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What makes a game ‘adult’?
Is it a massive amount of blood and gore? Is it the ability to shoot or run down everything in sight? Whilst your perception of ‘adult’ games may fit that profile, I don’t think that it is. Whilst the content may certainly be adult in that it is not suitable for children, I think that even a child can point a control stick in a certain direction and press a button to shoot someone. You think you have to be an adult, or have a certain intellect and intelligence to do that? Think again.
I myself can’t give you an exact definition of what makes a game ‘adult’. I think it may have something to do with ‘feel’ (stop giggling at the back), and what you perceive to be ‘adult’. One thing I am pretty sure of though is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of blood, guts, guns, puke, crap, swearing or naked flesh involved. You know what I think are two games are prime examples of ‘adult’ games?
Mario and Zelda.
You’re probably laughing at me now, thinking ‘but they’re kiddies games’ but hear me out. If you examine the demographics of Mario sales against a game like Soldier of Fortune, you’ll probably find that 18 rated games sell best amongst youngsters (who can show off to their mates about their latest game where you can shoot individual limbs off etc.) whereas games like Mario sell in both. When your’re an adult, you want a little more than just mindless killing. I think that Nintendo more than anyone, and especially though their two flagship titles, understand how to treat a proper gamer They seem to be the only ones who understand what makes a game great, treating players with a healthy respect, and rewarding intelligent, thoughtful play with intelligent (and often ingenious) set pieces. You are required to think – both literally and laterally – and use a large portion of your brain to work out the taxing problems that always seem achievable despite their difficulty.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticising FPS of games like GTA3, because they have their own merits and their own particular uses, I just don’t see them as adult games. In the right context, a splash of claret and the chance to fire off a few rounds is fine, but increasingly developers are hiding behind mindless violence and controversial topics as a smokescreen for the fact that, behind the blood and the press outrage, the game isn’t actually that good, its just included in a pitiful attempt to boost sales. Games like Carmageddon have always been unmitigated rubbish, but have always sold stacks of copies off of being controversial. It’s a shame really – games like Ico will probably be undeservedly outsold by trash like that Hooligan game.
With the next generation of games upon us there is a real opportunity to move gameplay forward, but it seems that few developers are content to do that. With skill, dark content can be dealt with effectively, as shown by Metal Gear Solid 2 and Perfect Dark. But to me ‘adult’ games are not ones with blood and guts but contain proper puzzle and gameplay more befitting of an adult.
Thanks for reading
Russell
Is it a massive amount of blood and gore? Is it the ability to shoot or run down everything in sight? Whilst your perception of ‘adult’ games may fit that profile, I don’t think that it is. Whilst the content may certainly be adult in that it is not suitable for children, I think that even a child can point a control stick in a certain direction and press a button to shoot someone. You think you have to be an adult, or have a certain intellect and intelligence to do that? Think again.
I myself can’t give you an exact definition of what makes a game ‘adult’. I think it may have something to do with ‘feel’ (stop giggling at the back), and what you perceive to be ‘adult’. One thing I am pretty sure of though is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of blood, guts, guns, puke, crap, swearing or naked flesh involved. You know what I think are two games are prime examples of ‘adult’ games?
Mario and Zelda.
You’re probably laughing at me now, thinking ‘but they’re kiddies games’ but hear me out. If you examine the demographics of Mario sales against a game like Soldier of Fortune, you’ll probably find that 18 rated games sell best amongst youngsters (who can show off to their mates about their latest game where you can shoot individual limbs off etc.) whereas games like Mario sell in both. When your’re an adult, you want a little more than just mindless killing. I think that Nintendo more than anyone, and especially though their two flagship titles, understand how to treat a proper gamer They seem to be the only ones who understand what makes a game great, treating players with a healthy respect, and rewarding intelligent, thoughtful play with intelligent (and often ingenious) set pieces. You are required to think – both literally and laterally – and use a large portion of your brain to work out the taxing problems that always seem achievable despite their difficulty.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticising FPS of games like GTA3, because they have their own merits and their own particular uses, I just don’t see them as adult games. In the right context, a splash of claret and the chance to fire off a few rounds is fine, but increasingly developers are hiding behind mindless violence and controversial topics as a smokescreen for the fact that, behind the blood and the press outrage, the game isn’t actually that good, its just included in a pitiful attempt to boost sales. Games like Carmageddon have always been unmitigated rubbish, but have always sold stacks of copies off of being controversial. It’s a shame really – games like Ico will probably be undeservedly outsold by trash like that Hooligan game.
