• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Has the word "masterpiece" lost it's meaning in the modern gaming landscape?

Has it truly lost its meaning in regards to gaming?


  • Total voters
    144

22:22:22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
How come? A masterpiece is merely a culmination of many aspects culminating in a work that transcends it peers. It has lost it's meaning perhaps due to sponsored media outlets that without uttering such a phrase and meaning to a particular product are more or less prone to dow world spiral in relevancy ie income. I guess?
 
Last edited:

MikeM

Member
Bioshock Infinite, GoW 2018 and Ragnarok, TLOU 1 & 2 and FFVII are all masterpieces to me. They stand out against their peers in outstanding ways.

I would argue you see less today because publishers are chasing the flavours of the day as opposed to quality it takes to make masterpieces. Not every game needs to chase that either, however.
 

Bragr

Banned
An opinion is subjective. A diamond being rarer than a pebble isn't an opinion.
It is. Everything is atoms. Silly as it sounds, everything we know is based on someone's opinion on how to classify it.

Tell me, would you say that the original Tomb Raider games have better movement than Marvel's Spider-Man?
 

ChiefDada

Gold Member
Thoughtful read. With the author's logic, GoW 2018 perhaps shouldn't be considered a masterpiece with the apparent influences from TLOU which preceded it. While I understand the logic and agree that the term's usage is excessive lately, I'd be hard-pressed to categorize GoW 2018 as anything other than a masterpiece.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Tell me, would you say that the original Tomb Raider games have better movement than Marvel's Spider-Man?

I can say Spider-man moves faster than Lara Croft when he is web slinging. Whether or not I or someone else finds that movement "better" is completely subjective. Personally I would have to play the game again after so many years to form my own opinion.
 

Fabieter

Member
I can say Spider-man moves faster than Lara Croft when he is web slinging. Whether or not I or someone else finds that movement "better" is completely subjective. Personally I would have to play the game again after so many years to form my own opinion.

Most games from the past fall apart if you replay them today. And controls are big part of that.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
There are planets in our universe with mantles comprised solely of diamonds with nary a pebble in sight. Free your mind of the limitations of your immediate surroundings and you'll soon recognize that Balan Wonderworld is a masterpiece and that Yuji Naka arrest for insider trading is merely a coverup because he dared transcend the multiverse to delivered a game so profound that it will take decades for mere mortals to comprehend.
Oh My God Wow GIF by reactionseditor
 

Handel

Member
Not at all, and masterpiece is too often attributed to old games out of nostalgia when they really weren't that good, even if influential. Easiest to copycat shouldn't be the bar for the medium artistically. A game can be a perfect blend of existing mechanics and be a masterpiece.
 

cireza

Member
The only modern game I played that could eventually have the title is Outer Wilds.

Otherwise, the video-game landscape is pretty bland, especially AAA games. Nothing of interest here.
 

01011001

Banned
The only modern game I played that could eventually have the title is Outer Wilds.

Otherwise, the video-game landscape is pretty bland, especially AAA games. Nothing of interest here.

The Witness also comes to mind... but it's a very rare stamp I'd put on a game
 

Neff

Member
It's always been a subjective term. Consensus only goes so far in defining art. You like what you like. Design trends and aesthetic trends come and go, it's all relative.

Art is a creative showcase meant to be experienced, not controlled/played with.

There is interpretation and debate in 'non-interactive' art. Explicit cause-and-effect interaction doesn't negate the concept of art, far from it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isa

Fabieter

Member
I'd probably agree with that. But you can throw that on mountain of subjective opinions that folks will probably agree with in general.

Yea that's true. In the end its just a matter of opinions but that's also the reason discussions can be fun
 

kunonabi

Member
I can think of at most 3 games in the last 7 or so years that could deserve the distinction. Which is probably about right if we're taking the term seriously.
 

Fabieter

Member
I can think of at most 3 games in the last 7 or so years that could deserve the distinction. Which is probably about right if we're taking the term seriously.

