This post follows up on our discussion in class about whether or not slow games are a notable genre. I’ll discuss how, in my opinion, slow games are a notable genre and why explicitly recognizing this genre has value.
An argument against slow games being a genre that came up in class was that whether or not a game is a “slow game” is dependent upon how a player plays a game. As long as it is within the control a player has over mechanics, a player can take a game as slow as they would like (an example of this that was given in class was a player playing Grand Theft Auto only to drive a bus as opposed to engaging in more fast-paced action). Though to counter this, I think it is worth considering the role of interpretation vs. design when it comes to genre or even art in general. Sure, you could play Grand Theft Auto as a slow game. You could speed run Animal Crossing. Most people don’t, because that’s not an intuitive choice to make based on the game design, but you could (if you wanted). You could do quite literally anything you like within your abilities! But as it stands, games are typically categorized based on how they are played, and they are typically played based on how they are designed. There is always room for interpretation, and there is always room for player choice; I certainly am not denying that. But, at the end of the day, genres are somewhat arbitrary categories that seem to be divided in large part by design. Dare I say, slow games are games that were designed to be played slowly; and that in itself makes them a notable genre.
As more and more games are designed, so too grows the category of who is or can be a “gamer.” You don’t have to be an ESports star playing a highly technical game to enjoy video games. In fact, you can be a regular person with average or even below average hand eye coordination and still enjoy collecting apples in Animal Crossing. Recognizing slow games as a genre reflexively recognizes a whole different type of gamer. Some of the qualities of slow games that this type of gamer may be attracted to include: no pressure to complete an objective, no competition, and easy mechanics. And I think an inclusive definition of “gamer” only stands to help the video game community. It generates more visibility, more recognition, more community, and ultimately, if you are invested in capitalist motivations, more revenue. When it comes to answering the question: should slow games be a notable genre? My instinct is why not? I am curious what others may think about this.
I entirely agree with everything that you are saying. I truly do think that slow games are games that are designed to be intentionally slow. Like look at Longing or Animal Crossing, for example. They use actual human time in order to achieve progress at all in the game, and that had to be an intentional mechanic that was used in order to slow the player down and perhaps even make them enjoy the game without even thinking of speedrunning. I think then the main counterargument to this idea is that “slow games” can then apply to a bunch of games, which makes like categorization a little difficult. I don’t think this should really be an issue, since I believe that a lot of games are actually a conglomeration of genres. Of course, there is an overarching genre or theme, but that shouldn’t limit the genres that the game should actually fall under.