The “Hero’s Journey,” as Campbell terms Whatever the reason is, this persevering In particular, MtGO is actually superior to it, is the timeless tale of the reluctant Myth is fascinating. It is one tie that truly its paper counterparts in two key respects: hero, plucked from his or her everyday binds, not just current day cultures to each existence to save a people/relic/lover other, but to those of the distant past. And 1) It actually enforces the game rules. Think of your favorite book. And now, from the clutches of a shadowy evil. Our this is why we turn our eyes to the myth in (Except in high level tournaments, most recall your favorite movie. Last, what is hero is helped along his way by some games in this week’s issue of The Escapist. games of Magic involve rules errors your favorite game? Compare each of ancient talisman, or perhaps an older Join us on our journey, and enjoy! unnoticed by all players.) them: Are they similar genres or different? figure, often male; he is also often How about setting, same or different? spurred along his way by the thought of Cheers, Now, think of the basic story structure – his ever-changing beloved. He sets out, the pattern of events, not the actual battles foes, solves puzzles, and finally events themselves. Are those similar or ends up in a battle with the Evil, and different? I’d be willing to bet that while comes out the other side a changed the answers to the first two questions will man, seeming older, wiser and reunited be rather varied among a given group of with saved people/relic/lover. people, the answer to the last question will be, overwhelmingly, “Same.” Familiar, yes? Pretty much the story behind every RPG ever created, and To the editor: Allen Varney, as usual, Why? certainly many books and films, isn’t it? makes a fine job of a hot topic in We don’t really know why this is so. “Trading Web Cards.” Humans seem to tell the same story, Perhaps it’s echoes of our day to day over and over. Whatever the specifics lives, from hunter gatherer times when But on one point I feel he (probably may be, whatever the setting, from we go on our first hunt, to now, when we inadvertently) paints a distorted picture. whatever culture the stories hail, we find land our first job. Perhaps the sequence Wizards of the Coast’s Magic the similarities running through most myths. of events happens to trigger just the Gathering Online These similarities were distilled by right series of chemicals in our brains to Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero keep us enthralled, time and time again. game may be seen by a few grumpy with a Thousand Faces, (on which the Perhaps it is some manner of collective tournament players as riddled with bugs, title of this issue plays) though they consciousness showing through bribery and lag but for the vast majority have been in use for millennia by orators (Campbell was a student of Carl Jung). of players these are seldom-important and scribes the world over. details of a very playable game. 2) You can actually find opponents at In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter take away from an event. You can be any time of day or night. Word” from The Escapist Forum: The engaged by a movie, a game, a lecture, point that “fun” is subjective is the a book, a work of art, a conversation, - Dom linchpin of the whole debate. While some music, sports, or simply by relaxing on games will be “fun” for some, they’re a the couch. If we can get people to think In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter chore for others. Because of this, you about being “engaged” by the games Word” from The Escapist Forum: can say that a single title is BOTH fun that they play, then we can put the Someone watching a movie has to and not fun. In this situation, you can’t products of the industry on a more equal actively take an action to stop the film. claim victory for either point. footing, perception-wise, with movies, The film has to be so disturbing, music and literature. challenging or boring that the viewer I think that gregking’s point of likening decides to switch the player off and do moves to games is true at a base level, - Scopique something else instead. but in the end, we watch movies and play games for the same reason. HOW In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter A game, on the other hand, requires the we perform each of these actions is Word” from The Escapist Forum: The player to actively interact with it. inconsequential, since, at the point word “game” itself is becoming such a It just has to be disturbing or challenging where we feel that we aren’t “getting our broad term these days that it enough to make the player sit back and money’s worth” from either medium, we encompasses something yuppies do to it’s lost them. That’s a lot less leeway quit. If a game isn’t interesting me for kill their time to the serious and than films have. Still - it’s no reason not whatever reason, I stop playing. If a dedicated connoisseurs to the elite “pro” to try striking that tricky balance. movie or TV show isn’t interesting me, gamers ... or whatever they’re called. I’ll get up, go to the bathroom, get The feeling of “fun” manifests differently I heartily agree that games should something to eat, or just stop watching. to each type of people within these engage people on a more mature level, categories. but they still have to keep the players To that end, I suggest that rather then interacting or they become nothing more focus on the term “fun” we use But hey, if you want to convince the than a movie themselves. “engaging”. “Engaging” is a term that senior management board how much means different things to different ‘fun’ is in your game, simply apply - gregking people based on what they expect to numbers to this formula: (Number of Guns + Average Size of been pushing the same point for years in I’m just a bit resistant to the high-low Breasts + Maximum Player Ego more private circles. One can try to art debate. And I think this elusive non- Boosting Level) / Tediousness broaden the meaning of ‘fun’ until it fun gaming is already happening. Silent Factor = Level of Fun encompasses any meaningful experience Hill games are exhausting, tedious whatsoever, but it becomes pretty clear ordeals, but could they be any other way? - Branded on analysis that this is not how people It doesn’t seem to threaten their potency, use the word when they talk about however that should be described. In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter games being fun. They mean something Word” from The Escapist Forum: quite a bit more specific, even if what More sensitive language will, as a side Maybe Warren stood to close to the they mean remains frustratingly vague. effect, encourage more subtle and varied Nintendo marketing bullhorns and the kinds of expression, including stuff that corresponding media parrots at E3? - Walter K is distinctly not fun, but good on some other level. I hardly think his characterization of the In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter current state of game design is accurate. Word” from The Escapist Forum: - david_hellman The idea of, “we need to make more ‘fun’ Warren’s resistance to the “fun factor” games,” attitude in the industry is simply produced the question, “what can games a result of the success of the Nintendo make us feel BESIDES ‘fun?’” DS and Xbox Live Arcade. What they are really saying is we need to make more For me, the even more immediate cheap games that are addictive and question is, “can’t developers describe anyone can play, so we can expand the their work with a bit more market and generate more revenue. It is sophistication?” What about suspenseful, just easier to distill that idea into a exhilarating, hilarious, riveting, giddy, single concept, namely “fun.” smooth, etc.? - heavyfeul Replacing “fun” with “engaging” or “compelling” is pointless. Those words In response to “’Fun’ is a Four-Letter sound kind of rugged and intelligent Word” from The Escapist Forum: right now, but overuse will render them Warren is pretty much spot on, and I’ve as flaccid as “fun.” One of the problems that confronts us as history. Virgil’s Aeneid is a great example we try to refine the way we critique of this type of historical refinement, and videogames is that we can’t seem to it’s a great place to start if we’re going agree on how the medium relates to to draw any similarities between gaming other forms of art. Comparisons to film and art forms of the past. and television fall short because they’re passive entertainment whereas The Aeneid centers on an eponymous videogames are interactive, which is the hero, Aeneas, who escapes from the key element that makes videogames so clutches of the Greeks during the fall of culturally significant, yet hard to liken to Troy and travels all over the anything we’ve analyzed before. Is the Mediterranean before he arrives in Italy, medium entirely new, then, or can we gets re-married, and founds a city that gain something by comparing will found a city that will found Rome.