Yea but the problem is that another person wont have the same games as masterpieces as you
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
Film critics point out every single bit of detail and score a multi million dollar movie a 40%, while game critics are impressed by whatever. It could have a crap story, weird puzzles, or a terrible ending and it gets a 10/10. It might as well end up like the movie industry where no one cares what gets a perfect score and whatever does is questioned for years. Where the true classics took years to become a classic.
 

Bragr

Banned
I can say Spider-man moves faster than Lara Croft when he is web slinging. Whether or not I or someone else finds that movement "better" is completely subjective. Personally I would have to play the game again after so many years to form my own opinion.
No you don't, it's perfectly possible to compare products and equate. Just like any other product, quality derives from comparison. The iPhone outcompetes the old Nokia. I love Super Mario 64 over most things, but I am perfectly capable of judging the camera as outdated compared to the competition in terms of what it offers the player. My opinion does not override the quality of the system. Just as the movement of Tomb Raider Vs. Spider-Man.
 

Paltheos

Member
Probably, but the distinction on the landscape hasn't changed in a very long time. That is to say, most people have overrated things for a very long time. Pretty natural consequence of "7" becoming "average", etc.

Most things kinda suck with few real standouts.
 

Handel

Member
A masterpiece is a piece made by a true master of his craft, a single person. So most videogames can't be masterpieces by definition. The term is reserved for works of art anyway, and we can't even agree on if games are art or not.
Citing definitions then saying only works of art qualify which is false. Works of skill/craftsmanship also can be masterpieces, such as armor. Creating a masterpiece is what qualifies someone to have the title of master, such as a master blacksmith.
 

Topher

Gold Member
No you don't, it's perfectly possible to compare products and equate. Just like any other product, quality derives from comparison. The iPhone outcompetes the old Nokia. I love Super Mario 64 over most things, but I am perfectly capable of judging the camera as outdated compared to the competition in terms of what it offers the player. My opinion does not override the quality of the system. Just as the movement of Tomb Raider Vs. Spider-Man.

I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said except that yes, I would need to refresh my memory on Tomb Raider. It's just been way too long. I'm sure I'd probably agree with the opinion that Spider-man has better movement if I did though. Other than that, yeah you can compare objective facts of those phones such as processing speed, screen size, etc. Your personal enjoyment of Super Mario 64 doesn't change the fact of the camera position either. So sure, not disagreeing with any of that. Some things remain in the realm of objective facts. Others are just a matter of personal preference.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Totally. I love Days Gone, but it's not a masterpiece.

It isn't as much that people say things are masterpieces too much as it is people are more sucked into recency bias thinking every new game is the best ever.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was a masterpiece to me, but when I take a step back and look at it objectively, I can see that it is not. Its just a game that I loved for my own reasons. Didnt push the genre forward, no one took inspiration from it, no one even talks about it. Nowhere near a masterpiece... The same is absolutely true for Prey. Its simply not a masterpiece, you just love it.

For sure more deserving of such title than The Last of Us Part II.

Represent. Represent. deal with it.
Gentlemen...Days Gone is a forgotten, never talked about 7/10 game that I doubt inspired a single developer on Earth... "Masterpiece" lol
 
Last edited:
Citing definitions then saying only works of art qualify which is false. Works of skill/craftsmanship also can be masterpieces, such as armor. Creating a masterpiece is what qualifies someone to have the title of master, such as a master blacksmith.
A piece of armor is not art? A table or a chair are not? I don't believe say Michelangelo is considered a master of his craft because he made David. David is one work of this particular master.
 

yurinka

Member
the writer discusses how the games listed as "masterpieces" are all similar and how they don't truly provide any innovation.
Innovation (adding new things) isn't related at all with being a masterpiece (having a top, supreme quality) or not. A game can be a masterpiece with zero innovation, and a super innovative game can (and in most cases are) a complete turd.

Seems to believe that modern video games are way too focused on being acknowledged by hollywood.
This means that the writer has no idea about the insane diversity type of games that are available in the market. And also being great in quality and sales.

