Comments on That's a Terrible Idea: Taste and Appreciation

Music is probably the finest of all art forms. It ...

2009-11-10T07:00:47.837-05:00

Music is probably the finest of all art forms. It affects the listener on so many levels both consciously and subconsciously. I agree with what you say about the importance of appreciation.

I have a degree in music production and one of the things I learned to do many years ago is to think critically about music. It's a complex subject which involves a lot of deconstruction. A good musician and music afficiando can hear and appreciate in a piece of music far beyond what the average listener can hear.

Still music affects us all in different ways. No one's interpretation of music is superior to another's. But having this kind of ability is essential in being able to create good music because you gain an understanding of how and why good music works.

One of the keys to critical thinking is having the curiosity to ask "why".

The same skills that you use to appreciate music can be used to appreciate video games. Flow, pacing, contrast, minimalism, tensionk dynamics, tonality, harmony, etc. All of these qualities are interchangable with concepts found in game design as well as in other areas.

I agree with what everyone has said here. The skills you have in other areas can be very beneficial and synergistic to what you are doing in other fields. It's very worthwhile to be a Renaisance man.

I'll second Spinks, noting that my own forays ...

2009-11-09T18:25:52.126-05:00

I'll second Spinks, noting that my own forays into tabletop war gaming and card gaming have enhanced what sensibilities I bring to the table in digital game design.

I'd extend the notion beyond games as well; those much-vaunted "polymaths" that we laud as great people of history (say, Leonardo DaVinci) had interests in a wide variety of fields. I've seen it myself; I can take my interest in astronomy and math and craft my art in more interesting ways. The more connections you make among topics of interest, the more neural connections you make, and the more capable you are of creativity, retention, synthesis and wisdom.

This same refinement of your ability to make disti...

2009-11-09T13:45:59.525-05:00

This same refinement of your ability to make distinctions is what allows a good trader on the financial markets to distinguish one market dynamic from another, and make trading decisions.

I'd go further than that. Don't stop at co...

2009-11-08T16:32:17.803-05:00

I'd go further than that. Don't stop at computer games. If you want to call yourself any kind of gamer, play card games, board games, RPGs, live action games ... get a sense for what balance and pace, intro and endgame, coop and competitive play can really mean across the board.