddenly had me starting to question my previous speculation and ideas about the characters, by throwing numerous lies and points of view in my face. I couldn’t quite handle this, after all I was only 14 at the time, so I branded the game boring, and left it to gather dust in a nearby drawer.
One year later I decided to give it another shot, I got further still into the bowels of the story, although slightly bamboozled at some stages I marched on. A good few more hours play and I was really getting somewhere. I could no longer stop playing. The speculation and the death of Aeris had me emotionally hooked, at her death you could not help feeling choked up inside, Sephiroths sword had not only scarred Aeris, but me as well.
The further I got the more intriguing and interesting the plot had become. Constantly being teased as the computer unearthed more key events, and left you wondering what was going to happen next, my brain was alive, and it felt good, for the first time in a videogame I was truly proud of what I had achieved upon its completion. Not just because it was a lengthy quest, but because I had managed to stay on top of the most complex plots I have ever interacted with in a videogame. It did not feel like I had finished a computer game, but an adult’s computer game.
Now if I compare this with another “mature” game. For this example I will choose Conkers Bad Fur Day on the N64. We can already see immediate differences between the two styles of maturity. Conkers bad fur day was not given an 18 certificate because the plot was too complex for minor gamers, or the game would take a large attention span. Instead it was because of three things: blood, swearing and toilet humour. Adults did not get a “mature” game here. They were treated to a game which would appeal more to an audience who would laugh if you said the word “fart”, an age group at around 12-18 year olds, who like games to be less serious, but there is nothing wrong with that.
The game was more centred around the taboos of gaming culture, it tried to shock and humour the gamer in order to entertain. But as with all games like this, once you have heard all of the naughty words, seen the blood so many times you hardly notice, and heard the word “fart” so many times you don’t even raise an eyebrow. You see the game for what it really is, repetition. If there is no core plot driving the game forward, players are left feeling helpless and bored.
So in answer to my question, does mature game mean confusing plot? Then if that means more involving, better structured and more intelligent then I will say yes.
Thanks for reading. CM :)
POP! tarts.
Mature doesn't mean confusing plot it just means Adults are more likely to get more out of the game. Some games have an 18 certificate on them or the simple reason that they have violence,swearing,or you know cough cough fear effect 2. These things are classed as strictly for adults only but complex story plots are probably far too complicated for children to understand and since they wont know exactly whats going on they're likely to get bored.
Resident Evil has one of the most fantastic and complex story's in computer game histoy and I very much doubt alot of younger gamers know everything thats going on and are just in it for the action. Another one is Metal Gear Solid,This game has everything for a good plot told cleverly through talks with the characters and FMV but do you really expect kids to watch it all, some i imagine but they want the simple yet affective story lines like super mario or rayman.
mature games either means 18+ material or a theme that's more suited to adults.
res
Resident Evil has one of the most fantastic and complex story's in computer game histoy and I very much doubt alot of younger gamers know everything thats going on and are just in it for the action. Another one is Metal Gear Solid,This game has everything for a good plot told cleverly through talks with the characters and FMV but do you really expect kids to watch it all, some i imagine but they want the simple yet affective story lines like super mario or rayman.
mature games either means 18+ material or a theme that's more suited to adults.
res
cookie monster wrote:
> Kapoera Gaebora wrote:
> CBFD = 15 simple (although
> funny)
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult
> in places for a lot of
> people!
OOps, i put the wrong rating for conker, i meant to write
> 15, so that i could compare them. anyway, final fantasy was a LOT
> harder than Majoras mask, anyone should agree on that.
Yeah I know just using a sort of hard game that is classed as all ages to compare that is all!! Where as Final Fantasy is rated and still quite! hard! So it is a bit strange really! Because if you can play say The Fourth Prophecy and any Zelda game at a youngish age, like a kid I know then they wouldn't find Final Fantasy tooo hard at a youngish age!! Say 9 yrs old!!
> Kapoera Gaebora wrote:
> CBFD = 15 simple (although
> funny)
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult
> in places for a lot of
> people!
