LONG BLOG
The Fourth Wall and taking games seriously
So lately I've been thinking a lot about the Fourth Wall in games and more specifically how that relates to how seriously games take themselves, after a desire to replay MGS4 caused me to think about the Metal Gear Solid series and its relationship to breaking the fourth wall.
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I think this is part of why I like Fourth Wall breaks in games so much, because games themselves as a medium have so much potential – there's no right or wrong about what a game is (apart from obviously, what sells) so you can pretty much do whatever you want with them – especially if it means something that will make the player feel more immersed. I feel like part of the lesson we can learn from why players enjoy seeing the Fourth Wall broken is that players enjoy an engaging experience – sure mindless fun is good but we want some original, something novel, if the game challenges us in an original way that's also good. Perhaps that's why the MGS games have done so well, because not only are they fun but also intelligent and engaging on a level that even most books or Films can't be (because of the way their mediums work.)
So while I enjoyed MGS4, and I loved the little nods and references to other games and entertainment, I hope there are more games in the future that challenge our presumption about how the player/game dynamic works and break the Fourth Wall in their own way.
Panzadolphin56 
Kyousuke Nanbu 1
Arttemis 1
InsertTokenz 1
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I think this is part of why I like Fourth Wall breaks in games so much, because games themselves as a medium have so much potential – there's no right or wrong about what a game is (apart from obviously, what sells) so you can pretty much do whatever you want with them – especially if it means something that will make the player feel more immersed. I feel like part of the lesson we can learn from why players enjoy seeing the Fourth Wall broken is that players enjoy an engaging experience – sure mindless fun is good but we want some original, something novel, if the game challenges us in an original way that's also good. Perhaps that's why the MGS games have done so well, because not only are they fun but also intelligent and engaging on a level that even most books or Films can't be (because of the way their mediums work.)
So while I enjoyed MGS4, and I loved the little nods and references to other games and entertainment, I hope there are more games in the future that challenge our presumption about how the player/game dynamic works and break the Fourth Wall in their own way.
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About Panzadolphin56one of us since 9:54 AM on 05.06.2011
Oh hey!
I'm former male model and celebrity nutritionist Panzadolphin56. This is my blog. I write things here.
...in case the blog bit didn't give that away.
Anyway! To the left you'll find my latest blogs, and beneath this you'll find a fairly comprehensive list of most of what I've written over the years (unfortunately some stuff does eventually get bumped off the list.)
I like to write from a fairly critical standpoint about games, usually analysis or talking about issues that interest me, I also do retrospectives from time to time, talk about games I've been playing, write the funny things that come into my head, and very occasionally do some crappy art.
I hope you enjoy what you read!
I also do Lets Plays (mostly old horror games) so if that's your thing then click here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/godi3400
Everyone who clicks will not win a million dollars!
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A little about me:
I am mostly a story person, good mechanics are good mechanics but button pressing never does anything for me. I like Horror, I like Cyberpunk, I like Neo-Noir (especially crossed with Cyberpunk), I like good art and good writing, I like games that cut against the grain or choose to challenge social or industry norms in some way.
I don't have a single favourite game but I am a big fan of the MGS games, Snatcher, the Forbidden Siren series, Silent Hill 2, the old-school Resident Evils, Advance Wars and Power Dolls, among many, many others.
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Critical Pieces:
How ugly should Horror really be?
Of Inventories and Horror Games
Crafting A Good Game of 'The Thing'
Alien(s), Creative license and Borrowed Ideas
Crossing from TV/Movie to Games
Scope and Depth in the world of gaming
Boss Battles - When do they ever make sense?
Survival Horror Essentials
Colonial Marines: Well, that kind of sucked...
Disability, Disease in Games
Blood 2 and Post-Modernism
Topics, Tropes and Atmosphere in Horror games
Realism Vs. Fantasy - Who Wins?
The gradual drift away from the mainstream
Is There Horror in The Ugly...?
The Fourth Wall and taking games seriously
Are You Always Online?
Hype: Aliens Vs. Predator
To shoot stuff or not to shoot stuff?
Character Design and Choice in Games
Culture Vs. Creativity: Where do Stories come from?
Where you go Isometric-Strategy Games?
What's the Point of Games?
Do Horror games even still exist...?
Why are Characters Always so White...?
Choice in Games: Heavy Rain
A Magical Dolphin Plays:
Claire
Sepulchre
The King of the Wood
Retrospectives:
Resident Evil Remake
Aliens Vs Predator 2
Sweet Home
Forbidden Siren
System Shock 2
Pick up and Plays:
Call of Cthulhu and the Spectre of Good Horror
Story Books and Nightmares in Rule of Rose
B-Movie Bliss: Extermination
Along for the ride with Michigan: Report From Hell
Some thoughts on Wargame: European Escalation
Skyrim: Impressions
Funny/Less Critical Stuff:
Get Yo Summer Game On
Lazyblog: Box Art
Escaping into the Darkness of Hellnight
Diversity what what?!?: Black Mamba Edition
Why Do We Still Have Exploding Barrels...?
Art:
Dead Space 3, in a nut shell.
CROSSOVER: Mario X Siren
Boss: Learning the Tools of the Trade
Front Pages:
Tales from Skyrim: The skinhead shopkeep