on computer games

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"on computer games" is a gaming blog that publishes analyses, musings, and essays on the highly subjective experience of computer games; presented in a style reminiscent of "very creative writing" and covering a range of topics such as philosophy, nostalgia, and tanuki lore.

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On top of discussing any content @ oncomputer.games; the purpose of this community is to discuss anything about COMPUTER GAMES, with a slant toward the philosophical, conceptual, and creative; we do not care about your "score" for the new ____ game; we care about your unique experience while playing the new ___ game. We are also partial to sh!t posting if it is games-related.

Keep it copacetic and stay "on topic," the topic being COMPUTER GAMES.

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Issue#1 - The Dragon Takes Flight

*disclaimer: the term "computer games" in this context means literally any video game; "computer games" is what grandma says when she tells you to "stop playing those damn computer games and go outside!"

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Generic (fantasy) settings are better than "original" settings (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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This is mainly about sword & sorcery type of fantasy games. By generic setting, I mean anything that copies D&D Forgotten Realms 1:1. You know, elves are nimble, long lived and good with bows, wizards have long white beards, orcs are evil or at the very least aggressive and violent.

Original settings are more like a Brandon Sanderson novel, where there might be magic but maybe not, we don't know how it works, or what the society is like. It could be fun to read about in a book, but it requires too much explanation (or exploration) in a computer game.

In games especially, it's useful to have stereotypes to fall back on. That way the game doesn't need to spend so much time explaining things, and can go to the more interesting things straight away: Tactical combat (gameplay) or character interaction (story). When you see an orc, or elf, you know what to expect, they're like shorthand. After all, most of the time in games, a fantasy setting is only an excuse as to why people fight in melee, why there's mana and spells, in short why there are game mechanics. So there's really no point in trying to "be creative" by changing up established tropes. (If you want to make an allegory about society, use a sci-fi setting!!)

(feel free to disagree and discuss)

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