Re: [Comp 99] Ok, two more questions

[doeadeer3@aol.com (Marnie Parker)]

>Subject: [Comp 99] Ok, two more questions
>From: bredon@hotmail.com
>Date: Thu, 18 November 1999 11:29 PM EST

>  I have been re-reading the reviews (savoring the good, noting my weak
>points from the bad) and a couple of questions came up.  So, with
>apologies if I come off as whiny or defensive, as that is not my intent,
>here goes:
>
>
>1)  What, exactly, makes a work deriviative?  This was mentioned in a
>few cases, and has me curious.  AFAIK, there are no other games that
>actually use the 7 deadly sins as characters. Yes, there are games where
>you have to commit them ("Sins against Mimesis") and games where you
>have to collect objects representing them ("John's Fire Witch") but no
>others where you deal with the sins themselves.
>
>(N.B. I have not yet played "Perditions Flame")
>
>  To me, when B is deriviative of A, it means that B did the _exact same
>thing_ as A, but not as well.  I'm just curious about the yardstick
>other people use, and how far they take it..isn't there some classical
>argument about there only being 36 plots available in fiction? :)

I thought about this later, actually, on my own after I had already rated it. I
didn't call it deriviative (since I didn't review it, but I had thought it). So
I think the word might have been used in the sense not same exact thing done
before, but the theme. I think your's was different in that, yes, the seven
deadly sins were "people".

But basically I think some IF themes have limited appeal to begin with and when
repeated more than a couple of times, it starts to FEEL derivative even if not
exactly the same. So, actually, derivative is not the right word, people just
"burn out" on themes.

Examples: dragons, mazes, magnets in puzzles, the list goes on and on.
Something seen too often starts to get increasing bad reactions with each
successive repeat. And some people burn out on some themes quickier than
others.

The seven deadly sins theme has limited appeal in this way, I think.

Not sure that answers you. But I tried.

Doe :-)





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