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What is missing from many people's lives is a sense of completion, and the celebration of completion. I've worked all my life on creative projects that at some point are 'finished'. The blood sweat and tears are there in the end product - there is a positive, visible result to creative effort. It is an enormous satisfaction and one I've always felt privileged to enjoy.

Of course it's not confined to the 'creative industries': I was driving round Helsinki with a builder once and he was proud to point out all the building projects he'd worked on - and he was a plasterer. There are lots of examples of the pride that people have in what they do, but for many also there is no end result, no completion, no celebration. The job goes on from year to year, and there is little sense of progress or achievement - little sense of "I helped do that". There is little 'dignity' in doing such work without end.

The frustrations of playing computer games come from a computer's indefatigability - it never ends, it never gives up: it's you against the machine, and, ultimately, you are going to lose.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 10:26:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You haven't played computer games much in the last decade or two, have you?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 10:35:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's part of my work to track the market. I play most of the key games at least once. The latest has been the new Nintendo 3D. I do a lot of voices for Finnish games, and I am particularly involved in MMORPG systems.

My comment still stands.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 01:25:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I will certainly being playing LA Noir in the near future, but I probably won't be interested in it as a game - more for the potential impact on moviemaking.

My guess is that within 5 years we'll be watching movies in theatres generated in RT, with the action and characters influenced interactively by the audience. If I knew how, I could be another worthless millionaire, but someone will solve it.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 01:34:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That was the good part of being a trial lawyer; I got the completion from the final arguments (and the "feedback" from the jury.)

Same thing with investigations or even writing a screenplay; a completed report or script is a very good feeling (though screenplays are never really finished, especially if you don't market them and they aren't produced.)

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Wed May 11th, 2011 at 01:41:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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