Multi-colored, interconnecting plastic bricks–such simple and brilliant playthings. According to the Danish company’s website: “The name ‘LEGO‘ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words ‘leg godt,’ meaning ‘play well.'”
LEGO video games are as popular as ever. I confess, I am a rabid fan. I have the Star Wars saga–of course. I don’t think I’ve laughed at a video game the way I laughed when Padmé gave birth to Luke and Leia. If you haven’t experienced it, then I recommend playing it for that moment alone.
I loved being Yoda wielding my lightsaber, Chewie shooting my gun, and Darth Vader menacing my enemies. I have LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, LEGO Indiana Jones, and, of course, LEGO Batman.
No characters “speak” in the LEGO games. They make noises that sound like words but are completely unintelligible–a little like the adults in Charlie Brown with less “wonky, wonky” sound. LEGO Captain Jack Sparrow slurs his garble. A person can’t help but smile.
My mother still spends hours playing LEGO Batman, doing her level best to defeat that pesky Harley Quinn. I don’t think she’s ever watched a Batman movie, or cartoon, let alone read one of the comics. Still, because it’s LEGO, she immerses herself in the Dark Knight’s adventures.
What is the appeal of these games? True, they are based upon movies with familiar characters. Most children tend to have an affinity for LEGO pieces. I remember when my brother received a giant bucket filled with LEGOs. We built all manner of objects that LEGO astronauts and Star Wars figures alike inhabited.
The games are rated E for everyone. The movies and characters often receive a little tweak of satire which adult players undoubtedly enjoy. Also, the LEGO characters are not overly gendered. As players, we are offered a light challenge that involves solving puzzles and finding objects, the opportunities to switch between characters and don the personas of some of our greatest heroes.
In a way, these games remind me of Angry Birds or Plants vs. Zombies. All are colorful and focused more on the play than the graphics or cinematics. They are video games, nothing hybrid or ambiguous.
All ages enjoy them, perhaps, because of LEGO‘s prime directive–“play well”–and these games definitely offer us a world of play.
