Would you please describe your most 'authentic' gaming experience? (Please read details)
I would like you, dear community, to please read the description of authenticity below and describe your most authentic gaming experience.
Specifically, please answer:
1) What game was it? (feel free to include pen & paper RPGs and board games)
2) What about the game made the experience so authentic?
3) How did the experience of the game make you feel?
Authenticity - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticity_(philosophy)
Authenticity is a technical term in existentialist philosophy, and is also used in the philosophy of art and psychology. In philosophy, the conscious self is seen as coming to terms with being in a material world and with encountering external forces, pressures and influences which are very different from, and other than, itself. Authenticity is the degree to which one is true to one's own personality, spirit, or character, despite these pressures.
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M$16 Answers
1) The game is DEFCON. It's a game about nuclear war.
The interface is somewhat reminiscent of the big computer screen in Wargames. The whole game is somewhat modeled after that.
http://download.introversion.co.uk/mirror/introversion/defcon/screenshots/pcgamer1.jpg
http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/screenshots/screenshot2.jpg
2) There is no real story here. You simply prepare your forces, and then try to cause as much damage as possible to your enemies. So why does it feel so authentic? Well, you're the leader of the US or other country, and everyone has headed down the path of nuclear armageddon. There's no diplomacy here. You build your forces up and fire the nukes off. It is so far detached from reality that you focus on the concept of what is happening, and how horrible it really is.
I could barely play this game.
It is so disconnected from reality, but the mere concept of launching nuclear weapons and killing millions of people (Oh, yes, the game tells you how many millions you kill) - everything about it made me terrible at the game.
Given that you've effectively no choice but to kill millions, and you are compelled to do so - if your attack is inadequate, millions and millions more of your people will perish, it brings forth a moral conundrum - do you kill millions, or allow millions to be killed?
I felt absolutely sick to my stomach after playing this game. I felt like I had launched nuclear weapons at major population centers, killing tens and hundreds of millions of people.
I never feel that with games. But DEFCON did it for me. I've never been a war hawk, but suffice to say this game also pushed me further in the opposite direction.
It's amazing that some lines on a screen could have that affect on me, but, hey, I'm human, and it opened my eyes to a dispassionate, disgusting view of war.
Interestingly enough, #2 on this list would be Uplink, by the same company. It's about the only good hacker game around, and the game is presented in a similarly immersive manner - but the scale of it is minuscule and ineffectual compared to DEFCON.
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M$
An example of this was a certain mission where you were helping a rather anti-social but brilliant man resurrect a beautiful woman who had been dead for over a century. There were hints throughout the quest that the woman he was resurrecting was an evil witch, but you couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor, reclusive man. Ultimately, I helped him resurrect the woman. But then the game offered a surprising and interesting twist. The spell we used to resurrect her had an additional power... it made the newly resurrected woman fall in love with the first person she saw when she opened her eyes, which accidentally happened to be me.
The game then presented me with another choice: I could chose to leave the house while the man attempted to reverse the love spell, or I could kill the man and let the woman (who was now madly in love with me) marry me and start a new family.
I (somewhat hastily) chose to kill the man, and married the woman (she was very beautiful after all, and she was begging me to marry her), but now, every time I go back to my homestead to visit my wife, I'm reminded of the fateful day when I killed the man who brought her back to life.
Oh, and as for the rumors of her being an evil witch, I later learned that she was in the first Fable game, and she was very evil in that one. She doesn't seem so evil anymore, however...
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M$
I remember very specifically the feeling of being tied to the decisions that I made as Link. I remember the sincere frustration when I spend the entire first night I owned the game wondering around trying to locate the entrance to the castle. After returning from school the next day where I was able to ask a friend, I remember the pure joy that I felt finally being able to enter and begin the game. Throughout the game I can remember instances where I would feel my own pulse race when fighting bosses and the frustration tied to solving puzzles and the joy with overcoming.
