The perfect game, and why it doesn’t exist
Maybe that title isn’t the best way of phrasing it, seeing as perfection is always subjective and changes with popular opinion. (After all, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly was more or less panned when it first released, and now it’s considered to be one of the best movies ever.)
I guess a better question is: Why do I love games? And why are so few games worth revisiting after they’ve been completed? Most great books and movies reward repeat readings/viewings, so why are so few games worth the time to play again?
I think I love games for what they aspire to do and not for what they actually accomplish. Maybe it’s the fledgling nature of the medium or the fact that so few truly classic games have withstood the test of time, but I see all these brilliant ideas begging to be brought to fruition that are held back by any number of factors: the business of the industry, technological constraints, budgetary restrictions, etc. But I guess it’s that faith in the medium that keeps bringing me back, that makes it rewarding to play a game like Red Dead Redemption - ostensibly just another Grand Theft Auto game - because I notice and appreciate the small improvements that happen over time.
But man…can’t we hurry up and really push things forward from a creative standpoint?
