作者：Louie Castro-Garcia

电影爱好者认为在影院观看首映场是种无法媲美的经历。嘻哈乐粉丝则表示，观看Wu Tang Clan的现场演出是个完美体验。艺术历史专业者可能会因为出席Matisse作品展览而感动流泪。文学爱好者可能会滔滔不绝地谈论读完爱作的激动心情。虽然上述例子纯属娱乐活动，但对于那些爱好者而言，它们远非如此，更多属于体验模式。独特与深刻的事件总会给人们留下弥足深刻的印象，且鲜少发生在日常生活中。

可以说，电子游戏是最具互动性的娱乐形式，它已逐渐取得如同艺术、音乐、文学与电影这类媒介的体验形式。去年不少作品都挑战了这个理念。其中包括Thatgamecompany针对PS3制作的《Journey》，该作已取得大肆好评，并荣登电子游戏爱好者的年度游戏榜单。

journey(from wallpoper)

《Journey》玩家都知道该作必定会获得宣传与赞美。因为甚少有游戏能做到这点：即传递真正的“体验”。

在最近Buddhist Geeks大会上，我们采访了Thatgamecompany设计师Michaël Harboun，并讨论了《Journey》的设计理念，以及游戏如何挣脱“电子游戏”的束缚。他称道：“我认为电子游戏是种产品，但并非处于基本阶段。我不喜欢电子游戏一说。我喜欢称它们为‘体验’。”他以《Journey》作为论据，因为该作支持玩家自由地“顺其自然”发展。

此外，Harboun表示游戏本身比外界给予的称赞具有更多潜力。他指出：“我认为电子游戏可能会像音乐、电影或文学那般，改变我们的意识状态。我觉得，如果电子游戏可以做出基本调整，比如帮助改变心态，那将会催生出事物的积极面。”

《Journey》的设计

《Journey》体验的突出之处也许与其内在精髓有关。Thatgamecompany总监Jenova Chen曾多次公开探讨该作的宗教主题，他表示：“《Journey》中涵盖许多宗教话题。”诸如James Plafke评论者表达同感，并指出：“该作并没有排挤任何宗教或特殊宗教理念，而是浓缩宽泛基本且具有高度效应的主题，其中玩家的旅程是发现自我，找到动机（大多数宗教信奉的理念）。”有些玩家甚至为此创建博客，分享游戏体验。

他们分享的宗教经历并无多大差池。甚至有些教堂成员利用周日礼拜在Exeter Cathedral体验该作，其中牧师要求Andy Robertson测试该作的潜力及“颇具意义的背景”。此次试验的首款选择无疑是《Flower》（游戏邦注：Thatgamecompany第二款面向PS3平台的作品），其设计理念促使其获得同《Journey》般的大量赞赏。

当然，我们中有不少忠实粉丝已在《Journey》问世前有过大量体验经历。然而事实是，《Journey》打开了游戏的巨大潜力。而且，电子游戏正逐步与艺术、电影、音乐等相挂钩。比如，《Journey》华丽原声音乐的作曲人Austin Wintory因该作入选格莱美奖的提名。

从佛教到天主教，不少游戏均基于宗教背景创建。玩家聚集一块分享各自体验，而《Journey》只是指明了游戏的发展方向。游戏的尴尬青春期已经结束，痛苦的成长经历也逐步接近尾声。最终，游戏会释放出全部潜力，这并不会影响其逼真视觉效果或是数十亿美元的预算，而是能够赋予我们出色的体验。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

It’s time we consider video games as ‘experiences,’ not mere products

by Louie Castro-Garcia

Film buffs will tell you that nothing is quite like seeing a great movie in a theater on opening night. Hip Hop fans will tell you that seeing Wu Tang Clan perform live is an experience like no other. An art history major might shed a tear by simply being in the presence of his favorite Matisse. Literature enthusiasts will gush about how thrilled they were when they finished their favorite novels. While all of these examples can simply be considered entertainment, for those passionate about them, they can be a lot more. They are experiences. Unique and memorable events that leave a lasting impression and are not felt very often in our day-to-day lives.

Video games are, arguably, the most interactive form of entertainment we have, and yet, they have been slow to achieve the kind of experiential status that is often associated with art, music, literature, and film. Last year saw the release of many titles that challenged this notion. Among them was Thatgamecompany’s PlayStation 3 exclusive, Journey, which has received heaps of praise and made many video game enthusiasts’ Game-of-the-Year lists.

Those who have already played Journey already know that it has been hyped and lauded for good reason. Few games ever come close to accomplishing what Journey does so well: It delivers a true “experience.”

In a recent interview with Buddhist Geeks, designer Michaël Harboun discusses contemplative design and mentions how the medium is beginning to outgrow the term “video game.” “I consider video games as being product, not as being rudimentary video game,” he states. “I don’t like the video game anymore. I would just like to call them ‘experiences.’”  He continues on to cite Journey as an example of a game as an experience because of the way it allows players the freedom to just “go with the flow.”

Harboun also suggests that games have a greater potential than most give them credit for.  ”I think that video games have the potential to alter our state of consciousness the same way that music or cinema or literature does,” Harboun says. “I feel like if video games can adapt — can basically, like, help us alter our mindsets in a way which makes the positive side of things emerge.”

Journey

What makes Journey stand out so much as an experience can perhaps be linked to its inherent spirituality. Thatgamecompany’s director Jenova Chen has openly discussed the game’s religious themes many times and has said that “many religions share an affinity with Journey.” Reviewers like James Plafke agreed and said “the game doesn’t shove any kind of religion or specific religious ideals down players’ throats but encapsulates broad, basic themes of a higher power and the journey toward self-discovery and motivation to which most religions adhere.” Some players even created a blog where they could share their experiences with the game.

The religious experiences shared by those who play Journey is not an aberration. Its reputation even led to it being played by members of a church during a Sunday service at Exeter Cathedral in which the clergy called on Andy Robertson to test his ideas about the potential of games by including one in a “more meaningful context.” The first game he chose for this experiment was none other than Flower, Thatgamecompany’s second PS3 exclusive title and a game that shared praise similar to Journey for its contemplative design.

Granted, many of us who are long-time, passionate gaming enthusiasts will have a tale or two to tell about the “experiences” we have had playing games way before Journey came along. But the fact is that games like Journey are unlocking the potential of the medium. More than ever, video games are in conversation with art, film, and music. Austin Wintory, composer of Journey’s magnificent soundtrack, has even been nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on the game’s original score.

Games are being talked about in religious contexts from Buddhism to Catholicism. People are coming together to share their experiences, and Journey is only one example of the direction games can go. The awkward teenage years are over. The growing pains are just beginning to end. Games are finally starting to unlock their full potential, and it has nothing to do with lifelike visuals or billion dollar budgets. It has to do with their ability to let us experience.(source:venturebeat)