What was Kojima's message in The Phantom Pain? Another take!

[fgdj2000]

Hey,

Found this lengthy analysis of MGSV, particularly the role of Venom Snake. It's really well written and unlike some over-enthusiastic analyses doesn't pull a ton of crazy stuff out o its a$$. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I recommend reading part 2 as a primer of sorts, maybe then move straight to parts 4 or 5. However, if you have some time, I recommend reading the whole thing over a cup of tea or coffee and some finger food. 

The Phantom's Pain - An MGSV Analysis

Enjoy! As always, stay safe and try to enjoy the summer despite Corona.

[A.G.]

I don’t know... it reminds me of one art critique during my college years. This guy painted some lines on the canvas for his assignment. The whole thing looked like it took about 10 minutes. During the critique he went on a long-winded explanation of what it all meant. That minimalist approach. The teacher finally cut him off and said it was crap that he just did it last minute before class. I laughed really hard! Brutally honest! One can attach all sort of meaning to things given time and desire. I can put together a comprehensive explanation in the “subversive genius” behind turning the wacky support crew from MGS3 into the Patriots. lol

In the end, Kojima forgot the most important part of making a game. It has to be fun! Because it’s all entertainment. You can try to cram all that hidden meaning sh*t in, but in the end the game and the story have to be entertaining. And MGS5, to the majority, wasn’t. The story wasn’t satisfying, the cast was weak and gameplay (while very polished) was repetitive within an unfinished package.

[fgdj2000]

Jun 3, 2020 22:51:14 GMT -5 A.G. said:

I don’t know... it reminds me of one art critique during my college years. This guy painted some lines on the canvas for his assignment. The whole thing looked like it took about 10 minutes. During the critique he went on a long-winded explanation of what it all meant. That minimalist approach. The teacher finally cut him off and said it was crap that he just did it last minute before class. I laughed really hard! Brutally honest! One can attach all sort of meaning to things given time and desire. I can put together a comprehensive explanation in the “subversive genius” behind turning the wacky support crew from MGS3 into the Patriots. lol

Hahahaha, yeah, there are those people put there. If he had "sold" his project well, maybe he might have even gotten an A xD 
However, I don't think it's fair to compare Kojima or a massive open world game like MGSV to that piece of non-art. I think it's fair to say, Kojima of all people puts a lot of thought into not only his game design, but what he wants to convey through the game and story; what the player should take away from the experience rather than just pure escapism. Of course, this doesn't automatically mean that he always succeeds. 

In the end, Kojima forgot the most important part of making a game. It has to be fun! Because it’s all entertainment. You can try to cram all that hidden meaning sh*t in, but in the end the game and the story have to be entertaining. And MGS5, to the majority, wasn’t. The story wasn’t satisfying, the cast was weak and gameplay (while very polished) was repetitive within an unfinished package.

Okay, there is a bit to unpack here. 

First of all, "fun" can mean different things to different people. If "fun" means a high-octane Uncharted-esque experience with set pieces, boss fights, witty character banter and a happy end(ing), then MGSV will not be fun for you. Personally, I found it incredibly engaging to set my equipment, speculate on a route I'm going to take, formulate a plan, then sneak in, try to stick to that plan, but also improvise when I came across obstacles I didn't think of and screwed up. Personally, I am still remembering moments from some of the most generic missions for MGS standards, and playing the game for a second time really opened my eyes, because I started to experiment a lot more, took alternate routes or just gave me the personal challenge to start the missions ASAP, so I'd have a screwed up day/ night cycle. The objectives might admittedly be generic and forgettable, but the road to that objective can play out drastically different every time - the same is true for Death Stranding by the way. So, I actually had a lot of fun with both games, even if I missed some of the highs the earlier MGS games used to have. 

Second, demanding that games (and all "art") should be "fun" is really gutting the medium, imho. Don't get me wrong, a game shouldn't be boring, broken, buggy and ununctional. And some games really stretch the notion that they are games at all, tbh. However, I think "fun" is just one emotion you can feel, and art should make you feel more than that and even make you think about things you haven't considered. Metal Gear is a prime example and I won't need to tell you why. Fumito Ueda's "Trilogy" of games (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian) is a prime example how a game can deeply emotionally affect you through minimalist design and not traditionally "fun" gameplay. Hack, even games like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us and the classic Resident Evil games aren't games I would consider "fun" in a traditional sense, but they are either deeply moving or incredibly engaging experiences that stick with most who played them. Even if they sometimes they risk irritating the mainstream.