Your video game hot take(s) thread

[Old_Hunter_77]

My hot take for today is that the video game industry should be nationalized.

I am constantly seeing stories of video game companies laying people off and letting go of contractors.
Yet I'm also constantly seeing praise of this year as one of the best all-time for video games.

So if an industry fires people when they succeed, it should not exist. But I still want games, so it should be taken over by the government or something. This is just freaking ridiculous.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

My hot take for today is that the video game industry should be nationalized.

I am constantly seeing stories of video game companies laying people off and letting go of contractors.
Yet I'm also constantly seeing praise of this year as one of the best all-time for video games.

So if an industry fires people when they succeed, it should not exist. But I still want games, so it should be taken over by the government or something. This is just freaking ridiculous.

Government is still ran by people though. Heavily flawed people seeking power over the rest of us. It used to be about serving the people. Now it’s more about serving themselves at the expense of everyone else. People always find a way to exploit something good.

At most they should provide better guidelines to prevent abusive practices.

 

[sXeth]

My hot take for today is that the video game industry should be nationalized.

I am constantly seeing stories of video game companies laying people off and letting go of contractors.
Yet I'm also constantly seeing praise of this year as one of the best all-time for video games.

So if an industry fires people when they succeed, it should not exist. But I still want games, so it should be taken over by the government or something. This is just freaking ridiculous.

Well, the bulk of videogame industry is contract work. No Contract = No Work. And there's no contract until someone comes up with next idea and someone with cash funds it. By this juncture, the bulk of work towards this years collection of releases is completed and even the late fall/xmas titles woud be into post-production at msot, and other then maintenance and update crews for patches and such.

The corresponding situation would be film crews basically. I'm sure there are some permanent fixtures in the industry. But camera men and gaffers and whatall, even on Marvel, Fast and the Furious or Mission Impossibles and such don't stay on while the movie goes into post and the next one's still being written. Most of them just take whatever local work comes up and jump from job to job (besides tax incentives, this is why you see so much stuff filmed in the same like, 8 cities. Theres already production crews/companies with all your contractor needs in those locations, whereas if you chose an odder city, you'd have to shoulder the travel expense of brining your own_.

Now, the argument can be made for Dev employees to have royalty structures, be paid higher in considration that the work is not consistent (which is broadly speaking, how Construction work goes), or for a government UBI system.

 

[XsjadoBlaydette]

Titanfall 2's wall running stands out from every other game cause all walls are awaiting you with an ethereal pair of loving cupped hands eager to gently carry you wherever you fancy leaping. Oh, you wanna change direction in the most precarious of places? Dontcha worry bud, this wall just got off the phone to another wall who's with another wall and their cousin, and they're right here, to help you out, us walls got your back. Legitimately it feels more comfortable living on the walls than the ground.

 

[Absent]

Hot take : not all games require plots.

Yes I come from a planet where games were driven by gameplay, and you just mortalkombatted the dude who was on the screen because the point was mortakombatting and that's all, just like the space invaders were invaders from space and that was that. The fun was in the buttons and the joystick, you didn't need the excuse of a convoluted pseudo-plot to be engaged in clicky clicky punch punch next - just like your ping pong ball doesn't need a backstory.

But for some reason it's become mandatory now, in a way that reminds me of the american obligation to accompany your toylines with the instruction manual of a saturday morning cartoon. And then... people complain about the plot's quality ? You're kidding ?

Back to the basics. Problem solved.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Hot take : not all games require plots.

Yes I come from a planet where games were driven by gameplay, and you just mortalkombatted the dude who was on the screen because the point was mortakombatting and that's all, just like the space invaders were invaders from space and that was that. The fun was in the buttons and the joystick, you didn't need the excuse of a convoluted pseudo-plot to be engaged in clicky clicky punch punch next - just like your ping pong ball doesn't need a backstory.

But for some reason it's become mandatory now, in a way that reminds me of the american obligation to accompany your toylines with the instruction manual of a saturday morning cartoon. And then... people complain about the plot's quality ? You're kidding ?

Back to the basics. Problem solved.

Carmack was right in that regard. There are certainly some games that are best when any story is kept to a minimalist element. It’s usually easy to tell which ones should have been that weren’t, because the story and gameplay wind up sucking an equal amount of ass.

