Extra Credits is a video series on The Escapist that delves into the finer aspects of video games and the industry that revolves around it. Anyone who even partially considers video games to be a form of art should seriously check these guys out. I've read plenty of comments on The Escapist, but I'd like to see what a different online community (ie: you guys) might think about their arguments. Here's the kind of stuff they've done so far:
The Future of MMOs: What is the fate of MMOs that come out in the future with a behemoth like WoW monopolizing the genre?
Innovation: How innovation can be injected into new games.
Where Did Survival Horror Go? A look at what survival horror was, what it has become, and what the industry can do to fix it.
No Redeeming Value: A retrospective on the decline of the God of War series.
Free Speech: An argument stating that video games desrve just as much artistic freedom as movies and books (focuses on the case the Supreme Court is mulling over currently).
Enriching Lives: How video games have the potential to uncover something about ourselves (focuses on a choice presented in Mass Effect 2)
Gamer: The usage of the word, and why it should be stopped.
Video Game Music: A look back at what made video game music so memorable, and what can be done to bring that charm back into games.
Project Ten Dollar: Why EA's strategy to combat GameStop might come back to haunt them.
Kinect and Move: Speculation revolving around the impact Sony and Microsoft's new motion controllers will have on the industry.
Diversity: How games can benefit from having diversity in their characters.
Mailbag 1 A compilation of various questions asked via email, including "Why are JRPGs getting worse?" and "Why are there so many bland FPSs?"
Easy Games: An argument stating that consumers don't want harder games; they want deeper games.
The Skinner Box: A psychological break down of why games like Farmville are so successful, and why such tactics should be avoided.
Sex in Games A look at why the video game industry is still struggling to depict sex in a tasteful way.
Sexual Diversity: How games can benefit from having sexually diverse characters (mainly focuses on Persona 4).
Narrative Mechanics: An explanation of how a story can be told through the game mechanics alone (mainly focuses on the arcade game Missile Command).
A Season of Hope: How the games industry has helped children across the globe through various auctions and generosity.
Choice and Conflict: A look at the many ways in which a player can be presented with choice.
Mailbag 2: Another compilation of various questions, including "Why do so many games look gritty and brown?"
Non-Combat Gaming: A look at why there's such a small number of games that don't involve combat, and how the industry could benefit from having such games.
I'd like to discuss the ideas presented in the links above with anyone who may be interested.
Go ahead, pick whichever one you like, and tell me what you think of it. Hopefully this can generate some intelligent conversation about video games as an entertainment medium.
The group uploads a new video every Thursday, so we could have new discussions every week if we so desired...
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Topic: Extra Credits Discussion Thread
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