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Does The Walking Dead winning GotY at the VGAs meaning anything for the industry?

Yopis

Member
Look out, it's the shootbang gameplay brigade.


I'm going to go out on a limb here, but maybe because it wasn't as good or didn't even compare to The Walking Dead?


My favorite game is Rome total war bro. Been playing videogames since muds/ zaxon. Just because I think twd, (which I bought) is a visual novel doesnt mean Im a shootbang guy.

Even If that was the case, I play games for the honing of skills. Learning and getting better online or off is awesome. Honestly I
play everything man. Don't try to typecast people because they called this
 
My favorite game is Rome total war bro. Been playing videogames since muds/ zaxon. Just because I think twd, (which I bought) is a visual novel doesnt mean Im a shootbang guy.

Even If that was the case, I play games for the honing of skills. Learning and getting better online or off is awesome. Honestly I play everything man. Don't try to typecast people because they called this

Just because you play for skills doesn't mean WD isn't a game. It's a (poor) adventure game with a great story. Unless you want to say stuff like Grim Fandango aren't games.
 
The arbitrary walls people are erecting between what constitutes a game and what doesn't is utterly bizarre.

I can't tell the serious posts from the people who have got to be joking.


Maybe if season two has an arbitrary jump button that isn't used for anything, everyone will relax about this heinous attack on their favorite medium.
 

Yopis

Member
Just because you play for skills doesn't mean WD isn't a game. It's a (poor) adventure game with a great story. Unless you want to say stuff like Grim Fandango aren't games.

Well being a non game is harsh. But I do think this is a poor adventure game. Honestly It gave that monkey island, Indiana jones lucasarts vibe.

Being held in the same class or higher than gameplay focused games is what bothers me.
 
Well being a non game is harsh. But I do think this is a poor adventure game. Honestly It gave that monkey island, Indiana jones lucasarts vibe.

Being held in the same class or higher than gameplay focused games is what bothers me.

I can agree that gameplay is poor, but as I've said in the past page there are other reasons why a game can be good.
 

Cheech

Member
I wouldn't call it a "traditional game", it's interactive fiction really.

That said, clearly there was a consensus that it delivered a richer experience than the other games up for GOTY, and in that I agree. Dishonored was pretty good. But TWD definitely left more of an impression.

Personally, I tried Journey and I thought it was some of the most boring shit ever. I didn't "get it". Doesn't mean it's a bad game, but I'm not sure what it is I'm missing.

I think if TWD winning means anything, it's that there is a market for interactive fiction going forward, and I think that is tremendous. I assure you that somebody at Quantic Dream noticed the win, and was very pleased. I paid full price for Heavy Rain, and it was arguably worth it. I don't think they are necessarily $60 experiences due to the lack of replayability, but certainly there's a market for it.
 

iceatcs

Junior Member
Nice to see the different this time.

But I hope it won't make the devs get the idea that the story is far more important than gameplay.
The Walking Dead has extremely limitation gameplay - it is basically all quick time event and hidden treasure.
 

Sky Chief

Member
Granted the VGAs are of questionable quality, this is the first time a non AAA title has won the award, and I feel like it was the least played game overall compared to the other nominees. While I believe it deserves recognition and is an incredible game, I'm surprised that Its been recognized by most game critics as better than any AAA game out there. Is it possible that the media and industry is pushing innovation in design and storytelling, or was it simply that nothing else good came out this year?

It is a fantastic game, very deserving, but the bolded is also a huge factor.
 

ari

Banned
Other than selling video games, the VGA's have no effect on the industry whatsoever. So, no I don't think so.
I disagree, the industry is going to start treating it as the premiere award show like the oscars of video games. The media actual takes it more serious then any gaming site awards and companies are already showing world premieres on the show. The fact that gaming companies develop segments with sam jackson and the character of the year stuff simply shows interest. At the end of the day Its free publicity because the ratings is very much impressive. I would like to see actual video game developers hosting and presenting but that is just me.
 

Xilium

Member
The arbitrary walls people are erecting between what constitutes a game and what doesn't is utterly bizarre.

I can't tell the serious posts from the people who have got to be joking.


Maybe if season two has an arbitrary jump button that isn't used for anything, everyone will relax about this heinous attack on their favorite medium.

I didn't realize anyone had any issue with considering QWOP a game... Unlike TWD, QWOP relies entirely on gameplay. It's no different than many of the games you will see on app stores (and quite a few retail releases as well) that jettison story, character development, world building, ect. in favor of focusing entirely on an objective and the mechanics necessary to achieve that objective.

