WARNING: This contains no gore, sex, drugs. or foul language. However, the content and message is very mature. Be warned.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/569834

So, what did you think? Pretty powerful, huh?

Makes you stop and think, "Wow, I didn't know video games could do that." So why hasn't anyone done something like this before, especially with big name publishers and fancy graphics? Well, they have. Or at least have tried. And they were shot down.

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/06/05/the- ... lujah.html

A while back, Six Days in Fallujah got shot down over a media firestorm. There's no doubt in my mind that the inspiration to make something like this came from a very deep place similar to The Killer. The developers worked closely with Marines that had been in the battle and endeavored to make it something that would honor their hard work. But what did people have to say about it?



Here's our answer. It's not a problem with the game, it's a problem with the medium. Society has a perception of video games being the playthings of children. This is severely limiting video games. We've all laughed over video games. We've all gotten excited over critical moments. But have you ever cried or just felt sad over one? Have you ever felt angry? Moved? Motivated? Have you ever taken a step back and thought about your decisions and your actions and how much they have an impact on the virtual world around you? I have, but experiences vary.

Now what if I ask you the same thing about movies?

The simple fact is, video games are treated differently than other mediums. It's mostly because they're the newest media. Comic books and movies had their share of trouble in their early years, but they pulled through. And with recent Supreme Court decisions, the future of video games never seemed brighter.



But here it is. That dark cloud that still lingers over video games. They're trivial child playthings.

Let me ask you this: When playing the killer...

Did you "play for fun?"

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The only thing running through my head was "This thing says it's an emotional experience but I've been holding this stupid bar for 3 minutes and nothing has happened."

Meanwhile there are things like Metal Gear Solid and Heavy Rain that get to me emotionally.

I've always found people take the gaming medium MORE seriously instead of just thinking of it as a child's plaything. There's always some media buzz about how games are too influential and are dangerous to children.

Movies, on the other hand, tend to bore me and make me feel like I just looked over the cliffnotes of something that had potential and laughed at the thought of putting real effort into anything.

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This, this, this.

Obviously video games have potential as vehicles for emotion. Books, music and movies do so - Video games are simple another medium which can be used to express emotion.

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I'm not really a fan of video games making me feel like a horrible person.

bartoron

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it wasnt very fun I think

I only got to shoot one guy in normal gaames there are lots of people and the guns hav more ammo

the cambodia preview looked prety good though is there a trailer for that 1 or where can i play??

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You may or may not be missing the point. I'm guessing the latter.

The Killer played out exactly like a movie. I sat there watching something without giving input. I couldn't make any changes and I had no choice. Games like Halo, however, trigger me emotionally. In Halo Reach when Jorge died. I couldn't believe it. In Half-Life 2: Episode 2, when Eli Vance died. That choked me up.
Now if you're meaning in the sense that the player does something, God of War: Chains of Olympus is a decent example. When, at the end of the game, you had two options. Stay with your daughter in the after-life while the world was destroyed, including you and your daughter. Or, save the world, but go back to Earth while your daughter remained in the after-life.

I think video games are slowly evolving into a medium that can bring forth the bluer emotions in the spectrum, as they have proved time and again they can get adrenaline pumping. It's taking some time, but it'll get there.

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The problem with games is that they are, as you said, given the stereotype from the beginning of childhood playthings, ignoring the fact that the average gamer is in their 30s and video arcades were originally for bars. I personally think games are more emotionally compelling than films because you are forced to react. Games are similar in that they present a created world, but differ in being immersive as you have to interact with them, which I see as creating stronger emotional ties since you've invested your person so much into it.

I've totally felt a complete range of emotions in games, and I honestly believe that games have taught me things in life. I can remember the exact moment where I beat Super Metroid and almost cried during the final boss battle. But, I can also say that games have taught me perseverance and finding inner motivation when Zelda II and StarTropics gets just too damn hard.

I think it's lame that games aren't taken more seriously outside of the gaming community and that they aren't seen as serious emotional forces.

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