Let's Get Ready to Play!

Today’s screening provided an interesting perspective on the different things people consider entertaining. It fascinates me that the more technology we acquire, the more simplistic things become. The wii, for example, is so amazingly advanced. It is a videogame capable of sensing the player’s movements and coordinating that with what is on the screen. Yet, we are playing games where we need to shake the ants off of a banana, or blow up a balloon. We have of these possibilities set before us (open to our imagination) and we choose to play things that happen in everyday life anyway. I would have to agree with Shane’s assumption that Wario Ware was only intended to display all the capabilities of the new system. There was nothing jarring or intriguing about the games other than the tutorials showing the various ways to manipulate the controller and the possibility of something greater. If we start to have videogames that can sense our very movements, there might be other innovations created to anticipate our every need (our televisions, our beds, etc.).

The time aspect of the screening was also quite interesting. I really like to play videogames. I often use my younger cousin as an excuse to play any chance I get. Usually, when the two of us play, it is only the two of us. We have two controllers and an ample supply of two-player games. I can spend the whole day playing games with him and not realize just how much time has passed. As much as I love spending time with my family, I think the desire to win is what keeps me from realizing how much time I wasted. Every time I play, I get closer and closer to either completing the level or finishing the game. So, in adventure games I don’t measure how much time has gone by, instead I measure how many lives I’ve played. That is a slightly more manageable number.

With the screening today, there was a lot of waiting around. Though I cheered for the success of my peers, I didn’t get emotionally attached or involved with the progress of the games. As a result, I was very aware of the time that was passing. My reaction to this screening is quite similar to my reaction to television shows. If I get emotionally connected to or attached to characters, I find myself anticipating the coming of next week’s episode. If I watch the show only in passing, I am more aware of my surroundings than I am of the show itself. Even though trying the games were quite fun, it was extremely difficult to get too ‘into’ the game seeing that we would have to take turns and then switch twenty minutes or so later.