Julian Eggebrecht, president of Factor 5, has really laid into censorship and the ESRB in his keynote speech at GCDC . And of course he is right. Games are far more highly censored than books and films and a lot of people don’t see them as an artform. We have already covered some of this on here with Games are art and Fu**ing censorship .
But really this is a self inflicted wound by the industry. And these days wounded especially by the limitations imposed by the platform holders. So much of what we produce is just one dimensional “me too” shelf fodder. So, as a favour to the industry, here is a (partial) list of human emotions. For starters please put more of them into your games:
- ANGER
- ANXIETY
- APATHY
- AWE
- BOREDOM
- COMPASSION
- CONFUSION
- CONTEMPT
- DISGUST
- ELATION
- EMBARRASSMENTÂ
- EMPATHY
- ENVY
- EXCITEMENT
- FEAR
- GRATITUDE
- GREED
- GRIEVING
- JEALOUSLY
- JOY
- GRANDIOSITY
- GUILT
- HOMESICKNESS
- HOPE
- HUBRIS
- INDIGNATION
- INTEREST
- LONELINESS
- LUST
- LOVE — romantic, family love (familial) puppy, patriotic, etc.
- NARCISSISM
- PLEASURE
- PRIDEÂ
- PLAYFULNESS
- PREDATORINESS
- REMORSE
- REVENGE
- SCHADENFREUDE (German word for feeling pleasure in someone’s misfortune)Â
- SHAMEÂ
- SUPRISE
- SYMPATHY
So what do you think of the grown up emotional content of games? Am I expecting too much or is the industry just showing it’s immaturity? Feel free to comment.
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Mmm, I would particularly like to see more pride, shame, and grieving.
Greed is quite prevalent in MMO’s.