Mom's Minute

Enslaved:  Odyssey to the West

Source of News:  Kotaku, Mark Serrels, October 6, 2011

Article:  Does Hollywood Provide More Variety than Video Games

The author of this article is using the Enslaved: Odyssey to the West video game as an example of how conservative video games are. I played and reviewed Enslaved: Odyssey to the West awhile back on Mom's Minute.  I was impressed with the graphics, but the game did not place in my top ten because it seemed to be just a "regular" video game. To me, there was nothing special about this game.

It seems that my opinion of this video game has "come home to roost."  A video game publisher is  blaming the drop in sales of the Enslaved:  Odyssey to the West video game on the fact that  nothing new was being offered in this game. In other words, this video game continued to follow the same tried and true game plays of other video games, without innovations or changes.

Specifically, Tameem Antoniaes, the Chief Creative Officer at Ninja Theory is inferring that the current successful video games such as Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are the templates, so to speak, of other new video games. 

He then talks about The King's Speech movie.  He questions if a video game publisher would take the chance of bringing out a video game based upon this movie  -- which is about someone with a speech impediment.

Looks like he is saying movies have more latitude to try different story lines when compared with video games.  His take is that so much is at stake, that publishers are very conservative in their approach to new and fresh ideas for  games.  There are far-reaching negative results if a video game fails.  

Here is another scene form Enslaved:  Odyssey to the West as well as a picture of the video game cover.

Enslaved:  Odyssey to the West

Enslaved:  Odyssey to the West video game cover

Ms. H take:  I think the Creative Officer is comparing apples with oranges when he tries to contrast the realm of possibilities of video games to that of movies. 

I think that games have to be interesting and exciting to the individual player in order to hold the video game player's attention.  Movies can use a certain theme, in order to bring out different emotions in people, for example, maybe one would feel empathy while watching the King's Speech.

However, on the other hand  if the King's Speech was a video game,  I think  in order for the game to be successful, there has to be challenges, puzzles, adventures, or something else in order to keep the video game player's interest. 

 Also, when considering the high cost of some of these games, I think it is in the video game companies' best interest,  from a bottom line perspective, to be sure that the video game player is getting his or her money's worth!

That being said, I do believe that some video games offer variety and are far from conservative, with some even delving into character development and more! The video game companies must be doing something right in order to gain an overall 1% increase in 2011 sales, over 2010, in a downed economy -- but that is another news story!

Ms. H Wrap-Up:  Just as movies evolved from their early beginnings to where they are now and probably will progress to in the future -- I believe that video games are also ever evolving as well. We may one day have video games that span the full gamut of movies, but it will take time.  Even if this does happen, the common factor I believe successful games must have, now as well as in the future, is entertainment value!

My minute is up!  Thanks for visiting my website and come back to visit soon.  Please follow me on Twitter under my Twitter name, "MsHequalswin!"

Before saying goodbye, Mom's Minute would like to  send condolences to the family of Steve Jobs, Apple visionary, who fought courageously in his battle with cancer.  

Bye now,

Ms. H

"Ms. H equals win!"