Desolation of Smaug reviews

[kzer_za]

I also wonder: is the review colored by its appearance in a gaming magazine, since, I guess, games more consistently than life reward players for their skill? I'm no gamer: are there video games in which you can make all the right moves, and then still lose because sometimes things just don't work out?

The closest thing is probably the "roguelike" genre of games, which feature randomly generated levels and permanent player death (so you can't reload after you die). They require very careful play, adaptation to the levels and items you're given, and dozens (or more) of deaths to master. It is virtually inconceivable to win one when starting out, and even expert players can still sometimes lose. But they are a pretty niche genre because of their punishing difficulty, usually low-budget freeware games.

[Passdagas the Brown]

They are unpopular primarily because people don't want to experience the disappointments of real life in the virtual world.

[Alatar]

Whereas I love them! Psychoanalyze that!

Incidentally, I've asked this before without a proper response, but why is it that Movies are judged by their exceptional minority, and games are always judged by their lowest common denominator?

[kzer_za]

They are unpopular primarily because people don't want to experience the disappointments of real life in the virtual world.

They may have a small audience, but they go back to the 1970s and are still being developed! One reason I enjoy is that they're challenging without demanding too much of my time. I spend much less time on games than I used to, so I almost always leave long single-player games unfinished.

[Passdagas the Brown]

kzer,

Understood. I tend to stay away from those types of games because my professional life is so challenging and stressful. As such, I prefer games that offer a more casual escape, but with engaging worlds and storylines.

Alatar,

That's a good question. The likely answers are ignorance and prestige.

People who make such criticisms of games are ignorant of the good ones, and it's culturally acceptable (and even encouraged) to disparage video games in general. In this context, the worst defines the whole genre.

Film, on the other hand, is deemed by the cultural cognoscenti as a more prestigious art form than the video game. In this context, the best defines the genre (and all films are judged against the best).

Personally, I appreciate both fields of entertainment, but feel that they are both better off when they stay in their lanes. Games that are too much like films, and films that are too much like games, generally leave me cold.

Whereas I love them! Psychoanalyze that!

Definitely a form of masochism.

[yovargas]

It was probably Nethack waaay back in the 80s that really ignited my love of games.

As to video games, people can only judge what they know and since the vast majority still don't really play them they only know what's most visibly popular - which is almost always very violent shooters.

On a vaguely related note, it occurred to me recently that their might not be a single video game character from the last 20 years that would be recognizable to a general public, with the possible exception of maybe Lara Croft. Games have become increasingly succesful on both commercial and critical levels yet somehow still managed to be seen or treated as a culturally niche interest. It's very weird that GTA 5 can set mind-shatteringly incredible sales records and yet my non-video gamers friends will say things like "GTA? Is that some kinda racing game?"

[Dave_LF]

Games have come a long way in a short time. An awful lot of people still have the Atari 2600 spring to mind first when they hear the words "video game".

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I still have "Pong" come to mind when I hear the words "video game".

[anthriel]

I still have "Pong" come to mind when I hear the words "video game".

[Alatar]

I think I might start a thread to discuss gaming. I think I'll start it in The Cottage, rather than Golfimbuls, as I'm going to examine in the same way one would examine Movies or Music.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I don't know if V or Al or someone else could answer this, but there used to be a TORC member that was a professor of "games and myth" at I believe, Connecticut College. His students got to play and analyze a lot of games, including how they related to mythic structures.

Some students were reported to have said: "Best. Class. Eva."

Do you remember his name or screen name, by any chance?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No clue.

[Passdagas the Brown]

One thing that really bugged me, and which I feel is a more important problem than the odd properties of molten dwarvish gold or the spider translation services of the One Ring, was Bofur's line when he goes back to Bard's house for help with Kili.

He says, as a rationale for seeking Bard out: "No one will help us."

If I am not mistaken, in the scene immediately prior, the dwarves were feted as heroes, and had been warmly embraced by the people of Laketown based on a promise of shared wealth and fulfilled prophecies.

Why in the world would they have been shunned, in this context?

Would it not be in everyone's interest to help save the life of a dwarf, and perhaps incur a handsome reward?

IMO, this was the sloppiest piece of storytelling in the whole film. Made very little sense.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I took the implication to be that if Thorin couldn't be bothered to take the sick dwarf with him, he wasn't worth bothering with. I thought that actually fit rather well with the environment that the Master and Alfrid had created in Laketown.

[sauronsfinger]

I still have "Pong" come to mind when I hear the words "video game".

that is a whole lot more tech advanced than me V.

the only video game I ever played was which cord hooked where on the VCR.

I usually lost.

[Smaug's voice]

One thing that really bugged me, and which I feel is a more
important problem than the odd properties of molten dwarvish gold or the
spider translation services of the One Ring, was Bofur's line when he
goes back to Bard's house for help with Kili.

He says, as a rationale for seeking Bard out: "No one will help us."

If I am not mistaken, in the scene immediately prior, the dwarves were
feted as heroes, and had been warmly embraced by the people of Laketown
based on a promise of shared wealth and fulfilled prophecies.

Why in the world would they have been shunned, in this context?

Would it not be in everyone's interest to help save the life of a dwarf,
and perhaps incur a handsome reward?

IMO, this was the sloppiest piece of storytelling in the whole film.
Made very little sense.

I won't call it the sloppiest but I too was surprised by it in the film.


V - why wouldn't anyone want to help him? I think everyone saw how fond of Kili Thorin was and that they were forced to leave him behind.
I think even that even the Master would have taken him in if only to gain favor of the townsfolk.

[Elentári]

Agreed, it was sloppy. To cut from the townsfolk giving the Dwarves a heroes' send-off to saying "no one will help us" was one of those moments. The only good thing to come out of Kili being jnjured, in any case, was that it gave Fili a strong character moment, which has been sorely lacking so far.

[Elentári]

Agreed, it was sloppy. To cut from the townsfolk giving the Dwarves a heroes' send-off to Bofur saying "no one will help us" was one of those moments. The only good thing to come out of Kili being jnjured, in any case, was that it gave Fili a strong character moment, which has been sorely lacking so far.

[Dave_LF]

They were all poor. They were happy enough to cheer since cheering is cheap, but even more happy to disappear when confronted with actual needs. I think most clergy and alumni relations types are familiar with the phenomenon .

[Smaug's voice]

Agreed,
it was sloppy. To cut from the townsfolk giving the Dwarves a heroes'
send-off to saying "no one will help us" was one of those moments.
The only good thing to come out of Kili being jnjured, in any case, was
that it gave Fili a strong character moment, which has been sorely
lacking so far.

Again agreed.
I think my opinion matches with Elentári most on this board. So far.