Mundane gaming: an alternative experience
Photo: obviz.com
Although the trend is slowly changing, games these days still tend to be very structured and linear. Even games that offer an open-world experience with a lot of side quests remain focused primarily on the straight-line story. I like those games. Most of the best games right now fit into that mold. The games I talk about most, such as 'Civilization' and 'Skyrim,' fit snugly in that category. Even so, I'm in the mood for something new: mundane gaming.
What makes a game mundane? Well, the vast majority of games are based on conflict, objectives or both. Those make compelling reasons to play, providing built-in reinforcement. 'Mortal Kombat' is a great example of a game based primarily on conflict. 'Journey,' on the other hand, demonstrates the kind of game based solely on objectives. For examples of games that focus on both, pick almost any other game at random. Of course, there's nothing wrong with games built on those bases. That said, I've still been wanting something different.
Now that you know what makes a game not mundane, what makes a game mundane? You must remove the conflict and objectives. At that point, it might be better to start calling it an experience, rather than a game. The ways that you interact with the experience are similar to playing a game, and many games adapt themselves well to a mundane experience. 'Minecraft,' for example, has conflict with the various 'mobs' that fill the game world and the ultimate objective of defeating the dragon that lives at the end. However, if you set the game on peaceful mode, you eliminate both the conflict and the objective and leave yourself only with the building blocks that make up the game. 'Stronghold,' the old castle-building game series, can also be modified so that you play through scenarios without any combat. I've spent many hours happily building up my castle and village without a single conflict and no ability to complete a victory objective.
Other games, such as 'Salt,' are mundane without any modification. 'Salt' provides the player with tools and a world to use them in. There are oceans to explore and islands to claim, but there is no conflict (the game has no other creatures in it besides yourself), and there are no objectives. The game is meant to be played for its own sake, with you deciding for yourself what it is you would like to do and where you would like to go. Many city-building games provide similar experiences, ways that you can play with no one in particular to fight and nothing in particular to do. That might sound skull-splittingly boring, but with the often hectic life of a college student, I appreciate opportunities to play a game in which I need to do nothing at all.
I hope developers continue to provide games filled with conflict and objectives, like most of my current favorites. However, I'd love to see the expansion of the mundane game market, providing more experiences and less gameplay. Sometimes my life has enough conflict and objectives, and it would be nice to see something with no pressure at all.
