Walking Dead (The Game) isn't on par with books like War and Peace.

[QUOTE="madsnakehhh"]

[QUOTE="Ravenshout"] I think so.

drinkerofjuice

As bad as this place is...i haven't seen anyone in all my years that claims something similar to this...aside from the few and obvious trolls.

There have been some horrible fake trolls through the years, i don't have any doubt someone made a similar claim, but yeah, no serious gamer or any serious person for that matter will claim that a video game is on par with books on the storytelling level.

[QUOTE="drinkerofjuice"][QUOTE="madsnakehhh"]

As bad as this place is...i haven't seen anyone in all my years that claims something similar to this...aside from the few and obvious trolls.

madsnakehhh

There have been some horrible fake trolls through the years, i don't have any doubt someone made a similar claim, but yeah, no serious gamer or any serious person for that matter will claim that a video game is on par with books on the storytelling level.

Little known fact: Tolstoy originally planned for the book to be called War, what is it Good For.

white_sox

i agree with TC, but the Bieber generation wouldn't know right from wrong If I was helping the poor or banging their sister.heeweesRus

Well done, you quoted a line from Max Payne 3

Rather than directly compare games to books, which I feel is a tad unfair copnsidering that for most story isn't the highest priority. Such as interactivity, the option to to decide the story and perhaps experience it from a more personal perspective of the main character (ok outside of choose your own adventure books, btu they're pretty much D&D singleplayer). Admittedly this isn't exactly the best example, but in oblivion during the fighters guild questline you take some hist sap and slay a bunch of goblins in a village, return and find that instead of goblins or whatever they were you've slain villagers. Not the most original concept, but it was given a different perspective through interactivity as it made me feel more responsible (although I'll admit I had thought that this was already the case during the mission as it's not hidden that well). Another aspect that games (especially valve ones) do quite well is passive story telling, such as telling a story through the environment rather than directly giving it to the player allowing them to draw there own conclusions.

Ultimately only time will tell if we ever get a game equivalent to the literary classics, after all books have been around for millenia whilst games have been around for a lot less with few placing a heavy emphasis on the main story.

Good, I hated War and Peace so I'm glad Walking Dead isn't on par with it.

Who dares to argue that The Walking Dead delves deeper into various themes surrounding the human condition?

Who dares to argue that The Walking Dead has more well-developed characters than War and Peace?

Who dares to argue that The Walking Dead has better prose and metaphors than War and Peace?

Ravenshout

Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.savagetwinkie

Can't really tea bag in the Walking Dead.

its not a game it's dragons lair all over again

Well this is the lamest troll thread ever.

Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.savagetwinkie

[QUOTE="savagetwinkie"]Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.AdrianWerner

I believe it has something to do with the fact that video-games have only been around for less than half a century, whereas books have had enough time to mature--probably for more than 3000years.

I personally think games tell some amazing stories, and not all game stories suck like a lot of posters think on this forum. I dont think games will ever be on par as books, but hey, movies cant even do a book justice also.

Playing Chapter 1 today .Free on XBL. I actually like it better then the series,,,

War and Peace is overrated, it was one of the longest and most boring books I ever read. Seriously some parts had absolutely nothing to do with the story, it was just irrelevant. The Walking Dead game and show do show the human condition, it shows the struggles and emotions.

War and Peace can be compared to a long conference meeting where you only get the message if you survive the boredom. The Walking Dead delivers the same message in an entertaning and far superior way.

ShadowMoses900

Congratations Shadowmoses. This is the most intelligent post you've made in a long time. :)

Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.savagetwinkie

[QUOTE="savagetwinkie"]Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.skrat_01

Why, then, hasn't a single game equaled books like War and Peace and The Divine Comedy?

Ravenshout

There's more to art than emotional response.

No sh!t. Who says otherwise?

Bigboi500

[QUOTE="Ravenshout"]

Why, then, hasn't a single game equaled books like War and Peace and The Divine Comedy?

AdrianWerner

There's more to art than emotional response.

War and Peace doesn't have zombies, making it terrible in comparison.

Worst. Thread. Ever.

Worst. Thread. Ever.

platniumgamer

[QUOTE="AdrianWerner"]

[QUOTE="savagetwinkie"]Writers can try their hardest to impact you emotionally in video games, but they will never get past the disconnect with the story when between the story you can tea bag everything in site.Ravenshout

I believe it has something to do with the fact that video-games have only been around for less than half a century, whereas books have had enough time to mature--probably for more than 3000years.

You are delusional. I shall stop responding to you hereon.

Ravenshout

It's a masterpiece of literature, but emotional impact? I felt more for Mass Effect characters than anything that happened in Divine Comedy. It's not that kind of work.

[QUOTE="Ravenshout"]

You are delusional. I shall stop responding to you hereon.

AdrianWerner

It's a masterpiece of literature, but emotional impact? I felt more for Mass Effect characters than anything that happened in Divine Comedy. It's not that kind of work.

[QUOTE="Ravenshout"]

You are delusional. I shall stop responding to you hereon.

