NSFW/Image Macro: Unwinnable

Zapped.

Any ideas?

edited 9th May '12 2:45:41 PM by TropeEater

Previous thread - ended from death-by-clock-expiry.

I liked the round-bottomed Tetris:

I'm fine with the XKCD pic for the time being.

Agree

Still haven't decided on this picture yet, huh? Just go with XKDC and be done with it. No more of this "Has to be an actual example" bullcrap.

I agree it's not a perfect example as most unwinnable games START OUT winnable, but it's funny and better than nothing.

What was the argument against that pic in the old thread?

The argument was that the trope normally refers to a situation in which a game becomes unwinnable, not a game which simply has no victory condition or no way to play it in a meaningful sense.

This is currently the picture for Unwinnable Joke Game, so I don't think we should duplicate.

Thus, I must withdraw my support on account of duplication. Alternately, we just make this the one picture for the whole Unwinnable page, and leave the subpages blank.

edited 9th May '12 7:13:32 PM by DarkConfidant

Yeah, this fits that trope better.

Ok then, lets try this suggestion instead. Someone put up this picture to Portal Tetris in the last thread, including a link to the actual "game". Yes, it is something you can play.

In fact, I decided to take a picture of the portal in action so players see the game piece at both ends.

edited 10th May '12 4:31:53 AM by DRCEQ

The second one is much more clear.

Agreed. The second one is a lot more clear, especially for those unfamiliar with Portal.

Yeah, and I think that as far as games go, Tetris is as known as they come. Counting all version, it's probably the most played video game of all time.

It's very artifacted, though... <_<

I mean, just look at the word "STATISTICS" to see what I mean.

edited 10th May '12 7:19:25 AM by ShadowHog

Yeah, I took a screenshot, opened up Paint, cropped the image, and resized it down to 350x. I can't post the link right now, but look in the previous thread and you'll find the link, if anyone wants to take a crack at clearing it up a little.

That's not the trope. The trope is "You messed up somehow, and now you can't beat the game". Not "this game can't ever be beaten, ever, because it was designed that way".

Yes, the picture actually should be an example if you're going to stick it up there. It's not "bullcrap" to abstain from page images because nothing fits it. This image will not lend understanding to the trope.

It's also not exactly obvious that's a portal. You'd have to have heard of or played the game to recognize it. I'm playing Portal 2 right now, and I had to stare awhile to see what it was trying to indicate.

^ It was pointed out in the previous thread that:

"Unwinnable" is a gameplay state from which it is impossible to win the game. A game that cannot be won is, by definition, in such a state at all times.

It doesn't matter if a game can't be won from a particular point or from the beginning, just that it can't be won. The subtropes are more specific about what created that situation. Several of them are indeed about games that are unwinnable from the start.

...but I don't think Portal Tetris is good. Tetris may be the "most-played game of all time", but Portal isn't. Half a piece at the bottom and top doesn't make it clear what that mechanic is, and it's not intuitive. I strongly doubt anyone who doesn't know how Portal works would get it.

edited 10th May '12 8:59:52 AM by rodneyAnonymous

I think the one that used to be there would work if we cropped out the text. I also think it would fit better here than in Didn't Think This Through

edited 15th Jun '12 4:15:32 PM by TropeEater

Wait, so why exactly was the previous (mario) image removed without discussion?

You can do that to image macros.

Well, you can do that to a Demotivator, LOL Cat, or other meme-based picture. Not just to any image that happens to have text in it. This pic doesn't appear to be a meme.

It is an Image Macro: an image with text superimposed / tacked on. Not every picture with text on it is an image macro. Look at some of the links on that page; virtually all of them have a similar look. The font is usually colored white and uses Impact typeface. Image macros are instapull-worthy. LOLcats are only one kind of image macro.

The literal to-the-letter reading of the "valid image pickin' threads" sticky is very lawyerly.

edited 15th Jun '12 6:58:07 PM by rodneyAnonymous

Not every image macro has to be meme-based or demotivational. Any image with a slapped-on caption can be pulled, I think. (ninja'd, sorry!)

I think an illustration of a situation where you played yourself into an unwinnable scenario would be better instead of a game that is designed so that it can't be won. Whenever I think of an unwinnable game, I think of the Kings Quest games or The Legend Of Kyrandia. That being said, no particular scenes come to mind that are obviously, visibly unwinnable.

edited 15th Jun '12 6:54:21 PM by bananasloth