 

[BrawlMan]

Hot take : not all games require plots.

Yes I come from a planet where games were driven by gameplay, and you just mortalkombatted the dude who was on the screen because the point was mortakombatting and that's all, just like the space invaders were invaders from space and that was that. The fun was in the buttons and the joystick, you didn't need the excuse of a convoluted pseudo-plot to be engaged in clicky clicky punch punch next - just like your ping pong ball doesn't need a backstory.

But for some reason it's become mandatory now, in a way that reminds me of the american obligation to accompany your toylines with the instruction manual of a saturday morning cartoon. And then... people complain about the plot's quality ? You're kidding ?

Back to the basics. Problem solved.

Carmack was right in that regard. There are certainly some games that are best when any story is kept to a minimalist element. It’s usually easy to tell which ones should have been that weren’t, because the story and gameplay wind up sucking an equal amount of ass.

Good news: plenty of the AA and Indies got you covered. There's still plenty with good or great stories, but there are just as many where the story is not important, or put on the complete back burner for excellent gameplay and level design.

You can blame the critic/journalists for being so obsessed with "STORY!". Ever since Bioshock and Spec-Ops: The Line, many of them have this obsession with story and characters being more important than gameplay. When you have the right balance of all three, there is nothing wrong with that. But if the story or characters fail, at least the gameplay should be the fallback that works. But if all three are bad, or if the story is pointless and not interesting, then there is nothing to grapple on. As long as the gameplay is great or has an interesting hook, and at least the characters are decent to good, then it's usually good enough for me.

I do wish for an official Jet Set Radio 3, but Bomb Rush Cyberfunk set a high new bar that Sega has an uphill battle to climb to even get same or barely near the same recognition. That is the rumors are true they are working on a new title. BRC is pretty much JSR3, all but in name.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

You can blame the critic/journalists for being so obsessed with "STORY!". Ever since Bioshock and Spec-Ops: The Line, many of them have this obsession with story and characters being more important than gameplay. When you have the right balance of all three, there is nothing wrong with that. But if the story or characters fail, at least the gameplay should be the fallback that works. But if all three are bad, or if the story is pointless and not interesting, then there is nothing to grapple on too. As long as the gameplay is great or has interesting hook, and at least the characters are decent to good, then it's usually good enough for me.

I love me some good characterization and story in games, but they're games first and foremost. Otherwise I'd just go watch a movie or read a book.

 

[BrawlMan]

I love me some good characterization and story in games, but they're games first and foremost. Otherwise I'd just go watch a movie or read a book.

Matt Simmons (YoVideoGames) more or less had the same stance back in the mid 2010s. Simmons has lighten up on this slightly, but he's still a gameplay over story person. Ironic, because it's games like Metal Gear Rising and God of War 4 that caused him to lighten up on the story side.

 

[Hades]

My gaming hot take is that I always had low expectations on Star Field, and that I'm confused why the gaming landscape is relatively disappointed about it being kinda bland. I always thought that was obvious. The setting never seemed particularly interesting, and much of the hype depending on it being made by Bethesda which has been rather discredited lately when it comes to making games.

 

[BrawlMan]

My gaming hot take is that I always had low expectations on Star Field, and that I'm confused why the gaming landscape is relatively disappointed about it being kinda bland.

Copium and people gas lighting/throwing themselves too deep into the hype, no different from the usual Bethesda title and Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[Hades]

Copium and people gas lighting/throwing themselves too deep into the hype, no different from the usual Bethesda title and Cyberpunk 2077.

Yeah but after the Whitcher 3 and the ensuing PR offensive from CG project Red there were very real reasons for such hype. But unlike them Bethesda has been on a clear downwards trend.

 

[BrawlMan]

Yeah but after the Whitcher 3 and the ensuing PR offensive from CG project Red there were very real reasons for such hype.

They were and are still foolish enough to fall into the hype either way. I had my suspicions with C2077 since it's announcement all the way back with the first teaser in 2017. No gameplay, and people already thinking it was going to be this ultimate game that would beat all types of gaming wasn't helping me and anybody else.

But unlike them Bethesda has been on a clear downwards trend.

