I started playing dmc4 a couple of days ago and i felt like i was receiving a visit of a familiar friend. The more i think of it, the more i realize that playing my favorite franchises like resident evil, mgs, dmc, just to name a few, is fun because if of the familiarity of the whole experience...and a bit of nostalgia aswell. The original Dmc was an unforgetable gaming experience, so much in fact that i play that game even now that i have the new installment for the next gen. Starting dmc4 was odd and familiar at the same time: odd because it wans't Dante's actions i was controling from the get go, but familiar because the settings, gameplay and even Nero reminded me of everything this gaming series is all about. Playing numerous installments, of my favorite gaming series, is nothing more than to invoke the good memories had with the previous titles, in an attempt to relive or even surpass them. Is to see the heroes again, knowing that they are somewhat different while remaining the same; is to think of the old adventures while facing new ones; is to compare all the enemies and boss fights and see if they've gotten easier or harder (the first, in dmc4's case); is to see if the women have gotten skankier (Gloria's entrance has to be seen to be believed).... in short is to have a sense of familiarity, while still trying to walk new ground, one way or the other...until we look back and see that some much and at the same time so little has changed.

Videogames aren't considered art forms, at least that's the feedback i get from conversations with fellow gamers. Honestly I haven't come up with an answer myself because i feel it's a complicated subject...at least for my modest intelect. it's true that games borrow influence from movies, literature, music, paintings, etc; like the cinema some have very unique visuals, atmosphere; games are also able to tell a deep and compelling story, and present complex characters...these are some of the characteristics that make some videogames complex experiences. But is this enough to consider them art? Waht about the physical interaction gamers have with games? The fact that they control the flow of the events? Is that natural in an art form? When we read a book, the story only advances if we continue reading...in a game the plot only advances if we advance through specific events that make the story move forward. But this is different i'm aware of that. What really makes me shift to the side of videogames as an art form is this: like in literature, some games are capable of generating meanings and interpretations, that may differ from what the creators may have had in mind. This added to the gameplay itself...otherwise they would just be movies rendered in cgi and their ilk. Naturally i'm refering to games that fuse together an intricate, or at least a complete and elaborate plot, and some sort of gameplay - some may say that the gameplay is just an excuse to unravel the plot -like MGS2, Silent Hill2, FFXII, to name just a few. There are games that are designed solely for gaming purposes and i'm not refering to those. This is for me a defining question in the gaming world, and i want to state clearly that a plot that resembles a premisse of a book or movie, isn't the only thing that should grant a videogame, art status...what about visually beautifull games like okami for instance, whose scenarios resemble those of a painting... The importance of games in our society, is gradually evolving from hobby status, to something else: they have impact in our popular culture, and are viewed as having influence in the mentalities of those who play them. Having this in mind is important to reacess their role and importance in our lives...in our culture.