AdrianWerner

It's a masterpiece of literature, but emotional impact? I felt more for Mass Effect characters than anything that happened in Divine Comedy. It's not that kind of work.

[QUOTE="AdrianWerner"]

[QUOTE="Ravenshout"]

Why, then, hasn't a single game equaled books like War and Peace and The Divine Comedy?

Ravenshout

There's more to art than emotional response.

Books take too long to read them.

Books take too long to read them.

KungfuKitten

A game requires you to listen, see, judge, and act, thereby stimulating the parts of your brain related to those psycho-motor acts. In other words, playing games stimulates many parts of your brain, if not all parts of your brain, thus giving rise to the entertaining sensation which, in turn, keeps you engaged to the experience.

A book, sadly, requires you only to see and judge. There's only so much input our brain can receive before it tells us to doze off.

War and Peace doesn't have zombies, making it terrible in comparison.

Whiteblade999

Agreed.

Now, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, THAT is a masterpiece of literature :P

[QUOTE="Whiteblade999"]

War and Peace doesn't have zombies, making it terrible in comparison.

MetroidPrimePwn

Agreed.

Now, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, THAT is a masterpiece of literature :P

Why, then, hasn't a single game equaled books like War and Peace and The Divine Comedy?

I believe it has something to do with the fact that video-games have only been around for less than half a century, whereas books have had enough time to mature--probably for more than 3000years.

Ravenshout

I've never read either so I can't say specifically, but true, video games are still new, dominated initially by programmers telling stories rather than writers. And even nowadays when you have writers, you have a team of writers rather than 1 person planning out and conducting everything, which I think can impact the end outcome. And that's not including the other creative team members of the art, music and design departments. Plus the writing has to take into consideration gaming content, so does random generic quest #435 having some narative mean it's part of the story? Should it be?

Either way though, I lean more to the side of 'a picture can tell a thousand words' viewpoint. It's how normal life works. You see someone's emotions on their face, not by them explaining it intricately. How much of a novel/book is descriptive? It's probably why I can't be bothered to read much anymore. A novel will take a few pages to describe a setting and context, before even touching the plot of a chapter, whilst a game or movie can show all that in 5 minutes. Can part of why gaming/movies are belittled against books be that things just happen too quickly? One of my favourite movies is A Beautiful Mind. But I can't recite to you dialogue or quote passages off my mind like book fans can. It's the overall story and plot and themes that stand out. I don't remember the exact colour, feel or smell of a table pushed out a window, nor do I really care.

Another point is that comparing TWD to a different novel/book is a tad unfair. I've not played TWD yet, but if the exact same story had been written in a novel, full of eloquently expressed and intricate described settings/characters and whatnot, would that innately make the novel better than the game? Even if all that was written, was still there in the game (just visually shown or audibly heard rather than narratively expressed)? I don't personally think so. A story is a story. It can be good or bad regardless of medium.

It's not like gamers are the most welcoming of bunches either. Look at Journey winning GOTY here. It took out hardcore gameplay to tell a simplistic story based on visuals and music and a lesser degree, the gameplay. But because it had simplistic gameplay, gamers lambast it being chosen as GOTY (or that it deserved a high score in the first place). Could War and Piece be converted into an acceptable game with generally acceptable gameplay? If not, then maybe you just can't compare certain stories across different mediums. Heck, TWD has zombies, making it difficult to compare to a realistic setting in the first place.

[QUOTE="KungfuKitten"]

Books take too long to read them.

Ravenshout

A game requires you to listen, see, judge, and act, thereby stimulating the parts of your brain related to those psycho-motor acts. In other words, playing games stimulates many parts of your brain, if not all parts of your brain, thus giving rise to the entertaining sensation which, in turn, keeps you engaged to the experience.

A book, sadly, requires you only to see and judge. There's only so much input our brain can receive before it tells us to doze off.

I like your pragmatism.

Ravenshout

[QUOTE="KungfuKitten"]

Books take too long to read them.

Ravenshout

A game requires you to listen, see, judge, and act, thereby stimulating the parts of your brain related to those psycho-motor acts. In other words, playing games stimulates many parts of your brain, if not all parts of your brain, thus giving rise to the entertaining sensation which, in turn, keeps you engaged to the experience.

A book, sadly, requires you only to see and judge. There's only so much input our brain can receive before it tells us to doze off.

Which is why you've got that disconnect - as far as games are concerned in the categories emotionally engaging, and 'intellectually challenging' thematically speaking (not problem solving), they're usually associated at being lacklustre compared to books or film - because that primal focus can be at odds. But yeah, as I said before, things are changing and our understanding has grown a ton.

Stories like Kz2 with rich and deep characters like Rico are untouchable in literature. Heil68

Pity him.

No video game has reached the level of the best movies or books. That doesn't mean games shouldn't be rewarded for getting one step closer.

TC, don't breed.

[QUOTE="Heil68"]Stories like Kz2 with rich and deep characters like Rico are untouchable in literature. Ravenshout

Pity him.