The Chase vs The Catch - Preferences in Games, Films, Books

[Eriottosan]

Hey all!

I was having a discussion with a friend earlier about different sorts of people and their preferences when it comes to media.
But we weren't discussing preferences in Genre (as you may expect), but rather the degree of style.

This all came about due to our opposite reactions to the fact that the upcoming series of Doctor Who is going to be less arc-heavy.

What we decided is that it comes down to two things: The Chase and The Catch.

We decided that, really, there are two types of preference: Those people who like the catch - the end result, the power, the knowledge, the resolution - only; and those people who like the chase - the journey, the puzzle - just as much, or perhaps more, than the catch.

He was one of the former, and I the latter.

He likes games where you have more or less complete control from the beginning, or where it is easy to obtain. He will use "cheats" in games like The Sims or Age of Empires to get there quickly. He likes "god-like" mods for Minecraft, and creative mode. He likes straightforward films where it is easy to guess the ending, or with non-stop action, like Hancock or the Bourne films. And he likes books that are self contained with few twists, such as The Hungry Catepillar. (Ok, he doesn't really like the hungry catepillar, I just don't remember what the books he said were!)

Whereas I prefer games where you have to work for it, and obviously convoluted tech trees like BTW. I like films where you are unlikely to know the ending before you get there, like the Ocean's Trilogy, The Prestige, Phonebooth, James Bond. And I like books that are full of twists, or are long. Like LotR, or Les Miserables, or Enduring Love.

So I was wondering what this community thought about our conclusion, and which you prefer? I imagine that the majority here are like me, and are interested in the Chase as well as the Catch - why else would you play Better Than Wolves?
Or do you like difficulty in some things and not others? Do you prefer straightforward films, despite liking complicated books?

[Thalarctia]

I'm by far mostly a chase-guy. Often I find most enjoyment in figuring stuff out, but then once I master it and are able to look behind the scenes or predict exactly how everything will work out, I quickly lose interest.

[Dirdle]

I encounter a fair few people who say "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey" to which I think they expect me to reply "mm, that's like, deep, man." So thankyou Eriottosan (Eriotto-san?) for taking the time to type out this much more thoughtful position. I think you're right, on balance, and I prefer "chase/catch" to "journey/destination" - the former seems to emphasise more that even if you enjoy the chasing more, it's still in some sense "about" where you're going - you can't just chase nothing; that would in fact be 'catching' something else. If you set off believing that it's 'about the journey, not the destination,' you make the journey become your destination.

In games at least, I know I like having a goal, and obstacles, and known rules to manipulate to overcome those obstacles. Obviously there are games that are enjoyable for other reasons, but mostly for me it's about discovering/inventing a way from Where You Are to Where You Want To Be. Which requires that you are given a reason to want to be somewhere else as well as hoops to jump through on the way.

[Catox]

I'm probably not as much into the chase as most of people here.
I won't search by myself too long what the last secret addition FC made in his mod is and I'll soon prefer to read the spoilers thread or the wiki when I'll need or want to know.
One of the Final Fantasy that I liked the most was n°9 because its progression was very fluid and didn't require you to grind levels every now and then in order to beat the next boss (in other words : the easier one)

Or maybe there are other sorts of "chase" or other ways to like it.
I like the chase of BTW updates : if I don't chase myself most of the time, I still like reading the talkings about it on the forum.
I like games like SpaceChem a lot... even though I often can't finish them...
I like the movie Primer a lot... even though I don't understand most of it...

Sometimes the chase is in there and contribute to something, let's say "the mood". And this something is very important to me.
So I may not be a great adept of difficulty, I still think I prefer the chase to the catch... even when I'm not a good catcher ^__^;

[TheAnarchitect]

I like to play with my food before I eat it.

[Horizon]

It depends on my mood. Sometimes, if I want a good challenge, I'll go for the chase. If I want to make something cool, I'll cut out half of the chase.

[Eriottosan]

Thalarctia: So your interest is mainly in the chase, and not as much in the catch, then?

Dirdle: Heh, I'm glad you thought it thoughtful ;). And yes, I agree that there are always some exceptions - it is nice to have the odd "catch" with little chase, but still.

But yeah, if you are chasing something, the thing to catch is important. And chasing nothing is just not chasing. But what about chasing the chase?

Catox: Hrm, I don't think not searching by yourself for too long means you don't enjoy the case. And as for the Final Fantasy thing (I've never played the games), that seems to me to be an indicator of a better game if you don't have to mindlessly grind to progress.

And if you can find enjoyment of things while not being a "great catcher", I think that marks you as a great chaser ;).

TheAnarchitect: I'm ... not sure how to respond ;).

Horizon: Fair enough. I get what you mean: sometimes it's nice to just cut straight to it.

[Donzaffi]

Say it to me what type I am
Favourite Book: Goethe Faust I
Fav. Game: Prince of Persia WW
Fav Film: Natural Born Killers.

What you think ?

[DaveYanakov]

Without the journey there is no story. No one is going to care about the guy who flies over Mount Doom on a giant eagle to drop the ring in.

[simanick]

i think both the chase and the catch are vary important, a game with out a good chase i get board with and walk way from for a few weeks or for every and without a good catch I'm just left with a sower taste in my mouth and end up disliking the game. this is likely why play mostly games with no end and why when they added the end to minecraft i stopped playing for a few months.

[Elensaar]

For me it's mostly about the chase. I loved the longer arcs of Doctor Who, for instance, because they let me spend hours making up theories about where the story was heading and discussing them with my mistress. Or a lot of Simon Furman's writing on Transformers, where the twists and turns of the story, and the slow buildup to *something* is as much of a joy as finding out what that something *is*.

Though, when I'm in the mood for it, I also love a Marvel movie. I don't expect a deep plot that'll keep me guessing - just a wild ride. I definitely enjoy a good catch for its entertainment value. :)

[DaveYanakov]

On the other hand, a poorly done chase can completely ruin a story. As an example, I wasn't able to watch more than eight episodes of the television series '24' due to the fact I kept seeing every twist in the plot coming three episodes in advance.