62: Screenshots and Boobies

[Andraste]

All that said, the game didn't appeal to the masses because none of that stuff is interesting. The concept of the game seems like a Lifetime made for TV movie, and you people wonder why those energy drink fueled man children didn't buy it.

Bit of a flaw in your statement. "the masses" do not really equal "those energy drink fueled man children." This may be the case within the subset of society that are considered Gamers, but not the masses at large. I DO think this sort of game is exactly the sort of game that would appeal to the masses as a whole; certainly it would more than many games currently offered, at least.

No, I've never played it. No, that doesn't invalidate my opinion. First of all because it's exactly that, an opinion, and second because I'm not talking about the game itself. I'm talking about it's complete lack of ANYTHING appealing to the video game crowd.

An interesting perspective and tack to take. I shall ponder it further.

 

[FunkyJ]

This article flies in the face of all the other articles presented in this issue.

Has anyone really purchased Dead Or Alive because it's got titties in it? Or do they buy it because of word of mouth, even if that word of mouth is ingenuine marketeers?

Also, if women avoid the games aisle because of the sexualised images, why does every single womens magazine have a sexualised, airbrushed and perfect image of the star du Jour on it and within their pages?

 

[Nobodies15]

Sex and violence sell games. Sex because it is ingrained into everyone to reproduce. Conflict because it is fundamental to modern entertainment. I dare you to think of a movie or computer game where conflict is not present.

The disagreement in point of view between TomBeraha and heavyfeul above is telling. Both want to do something that they can't in real life without consequences. Yet disagree because the things they fantasize about doing are different. This perfectly illustrates the problems a marketer faces. Do they taylor the advertising to suit Tom or Heavy's ideal? Or does he sell to the points both will like?

I would go so far as to say that unless there was only one gaming device, on which detailed games could be sold for a guaranteed profit of at least 15% (i.e: NEVER), then lowest common denominator marketing will always prevail.

The real interest to me in this debate is that it practically destroys the premiss of computer games as art because the main goal (for most) is to make money, not to be creative.

 

[GreatATuin [deprecated]]

Bit of a flaw in your statement. "the masses" do not really equal "those energy drink fueled man children." This may be the case within the subset of society that are considered Gamers, but not the masses at large. I DO think this sort of game is exactly the sort of game that would appeal to the masses as a whole; certainly it would more than many games currently offered, at least.

Which masses are you refering to? The ones that keep incepid asinine reality shows like Survivor: Nuremburg, or Dancing with a Rock Star on the air, yet allow well written, well acted, and well respected shows like Arrested Development to get cancelled. Your argument is based on the notion that the American pulblic are anything but the morons that the shows they watch make fun of. Too many people watch Grey's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives and actually wish their lives were like they see. Me, I've accepted that the people suck, and thus have no time for things that do not entertain me. I never said people should have NEVER praised BG&E, I just think it's time to stop talking to the wall.

Oh, and I should probably point out that I'm not some America hating hippe pinko commie. Hell, I'm not even liberal. I just call bullshit on people saying that there's this big market out there for "inclusive" games. There isn't. People who don't play video games are not going to start playing them because the content gets better. I think the point of the article was dead-on. There's a stigma to gaming and gamers, (one they richly deserve, and anyone saying different is selling something) and the cheerleaders and Student body presidents of the world just won't mix with the geeks any time soon. Jocks...sure, cause games allow you to make lil' Wayne Gretzky's legs kick after an injury. Games will have to become as pervasive as computers have before mother's will know/care what the content of their children's games include. *looks down* Sorry, that's a pretty high soap box I've found. I'll get down now.

 

[TomBeraha]

I never said people should have NEVER praised BG&E, I just thinik it's time to stop talking to the wall.

