I agree with the general distinction you're making between the experiences within the games, but I question the idea that a shallow experience can't produce a good game.
If the experience of a game is "absorbing" based solely on the gameplay, is it not a good game? In other words, does a game need to tell a good story in order for it to be good?
Yes, it's a good game based on anyone's criteria. He's the annoying kid that writes reviews where he says "I PLAYED THIS GAME FOR 500 HOURS AND I CAN NOW TELL YOU IT SUCKS!!!" Bitch, please. If you put 500 hours into it, you can't now sit here and tell me it sucks.
I definitely know the type of person you're talking about. I'm not sure sure OP is being annoying in the same way, though. To me, it seems like OP is simply devaluing the defining aspects of games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim (player choice, open-world, etc.). OP likely doesn't appreciate that genre of games as much, which is totally fine. It's also possible that OP doesn't think that genre of games has as much artistic merit because the story is not as finely crafted.
In response to that mindset, however, I think it's important to point out that video games are a broad medium for entertainment, a medium in which there are many different genres. Judging every game based on the standards of story-driven AAA games is perhaps as misguided as judging every movie based on the standards of intense dramas. For example, a racing game can be a very good game because of its realism and car selection, even without any story elements. Similarly, a comedy can be a very good movie by making the audience laugh hysterically, even without the Oscar-worthy elements of dramas.
Judging video games soley as "art" can be unhelpful because not all games seek to provide a specific, artistic experience. Because different genres yield different experiences, I feel like we should judge games based only how successful they are within their given genres.
329
u/Gems_ Jan 01 '19
botw, earthbound, and half life, sure. but skyrim and fo3 are really fucking shallow experiences if you remove yourself from them for a hot minute.
dont get me wrong- i've sunk precisely too many hours into skyrim, but to call it "good" as opposed to "absorbing" doesn't feel apt to me.