Further Classification: Thematic vs Mechanical Genre

Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I talk the differences between themes and mechanics when talking about game genres.

I'm gonna try to quickly summarize something that I think we all understand, but maybe never really consider. The difference between a game's dynamics and its themes. A game's mechanical genre is what we generally talk about: Shooter, Platformer, Puzzle, etc. A game's thematic genre is a little more rare/undiscussed. Things like horror, science fiction, and fantasy are all pulp genres of fiction, and they can apply to games too.

Further Classification: Game difficulty levels

Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I just list some game difficulties.

Further Classification: Some game genre definitions that I use

Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I talk about some game genre titles that I find really interesting.

[Announcement from the void...]

To find out what's been going on with me: Read here.

Games Played in 2013, a Year In Review

My blog has been mostly empty as of late, pretty much because I've been exhausted trying to find ways to keep myself busy and productive. I thought I'd put together a post talking about a lot of the memorable games I've experienced this year. Note that this won't be a completely exhaustive list, as there is a lot of stuff that I may not remember fully, and I have actually done a fair bit this year. Some things that I've just started, but not finished, are not included, mostly cause my thoughts on them don't feel complete. Others are, because 'why not'. Also, some (many?) of these games came out before this year. I don't care.

Some of these things could certainly be extended into full analysis, though at the moment I'm not really in the mood to do so. However if you'd really like to see my full thoughts on something here, please leave a comment letting me know, or tell me in person.

Why I feel that Little Big Planet is so important

At ConBravo I picked up a Sack Boy from Little Big Planet, and after annoying my fiancee to no end by whistling the theme, I realized how much I thoroughly enjoyed the game, and still enjoy it. It's a simply fun game that focuses entirely on positive emotions. Released in a time when games were obsessing over "moral choices" (would you rather be Satan or Pretty Nice Guy?) this was a game that went all the way back to why we started playing games in the first place, and decided to explore all the good things about the imagination and creativity.

In light of recent "dramatic evolution" in games (cry-wanks like The Last of Us or anything coming from David Cage), it's more important than ever to recognize when a game really gets it right; when a game knows how to make us laugh or smile, even when we're feeling down.

A game that really understands the power of happiness.

This game was Made For Me: Sleeping Dogs

Let's start this out with a confession: I love martial arts action movies. Part of the reason The Matrix is one of the big film trilogies I adore is because of all the awesome kung fu. As silly as it was, I couldn't help adoring the gun-kata in Equilibrium. I recently sat down and watched Ong-Bak and had a great time.

But sadly, I've never had much opportunity to explore the legendary kung-fu cinema which inspired so many. I've never really had a chance to watch a ton of Hong Kong action movies.

And Sleeping Dogs made me realize how much I've missed out on.