[jprzybyl]

From the Tao of Programming:

A master programmer passed a novice programmer one day. The master noted the novice's preoccupation with a hand-held computer game. "Excuse me," he said, "may I examine it?"

The novice bolted to attention and handed the device to the master. "I see that the device claims to have three levels of play: Easy, Medium, and Hard," said the master. "Yet every such device has another level of play, where the device seeks not to conquer the human, nor to be conquered by the human."

"Pray, great master," implored the novice, "how does one find this mysterious setting?"

The master dropped the device to the ground and crushed it underfoot. And suddenly the novice was enlightened.

I've played video games since before I could walk. Some games I connect with and can't stop playing - Undertale and Papers Please come to mind. Most don't anymore, not even an old favorite like Doom.

I feel like there's something to this article, but I think it's larger than "I don't like Game of Thrones". There is room for games that really dig into humanity, rather than being meaningless mechanics.

I mean, I like sports. But I like books, too.

[shmerl]

I didn't play Undertale yet, but soundtrack there sounds pretty good: https://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/track/bonetrousle

[jprzybyl]

It is indeed good! (I actually have the soundtrack on my phone.) But I suggest playing the game and letting the soundtrack surprise you. It really is worth a play.

[shmerl]

Yeah, I usually avoid listening to the soundtrack before playing some game, but I've heard Bonetrousle somewhere, and couldn't resist buying the whole OST on Bandcamp :)

The game sounds somewhat controversial with some liking it a lot, while others quite disliking it. I might give it a try at one point.

[jprzybyl]

I really liked it! Then again, I played the games it was (obviously) inspired by, and I liked those games too. I understand if people don't like it - it's pretty personal, in the way that it's targeted directly towards the niche the creators love. Those things tend to be rather splitting, so it's unsurprising, in retrospect.

It's kind of like bad shark movies - there is a group of people who love them, and everyone else is fine not being in that group. It's not that either group is better or worse, it's just a niche.