Roger Ebert strikes again!

MGraybosch · Jun 17, 2010

For somebody who probably hasn't played anything more advanced than Super Mario Bros., Roger Ebert certain seems to hold games in contempt. has anybody seen this Twitter post? Is he being reasonable, or is he just being an old man and acting as though his opinions were fact?

Kyra Wright · Jun 17, 2010

Whoa, whoa, whoa...lets not besmirch the good name of Super Mario Bros. here.

Seriously though, his previous "games are not art" remarks ignited so much response and discussion that I'm not surprised to see him milking the issue for attention. He'll keep at it for as long as people will pay attention to him.

mulcahy67 · Jun 17, 2010

i love his take on movies, his critiques and analysis' are downright brilliant, but i find him to irk me in any other areas of entertainment/media he might speak about.

Zoombie · Jun 17, 2010

Huckleberry Finn was overwordy and dull...why? Because Twain got paid per the word and thus, he jabbered.

Portal, not a single frame is wasted. Every inch of the game has a point.

<shrugs>

poetinahat · Jun 17, 2010

You have to admit that most people would say he's set the bar fairly high. I mean, he cited Huckleberry Finn, a classic, and not... well, some less enduring literature with less established credentials.

But really, I think it's apples and oranges, which applies either to him or to whomever he's responding. Comparing a game to a book is silly, and I'd expect opinion to be polarised on his comment - gamers versus Great Bookers. Mostly, what this does is confirm that Twitter is a great medium for out-of-context quotes. I just haven't been able to get interested in Twitter.

Zoombie · Jun 17, 2010

poetinahat said:
I mean, he cited Huckleberry Finn, a less enduring literature with less established credentials.

Are you saying Huckleberry Finn was low brow pulp fiction! How could you!?

poetinahat said:
Mostly, what this does is confirm that Twitter is a great medium for out-of-context quotes..

Pfff, that's crazy talk.

This joke is most likely only funny to me.

poetinahat · Jun 17, 2010

Yep, it's got nothing on vBulletin.

Dude.

benbradley · Jun 17, 2010

At least Super Mario Bros. didn't use that word, the one we only refer to by its initial letter...

SPMiller · Jun 17, 2010

Offhand, I can think of several games that are higher works of art than any of Clemens' works.

But one thing that's universally true of books, movies, and video games? They're all forms of entertainment. Ebert should know better; he's supposedly a critic, after all.

poetinahat · Jun 18, 2010

The tone with which he offers this opinion is pretty provocative, and I think he could've done better. But he's not only a critic; he's an entertainer of sorts in his own right. Getting under people's skin would be one of the tools of the trade for anyone who needs to attract and retain an audience. It doesn't work for me.

Therefore, I'd say it's highly possible that he does know better - just like Rush, Stephen Colbert, or any number of "opinion entertainers" - and part of his technique is to provoke. Critics have seldom enjoyed a reputation of being tactful people.

MGraybosch · Jun 18, 2010

Kyra Wright said:
Whoa, whoa, whoa...lets not besmirch the good name of Super Mario Bros. here.

I'm not knocking SMB, but let's face it. The game was a NES launch title. The world has moved on.

Xvee · Jun 18, 2010

MGraybosch said:
I'm not knocking SMB, but let's face it. The game was a NES launch title. The world has moved on.

Never!!!!!!!! Who needs Wii and PS3 when I got NES and Atari 2600? Good graphics can suck it.

Ebert has medical problems, probably heavy on meds, so I feel sorry for the guy cos I love his movie reviews. But what does it matter if one guy thinks games suck? We love what we love and that should be good enough.

Roger Ebert strikes again!

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist

Kyra Wright

Skulduggery and haberdashery

mulcahy67

Got the hang of it, here

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse

poetinahat

Numbers are beautiful

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse

poetinahat

Numbers are beautiful

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged

poetinahat

Numbers are beautiful

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist

Xvee

I Need Monkeys