Professor tries to establish a formal video game canon

[Zwackery]

you can read the whole article here:

 

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070...game-canon.html

 

but basically Stanford professor Henry Lowood, who curates the History of Science and Technology Collections, has been one of the people pressing to get the Library of Congress involved in game preservation. To that end, he announced the first 10 games of his proposed canon a few weeks ago at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco:

 

* Spacewar!

* Star Raiders

* Zork

* Tetris

* SimCity

* Super Mario Bros. 3

* Civilization I/II

* Doom

* The Warcraft series

* Sensible World of Soccer

 

Any thoughts?

[kevincal]

Well, 3 of those games are my favorites... I don't understand what "canon" is supposed to mean though? lol When I read the topic, I thought he's making a device to launch videogames or systems like a cannon ball...

[Atari-Jess]

The dictionary is your friend:

 

the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art: the neoclassical canon.

a standard; criterion: the canons of taste.

any comprehensive list of books within a field.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Atari-Jess

[Zwackery]

Yeah, basically Atari-Jess got it, also for canon think a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works, such as the canon of great literature. Much like a certain set of "great books" is held up in the tradition of Western literature (the ones basically everyone has read or is assumed to have read or be familiar with / aware of), this prof is trying to establish a canon of video games, and by extension, legitimizing the field as a discipline for study. Note that establishing a canon is not without problems, as it tends to privilege some things at the expense of others.

[PressureCooker2600]

I think it's a great idea to establish canon for the videogame universe.

He should also add the Megaman series and the Castlevania series.

[vdub_bobby]

It annoys me when people make a "top ten" list and then try to squeeze in more than ten by saying "The Warcraft series". Choose one, dammit!

 

And in any case, I'd replace Civ I/II with an RPG (none on the list ), maybe one of the Ultimas, and replace the Warcraft series with either Warcraft II or, preferably, Command and Conquer.

 

And Replace SMB3 with Pitfall! or, at the very least, with the first Super Mario Bros. And replace Space War! with Pong, maybe.

Edited March 26, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[supercat]

And Replace SMB3 with Pitfall! or, at the very least, with the first Super Mario Bros. And replace Space War! with Pong, maybe.

 

Space War! needs to be on the list, if it still exists. First computer game.

 

The Odyssey 1 (first successful commercially-produced video game)

 

Pong (first successful video arcade game)

 

Some entries on his list seem strange. Zork is nice, but Collossal Caves or Adventureland would seem more worthy of 'canononical' status (the former being the first text adventure; the latter being the first text adventure for home computers). Likewise, why SMB3? The original SMB would seem more apropos.

 

Rogue is of course a classic.

 

Why pick only ten, anyway?

[PressureCooker2600]

* Sensible World of Soccer

 

thats the one game i've never heard of......what system or computer is it for?

kinda weird that its in a top ten of video games and i've never heard of it

[PressureCooker2600]

and replace the Warcraft series with either Warcraft II or, preferably, Command and Conquer.

 

No way! Replace it with Starcraft. Now THAT was a game.

[p_b]

* Sensible World of Soccer

 

thats the one game i've never heard of......what system or computer is it for?

kinda weird that its in a top ten of video games and i've never heard of it

 

It's a football (well, soccer...) game released for the Amiga, the PC and IIRC the Mega Drive as well. I'm sure there are other versions, but I've never seen them. The game features rather simplistic graphics, but it's an amazingly fun and fast game. I used to play it quite obsessively a few years ago...

[Nukey Shay]

Must be some personal bias going on then. Space Invaders -definately- should be on the list if it's confined to only 10. That was THE killer app of videogames (a turning point for arcade parlors in general). I'd also agree with SMB1, since it is credited for reviving a dead console market.

[vdub_bobby]

I'd say that games in the canon should be games that were both original and successful. That's why I can see an argument for Pong over Space War!, though I could go either way.

 

That's why SMB3 instead of SMB seems odd to me, SMB was wildly popular, was first, and, like Nukey said, is sometimes credited with reviving the console market.

