The careful pilot of my proper woe

Earlier this week I linked to an article from The New York Times, written by the sort of Times writer who says things like “to use the vernacular, I almost lost it.” Seth Schiesel, the monocle-popping writer in question, feels that emotional involvement in videogames is limited compared to other media, and that this limitation may be inherent. He suggests that the most powerful affective reactions to art come from what he calls “emotional surprise,” and that in a medium where the audience’s choice determines the outcome, this surprise is impossible.

Should we really be crying more?

“Emotionally involving the audience is easy. Anybody can do it blindfolded, get a little kitten and have some guy wring its neck.”
– George Lucas

Even Games That Have Everything Are Still Missing Something, by Seth Schiesel for The New York Times.

More on this later!

What makes you believe now I am just talking nonsense?

The theme of Corvus Elrod’s Round Table for this month (which I may as a tendency take as a general monthly theme) is the role of artificial intelligence in gaming. In this context, as I understand it, AI most often refers to intelligent agents specifically; that is, the decision-making processes behind enemies, allies, social NPCs, and any other game objects meant to project an air of sentience.