Short Thoughts - What Dictates Quality?

Conventions exist in every form of art; there are widely accepted “correct” ways to do things, which typically lead to higher-quality pieces of art. I say “quality” in loose terms, though; while it may have mass appeal, it’s hard to directly attribute quality to these works, as they’re incredibly subjective. Breaking these standards is the only way to push the medium forward, and it’s not always successful, but I find these kinds of games far more interesting than the more conventional stuff, even if they don’t quite hit the mark.

Unconventional titles like Cruelty Squad and The Stanley Parable find themselves far more ingrained in my mind than some of the more typical ones, and that’s not to say either is better. I would downright call Cruelty Squad’s visuals ugly; its controls are weird and uncomfortable, but it’s all working towards the greater picture. If its visuals were more typical and its controls more orthodox, its themes would feel far less impactful; they extend beyond the bounds of the story. It breaks the standards of the medium, sending it more into the ideals of abstract art.

More typical titles, like many of the Sony first-party ones, aren’t objectively worse by any metric, but they elicit much less of an emotional response from me. There’s often more of a focus on a cinematic story and graphical fidelity. I don’t say this to put those games down; there’s merit to these design choices, but it’s like putting the Mona Lisa and a Picasso side-by-side. I can see the value and skill within both pieces, but the Picasso will do more for me on a deeper level.

Conventions aren’t the deciding factor in a game’s success. though. The previously mentioned Cruelty Squad and The Stanley Parable both found immense commercial and critical success. And even for me, there are some more typical titles that I absolutely love, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

I think it’s key to talk about why these titles have taken such a front seat in the industry right now, and that’s money. Games are getting more and more expensive, so taking risks is dangerous; development studios are so volatile that even slight failures can have drastic consequences, so creating a game that’s likely to sell well is the correct move from a business sense, rather than an experimental title that may resonate incredibly well with a smaller number of people.