tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post3207183308899222092..comments2023-04-29T09:24:39.221-04:00Comments on Nuclear Houseplant: The Alienation Effect? Part 2Jason Gaj.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04308614631964520520noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-60837014821545160992009-03-25T09:08:00.000-04:002009-03-25T09:08:00.000-04:00Absolutely, Mike. SPM is an excellent example for...Absolutely, Mike. SPM is an excellent example for Nintendo-specific references, too; the dragon who's the second (?) boss says "I am Error," and his eyes briefly turn into the rotating "loading" icon from the Wii Shop Channel. And this is out of several other examples from that game alone, of course. I remember the first time I noticed this was while I was playing Super Mario Bros. 3--the warpJason Gaj.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04308614631964520520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-33016961239514901172009-03-25T01:06:00.000-04:002009-03-25T01:06:00.000-04:00It seems like recent Nintendo titles break the fou...It seems like recent Nintendo titles break the fourth wall quite a bit (someone brought up the SMRPG, add SPM to that, too). And they can go an extra step with it because not only do they have an increasingly universal language of gaming to play to, but their own games are so rich in history that they seem to have their OWN language and iconography.Mike Brothershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11023750373007989101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-91503918527472387252009-03-23T19:07:00.000-04:002009-03-23T19:07:00.000-04:00Thanks, sLs! I agree that these are not actually ...Thanks, sLs! I agree that these are not actually obsolete or regressive values and that it would be wonderful if designers would carry those things forward more often. I think the simplicity games had to work within in the past in many ways engendered much more creativity than the relative freedom designers have now. I think the same thing about modern special effects films, incidentally, and IJason Gaj.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04308614631964520520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-58620215983558298042009-03-23T14:09:00.000-04:002009-03-23T14:09:00.000-04:00Excellent post.Though I take issue with a few thin...Excellent post.<BR/><BR/>Though I take issue with a few things here, it's more from personal wishes that I have...to see games doing things that further their own existence. Like you suggested though, I reach out and I see these as pieces of art (it's never been up as an argument for me). I've been using that simple grasp as the basis for a series I've been doing for almost two years now.<BR/><BRSnakeLinkSonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06563866368491252851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-69809037436237725602009-03-23T13:37:00.000-04:002009-03-23T13:37:00.000-04:00Thanks, GB! Yeah, I was just playing Links Awakeni...Thanks, GB! Yeah, I was just playing Links Awakening recently, and I was blown away by all the fourth wall tricks in it. There's that "press B," of course, and then there are all the Mario Bros. enemies that show up inexplicably. Does Nintendo think that when characters in their games dream, they dream of other Nintendo games?<BR/><BR/>I completely agree about the level of immersion. Putting Jason Gaj.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04308614631964520520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-31187581124942117662009-03-23T13:29:00.000-04:002009-03-23T13:29:00.000-04:00Hey eirwenes! Yes, Brecht had a particular social...Hey eirwenes! Yes, Brecht had a particular social agenda that I've passed over here, though I'm eliding that for brevity more than anything. Brecht was rejecting naturalism, I take it (I'm no Brecht-spert), as lacking aesthetic value (and so impact?), and he was rejecting expressionism as lacking any didactic value. I also think naturalism was too fatalistic a movement for him; why try to Jason Gaj.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04308614631964520520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-20516519758720946032009-03-23T12:19:00.000-04:002009-03-23T12:19:00.000-04:00Fascinating! Now that I think about it, I know I'v...Fascinating! Now that I think about it, I know I've enjoyed more than a few games that broke the fourth wall specifically because they did. The Mario RPG games, The ARC Trilogy, Maniac Mansion (whenever someone said something absurd, one of the characters would look at the "camera"), and Link's Awakening ("Press B...whatever that means!") are the ones that immediately come to mind. <BR/><BR/>And Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7965790905936556434.post-15769212234147908692009-03-23T11:27:00.000-04:002009-03-23T11:27:00.000-04:00I need a lot of time to digest this, but I'm deepl...I need a lot of time to digest this, but I'm deeply intrigued. You really are my favorite blogger. I don't want to skip past your reasons for preferring the alienation effect, but wasn't Brecht's goal to break through people's escapism, and raise their awareness of the injustice of the class system in their own lives? Wasn't he actually seeking to provoke people to actually go out and do eirweneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17597044148890649069noreply@blogger.com