With the next generation of games upon us there is a real opportunity to move gameplay forward, but it seems that few developers are content to do that. With skill, dark content can be dealt with effectively, as shown by Metal Gear Solid 2 and Perfect Dark. But to me ‘adult’ games are not ones with blood and guts but contain proper puzzle and gameplay more befitting of an adult.
Thanks for reading
Russell
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Couldn't agree more...
Do you think he wanted THAT sort of opinion of in his post?
Some people just have no respect for other peoples work...
Some people just have no respect for other peoples work...
charming...
cant say i enjoyed it
Good topic Russ, and a very good point you got across.
I agree that an "adult" game is not the amount of body pieces what fly of an enemy which you've just hacked down, but the amount of intellectual thought what is needed to complete it. Don't get me wrong, being able to do something on a game which would get you locked up in real life is great, but it is, at the same time, mindless, and doesn't require a great deal of strategy or thinking prowess. Whereas a game like Mario, althouh cute and fluffy, requires a lot more planning for you to get to "get to the next level".
Once again, a very good topic which I enjoyed reading
I agree that an "adult" game is not the amount of body pieces what fly of an enemy which you've just hacked down, but the amount of intellectual thought what is needed to complete it. Don't get me wrong, being able to do something on a game which would get you locked up in real life is great, but it is, at the same time, mindless, and doesn't require a great deal of strategy or thinking prowess. Whereas a game like Mario, althouh cute and fluffy, requires a lot more planning for you to get to "get to the next level".
Once again, a very good topic which I enjoyed reading
Smooth Criminal wrote:
> Don't diss Carmaggedon. Well not Carmaggedon 2 anyway, it's a brilliant game.
Gonna side-track a bit, a hate it when people like a 2nd, 3rd etc. version of a game and decide the first is lame, the reason there is a 2nd or 3rd version is because the first one sold well and it recieved good feedback from the public. If there is a large time gap between the making of the next version from the first, then the comparision must be viewed in a context. saying " Red alert 2 is way better than Red alert" is a lame comparision as there is a large time space between the making of the two games. You'd have to consider " Was Red Alert good for it's time?"
> Don't diss Carmaggedon. Well not Carmaggedon 2 anyway, it's a brilliant game.
Gonna side-track a bit, a hate it when people like a 2nd, 3rd etc. version of a game and decide the first is lame, the reason there is a 2nd or 3rd version is because the first one sold well and it recieved good feedback from the public. If there is a large time gap between the making of the next version from the first, then the comparision must be viewed in a context. saying " Red alert 2 is way better than Red alert" is a lame comparision as there is a large time space between the making of the two games. You'd have to consider " Was Red Alert good for it's time?"
I'm only 14 yet because when i was smaller(yes smaller than now) my dad played games such as the ones you are talking about. Wolfenstein 3D had a 'gore factor' yet the game was also riddled with secret passages and hidden treasures, so it had a strategic element, which appeals so greatly to my dad, that he still plays it. I have grown up (if you can call 14 grown up)to like good stratehy games too. (My dad seems to me, to be a freak, he plays strategy games so much, when he buys a new one, he knows what it's a fancy copy of, and completes it in days!)
Hey, I've just noticed that you're a regular.
When did you go up a level, then?
When did you go up a level, then?
I seem to remember this topic being in the PS1 + PS2 forum...
We're all open to express our own opinions. Some people would steriotype Nintendo and say that all the games they make are "kiddy" games.
You might think differently, but I'm one of the people that DOES think they make kiddy games.
The only reason the N64 had a few mature games was because third-party developers joined them.
You might think differently, but I'm one of the people that DOES think they make kiddy games.
The only reason the N64 had a few mature games was because third-party developers joined them.
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