I'm typically not even a big fan of gameplay exclusive/intensive games (i.e. Mario games). I like having a story to play along to and interesting characters to interact with along the way. That said, going to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and providing the bare minimum of gameplay (and that bare minimum not being very good), and crowning that as being the finest example of games this year is just, odd.
 
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Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
I'm glad it won. Some of my friends were saying it shouldn't have won cause it isn't even a game. Get the fuck outta here with that shit, I replied.
 

KingKong

Member
My issue with it is that the things Walking Dead is good at are not related to the gameplay - story and characters. I would be fine calling it Story of the Year or whatever, but calling something GOTY when it features the bare minimum of gameplay mechanics feels very wrong
 
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Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
My issue with it is that the things Walking Dead is good at are not related to the gameplay - story and characters. I would be fine calling it Story of the Year or whatever, but calling something GOTY when it features the bare minimum of gameplay mechanics feels very wrong

You don't need deep gameplay mechanics to have something as your GOTY. The story can excel gameplay.
 

KingKong

Member
You don't need deep gameplay mechanics to have something as your GOTY. The story can excel gameplay.

It can but I don't think it does in this case, and when the gameplay is subpar then you might as well watch it on youtube. It would be like calling something Album of the Year because the lyrics were excellent even when everything else wasn't
 

erpg

GAF parliamentarian
Is it really so hard to understand that TWD resonated and made a better impression on people than AC3 or ME3? Forget the silly game play amount criteria, that's what actually matters. My top 3 are Journey, Papo & Yo and Darksiders 2, because they hit me at various levels. In two years, I'll probably still have some emotional attachment to those games, and already have forgotten about Halo 4's campaign.

It can but I don't think it does in this case, and when the gameplay is subpar then you might as well watch it on youtube. It would be like calling something Album of the Year because the lyrics were excellent even when everything else wasn't
Oh come on.
 
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Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
It can but I don't think it does in this case, and when the gameplay is subpar then you might as well watch it on youtube. It would be like calling something Album of the Year because the lyrics were excellent even when everything else wasn't

It's not even subpar to be honest, maybe a little basic, but it fits the structure of the game perfectly. Would you prefer a third person shooter?
 
It can but I don't think it does in this case, and when the gameplay is subpar then you might as well watch it on youtube. It would be like calling something Album of the Year because the lyrics were excellent even when everything else wasn't

Watching on Youtube something that implies choices is missing out. It's not completely linear, and it's the choices (in dialogues and not) that give the game an extra boost.
 
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Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
Watching on Youtube something that implies choices is missing out. It's not completely linear, and it's the choices (in dialogues and not) that give the game an extra boost.
One can still argue they can explore every choice on Youtube, but I think that's total bullshit. If you, yourself, aren't experiencing the game and feeling the burden of your choices, then you're doing it all wrong.
 

iceatcs

Junior Member
It's not even subpar to be honest, maybe a little basic, but it fits the structure of the game perfectly. Would you prefer a third person shooter?

Yeah I don't mind for 3rd person shooter mini game. That will great boost for gameplay quality.
You can have QTE, treasure hunter, and real shooter and many more (drive the train or vehicles ?) in once.
 
Winning GotY is a symptom of the game's massive success.

So the award doesn't mean a whole lot for the industry, but the fact that the game is such a big hit financially and critically is a good sign.
 
its not even a game
its a glorified visual novel

this winning "game" of the year is a joke

Seing how a "game" can be a crossword puzzle, a riddle, chess, or monopoly; games can take many forms. The fact that this one is played with controllers and its distribution method and platforms is on a machine that gives us electronic multimedia capabilities qualifies it to be in the running for the award. If you we're upset that an non electronic visual novel won, it would be justified.

Complaining that a genre that you don't respect as a game doesn't make your definition of a game true.

Congrats TT, now patch those bugs!
 

Bgamer90

Banned
I think it's a sign that more and more people are starting to treat DD games the same way they treat retail games; It's a good sign for next gen since I'm pretty sure even more "non-AAA" games will only be available as digital downloads.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I hope adventure games don't make a comeback, to be honest.

That's kind of a shitty thing to say, don't you think?

You never HAVE to play an adventure game, but by hoping that they never make a comeback, you're hoping other gamers are deprived of something they enjoy.
 

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
Not to be all conspiracy theorist or anything... but how do we know that they didn't change which game won at the last minute to try and do some damage control for Shane Satterfield shitting on smaller low budget game?
 
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Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
Yeah I don't mind for 3rd person shooter mini game. That will great boost for gameplay quality.
You can have QTE, treasure hunter, and real shooter and many more (drive the train or vehicles ?) in once.

Sure, but that would take all the emphasis from the story. This works for a budget title.
 

