Dead Island

The anti gaming lobby, with their primary argument regarding the dangerous immersivity of games to the user, should have some use for Geoffs video if they are clever*.

* of course anti gaming people are not clever.

gizmo wrote: »

Can someone remind me again what happened at the beginning of Dawn of the Dead (2004) the movie? I remember the little zombie chick broke into Sarah Polley's house and ripped her boyfriends throat out but was she actually killed or did Polley climb out the window and leave her in there?

Dont think she was killed. Think she jumps on the husband & Polly escapes through door or window. Then you see both of them chasing after her as she drives car away.

I really think it's the ultimate "F*ck you" to those who still believe that video games are not a form of art.

or CGI anyhow.

Toboscus Literal Trailer, brilliant as always!

deathrider wrote: »

Now, I've only seen the announcement trailer. No gameplay pics, or vids, or info, or anything. But that trailer is an amazing piece of work. Very disturbing and emotional. I really think it's the ultimate "F*ck you" to those who still believe that video games are not a form of art.

To be honest, it's the last thing I'd point to if I was discussing games as art, and that's a topic I'm quite interested in and have written about at length in the past.

The video is well put together alright, but it's well put together cheesiness of the highest order. Slow motion and reverse time don't cover up, for me anyway, the fact that it's all just a bit silly. The use of the child to elicit an emotional response is cheap as well. There's no subtely or intelligence, it's as perfect a piece of marketing as there will ever be, but art? Not even close.

Magill wrote: »

The definition of art is very opinion based tho. I personally have no time for picasso or any of that mordern art.. but i know alot of people have a hardon for it. If this trailer draws out alot of emotion for someone then ofc it would be considered art... for them.

Yeah that's very true, but I'm thinking of games as art in the same sense as movies or music which are considered art in critical terms. In the most simple way possible, art is that which makes us think about ourselves and the world around us. In that way, this trailer is no better than a dodgy movie that preys on an emotional response, rather than an intellectual one. I don't think the definition you posted fully explains it, people cry at awful chick flicks, no one would ever call them art, but it's certainly an emotional response. For me, it has to be more than that.

I'm not saying your own view of art is wrong, it's hugely subjective and I can completely see why a lot of people are put off by the elitism that surrounds what is considered art. The problem is that games mostly go for that easy emotional response, and while you may consider it art, and I'm sure you're not alone in that at all, the people who discuss entertainment in artisitc terms will never see it that way and so games are left out in the cold.

In saying that, the zombie genre has certainly thrown up some wonderfully intelligent pieces of social commentary in Romero's first two movies, and zombies are often used as a way to look at people, the Walking Dead comics and 28 Days Later did that, so no reason Dead Island can't. On the trailer though, in my opinion, for what that's worth, all I see is a finely made piece of marketing that seeks the easy emotional response that a dying child elicits, rather than offering anything of real depth. As I said though, it's all subjective and I'm sure you could read into it however you want and I wouldn't argue too much.