 

And of course SI should be on there, perhaps instead of Star Raiders. And Sensible Soccer is a weird choice. If you have to have a sports game, I'd pick NBA Jam, one of the Maddens, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, or Tecmo Bowl.

 

My better top ten:

Space War!

Space Invaders

Zork

Ultima

Tetris

Super Mario Bros.

SimCity

DOOM

Command & Conquer

Madden NFL 1992

Edited March 27, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[tkarner]

Pong, Space Invaders, and Pac Man are conspicously absent from the professor's list...

[homerwannabee]

Ok here is the real Canon

 

Spacewar

Pong

Pacman

Space Invaders

PItfall I and II

Donkey Kong

Doom

World or Warcraft I

Sonic the Hedgehog II

Mortal Kombat

[per]

My favorite game for the NES is super mario bross 3.

[supercat]

Ok here is the real Canon

 

Spacewar

Pong

Pacman

Space Invaders

PItfall I and II

 

Why Pitfall II? True, it's one of the three most advanced carts from back in the day (the other two being the SuperCharger and Burgertime) but none of its technological features caught on.

 

Donkey Kong

Doom

World or Warcraft I

Sonic the Hedgehog II

Mortal Kombat

 

Donkey Kong I could go with. Doom maybe (though its predecessor Wolf3d and successor Quake would also seem worthy; Wolf3d didn't break much technological ground that wasn't handled in Catacombs3d, but popularized the genre). Why Sonic II and Mortal Kombat?

[misspent_youth]

The point of most of the entries in Lowood's canon is that they were the first or best game to kick off a genre, at least according to the New York times article linked in the above article. SMB 3 made it in because it had non-linear gameplay, which is now a mainstay.

 

For a rundown of why the ten were chosen, check this article on gamespy.

[homerwannabee]

Ok here is the real Canon

 

Spacewar

Pong

Pacman

Space Invaders

PItfall I and II

 

Why Pitfall II? True, it's one of the three most advanced carts from back in the day (the other two being the SuperCharger and Burgertime) but none of its technological features caught on.

 

Donkey Kong

Doom

World or Warcraft I

Sonic the Hedgehog II

Mortal Kombat

 

Donkey Kong I could go with. Doom maybe (though its predecessor Wolf3d and successor Quake would also seem worthy; Wolf3d didn't break much technological ground that wasn't handled in Catacombs3d, but popularized the genre). Why Sonic II and Mortal Kombat?

 

 

Well the reason I picked Pitfall II is because Pitfall is the first Platform game and Pitfall II which is rated as the best Video game of all time by people here at Atariage I decided to include that one as well. I picked Mortal Kombat because this for good or bad this marked the begining point to ultra violent games. Nintendo had to change their moral code because of this game. I picked Sonic II because I felt that it was the Space Invaders game for the Sega Genesis. People including myself specifically bought this system just for this game.

[supercat]

Well the reason I picked Pitfall II is because Pitfall is the first Platform game and Pitfall II which is rated as the best Video game of all time by people here at Atariage I decided to include that one as well.

 

Pitfall II is overrated.

 

I picked Mortal Kombat because this for good or bad this marked the begining point to ultra violent games.

 

Meh. Why not Custer's Revenge at that rate?

 

I picked Sonic II because I felt that it was the Space Invaders game for the Sega Genesis. People including myself specifically bought this system just for this game.

 

I thought the original Sonic played that role. I never had a Genesis; was Sonic II that much more popular?

[kevincal]

SMB 3 is just insanely good. It trumps the original in every way, and the original is a darn near perfect game!

[vdub_bobby]

The various justifications for the games are pretty stupid.

 

From the NYT article...

Super Mario Bros. 3, said the game was important for its nonlinear play, a mainstay of contemporary games, and new features like the ability to move both backward and forward.

