Rampant Games - Are Games Becoming More Passive?

Don't all shout "Yes!" at once…the Rampant Coyote (following up on Gareth Fouche) asks if games are moving more towards appeasing that part of the brain that likes passively watching TV:

Gareth Fouche, creator of the Scars of War RPG in development, recently ranted a bit against a trend that may sum up the situation a little better: a trend towards what he calls passive engagement. It’s maybe not quite the same as passive entertainment, like watching a TV show, but more like reading a book. To extend his analogy, a TV show will progress with no action whatsoever on the part of the viewer – I can fall asleep in front of the tube if I want. But a book does require active effort on the part of the reader.
So there are levels of passivity, and reading a book isn’t really all that passive. Modern games, he contends, are tending to engage the player on more passive levels.

More information.

Gareth rants a lot, but we still like him.

Yep. A little rant once in a while is good for the soul, I guess. Or at least it's good for making interesting blog posts.

The argument itself is old hat to me really. I've been saying the same thing to friends for years! Good to hear someone else express it well.
I usually relate this idea of passivity as well to the lack of interactivity generally speaking compared to many of the cRPG's of old.

Obviously, they are.

Originally Posted by RampantCoyote
Yep. A little rant once in a while is good for the soul, I guess. Or at least it's good for making interesting blog posts.

Even more, imho, a rant every now and then let's the board discussions flow …

Without any stirring, there wouln't be any movement, and everything would come to an halt. Stagnation would be the result.

A decade ago or even more I made up my own art philosophy : "Irritation as a means to make people think."

World of Goo
Plants vs Zombies
Machinarium
Total War
Kings Bounty
RUSE

I could go on some time…

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
"Irritation as a means to make people think."

Ha! You obviously have a higher opinion of humanity than I do.

the mainstreem ones are i think

It used to be that the reward for your actions came as something cool for your characters (new skills, new items, new companions, etc), you know, things your character did rewarded your characters. Nowadays the rewards are cutscenes. More and more RPGs are stepping more into the realm of action/adventure games, until there will be a point where there are no stats, and all you do is shoot/swing and watch cutscenes.

Originally Posted by wolfing
It used to be that the reward for your actions came as something cool for your characters (new skills, new items, new companions, etc), you know, things your character did rewarded your characters. Nowadays the rewards are cutscenes. More and more RPGs are stepping more into the realm of action/adventure games, until there will be a point where there are no stats, and all you do is shoot/swing and watch cutscenes.

Why post an image of a space arcade game, when he was talking about RPGs?

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
Why post an image of a space arcade game, when he was talking about RPGs?

Because the main article used games like Doom to illustrate their point, so why not use a space combat game to do the same? Some might even be inclined to call WC an RPG..

Originally Posted by kalniel
Because the main article used games like Doom to illustrate their point, so why not use a space combat game to do the same? Some might even be inclined to call WC an RPG..

Except you posted it in a quote…

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
Except you posted it in a quote…

Ah sorry, was meant to be in response to a quote, not in the quote.

I can fall asleep in front of the tube if I want. But a book does require active effort on the part of the reader.

I've fallen asleep while reading a book many times, but never while playing a game.

Originally Posted by holeraw
I've fallen asleep while reading a book many times, but never while playing a game.

You did not play long enough.

Originally Posted by wolfing
It used to be that the reward for your actions came as something cool for your characters (new skills, new items, new companions, etc), you know, things your character did rewarded your characters. Nowadays the rewards are cutscenes. More and more RPGs are stepping more into the realm of action/adventure games, until there will be a point where there are no stats, and all you do is shoot/swing and watch cutscenes.

Imo, removing stats could do great to role play. The levelling up system tastes as an oddity of the past, a token kept as a means to warrant the game is really RPG genre.

That is really the sector where something shall be done. It is not really the taken path though as Role Play has been diminished in favour of cut scenes.

All those RPG rants are boring, I'd answer to the whiners, have you played fully all Avernum games, and soon for PC Averdon? No so shut up.

Instead of whining, buy such RPG that match your whining hope, make such RPG a much bigger success than they was, and then thing could change.