OOps, i put the wrong rating for conker, i meant to write
> 15, so that i could compare them. anyway, final fantasy was a LOT
> harder than Majoras mask, anyone should agree on that.
Yeah I know just using a sort of hard game that is classed as all ages to compare that is all!! Where as Final Fantasy is rated and still quite! hard! So it is a bit strange really! Because if you can play say The Fourth Prophecy and any Zelda game at a youngish age, like a kid I know then they wouldn't find Final Fantasy tooo hard at a youngish age!! Say 9 yrs old!!
I agree with cookie monster, 'mature' games don't necessarily have to have contortions in their plots to make them 'mature', but in general if the twists are in line with the story then mature gamers welcome them, much as they would in a good Hammond Innes or Wilbur Smith novel.
I played FFVII for the first time when I was in my 20s, and yes the plot did get you thinking hard in places, and yes you did kinda get sucked into it so that you HAD to continue playing to see what happened next.
In FFVIII, when you went from fainting on a train to waking up controlling somebody else altogether, that was the first major plot twist, and it brought all those wonderful memories of storytelling flooding back from playing FFVII a year earlier.
Metal Gear Solid I would class as both 'mature' and 'all ages', because it can be played on both levels; as a deep and meaningful indictment against genetic engineering in today's world, or as a class shoot 'em up, take your pick.
MGS got the balance just right, I think it appealed to all because of that whereas FFVII and FFVIII didn't, and many gamers are put off by the words RPG on a casing anyway, regardless of the hype.
In terms of having fun whilst gaming, it doesn't really matter to me whether or not a game is aimed at a mature audience or not, as long as it's fun to play, like a well designed racer or a traditional RPG. I couldn't care less if my car was a F355 Ferarri or a Yellow Taxi, or whether or not the character I was controlling was a gunBlade wielding warrior or a fluffy white rabbit with a paintball gun.
I just wanna have fun.
I played FFVII for the first time when I was in my 20s, and yes the plot did get you thinking hard in places, and yes you did kinda get sucked into it so that you HAD to continue playing to see what happened next.
In FFVIII, when you went from fainting on a train to waking up controlling somebody else altogether, that was the first major plot twist, and it brought all those wonderful memories of storytelling flooding back from playing FFVII a year earlier.
Metal Gear Solid I would class as both 'mature' and 'all ages', because it can be played on both levels; as a deep and meaningful indictment against genetic engineering in today's world, or as a class shoot 'em up, take your pick.
MGS got the balance just right, I think it appealed to all because of that whereas FFVII and FFVIII didn't, and many gamers are put off by the words RPG on a casing anyway, regardless of the hype.
In terms of having fun whilst gaming, it doesn't really matter to me whether or not a game is aimed at a mature audience or not, as long as it's fun to play, like a well designed racer or a traditional RPG. I couldn't care less if my car was a F355 Ferarri or a Yellow Taxi, or whether or not the character I was controlling was a gunBlade wielding warrior or a fluffy white rabbit with a paintball gun.
I just wanna have fun.
Kapoera Gaebora wrote:
> CBFD = 15 simple (although funny)
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult
> in places for a lot of people!
OOps, i put the wrong rating for conker, i meant to write 15, so that i could compare them. anyway, final fantasy was a LOT harder than Majoras mask, anyone should agree on that.
> CBFD = 15 simple (although funny)
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult
> in places for a lot of people!
OOps, i put the wrong rating for conker, i meant to write 15, so that i could compare them. anyway, final fantasy was a LOT harder than Majoras mask, anyone should agree on that.
CBFD = 15 simple (although funny)
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult in places for a lot of people!
ZELDA: MM = U very difficult in places for a lot of people!
It is becoming omnipresent amongst developers that their games should be, a bit of a brain twister in terms of plot and difficulty, if they are to be considered as a game for a mature audience. In the epic Final Fantasy 7 for the PSX, which was rated as a 15, you had to quickly formulate and then reformulate ideas about the characters true backgrounds as the plot twisted, and turned until it took the appearance of an over wrung tea towel. I bought this game for my 14 birthday. I started playing along; everything was going ok, until, a wall of confusion suddenly hit me.
