One thing I forgot to talk about above was "passive" vs. "interactive," such as when somebody refers to a book as "passive" and a videogame as "active." I agree if we're only talking about physical movement; clearly playing almost any game is more "work" than just turning a page. However, cognitive (thought processes) is a different matter. Most people assume it takes more imagination to enjoy a book than play a game, but again I disagree in some cases (unless it's just something like Tetris). A game that has a story, characters, and virtual world requires imagination to be enjoyed. Then again, I'd say the same thing about a TV show. You don't just sit and watch TV like a zombie, taking it all in and not processing anything. Instead, you must think about what you see to make any kind of sense of it. For instance, enjoying a show like ST: TNG requires you to learn about all the different characters, predict how they will respond to given situations, determine if the character is acting suspiciously (perhaps an alien has taken over!), consider the many "what if's"; for some people this eventually goes all the way to writing fan fic, but I think almost everyone at least indulges in some of this kind of thought. The better shows require you to think a lot more, whereas the dumber shows spell everything out and keep things very, very simple.
I felt that way about Avatar 3D. Great movie, by the way (the 3D is amazing!!), but I wish it had ended sooner. The end seemed to want to tie everything together so neatly that it just seemed like Cameron didn't trust his audience. I also thought of the symbolism was just too obvious; calling the ore "un-obtainium" made me cringe. I also thought all the animals coming together at the end was straight outta Disney. What would have been wrong with just letting the corporate invaders kill off the forest and drive the Na'vi to extinction? To sever the main character's tie and force him to live the rest of his life in that wheelchair? That kind of ending would have "made an impact." This ending just makes you feel that you shouldn't care, everything will work out somehow. Heck, what a digression, but it illustrates what I mean about "passive" entertainment like movies. There may be less movement and such, but you can sure think about them a lot!
Great post, Mark!
One thing I forgot to talk about above was "passive" vs. "interactive," such as when somebody refers to a book as "passive" and a videogame as "active." I agree if we're only talking about physical movement; clearly playing almost any game is more "work" than just turning a page. However, cognitive (thought processes) is a different matter. Most people assume it takes more imagination to enjoy a book than play a game, but again I disagree in some cases (unless it's just something like Tetris). A game that has a story, characters, and virtual world requires imagination to be enjoyed. Then again, I'd say the same thing about a TV show. You don't just sit and watch TV like a zombie, taking it all in and not processing anything. Instead, you must think about what you see to make any kind of sense of it. For instance, enjoying a show like ST: TNG requires you to learn about all the different characters, predict how they will respond to given situations, determine if the character is acting suspiciously (perhaps an alien has taken over!), consider the many "what if's"; for some people this eventually goes all the way to writing fan fic, but I think almost everyone at least indulges in some of this kind of thought. The better shows require you to think a lot more, whereas the dumber shows spell everything out and keep things very, very simple.
I felt that way about Avatar 3D. Great movie, by the way (the 3D is amazing!!), but I wish it had ended sooner. The end seemed to want to tie everything together so neatly that it just seemed like Cameron didn't trust his audience. I also thought of the symbolism was just too obvious; calling the ore "un-obtainium" made me cringe. I also thought all the animals coming together at the end was straight outta Disney. What would have been wrong with just letting the corporate invaders kill off the forest and drive the Na'vi to extinction? To sever the main character's tie and force him to live the rest of his life in that wheelchair? That kind of ending would have "made an impact." This ending just makes you feel that you shouldn't care, everything will work out somehow. Heck, what a digression, but it illustrates what I mean about "passive" entertainment like movies. There may be less movement and such, but you can sure think about them a lot!
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com