Games Aren't Numbers

"I am not a number! I am a free man!"
- Number 6, The Prisoner

I've finally made the effort to launch this blog. I created this mainly for selfish reasons, I wanted a platform to publish and discuss my various thoughts related to the most popular topic on the internet, video games. I consider this site as more of a conversational tool than an ends in of itself. The posts are not intended to be comprehensive but rather individual ideas intended to provoke thought and discussion. Since this post is just an introduction, I'll keep it brief and to the point.

The purpose of this blog is to give my own perspective of games and gaming that I don't think other websites have done. To me there are two basic elements to every game. The first is the technology. This includes the polygons, the controls, etc. The second is the creative side. This includes what the graphics look like, how levels are designed, the cut scenes, etc. I feel like the creative aspect isn't taken seriously enough in game culture, and therefore it is what I intend to cover on this website.

The name "Games Aren't Numbers" rose out of my objection to every game being treated as a ratio in reviews. And not simply reviews, the entire community seems to subconsciously regard each game as single number determining its worth. While giving a numerical rating in a review may be sometimes necessary, I think that the mentality has become overly dominant. By trying to sum up the total value of a game the numbers are ultimately reductive. This name is intentionally negative. I thought saying "games are not..." opens up more discussion since it leaves the question open as to what it is they are. Plus I just thought that phrase sounded nice.

So there you have it. This is a brief summary what my idea for Games Aren't Numbers is, so we can see how it goes.

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