There may be a case of us preaching to the converted here, but hardly to the wall. I don't think that the average escapist reader is what any one of us would describe as "the masses", yet there do seem to be an awfully lot of us, and whether we like what it means or not, we are a portion of said masses. Us going on about a game we really enjoyed is nothing new, nor is BG&E the only game I'll praise regurally. I still rave about most blizzard games any chance I get, and those hardly need the exposure. Fallout is another game I endorse whole heartedly. Beyond Good and Evil gets exposure from me for the same reason Deus Ex, Starcraft, Worms, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Knights of the Old Republic and Command and Conquer do. I LIKED it. It's not going to go away, nor do I really think it recieves more exposure than the other games I've listed, and it most certainly deserves their company. I only found out about it recently BECAUSE of the article written a few issues back. Best purchase I've made in a long while. If the talking reached me, either I'm a very attentive wall, or maybe you're mistaken about a few things.

-Tom

 

[Psaakyrn [deprecated]]

Well, there's good news in the horizon regarding this topic though, due to the recent realization that casual gamers are a potentially large demographic, there'll likely be more a) games which doesn't sensationalize sex/violence, and b) advertisements which reflect the other properties of such games. So far there isn't many casual games up to the standards of games like Half Life (there are some, like Katamari or Loco Roco, but as I mentioned, that's nowhere near the range of "many"), but that's probably more due to lack of developer experience than anything else.

But truthfully, if I were to choose a non-violent/non-sexual game to use as an example, I would've chosed Puzzle Pirates instead. The problem with BG&E is that though it is intellectual, it's still targetted at the "Hardcore" crowd, which are less likely to appreciate such gameplay.

 

[Psaakyrn [deprecated]]

LordCancer

You missed the whole point then. Granted the parts of the game you mentioned are not as refined as it could have been, but doing so would add almost nothing to gameplay. The point is to put puzzle games into an engaging social context, where anyone can contribute to their teams success irregardless of skill level (unless you completely are unable to deal with even the simplest of puzzles). To simplify, it caters almost entirely to the casual crowd.

Also, your example would apply to the majority of games. List of games with no physical rewards: all single player games, multiplayer non-sports games (unless you're a trained sportsman) (arguably physical sports games gives you a workout, so I'm not including it in this list), most MMOs (unless there's a point to cash scheme which is quite rare, or you break user agreements regarding selling of ingame items), board games, table-top RPGs, non-collectable card games, etc.

What games provide instead is a psychological reward, usually that of achievement, stress relief, fantasy enactmant, relaxation, social interaction, brain workout, and etc. In terms of puzzle pirates, it provides relaxation, social interaction, and brain workout, which clashes with the rewards most "hardcore" gamers look for: achievement, stress relief, fantasy enactment.

 

[Goofonian]

Sex in video games is a whole other issue. In our culture, its more acceptable to let teenagers watch violence, murder, and bloodshed, then nudity and sex. Just think Hot Coffee. You can kill a hooker for the trick money see just got from you, but god forbid if you show the actual act of sex. However, If they did allow sex in MA games, Hot Coffee and scenes like it would be everywhere.

I think its really funny the way Americans consider sex to be worse than violence. It's the complete opposite in most European countries and they are perfectly happy. Infact I'd go as far as saying that the average european leads a happier life than the average american. I say less killing, more sexy people doing what is only natural.

 

[heavyfeul]

Sex in video games is a whole other issue. In our culture, its more acceptable to let teenagers watch violence, murder, and bloodshed, then nudity and sex. Just think Hot Coffee. You can kill a hooker for the trick money see just got from you, but god forbid if you show the actual act of sex. However, If they did allow sex in MA games, Hot Coffee and scenes like it would be everywhere.

I think its really funny the way Americans consider sex to be worse than violence. It's the complete opposite in most European countries and they are perfectly happy. Infact I'd go as far as saying that the average european leads a happier life than the average american. I say less killing, more sexy people doing what is only natural.

In must stem from our Puritanical roots and the fact that religion plays a major role in politics in the US. Look at the uphill battle trying to teach teenagers about safe sex. Even clinical discussions and demonstratios on the practice and benefits of safe sex are considered "sinful" and "corrupting" in nature. It's idiotic.