The rest of the Zelda series has been great too. Ocarina of Time enveloped me into a 3d version of the same feelings that I had in Link to the Past, I feared for Link at time, even developed a crush on Princess Zelda.
Maybe it's because it was my first real in depth gaming experience, but also for the amazing world that it brought me into, this game and series will always have a special place in my heart. Actually, I think this is the only game that actually has room in my heart. I enjoy other games, but this one I have emotions for.
http://www.mywii.com.au/img/game/The-Legend-Of-Zelda--A-Link-To-The-Past-1.jpg
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M$Eight year old Lyn would cry if I didn't make it to Oregon (or if I killed the character that shared a name with any of my family members)... that's pretty connected. It certainly wasn't graphics or music, it was strictly imagination and an interest in the subject matter. I think it was because I wasn't trying to cheat or repeat the winning game over and over again, but rather I felt equally at risk as the game characters. This was pre cheat-codes and internet queries of how to make the best selections. It was my memory and interest in the game. It was truly educational.
You can't get more authentic than an eight year old ending up studying history and working as a historian straight out of college.
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M$
Updated as requested... thanks for making me look like a big baby! They will tease me at recess because of you! :-D
Haha, it takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man ;)
In all seriousness, that was a great response and I appreciate it!
Thanks for the quick reply, but can you articulate what, specifically, about The Oregon Trail made you feel like you were a pioneer? Were you legitimately sad when some of your wagon-mates died of dysentery?
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/7/89957/carma2_screen006.jpg
However, after playing it for several hours and then driving home I could feel myself almost slipping into the game. It was very surreal because it felt like I was still in the game (this is while driving down a deserted road, not a crowded road with real people). If the game had had more realistic graphics, I could see it being very damaging to some people's sense of reality. I say this being someone who has no opposition to video violence. Nor do I believe that video violence causes other violence.
While I didn't necessarily connect with the character, I did see the lines blurring a bit more than I would have liked. Sort of a reverse than what you suggested.
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I guess what had the most impact on me was each of my victim's last words, they always made me question my actions, I really felt right from wrong and could see the gray areas my actions were exposing, and as it built up to the slow realization that you were working for the wrong side, there was almost a feeling of regret and a definite longing for revenge on the master for his deception, a feeling like I had been used throughout the game. Also, the past vs. present aspect of the game and seeing the parallels between the two just made the story even more intriguing.
I agree with you about Assassin's Creed. I felt absolutely immersed as Altair while playing Assassin's Creed--dodging my way through a crowded market, hiding from guards, tracking my mark from rooftops.
But what specifically about it made it 'authentic' for you? How did it make you feel?
It's an older game, but Deus Ex offers a similar experience, without trying to give away too much. If you haven't played it, it's a great game.
The attention to detail is remarkable; the "little things" impress me the most. Aging billboards, intra-NPC chit chat, surprising answer choices that evolve as your character's skills increase or certain events are triggered.
The notes I've found on dead bodies (I recall one where someone was proclaiming his wish to be married and still had the letter, else was the recipient of the letter... dark); the parallels to my own childhood during the beginning of the game (where your character is having a birthday party and even though there are other children there, they basically hate you and pick on you even at your own party, while your father and other elders are oblivious to these micro-politics). The crux of the game, "is it better to stay in the cave or walk outside and face reality," a la Socrates. Mature themes. Mature language. Very realistic NPC personalities (as much as can be expected).
The NPCs all talk directly to you, and they have interesting stories. If you don't like them, you can murder them, changing the rest of the game entirely. There is a virtual reality section in the game that is almost frightening, and I have rarely felt so pulled in by a game as I was being forced by a small girl to murder the people in the perfect 50s town wearing a creepy mask.
When playing Fallout 3, I feel quite depressed and soaked in unease. It isn't a scary game by any means, but the subtle touches, the ancient crooning, the creeks and growls in the distance, and, surprisingly, the LACK OF tons of enemies and NPCs make me feel lonely. I felt so uplifted to find my father in the game and have an opportunity to assist him.
