Why Games Don't Need to be Defined
With the release of games like Gone Home, many gamers have questioned the definition of what a "true" game is. Does it have an objective? Is it always interactive? Does it require a win condition? All of these questions cause gamers to question games that they have enjoyed or will enjoy.
I recently played Gone Home and it's definitely one of my favorite games of all time. However, one problem many people have is that they believe it isn't a real game. They believe games should be foremost about gameplay, about objectives, but I disagree. The games I enjoy most are foremost about story. Would Gone Home be as effective as a book? No. A Movie? Absolutely not.
Dropping the preconceived notions of what a game is would allow gamers to be moved by experiment experiences such as Dear Esther, Gone Home, and The Stanley Parable.
Some of these games lack true gameplay. They are simply exploring a place and revealing the story through objects, discovery, and choices. I love games built around gameplay. I love FTL. I love Spelunky. And Resogun. But do we have so many games that we cannot allow story-driven games without objectives or gameplay to be iterated and improved upon and be successful? No, we don't. I'm only saying this because everywhere I go to talk about Gone Home, all people do is say it isn't a game or question if it is a game. If we moved past that, we could question the story and the ideas it represents.
Gone Home shows that all of us, no matter how perfect or happy we appear, have flaws, and that, at the end of the day, we can accept one another for those flaws and look past them, which would allow us to understand people on a more personal level. With that, I wish that you all give Gone Home and look past it's so called caveats of not being a true "game" to understand it's grippingly emotional and relatable story. I believe it is a story and game that cannot be missed. Plus it's on sale on steam for ~$7.
What do you think? Do you agree with me? Disagree with me? Let me know in the comments below.