Yeti Corner: Not all good games are fun

Video games are supposed to be fun, right?

I mean the reason that I play games is to escape from my daily concerns and have different experiences than I ever could in real life. And if I want to escape, I want to escape to somewhere fun…

Right?

As I’ve aged (and I do think this has to do with getting older), I’ve found myself drawn to games that aren’t necessarily “fun.” Throughout my life, I’ve always enjoyed good puzzle games and RPGs. I love shooters even if I’m not very good at them. Gears of War, for example, is just pure testosterone-driven fun. It’s adrenaline and carnage in a fun little package.

But I feel like games have also grown up alongside me. Game developers have discovered that they can create experiences that offer more than just a fun time.

They can make statements.

They can make people think.

They can make people feel.

I’m what my wife affectionally calls an emotional robot. I’m not a very emotive person, especially outwardly. I’m a happy person and I consider myself somewhat jovial, but the most accurate description of my demeanor may be stoically content. Just this morning, I was talking to my boss and referred to someone as emotionally distant. His response was, “Wow! And that’s coming from you!”

So I’m impressed when a game can make me feel something more than just surface level complacency. One of those games is This War of Mine.

I’m a pacifist in most aspects of my life. Politically, I’m more prone to support a candidate who approaches conflict diplomatically instead of with force. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good shoot-em-up war game as much as the next guy. But they don’t reflect my personality well.

This War of Mine is a war game where you control civilians that are just trying to survive. The goal isn’t to kill as many of the bad guys as possibles. In fact, it’s pretty difficult to define the “bad guys” in the first place. You have the option to be ruthless, but I can’t bring myself to do that. So my play style focuses on sustainability and scavenging as opposed to violence and thievery.

The game has made me feel things, but not happy things or what I’d consider “fun” things. It has made me think about war from a different perspective. This War of Mine has presented me with many situations that are atypical for video games.

I witnessed an old couple begging me not to steal their food.

I saw a corrupt soldier take a young woman away to rape her while I hid helplessly.

I led my favorite character into a dangerous place in search of food and watched him get shot and killed. I then had to cope with the loss while other virtual characters, whom I also controlled, mourned his death.

I’m blessed to live in the USA in the twenty-first century. I’ll likely never personally know what it’s like to live through a war. I see news reports and read stories about families in places like Syria, and my heart goes out to them. But I don’t personally know what it’s like, thank God.

Playing a game is not the same as living through war. I’m not saying that This War of Mine gives me a similar life experience to those who have their lives ripped apart due to conflicts they have no control over. Quite the opposite, actually. Playing a game like this helps me appreciate how little I really do know about such a horrific experience. And it motivates me to reach out and help others who are not as blessed as I am.

Another game to mention in this same category is Papers, Please. It gives you a similar non-fun but thought provoking experience.  It breaks your heart for people not as fortunate.

I’m playing Batman: Arkham Knight now.  It’s fun.  Lots and lots of fun.  It doesn’t challenge my thinking or emotions.  And that’s okay.  Most of the time I want mindless entertainment.  But I look forward to the next game that makes me feel something deeper.

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