Death Stranding is finally out, and I think one thing is clear - no matter where you fall on the game's merits, or its bizarre aesthetic, or its divisive design choices, or its extremely ponderous structure, this marks a coming of age moment for video games as a medium of storytelling and art. Video games are legitimized. For those of us who are hobbies of games not just for the experiences they deliver but for their potential to offer some truly resonant experiences that may carve their place in history like the most historic works of music, art, sculpture, architecture, cinema, and literature have, Death Stranding marks an epochal instance in time.
It is not just I who says this, it is an opinion that is easily found echoed among auteurs and critics of other media too. Death Stranding presents a unique confluence of art, aesthetic, cinema, music, interactivity, and literature, blending the best of all media to deliver a product that is truly unlike anything we have ever seen before. Its merits as a game that finally brings gaming to the center stage as a medium of storytelling and art are self evident. Multiple celebrities have told us over the last few years of the transcedental nature of Death Stranding, after all, but with the finished product, we have had no less than George Miller (the director of the greatest action movie of all time, and a movie that is very analogous to Death Stranding in so many ways) compliment Kojima's skill. We have had noted film critic David Ehlrich laud Death Stranding's immaculate construction, while praising its core message and centrality of themes, which are delivered with all the finesse and subtlety that have made Kojima the pioneer of video game storytelling and thematic consistency.
Death Stranding may not end up being a fun game to play for many, and I understand that that is a deal breaker for a lot of people, but I also feel like this is missing the forest for the trees. It is a seminal game that marks a confluence of everything that video gaming as a medium has been leading towards for 40 years, finally showing the world that yes, video games can be art, and yes, they can tell stories, and tell them in a way that no other medium can hope to match. Video games are finally legitimized, and we have Hideo Kojima to thank for this.
It is not just I who says this, it is an opinion that is easily found echoed among auteurs and critics of other media too. Death Stranding presents a unique confluence of art, aesthetic, cinema, music, interactivity, and literature, blending the best of all media to deliver a product that is truly unlike anything we have ever seen before. Its merits as a game that finally brings gaming to the center stage as a medium of storytelling and art are self evident. Multiple celebrities have told us over the last few years of the transcedental nature of Death Stranding, after all, but with the finished product, we have had no less than George Miller (the director of the greatest action movie of all time, and a movie that is very analogous to Death Stranding in so many ways) compliment Kojima's skill. We have had noted film critic David Ehlrich laud Death Stranding's immaculate construction, while praising its core message and centrality of themes, which are delivered with all the finesse and subtlety that have made Kojima the pioneer of video game storytelling and thematic consistency.
Death Stranding may not end up being a fun game to play for many, and I understand that that is a deal breaker for a lot of people, but I also feel like this is missing the forest for the trees. It is a seminal game that marks a confluence of everything that video gaming as a medium has been leading towards for 40 years, finally showing the world that yes, video games can be art, and yes, they can tell stories, and tell them in a way that no other medium can hope to match. Video games are finally legitimized, and we have Hideo Kojima to thank for this.
