泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌_What "stylish" means in a video game?

泥中蟠龍's Game愛歌

[A love song for games of the dragon waiting for an opportunity]

 

What "stylish" means in a video game?

 

We often use a word misunderstanding the meaning of it. For example, there is a word of "mudaeppo". It is from a Japanese word "無鐵砲", which is pronounced "むてっぽう (mudeppo)", the meaning of reckless behavior of a solider lunging for his adversary without a gun on the battlefield. There are also frequently misused words in the filed of the gaming world. Many people enjoying video games don't know the meaning of RPG or RPS—video game genres—and MMO or FPV as well. I'd like to talk about one of these kinds of words "stylish" this time.

 

Recently, I talked the word over with the CEO of a game developer. I asked him about the meaning of "stylish" after he used the word many times since I did not quite accept it. According to his account, it meant 'brilliant computer graphics'. I will leave it to readers' judgment now that I might be wrong when it comes to it.

 

I believe that the standard of "stylish" was from Devil May Cry, a Japanese action-adventure hack and slash video game series, where the word was used for the first time. It defined the word as "폼생폼사 (pomsaengpomsa)"—grandstand play. The key point is not splendid graphics but the fancy character moves. Players even can get extra points for exuberantly defeating their enemies. In an action game, a heavy-armed knight attacking monsters doesn't look cool, in spite of the character's stable movements. In comparison, the character taking evasive action looks cooler. A character who narrowly avoids a weapon with a remarkable tumbling skill looks much more attractive than one who protects himself with a shield. It'd be better to make good use of geographic features to maximize the effect of the evasive movements. For example, double jump with stepping on a wall after avoiding a weapon looks much cooler. The use of a combo attack is recommended in terms of attack. A combo, a timed sequence of moves that produce a cohesive series of hits making an opponent be pushed up into the air and be floated up again before he falls to the ground, looks much better than a ten-time sword attack straight in the face. Plus, the attack in a small space, not in a large grassy plain, using natural and man-made features is preferred to exhibit a flamboyant playing style. Skilled techniques of a gamer are necessary for the series of processes—in other words playing style of a user has to be stylish. The skills related to avoiding, floating, and capturing the perfect timing for a well-coordinated attack, etc. make the game more noticeable and exciting than just pushing the attack button successively.

 

I can't explain every element for the "stylish" game at this time. However, I can say that flamboyant playing style and striking displays are not the points. Of course, an unstylish game is not a bad game, only the twisting explanation about the game is like a false advertisement. I'm sure that the definition of terminologies for the gaming industry is one of the most important factors to deepen its foundation. I expect that a "stylish" game, which meets my standards, will be released soon.

 

 

※ This is from Kyunghyang Games column by 泥中蟠龍 since September 2013.

(http://www.khgames.co.kr)

 

Translation by Kim Ki-hui