DiGRA D-A-CH Game Studies Watchlist #36
– 2 min read
The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter of games research association DiGRA GSA is published weekly on GamesMarkt, curated by Prof Dr Rudolf Inderst. This week, we dive into The Last of Us, the Expressionist Games Manifesto and gun violence.
Sometimes it's okay to have a more robust opinion, right? I think I found one this week. Essayist Craftian is taking aim at Video Games and Validation As Art and you take a seat at front row.
(https://youtu.be/-qNMFBDC4m0?si=jZ5sCW9vPx3Mgm1r)
Craftian argues that The Last of Us is the prime example of video games' desperate and misguided attempt to be recognized as "high art" and he contends that developers like Naughty Dog are kind of obsessed with cinematic prestige and being taken seriously that they create nothing more than pretentious and derivative stories. The first game is dismissed as a cliché-ridden, unoriginal post-apocalyptic story with a logically flawed moral dilemma; the sequel, Part II, is heavily criticized as a "self-indulgent miserable trainwreck" full of plot holes, contrived coincidences, and a hypocritical message about empathy. The video further argues that the game's massive flaws were shielded from criticism by the surrounding culture war discourse, allowing it to be falsely hailed as a masterpiece.
The core idea is that true artistic games (in his view), like Disco Elysium or Hellblade, are a result of genuine creativity and passion, not a calculated effort to emulate film and win prestige. Craftian concludes that The Last of Us represents the worst of this "cinematic slop" and calls it a miserable experience made by people desperate to be seen as artists.
Tabletop RPG designer and editorial director at Possum Creek Games, Jay Dragon, has released The Expressionist Games Manifesto. In this essay, she provides a "definition and framework for her idea of expressionist game design — what these games are as objects, as ritual experiences, and as a movement."
In Germany in particular, the topic of “digital games and violence and/or brutalization” is one of the central media and public discourses in the field of game research. But just when you think you've cut off the head of the notorious snake through study after study and meta-study, the mystical beast reappears! Enter Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
I'll leave it to your digital sleuthing skills to find out what this article sparked on various social media channels. We have frequently discussed the video game crash in the United States and its treatment in game studies in this newsletter. I'll just add one tiny, tiny thing: there was never a single moment when the Sega Master System didn't wipe the floor with its “competitor” from Nintendo. #facts #slay
... and finally, I think it would be a great idea if IFA Berlin placed a bit more programmatic focus on Game Studies and play research. After all, games are not just entertainment, they are one of the largest socio-cultural industries worldwide and a driver of technological innovation. From AI to interactive storytelling, from community-building to questions of cultural memory, play connects so many aspects of our digital lives. I feel that giving this space at IFA would not only highlight an underrepresented field, but also open up new conversations about how deeply games shape society today.
Cheers and stay healthy,
Rudolf
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