Comments on: New Uplifting Adventure Games, Part deux

By: museditions

museditions — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:14:06 +0000

An update:
As of November 25, I’ve played the game several more times, and did indeed find at least two non-violent ways to enter the castle. Yay. I just needed a bit more patience and perseverance. I appreciate the designer’s encouragement.

By: museditions

museditions — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:50:24 +0000

Deirdra, thanks very much for the visit, the advice, and the warning! You intrigue me when you say that the non-stabbing options may not be any better. I will redouble my efforts, as the moral ambiguity has me thinking about judgment in “real life”. Whew!

By: museditions

museditions — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:45:29 +0000

Hey, brightfeather, thanks for your insight. I surely agree with you that the large majority of computer games are very violent. There are lots of people who play games primarily in order to “shoot things”. Kind of an in-home shooting gallery. But it’s more than that because some of the scenarios can be quite gruesome. I have never enjoyed that sort of game (like, never), and didn’t even enjoy shooting galleries at fairs and arcades. An argument can be made for war strategy games as an intellectual exercise–but that’s still not for me.
I’ll admit I like the fairy-tale adventures. I like story and I like a few puzzles thrown in. I’m not the least bit interested in a game that does not have a good story that makes me care about the characters. I like games which have fantasy elements. I like doing magic. And I like happy endings, or at least philosophically provocative endings. The games I’ve posted about have all or most of those elements.
Bottom line for me: Do I feel better or worse when playing the game? Does it leave a bad taste in my mouth, or leave me feeling uplifted in some way?
I must say that I rarely witness violence on the streets or in the news or anywhere, so I’m not looking for a game to help me deal with those things “out there”, but to help me explore my own values.
I’m familiar with Deirdra Kiai’s commitment to socially conscious gaming because I’ve read considerable heartfelt material about it on her blog. I would agree that playing *Chivalry* or most other games would probably not be the defining moment of a new awareness–although I wouldn’t rule it out, either. She does get me to think, and reevaluate presumptions and used beliefs–as do you!

By: brightfeather

brightfeather — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:10:07 +0000

In a word the one thing that has deterred me from becoming a gamer is “violence”. I’ve only played one game thus far that lacked it but the game didn’t have enough going to keep me hanging in. I’m referring to Nations States.

I haven’t clue what socially conscious gaming truly means and I sincerely doubt that playing the game will make me any more conscious about choices we make to avoid violence the that we witness every day on the streets, in households, in the news, in schools and even in hospitals.

However, if I ever do have an inclination to try on the gaming world for size again I will know which game to choose to try on first thanks to your post.

By: Deirdra Kiai Productions » Blog Archive » Chivalry is Reviewed

Deirdra Kiai Productions » Blog Archive » Chivalry is Reviewed — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:01:32 +0000

[...] review of Chivalry is Not Dead has been posted by my anonymous musician/philosopher friend over at MusEditions. Unlike the majority of feedback I’ve gotten about the game so far, s/he (I’m not [...]

By: Deirdra Kiai

Deirdra Kiai — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:52:53 +0000

Thanks for the review!

For the record, there actually is a way to get past the guard without stabbing him. (HINTS: Don’t exhaust ALL dialogue options; instead, choose the ones that you think will get him to open up to you. Also, in some circumstances, you may be able to make use of that coin purse of yours.) However, whether the alternate options are any better than stabbing is debatable.