Honestly, though, the intro and the VR sections are compelling enough that everyone should play the game at least for a while.
It is also a beautiful game. Beautiful. And vast. Unnervingly vast. I am smitten with angst when I play. If the game-play where just a bit more tuned, it would be unforgettable.
Obviously, the same can be said for Bioshock.
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M$By your definition, I've had one authentic moment in gaming history. Only one. Playing through Knights of the Old Republic. The most enjoyable part of the game was its setting. The history leading up the story line, spoke of an incredibly powerful and evil character (Malak) who spread war and destruction across the galaxy. Half way through the game, you learn that it is actually you, unexpectedly learn that it is you who is this ultimate evil who all these background stories talk about. Immediately from that moment, I felt incredibly powerful. Prior to learning who you really are, you were nothing more than a soldier following a great jedi. My intention was to play as a good character, but that changed after learning who I was. The game made you feel legendary. Knowing that I was once evil and powerful, made me use that to my advantage. Unlike your experience where it was your actions that effected the world, KOTOR changed me. Sadly, my explanation does not do justice to how I felt in the game.
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M$
2. What is it? You are a God! You can do whatever you want, either good or bad. And you can have a creature that you raise like a baby, and that creature begins acting like you!
3. It felt like I am that hand pointer in the game, that I can turn the tables at any point in the game. With the creature, it's like you're a father at the same time. You have to take care of things and of the baby too.
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M$
I think I was about nine years old. It was the first video game I remember actually sitting down and playing all the way through in a very determined all-out attack on the game.
I remember feeling actual fear, excitement, and nausea when I finally reached the final stage and banned Bowser from Yoshi's Island forever!...
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M$
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M$Personal experience
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M$
This game is absolutely encapsulating. Playing World of Warcraft is a long and involving MMORPG. You can spend hours, days, weeks, months, and years and never attain the highest level. WOW (World of Warcraft) takes you over. You become your character when you play.
What makes WOW authentic to me is that the character is one that I have created and spent many days of my life enhancing and developing. I have spent many hours improving skills, running through intricate dungeons and bonding with other players online to gain some of the rarest items in the game. Someone couldn't start playing WOW someday and have a character like mine. The relationships I have build within the game and the combination of skills and experiences have individualized me within the virtual gaming world.
I remember one night teaming up with a group of people to run a difficult dungeon in the game. There were five of us there and we absolutely needed all five of us to complete the dungeon (getting through the whole dungeon and killing the boss at the end for great loot). If one of us died halfway through the dungeon, it would have been time wasted, and an opportunity lost.
I remember my blood pressure rising and my palms getting sweaty as we neared the final boss. We were losing the battle for quite some time before the tables finally started to turn.
We finally completed the dungeon....as a team....as a group. I remember the feeling of accomplishment, both in-game and out. My character raked up some nice new weapons. I remember thinking how amazing it was that I was on this epic adventure in a computer game with people halfway around the world. We were a team, partners, a group coming together for a common goal. It was truly amazing!
http://lastshepard.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/index-world-of-warcraft-logo.jpg
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
2. I've run over frogs before
3. Authentically guilty for killing frogs.
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M$you should have seen me drive after playing it.. thank god i dont play it now
Of course what affected me is stunt driving, and it made me feel ALIVE
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M$
Man, I hear you on this one. I think a truly authentic game enables the player to examine his or her own character by permitting him or her to to do something extraordinary and observing the consequences.
In this case, it's "sweet mercy, I was responsible for the death of millions of individuals." Normally you likely wouldn't be able to have that feeling. How an individual reacts to that situation is very telling indeed!
Thank you for the generous tip, and, perhaps more importantly, an absolutely thought provoking question.
I need to say this example is engaging and very interesting. I don't think I could play it either.