How Much do you Care About Theme?

[Bush]

Give me either no theme or a strong theme.

In a game -- you may as well not have a story if it's going to be dumb and boring. I'll take "Okay, you're an adventurer and you fight things and there's a princess or whatever, and there are six gems to collect for some reason, now go off and fight" over hours and hours of baffling dialog and cutscenes. Just.. just let me play the game..

(In the games that I've worked on, there's usually a whole convoluted backstory just for shits, but it never even touches the game itself.)

 

[Thalassa]

I'm a big perv for Southern Gothic and Broke British Family on an Estate. I also like Authentic Rural Voodoo, Haunted Houses, and Mountain People.


I like Southern Gothic and Authentic Rural Voodoo so much I appreciate/loved Jessabelle, despite its mediocre ratings.


I tend to hate Hand Held New England and Anything Fabulous i.e. Paranormal Activity and Keeping Up With the Kardashians.


I can tell you what I love and hate by themes/settings.

 

[five sounds]

I realized the other day that the thing I hated (see: wouldn't even give it a chance) about some shows in particular I was thinking of was that I hated what 'world' they took place in. Mad Men, House of Cards...they're about the business/politics world. And I actually feel like I have to hear and see and think too much about both of those sectors in real life for my tastes.

I like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt though because it pokes fun at so many things, Jaqueline Vorhees and her relationship to her Native American roots is more than just silly, it's a fucking allegory for our whole damn nation. But no, I'm the one who likes stupid shit and they're the intellectuals for caring about tv drama...idk. I'm not saying there's nothing smart about those shows, but to me, it's really not something I find interesting.

 

[five sounds]

Give me either no theme or a strong theme.

In a game -- you may as well not have a story if it's going to be dumb and boring. I'll take "Okay, you're an adventurer and you fight things and there's a princess or whatever, and there are six gems to collect for some reason, now go off and fight" over hours and hours of baffling dialog and cutscenes. Just.. just let me play the game..

(In the games that I've worked on, there's usually a whole convoluted backstory just for shits, but it never even touches the game itself.)

Interesting! I've never been a gamer, but my favorite video games to play are themeless things like Tetris, Super Mario World, and Super Smash Bros. I guess I see video games more as sport than entertainment like I do books, movies, and television.

 

[Bush]

Interesting! I've never been a gamer, but my favorite video games to play are themeless things like Tetris, Super Mario World, and Super Smash Bros. I guess I see video games more as sport than entertainment like I do books, movies, and television.

Same. That and RPGs such as Dragon Quest I-III, and Final Fantasy (1), where you have like one text box worth of story and then you go and do your thing.

Oh, you're from the moon or something? Oh, you died for good after you tried to vanquish the enemy dude and it didn't even work? A princess got kidnapped and we have to explore her past? Don't care, don't care.

Although in Final Fantasy 1, it's pretty damn cool when you find out that

there's this whole freaking time loop that drives the whole plot, where a huge baby weakling guy from the very beginning of the game just gets revived over and over.

See also: Finding What's Important - Video Clip | South Park Studios

 

[five sounds]

Same. That and RPGs such as Dragon Quest I-III, and Final Fantasy (1), where you have like one text box worth of story and then you go and do your thing.

Oh, you're from the moon or something? Oh, you died for good after you tried to vanquish the enemy dude and it didn't even work? A princess got kidnapped and we have to explore her past? Don't care, don't care.

Although in Final Fantasy 1, it's pretty damn cool when you find out that

there's this whole freaking time loop that drives the whole plot, where a huge baby weakling guy from the very beginning of the game just gets revived over and over.

"you're from the moon or something?"

^ exactly how most fiction makes me feel. Do not care about what some dude made up about your fake ass life.

 

[Thalassa]

I realized the other day that the thing I hated (see: wouldn't even give it a chance) about some shows in particular I was thinking of was that I hated what 'world' they took place in. Mad Men, House of Cards...they're about the business/politics world. And I actually feel like I have to hear and see and think too much about both of those sectors in real life for my tastes.

I like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt though because it pokes fun at so many things, Jaqueline Vorhees and her relationship to her Native American roots is more than just silly, it's a fucking allegory for our whole damn nation. But no, I'm the one who likes stupid shit and they're the intellectuals for caring about tv drama...idk. I'm not saying there's nothing smart about those shows, but to me, it's really not something I find interesting.

Yeah "worlds" can really make or break things for me...I can't watch most Post Apocalyptic or Outer Space horror, much to the annoyance of certain individuals. ..they'll be like, but it's a strong story...I'm all like I don't gaf if I feel depressed, claustrophobic or bored by the setting...I think it is also why I like musical artists who can create atmosphere or a "world."

I liked Mad Men as long as it focused on Betty Draper, and I love the time period and the clothes, but I eventually lost interest in it as a series. The only series I have been able to watch all the way straight through every season are Twin Peaks, American Horror Story and Fawlty Towers. I thought I would get through Downton Abbey, and maybe I will...someday. I'm actually doing pretty well with Bob's Burgers (cartoon) and Live Free or Die, but we shall see.

 

[five sounds]

[MENTION=6877]Marmotini[/MENTION] Bob's Burgers is legit. I'll have to check out some of those other shows you mentioned since you definitely seem to be catching my drift. Picky bitches unite!