Noi

Member
It may not change much, but seeing what's essentially a modern take on the point and click adventure genre win on SPIKE of all venues in 2012 is a breath of fresh air. I was half-expecting AC3 to win after it hadn't won a single thing all night, but I'm glad the VGA's board was better than that.

Edit: People arguing that TWD is barely a game? C'mon son.
 
I played the demo and then proceeded to delete it off my HDD. Its more of a movie than a game. I already watch the TV show, I dont need to watch another version of it. Im happy for Telltale for winning, good for them but its still not a game.
 

Lime

Member
The arbitrary walls people are erecting between what constitutes a game and what doesn't is utterly bizarre.

I can't tell the serious posts from the people who have got to be joking.


Maybe if season two has an arbitrary jump button that isn't used for anything, everyone will relax about this heinous attack on their favorite medium.

Don't worry, the people in question simply do not know what constitutes a definition. At some point they will need to learn what a definition is, so no worries.
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
Edit: People arguing that TWD is barely a game? C'mon son.

same as Heavy Rain and people have all right to say that, and I won't call TWD or HR "games", they are interactive show/films and not games..not even close to games.
 

Guevara

Member
It means that people who talk about video games and 'judge' them don't like video games at all. They are media enthusiast who like comics, books and movies and would like to be more active in the story. This is not what a game is to me. PERIOD.
Kind of this. The video game industry often seems like they'd rather be elsewhere. Usually in movies.
 

emag

Member
Yeah I don't mind for 3rd person shooter mini game. That will great boost for gameplay quality.
You can have QTE, treasure hunter, and real shooter and many more (drive the train or vehicles ?) in once.

The 3rd person shooter segments in TWD were the weakest link in the game.
 

edeo

Member
Nope. We're probably still due non-stop CoD sequels and the same 2D New Super Mario games year after year. Probably a lot of 3rd party Wii U party games that'll rip off Mario Chase.

Lots of ultrasafe choices until the economy improves/the icecaps melt and drown us.
 

emag

Member
How would you even try to do ZE:999's story in another medium like a book? I mean, you can say choose your own adventure type of novel but that only goes so far, not to mention the huge twist at the end.

You would write it out, just as the scriptwriter(s) originally did. My point is that 999 (and TWD) would lose a lot of what makes it great if it were presented in the form of a [non-interactive] novel. That is, the story -- divorced of the graphics, the music, the interactivity -- isn't that great.

FYI, there are paper-based interactive fiction novels significantly more complex than CYOA. Life's Lottery (by Kim Newman) is one I would recommend to fans of ZE:999.
 
What is gameplay? If gameplay is classified as any sort of interaction with the game world, then the Walking Dead is a great game because the interactive elements *Making timed decisions* complimented the narrative,setting and enhanced a lot of the key moments happening throughout the game (as small or arbitrary that interaction is)

If gameplay has to meet a specific level of fidelity to be considered gameplay, then The Walking Dead will never be able to measure up due to the simplicity of the interactivity the game offers (timed and rapid button presses, choosing multiple options to branch the narrative for one point or another, and a fail state which happens when a player fails the former)

Its a fidelity argument. I think The Walking Dead is game of the year because of the its interactive moments (however simple they are) enhanced the narrative the game was going for with flying colors. Those narrative choices helped develop an attachment between Lee and many key characters. Those timed button presses helped convey the sense of urgency when those actions happened. The rapid button presses went along with high tension moments when your character is struggling. All those very simple actions helped the player feel what the main character feels, and that's why it succeeds as a GAME. I would argue the story wouldn't be as memorable or effective if it was watched simply as a movie or tv show.

This is all in my opinion though, and I'm not as good as Id like to be as far as explaining things, but there.
 

wildfire

Banned
It means nothing for the industry and it will not increase the sales of The Walking Dead more than it would otherwise have already seen. The VGAs are not the Academy Awards. The only people who care or even know about them are people who already follow gaming. Those people already should have known that The Walking Dead is a popular and well regarded game. If anything, people on this message board and other gaming boards are going to look for reasons to rip apart the game now.

If there was a way to prove this either way I would love to bet against you for this. Mainstream award shows boost performance of sales for music and movies. Why can't the same thing happen for games?
 

Zia

Member
Arguing that The Walking Dead isn't a game is as worthwhile as arguing that games aren't art. Well, yeah, by definition they are. You might not think it's a very good game, but who cares what you think? That doesn't change the literal definition of a thing.
 

pants

Member
The game only won GOTY due to the licence attached to it, so whats popular will always win out (at the VGAs) I guess. Doesnt change a thing.
 
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