SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Play That Game: Metal Gear Solid 2

A hobby that has appeared frivolous throughout my entire generation has seldom appeared as something one would call “art.” Playing video games inherently suggests that we are just playing games, but is it possible for us to take these games seriously?

Personally, I find it difficult to really pigeon-hole video games since we’ve never really had an art form that was so interactive. Each video game is like a half-finished painting to me, and the course I take with each particular game, my experience, that is how I fill in the blank portions of the canvas. We all paint a different picture; no two experiences are ever the same.

Now, you can whack moles with a Wiimote, or you can make a fool of yourself dancing in an empty room with Kinect, these are games, but when I truly think about the experiences that resonated, one series in particular comes to mind, Metal Gear Solid. The second installment of the series wasn’t the most fun to play when comparing all of them. Metal Gear Solid 2’s gameplay was fantastic for when it was released, but after two sequels it isn’t really remembered for its refined gameplay, but there is something about Metal Gear Solid 2 that won’t allow me to move on.

There is something special that resides within, something that you can’t measure with polygons and detailed mustaches. Metal Gear Solid 2 was ambitious, it was daring, and it was more than just a game.

Now, I could muse about the gameplay and stress how enthralling it all is, but what I prefer to note is what makes this game stand out as an artistic expression. Metal Gear Solid 2 thrives off of its deep philosophical undertones, an aspect of the game that was received with a decent amount of indifference from critics. The motive of the story is rather ambiguous in some areas, exploring themes such as political conspiracy, artificial intelligence, social engineering, censorship, existentialism, sociology, and even the manipulation of free will. The stories quizzical nature keeps the player in a perpetual state of curiosity.

I recall the nights I would struggle to sleep while halfway through this game, and just how hard it was to dispel my agitated brain from a myriad of Metal Gear Solid thoughts.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is acclaimed for its superb gameplay, ambitious story, and graphical improvements over its predecessor, but in my opinion no critic can entirely capture what makes this game so singular. I believe it’s because this game is important to everyone who’s played it for a different reason. What was supposed to be a game focused on tactical espionage action turned out to be one of the greatest philosophical journeys of my youth, and at such a fragile stage of my life, it really helped shape the man I am today. My experiences with this game won’t soon be forgotten nor will they ever be fully understood.

If you like playing video games, if self-improvement is important to you, if you prefer a progressive course of action in your life, then play the Metal Gear Solid series. If video games have to be classified as a “waste of time,” then mitigate that factor by playing a game that will stimulate your brain and help you actualize that open-minded objectivist you’ve always wanted to be. It’s not as philosophically refined as reading The Republic by Plato, but this game’s script was written by a game designer, and that notion alone warrants a great deal of respect.