Hope you guys don't take it as a GOG.com ad but I wanted to take some time and share some of my thoughts about SOMA. So here goes ;)

First of all, maybe because I don't have as much time for gaming now as I used to when I was 20, nowadays I'm either looking for something simple and fun, that allows for 40minute one-time sit-downs (like a game of football in FIFA, a run in Rogue Legacy, a quick match of Towerfall etc.) or something different, special, that captivates me for a longer while. Aside from playing games I watch waaaay too many movies, as my wife is a movie critic, and try to read as many books as possible. So my perspective when it comes to computer games is a bit peculiar... They are important for me, but I don't play day-in day-out.

With that in mind: enter SOMA.

The game took over my life for the entire weekend and not because it was huge, long, addictive etc. But because I couldn't shake the basic concepts it deals with. "What makes us human? Will we change form as a life-form in the future? Will it be for the better?" And you can't escape them - they attack your brain again and again. Then SOMA does another brilliant thing - it makes you emotional. Sure, it's scary, but the feelings that stick with you for much longer than the monsters and jump scares are isolation, regret... It forces itself upon you - even if you don't feel comfortable, even if it makes you lonely and terrified.

For that alone - an ability to take over my life as a story-telling experience - I have to give it the highest praise. It did to me what Phillip K. Dick's best mind-fucks do - you stop, and THINK. and then think a little more. Sure, there might be some irks and quirks along the way, maybe some core horror fans can be disappointed with few jump scares etc. but ultimately it is one of the best sci-fi stories I have ever experienced, and definitely the best one I have PLAYED.

So again, it all depends on your approach to games but for me SOMA is a benchmark of what games CAN be - a medium on par with literature and film - taking advantage of its unique immersive and interactive qualities to eventually become better than those two. :)

Agreed. Allow me to rephrase. Not many games tell a captivating story. You look at most AAA titles they are mediocre/borrowed/cliche ideas when compared to literature/film but they shine because of gameplay mechanics, innovative controls, interactivity. A good example: Until Dawn. I enjoyed the hell out of this game fully aware it was a generic teen slasher.

I would disagree however that we should treat them differently. Obviously, not in terms of how they are constructed and how they affect the "user". Games are still a very young medium. That means they try to cater to what we WANT, like and enjoy. Rarely, compared two the other two media, they challenge our intellect and have courage to make us feel something against our will. And when they do it is somehow much harder for us to accept. That needs to change.

Such is life. One movie per day roughly, so go figure ;)