The writer goes further into saying that games are following the leader and not bringing their own flair to the game.
Any product of any market look at what people like and what it works to use it as reference. Publishers and developers would be retarded and irresponsible if they would spend hundreds of millions of someone else money without taking into consideration what it works.

Not trying to summarize, so it's best to read yourself. Do you guys think that the word "masterpiece" has become warped in this era. Let me know what you guys think.

Full Article:
https://www.thegamer.com/the-word-masterpiece-has-lost-all-meaning-in-modern-gaming/
I think the writer doesn't know that different people has different tastes or what a masterpiece means.

Also acts as if introducing new stuff would be something good, when new things can be bad things and being a masterpiece means top tier execution, not top tier creativity. Also acts as if big blockbusters needed or should to make big changes when they don't: if games like TLOU, BotW or GoWR get great sales and reviews it's because people love them. Sure, no game is perfect and always can be improved but games like these three are a masterpiece because of their outstanding top quality show that they mastered that, not because they are so innovative and created something new.

As an example, BotW and GoWR don't add anything new: everything they did was already done by other blockbusters before. But they are masterpieces because what they did they did it in a masterful way, at a level of quality that nobody or only a few did before.
 
Last edited:

Handel

Member
A piece of armor is not art? A table or a chair are not? I don't believe say Michelangelo is considered a master of his craft because he made David. David is one work of this particular master.
Not traditionally speaking, no. You were contesting video games being art, so I didn't take you as someone who would consider armor art. Not surprising though because almost everyone contesting video games as art are low grade trolls.
 

Bragr

Banned
I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said except that yes, I would need to refresh my memory on Tomb Raider. It's just been way too long. I'm sure I'd probably agree with the opinion that Spider-man has better movement if I did though. Other than that, yeah you can compare objective facts of those phones such as processing speed, screen size, etc. Your personal enjoyment of Super Mario 64 doesn't change the fact of the camera position either. So sure, not disagreeing with any of that. Some things remain in the realm of objective facts. Others are just a matter of personal preference.
But camera systems do affect personal enjoyment. I would enjoy Mario 64 more if had the camera of Mario Odyssey. There are also parts of the level design on some of the later levels (clock-fuck tower) that hurts the game as the design of 3D platforming levels have increased. Again, subjectively I enjoy it because of nostalgia and personal biases, but overall I can see the objective problems when I compare it to later games.

The more you play and the bigger your comprehension grows, the more you can spot parts of certain design decisions that hurt the game, just like the more you watch movies the better you get at noticing the truly creative and unique parts of certain movies.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
What recent games would you fine gentlement consider an actual masterpiece? For me, Cuphead comes to mind, but can't honestly think about anything else. You may like it more or less, but when it comes to it, everything is perfectly done: the graphics and music 100% complementing the gameplay which is the main focus, with just a little bit of story to keep you going.

I guess Elden Ring had the potential, but ended up not reaching that point imo. Still an awesome game ofc.
 

Topher

Gold Member
But camera systems do affect personal enjoyment. I would enjoy Mario 64 more if had the camera of Mario Odyssey. There are also parts of the level design on some of the later levels (clock-fuck tower) that hurts the game as the design of 3D platforming levels have increased. Again, subjectively I enjoy it because of nostalgia and personal biases, but overall I can see the objective problems when I compare it to later games.

The more you play and the bigger your comprehension grows, the more you can spot parts of certain design decisions that hurt the game, just like the more you watch movies the better you get at noticing the truly creative and unique parts of certain movies.

All very true statements when forming your own personal opinions.
 

Flabagast

Member
When I see something as painfully average, awfully paced and very badly written as GoW Ragnarok being blindly called a masterpiece by so many supposedly professional press outlets, you sure as hell can bet that the word has lost all sense of meaning through and through.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
When I see something as painfully average, awfully paced and very badly written as GoW Ragnarok being blindly called a masterpiece by so many supposedly professional press outlets, you sure as hell can bet that the word has lost all sense of meaning through and through.
I'd love if someone explained to me why they think that game is an actual masterpiece. With actual arguments.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom