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Blockbuster or Art House Indie?

  • HandydarknessHandydarkness1,159,001
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 17:24
    toast
  • Posted on 23 February 15 at 17:36
    One name: Leonardo DiCaprio. Until the man wins an Oscar I will not be happy. What does he have to do?? Games can sometimes be similar when they don't receive the recognition they truly deserve. Well said.
  • NawtyCawtyNawtyCawty1,066,951
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 17:47
    Well I must admit, I am in the second camp. I have never heard of any of those arty farty games you mentioned laugh
  • Posted on 23 February 15 at 18:10
    Yay
    He ya guys
  • BIG P3TEBIG P3TE218,006 218,006 GamerScore
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 18:46, Edited on 23 February 15 at 18:46 by BIG P3TE
    Nice article.
    You're certainly on your way to getting the saying If you're anything like me, and who's to say you're not locked out on the SERP's laugh toast

    Gaming awards are a good thing, but only if gamers get to choose the titles that are nominated and gamers again then get to vote for the winners, otherwise they will become commercialised and meaningless, especially as the traditional review score looks to be on it's way out at last..
    Veteran Gamer (Started on ZX81) | Gaming Journalist | Owner:- Game-play.Tv | Xbox Live Ambassador
  • PlayUltimate711PlayUltimate7111,611,449
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:23
    I like you osubluejacket. I would like you a lot more if you changed from OSU to UofM, but I still like you a lot. At least your bio says you also love the Tigers. If it weren't for that I would probably have to refrain from saying anything nice. :P

    Seriously though, I liked this a lot. I tend to really like a lot of the more interesting indie games. It's hard to play all of those games though when it's so easy to get sucked into some massive AAA product. The big difference between the film and game world is that most films tend to be a few hours in length independent of the producers. Unfortunately the game industry has massive products like Skyrim, Dragon Age, Desti that can suck us in for 100 hours and make us forget that we bought the interesting indies.

    I bought The Vanishing of Ethan Carter back in November in the steam sales and basically haven't touched it. There are many others that people seem to love that I bought, but I haven't touched. I've got The Stanley Parable, Papers Please, This War of Mine, Kentucky Route Zero, Broken Age, A Bird Story, and many others basically untouched on my computer.

    I just wish I could play all the games.
  • Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:27
    I8ITackyticsI8I said:One name: Leonardo DiCaprio. Until the man wins an Oscar I will not be happy. What does he have to do?? Games can sometimes be similar when they don't receive the recognition they truly deserve. Well said.If he didn't get one for The Basketball Diaries then he aint getting one ever. Whats this article about again?
  • MtldMtld2,465,774
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:33
    Enlightening, as always.
  • MugenKairoMugenKairo328,123
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:41
    Eloquently put, a very good read. I have noticed a turning point with the indie vs. AAA market of late. But it seems that the faster the AAA titles are pumped out, improperly tested, polished and riddled with bugs and imperfections, the more gamers have an easier time to divert their attention to the smaller rare gems out there. To me is a good thing, some of my favourite games have been the little XBLA games that didn't make legendary status and lost among the pile.
    'Life begins beyond the edge of your comfort zone'
  • OneEighthOneEighth407,650
    Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:46
    I don't think it is as much apples and oranges as you may think in this comparison. People pay money for the big money games because they appeal to the masses and make it easier to enjoy with a large group of friends. Same with movies. If a big blockbuster is coming out chances are it will be easier to find friends to go with.

    Award shows are more likely to give to those best selling games or big budget movies because the shows, like the games and films, are a business and want to make money. If they are constantly giving the big awards to small niche indie games or low budget films it means less people and less sponsors and less money. This will always be handled by having categories to cater to these indie films/games as to recognize them but most of the time the big awards are given to those with the most attention.

    Is it right? Not really, but that's business for ya.
  • Posted on 23 February 15 at 19:51
    Right, just read the article... 'Whiplash' was amazing, perfect drama, the Nazi from 'Oz' deserved his award, however this was, like 'Birdman', shown in my multiplex for a week, and it was pushed aside for showing of '50 Shades of Grey'.

    The point is, it doesn't matter how powerful a script or performance can be, Michael Bay movies will gross the billions, they will be shown all day for a month, and piss of to arthouse... I just re-read the article and it looks like I misunderstood it... too drunk... So the gaming industry needs mainstream awards that celebrate and promote non-AAA titles? Cant see Mountain Dew jumping on that bandwagon... (*satire*)
  • Posted on 23 February 15 at 20:03
    I8ITackyticsI8I said:One name: Leonardo DiCaprio. Until the man wins an Oscar I will not be happy. What does he have to do?? Games can sometimes be similar when they don't receive the recognition they truly deserve. Well said.This!!!!!! Binary Domain is one of The most underrated game ever.
  • JakeythedudeJakeythedude1,316,177
    Posted on 24 February 15 at 01:10
    I love the Vanishing of Ethan Carter. In wish it would come to Xbox!!
  • Removed Gamer

    Removed Gamer

    Posted on 24 February 15 at 02:44, Edited on 24 February 15 at 02:45 by
    Great article.

    Nightcrawler got snubbed big time though. Great indie movie.
  • Posted on 24 February 15 at 08:48
    AFalcon90 said:Great article.

    Nightcrawler got snubbed big time though. Great indie movie.
    +1
    >> Let's go Bucs <<
  • Free RiegnFree Riegn745,548
    Posted on 24 February 15 at 17:47
    Nice thought process on the article. Great job!!

    Support always comes from a "$" sign. So until people start paying for the "indie game" it will not gain the recognition. With respect to "indie movies" they will always garner support from their colleagues and the legitimate award shows.
    Yeah Buddy!!!
  • LifeExpectancyLifeExpectancy1,746,403
    Posted on 26 February 15 at 08:00
    Damnit man why you be all inside my brain? I posted a thread on GAF about a very similar argument for games as art. It never received uch traction there, but I was making some of the same essential observations.

    One thing that I think separates gaming culture is the level of investment we have in the medium. Movie goers en masse are generally passive participants, and thereforw gravitate more toward the blockbusters, with some exceptions of course. Gamers are more closely related to the critics. While many, probably a large majority, still gravitate to the AAA, you will see a larger portion of us lauding the artistic value of the niche and indy titles thar have that unique unnameable quality that elevates them from entertainment to art.

    Take Thomas Was Alone for example. Most gamers who play it, even if they usually subsist on AAA blockbusters, genuinely appreciate it. I doubt its movie equivalent would fare as well with AAA movie goers.
    Goal: 500,000gs with 500 total games, 100% including all DLC. Deadline: 1-1-16.
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