Video games have come a long way from the 8-bit pixels and Pac-Man. They have evolved from basic concepts to full-fledged worlds with complex narratives and characters. Youtubers and youtube channels like Gaijin Goomba, The Game Theorists, and PBS Game Show focus on analyzing the games to the point that it would make most of our heads hurt. They look at everything from cultural influences in gaming to physics, lore, game development, glitches, and more. "But it's just a game!" Some may cry. To that, I would agree. These are games. But, can you overanalyze a game? I would say yes and no.
Context and purpose are big factors when it comes to overanalyzing games. Take Tetris for instance. When you look at the gameplay then the game is as simple as they come. You take the randomly generated pieces and try to stack them so that a row is full. When a row is completed, the row clears. Don't let the blocks hit the top of the screen or you lose. Rinse and repeat. Simple. Easy. Done. However, you can expand your focus to the fact that the game has no win condition, how it is literally impossible to beat, and why that matters. You can analyze the impact that this simple game had on gaming history or how the game has influenced culture since its conception. The same can and has been done with other simple games like the Super Mario Bros.
Newer games offer even more food for thought. Journey and Abzu are excellent examples of games that practically beg to be analyzed. Journey was created by thatgamecompany and originally launched for the PS3 in 2012 before seeing a rerelease on the PS4 in 2015. Abzu was created by Giant Squid Studios and was released for Microsoft Windows and the PS4 in 2016. These games are both adventure games with puzzle mechanics. They are also about as artsy as you can get. Both games center around a single, genderless protagonist who travels through the ruins of an ancient civilization by solving a series of simplistic puzzles and avoiding dangers along the way. Neither game is very long, but what they lack in length they make up for in beauty and subtle story-telling. Neither game has a narrator or dialogue of any kind. There are no written words to read or any kind of audible conversations. Instead, the player must pay attention to hints provided by their surroundings and the cutscenes that play in the games. Journey is a little more straightforward with its cutscenes while Abzu prefers to relegate its story to murals in the ruins. Both games, especially Abzu, require the player to analyze their experience in order to glean full extent of the stories. Both games also offer commentary on the state of the environment and the world around us.
At the end of the day, analyzing and discussing video games is all about perspective. There is no denying that some games are more simplistic than others and trying to find a deeper meaning in Pong is ridiculous. On the other hand, many games encourage deep thought and meaningful conversations. Yet, all games, no matter how simple, are still subject to the cultural climate and historical backgrounds that they were born into. It's all about how deep you are willing to go.