Once again, copium and gaslighting themselves. Downward trend or not. "This time it'll be different! I won't fall for it again!". Proceeds to not be that different from last time, or is exactly the same but worse, and was dumb/delusional/senile enough to fall or it again. Betheshda fans and gamers in general, have done this far more times than they care to count.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

My gaming hot take is that I always had low expectations on Star Field, and that I'm confused why the gaming landscape is relatively disappointed about it being kinda bland. I always thought that was obvious. The setting never seemed particularly interesting, and much of the hype depending on it being made by Bethesda which has been rather discredited lately when it comes to making games.

"Bethesda's gonna get it right this time!" - since Oblivion

 

[Casual Shinji]

Hot take : not all games require plots.

Yes I come from a planet where games were driven by gameplay, and you just mortalkombatted the dude who was on the screen because the point was mortakombatting and that's all, just like the space invaders were invaders from space and that was that. The fun was in the buttons and the joystick, you didn't need the excuse of a convoluted pseudo-plot to be engaged in clicky clicky punch punch next - just like your ping pong ball doesn't need a backstory.

But for some reason it's become mandatory now, in a way that reminds me of the american obligation to accompany your toylines with the instruction manual of a saturday morning cartoon. And then... people complain about the plot's quality ? You're kidding ?

Back to the basics. Problem solved.

Not as much of a hot take, since I reckon the vast majority of games and people who play games don't have/don't play for a plot. Unless we're talking about games that put a bit more effort into their worlds, in which case having a plot, narrative, or lore is kinda inescapable. And even in that case the amount of games that purposefully keep things minimal are a dime a dozen these days. Fromsoft is one of the most popular AAA game devs around, and they're famous and even celebrated for their non-plots.

Also, your ping pong ball does have a backstory, since it didn't just materialize out of thin air.

 

[BrawlMan]

Fromsoft is one of the most popular AAA game devs around, and they're famous and even celebrated for their non-plots.

Ironic, because the Devil May Cry franchise is celebrated for its characters, plots (mainly 3 and 5), and gameplay woven into it. Obviously, the gameplay and style system are the big factors for this franchise, but people and fans just love the character interactions.

 

[BrawlMan]

My hot take for today is that the video game industry should be nationalized.

I am constantly seeing stories of video game companies laying people off and letting go of contractors.
Yet I'm also constantly seeing praise of this year as one of the best all-time for video games.

So if an industry fires people when they succeed, it should not exist. But I still want games, so it should be taken over by the government or something. This is just freaking ridiculous.

Well, the bulk of videogame industry is contract work. No Contract = No Work. And there's no contract until someone comes up with next idea and someone with cash funds it. By this juncture, the bulk of work towards this years collection of releases is completed and even the late fall/xmas titles woud be into post-production at msot, and other then maintenance and update crews for patches and such.

The corresponding situation would be film crews basically. I'm sure there are some permanent fixtures in the industry. But camera men and gaffers and whatall, even on Marvel, Fast and the Furious or Mission Impossibles and such don't stay on while the movie goes into post and the next one's still being written. Most of them just take whatever local work comes up and jump from job to job (besides tax incentives, this is why you see so much stuff filmed in the same like, 8 cities. Theres already production crews/companies with all your contractor needs in those locations, whereas if you chose an odder city, you'd have to shoulder the travel expense of brining your own_.

Now, the argument can be made for Dev employees to have royalty structures, be paid higher in considration that the work is not consistent (which is broadly speaking, how Construction work goes), or for a government UBI system.

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[BrawlMan]

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[Drathnoxis]

Here you have it, Bubsy 3D established a new standard in the platforming genre.



I especially love the quote "The game designers, aware of current console limitations, have opted to develop the game using flat shaded polygons instead of textured polygons, which puts less of a demand on the hardware's geometry engines, and inevitably decreases draw-in." So Bubsy 3D looks like an unfinished alpha because the PS1 sucks and just couldn't do any better.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Here you have it, Bubsy 3D established a new standard in the platforming genre.

If "good lord, please don't let your game be this bad" was a standard, then sure....

(Flat-shaded graphics are a valid design style, sure, but I don't believe for a minute that this was a matter of artistic choice rather than laziness or ineptitude.)