Digital Museum –Part 2

The continuation of what I wrote last time

It’s only too often that every article I write is a story in itself, which is why it’s so amusing to think that I would dedicate multiple articles to talk about a single subject. Those who have read the previous article know that this won’t be another language-type article where I write about things like “How come this isn’t in K’iche when it’s in Guatemala?” or probably something dumber like “Why the hell is everyone speaking English when they shouldn’t?”, even though I know the answers. But for a change, I’m talking about something that fascinates me, an element in video games that anyone hardly ever talks about.

In my previous article, I started talking about incorporating choreography and visual effects in video games and how they lend to the cosmetic appeal of a video game. I tried examining the history of the importance of flashy visuals. Still, I couldn’t find a clear starting point, so I cited Mortal Kombat as the first game to popularise a cosmetic feature as in something that happens in the game that exists for no other reason than to “just look good”, because otherwise, it has no strategic value. After that, I vaguely explained my idea for a genre of video games that focuses on flashy supermoves. The game is an exhibition of flamboyantly dressed fighters blitzing around the screen and shooting colourful explosions. The idea behind it is that every supermove tells a story, expressed in bright visuals and movements that are both fighting and dancing.

So basically, you have an experimental idea that nobody tried out before. As interesting as I find these ideas, I am fully aware of the difficulty of materialising them and the many questions regarding their ambiguity and necessity. I did not have the opportunity to talk about the problems last time since I only got so much article space. So, that’s what I’m going to do right now, right here. After that, hopefully, I’ll be able to talk about something more interesting (and related).

There are a slew of problems

Aside from the name of the genre being the least important issue (and something that I will address later), the problems this time aren’t about the misplacement of the Spanish language in a French setting, or maybe something about Mandarin speakers in Hong Kong (which reminds me of a game called Sleeping Dogs, and definitely something to write on). This time, the problems are about the genre of “Digital Museum” (tentative name). I’ll try to address as many of them as possible since I don’t think I’ll have all the room for it, so in no particular order…

The first issue that comes to mind is… what the hell is this? Well… a digital museum (or any other name you want to give it) is a genre of video games where the player is simply required to look at things, kind of how you do in the museum. Of course, such a genre seems redundant since nobody plays video games just to look at stuff. Not only that, but why should I opt to play a game that’s basically one giant montage of supermoves when I can just see it all on YouTube? This idea seems pointless since it’s not really a video game. And even if someone were to greenlight it, how much would it cost? It seems like it would be a really expensive game to make with 300-something flashy supermoves. That’s a heavy assumption considering the cost against the reward, which quickly makes the project seem counterintuitive.

I’m well aware of all of these problems, and realistically speaking, such an idea would be hard to materialise due to its complexity. But regarding its necessity, there have been multiple phenomena in video games where oddities, such as walking simulators and visual novels, found success despite their unorthodox design. Besides, why do people go to museums today to see pretty pictures on the Internet? Museums, as a convention, are a thing of the past as it is. But people still do them today because it’s an experience. Same thing here; it’s an experience watching it in the game itself. That is if it could happen…

What are museums anyway?

Museums are places where people go to learn about stuff, but mostly look at stuff, a lot of stuff. And while their relevance has gradually decreased since the invention of the Internet, They still hold some importance even today. But why go the extra mile to the museum when I can just see all of it on the web? Well, according to me, there’s no proper explanation. I actually went one time to a museum once to test that question. Frankly, aside from looking at paintings that aren’t presented to me digitally via a monitor, I felt like a trip to the beach would’ve been a better choice to spend the holiday. But there will always be people who enjoy museums because it’s some kind of experience. A visual experience is basically what the experimental genre that is “digital museum” seeks to achieve.

But why would anyone play a game where they can just see most of it on YouTube? The same could be said about any game that has little-to-no gameplay value, and some of them are really successful. Some people will always buy every new entry of Mortal Kombat simply because they want to see all the fatalities first hand. It’s the experience of discovering that knowledge for your own, and Mortal Kombat remains an iconic mainstay in gaming culture mostly due to that one staple, proving that cosmetic features do indeed have some meaning. However, Mortal Kombat is first and foremost a fighting game and then an exhibition of creative murders. Interestingly enough, fatalities at their core were a “social” feature since the information necessary to perform them in the game was only acquired via word of mouth because back nobody had Internet, which means that they only exist today since they’re what defines the franchise. Much less “cosmetic” when you think about it like that.

But what is the budget? Even if someone were to believe in something as risky as this, how much would it cost? Well, there would definitely be a lot of animations and VFX, but it’s not my profession, so I can’t say about the exact amount of money. The budget would definitely be high, but would it justify the result?

I definitely won’t do this by myself

So it’s apparent right now that there are a lot of problems with this. However, if you feel that I’ve missed something, be sure to tell me. Also, if you think there’s something I didn’t address properly in the article, feel free to point it out and ask if you have any questions. I understand that I might not be able to talk about the subject in its entirety since it’s kind of big, so it’s important that I have an outside perspective as to what I could be doing better.

In Conclusion…

Once again, I find myself unsatisfied with the amount of space I’m given since I never quite come to the feeling that I explained everything. I plan to talk about the core attraction of this whole ordeal in part 3.

And “digital museum” is just one of many possible. Some other names that I consider are “visual game” or “spectacle game” since it’s about the main focus of the genre. If you have something better, be sure to tell me.

Next article, I’ll probably write about Sleeping Dogs like I said earlier. That sounds like an idea…