The game suddenly had me starting to question my previous speculation and ideas about the characters, by throwing numerous lies and points of view in my face. I couldn’t quite handle this, after all I was only 14 at the time, so I branded the game boring, and left it to gather dust in a nearby drawer.
One year later I decided to give it another shot, I got further still into the bowels of the story, although slightly bamboozled at some stages I marched on. A good few more hours play and I was really getting somewhere. I could no longer stop playing. The speculation and the death of Aeris had me emotionally hooked, at her death you could not help feeling choked up inside, Sephiroths sword had not only scarred Aeris, but me as well.
The further I got the more intriguing and interesting the plot had become. Constantly being teased as the computer unearthed more key events, and left you wondering what was going to happen next, my brain was alive, and it felt good, for the first time in a videogame I was truly proud of what I had achieved upon its completion. Not just because it was a lengthy quest, but because I had managed to stay on top of the most complex plots I have ever interacted with in a videogame. It did not feel like I had finished a computer game, but an adult’s computer game.
Now if I compare this with another “mature” game. For this example I will choose Conkers Bad Fur Day on the N64. We can already see immediate differences between the two styles of maturity. Conkers bad fur day was not given an 18 certificate because the plot was too complex for minor gamers, or the game would take a large attention span. Instead it was because of three things: blood, swearing and toilet humour. Adults did not get a “mature” game here. They were treated to a game which would appeal more to an audience who would laugh if you said the word “fart”, an age group at around 12-18 year olds, who like games to be less serious, but there is nothing wrong with that.
The game was more centred around the taboos of gaming culture, it tried to shock and humour the gamer in order to entertain. But as with all games like this, once you have heard all of the naughty words, seen the blood so many times you hardly notice, and heard the word “fart” so many times you don’t even raise an eyebrow. You see the game for what it really is, repetition. If there is no core plot driving the game forward, players are left feeling helpless and bored.
So in answer to my question, does mature game mean confusing plot? Then if that means more involving, better structured and more intelligent then I will say yes.
Thanks for reading. CM :)
The game suddenly had me starting to question my previous speculation and ideas about the characters, by throwing numerous lies and points of view in my face. I couldn’t quite handle this, after all I was only 14 at the time, so I branded the game boring, and left it to gather dust in a nearby drawer.
One year later I decided to give it another shot, I got further still into the bowels of the story, although slightly bamboozled at some stages I marched on. A good few more hours play and I was really getting somewhere. I could no longer stop playing. The speculation and the death of Aeris had me emotionally hooked, at her death you could not help feeling choked up inside, Sephiroths sword had not only scarred Aeris, but me as well.
The further I got the more intriguing and interesting the plot had become. Constantly being teased as the computer unearthed more key events, and left you wondering what was going to happen next, my brain was alive, and it felt good, for the first time in a videogame I was truly proud of what I had achieved upon its completion. Not just because it was a lengthy quest, but because I had managed to stay on top of the most complex plots I have ever interacted with in a videogame. It did not feel like I had finished a computer game, but an adult’s computer game.
Now if I compare this with another “mature” game. For this example I will choose Conkers Bad Fur Day on the N64. We can already see immediate differences between the two styles of maturity. Conkers bad fur day was not given an 18 certificate because the plot was too complex for minor gamers, or the game would take a large attention span. Instead it was because of three things: blood, swearing and toilet humour. Adults did not get a “mature” game here. They were treated to a game which would appeal more to an audience who would laugh if you said the word “fart”, an age group at around 12-18 year olds, who like games to be less serious, but there is nothing wrong with that.
The game was more centred around the taboos of gaming culture, it tried to shock and humour the gamer in order to entertain. But as with all games like this, once you have heard all of the naughty words, seen the blood so many times you hardly notice, and heard the word “fart” so many times you don’t even raise an eyebrow. You see the game for what it really is, repetition. If there is no core plot driving the game forward, players are left feeling helpless and bored.
So in answer to my question, does mature game mean confusing plot? Then if that means more involving, better structured and more intelligent then I will say yes.
Thanks for reading. CM :)