Yeah, nonlinear. Ability to move forward and backward. Have you heard of Metroid? Pitfall!? SMB2? The Legend of Zelda? Adventure? Pitfall II? SMB3 is a fantastic game, IMO the best NES game, but it didn't pioneer anything new, it just did everything better.

first three Warcraft games represent the introduction of real-time strategy overlaid on a narrative

Also crap. Every RTS had a narrative laid over them, from Dune II to Command & Conquer to StarCraft. And of those, StarCraft is probably the best game, while Dune II was first. And all of them were popular, so WCII wasn't the first to popularize the genre either.

 

From the GameSpy article...

Not a game that many would consider, but Bittanti said the game was what true soccer was all about, giving players the opportunity to play the game and manage their teams without the hooliganism, the underhanded bribes and the other distractions that have dragged the real game down to a parody. He also cited the original song created for the game as an anthem for soccer fans everywhere.

That is just moronic. So...basically, he likes the game so it should be "canon"?

 

The more I look at this list the more it falls apart.

No RPGs. No maze games. No shooters (i.e., Space Invaders). It looks to me like a list of a typical college professor's favorite games, plus Spacewar! thrown in for historical flavor.

 

Edited March 28, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[n8littlefield]

I don't think he's saying these are THE canon - just these are the first 10 he wants to have recognized as part of the canon. I'm pretty sure that he's trying to get games recognized and therefore much like the various Halls of Fame would likely seek more games entry in the future once it is established.

 

I think the non-linear they are refering to with SMB3 is that you aren't forced to complete the levels in one set order. I don't think they mean it scrolls in two directions, just that you chose your path (limitedly) to the end.

 

I don't follow soccer games but I've heard of sensible soccer. I'm pretty sure that to soccer fans it's the equivalent of Madden in that it introduced all the staples that people now expect from soccer games. I have no problem seeing it in there.

 

And Warcraft, despite there being earlier RTS's was certainly the big one that brought the genre from being a niche genre to being so hugely popular. I don't do RTS games much (as I'm terrible at them) but even I would say it deserves to be in there.

 

It seems like a pretty fair start, as long as titles not listed have the opportunity to be added in the future. There are genres completely missing as it stands.

Edited March 28, 2007 by n8littlefield

[vdub_bobby]

I don't think he's saying these are THE canon - just these are the first 10 he wants to have recognized as part of the canon.

Yeah, but if you start with a bad bunch then you aren't inspiring a lot of confidence: "Sure, we missed some obvious games, and some of our included games are real head-scratchers, but we'll fix it next year."

 

I think the non-linear they are refering to with SMB3 is that you aren't forced to complete the levels in one set order. I don't think they mean it scrolls in two directions, just that you chose your path (limitedly) to the end.

Right, but you don't have to play Zelda in a set order. You don't have to play Metroid in a set order. Etc. etc.

 

And Warcraft, despite there being earlier RTS's was certainly the big one that brought the genre from being a niche genre to being so hugely popular. I don't do RTS games much (as I'm terrible at them) but even I would say it deserves to be in there.

Command & Conquer was huge, as an RTS, probably bigger than Warcraft. If you have to give credit to a single RTS for popularizing the genre, you'd probably give it to C&C, which came out six months earlier.

[PressureCooker2600]

Starcraft rules!!!!!

 

vdub is right about everything.

 

and like supercat, I think Pitfall 2 is WAY overrated.

 

Plus, I never cared for the Sonic games....I got my Genesis for other games. Sonic is no Mario. Word up.

[Cybergoth]

Also crap. Every RTS had a narrative laid over them, from Dune II to Command & Conquer to StarCraft. And of those, StarCraft is probably the best game, while Dune II was first. And all of them were popular, so WCII wasn't the first to popularize the genre either.

 

If he went just by "first", then it should be "Herzog 2" anyway.

 

I think picking just an overall Top 10 is a bit too simple an approach. I'd pick one groundbreaking title per genre and per generation. Or maybe create something like a timeline for certain genres. Or at least something like this: http://www.cdaccess.com/html/pc/150best.htm

 

What is the guy again? A professor or a wannabe video game journalist?

 

From a professor I'd kinda expect a slightly more professional approach.