An opinion [warning angry thread]

[obex]

EDIT: If you understand all of this and agree with it already congratulation give yourself a pat on the back its all the other people im talking to :EDIT


[Disclaimer]Ok I love the escapist and I certainly love all of you guys and gal's, so don't take this as a personal attack or an attack against the escapist website/forum, so with out further ado bile protection masks on.[Disclaimer]


If your sacred by the text length look near the bottom for a TLR but i ask you to please read.





Right if there is one thing that i see frequently on the internet its the fact that the opinion is dead, before i talk more about this here is a quick definition of an opinion.

o-pin-ion [uh-pin-yuhn]
[Noun]

1.A personal view, attitude, or appraisal.

2.A belief or judgement that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

(taken from www.dictionary.reference.com)


"Well Obex I am older than 3 I know what an opinion is, why don't you get to the point." I'm pretending to hear you say. Well the point is that on any forum that is discussing a game there is always one person that tells that this game is crap, they tell you in no uncertain terms that the game in question is of a poor and terrible quality, often they compare it to a pile of refuse or excrement. What makes me angry about this situation is that this person will insist that they are correct and you are wrong and usually another person will take up the mantle of defending the game against this defamation arguing why the game is good which usually devolves into a forum war ranging from an intellectual and argumentative debate to little more than a play ground name calling with more colourful language.
And this is the part the really that really annoys me because what nether of these people know is that they are both correct. If you don't follow look at the definition of opinion i have provided.

A belief or judgement that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

What this means in slightly less flowery lingo is that an opinion has no factual basis, unlike something like science which (usually) has a definitive answer whether somebody likes or dislikes a certain thing is due to the funny way our brains work differently is not universal, in a few words different people like different things.

Think back, there has probably been a time where you have been in the minority about whether something is good not maybe it was a film or a book I myself liked the ending of battle star galactica which most people rate as a let down and I have it on good authority that there are people out there that like the starwars prequel trilogy.

If you want another example look at the escapists own Anime reviews

example: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/anime/6954-Anime-Review-Love-Hina

At the bottom of the page there is a recommendation section where the author acknowledges that even if he didn't like it there are some people that will of.

Or look at any wikipidea film article in the reception section no matter how well or poorly a film was received that will give at least one bad and one good review showing that even critics are split in opinion.


"But wait Obex, i see where your going with this and doesnt this therefore mean there are no bad games?"

Well that's an interesting point, but lets think what makes a good game? No really think for a second make a mental check list of what makes a good game for you make a list in which if every box was ticked for one game that would be the perfect game. Got it ? Good. Now do you think that everyone in the worlds mental list is exactly the same as yours ? If the answer to that was yes then greetings Borg this planet is called earth sorry you just missed christmas. If the answer was no then you have reached the conclusion that if a game is good or not varies from person to person.

Well then what makes a good game? A good game is a game that ticks as many boxes for as many people as possible. Example I like Diablo 2 im not really a FPS guy halo isn't my thing but i love me some MW:2 why? because it has elements that i love in my games such as the weapons and levelling, it is also fast paced something i love but don't get from Diablo 2 so the best games out there appease to the most people inside and outside there genre. Now that is only a rough theory there a probably some of you going " I love fps but hate MW:2" Well that's because as i said before opinions are not based on a solid fact and vary from person to person( also the list of a perfect game doesn't just include the game itself setting, theme and music play a part to)




TLR please look below





Well now that's out of the way lets get back to the real point here, the reason i made this thread and typed all this up. It seems that on on-line forums that there is no such thing as a opinion if someone has said something it is right or wrong, if i was a nasty person i would quote peoples posts saying things like "MW:2 and Halo are crap" but i am not so I wont i am sure you know what kind of posts i mean. I find it astonishing that people can slander games such as MW:2 Halo and Half life calling them bad games when surly all the praise good reviews and high sales clearly show otherwise. My ending point is that this also works both ways if someone says that a game is bad there not totally wrong its just there opinion and is JUST as valid as yours.

In conclusion people should think before they say that a game is bad maybe they just don't like it for whatever reasons and keep in mind that your opinion is completely valid to you but not to other people.


~Obex word smith for the people~

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

When online, I operate under the assumption that, unless the context suggests otherwise, everything everyone ever says is opinion. I'd almost go as far as suggest that this is implied, especially when talking about almost purely subjective things like how good a videogame is.

Someone goes "Halo sucks"? I read it as "I think Halo sucks". Saves a lot of headache.

While I often try to make it clear when I'm being subjective or (trying to be) objective, I admit that I often make the same mistake, but as I said: I believe it's implied. The difference between "Halo sucks" and "I think Halo sucks" becomes a semantic triviality, noone has to get upset over anything, and the world can keep on turning.

[edit]

Also, just like some random guy saying a game is bad doesn't necessarily make it bad, mindlessly quoting reviews saying the game is good doesn't necessarily make it good, either.

If you want to make a point, just say why you think it's good or bad. It's a lot more useful than argueing over trivial stuff like whether or not well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

[Aunel]

finally someone with an opinion!
sorry.


although you do have a point,
I have nothing more to add, I'll just sing and play bass now.

 

[Sevre]

Thanks, I like knowing that my opinion is valid. Where's the discussion though? Nice post though.

 

[grimsprice]

Yay! The people that understand what this all means will agree with you and probably already understand. And the stupid people that think their opinion is fact won't understand. So you're either preaching to the choir or you're punching a wall.

Just saying... : (

 

[MurderousToaster]

THIS THR34D SUX OMG I AM RIGHT AND U CNT RGUE THT THS THR34D IS GUD BCUZ IT IS SHITE


In all seriousness, though, I understand your angle.

The only games that no-one can defend, in my opinion, are Simpsons Skateboarding or Superman 64.

 

[DuplicateValue]

The only thing you can do when you see this, is to call them up on it - make this exact point to them.
If they try to start a flame war, ignore them.

There's not much else you can do.

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

EGAD!!!

Your disclaimer is longer than your intended post!

In my opinion, that is excessive!

OP:

Yes, an opinion is just an opinion, however, some measure their worth on instances where they were 'right.'

 

[benbenthegamerman]

great read! and for those who dont like it... well, you have an opinion

 

[obex]

The only thing you can do when you see this, is to call them up on it - make this exact point to them.

If they try to start a flame war, ignore them.

There's not much else you can do.

I try to avoid an internet argument due to the fact that people are anonymous therefore free from scorn and consequence (apart from banning) people very rarely feel the need to back down from there argument i mean when was the last time someone said "Well ok you post has shown me that you were correct World of warcraft is a good game also im sorry for calling you a C*nt and for trolling"

 

[Tearopenthelives]

I have to agree with many of your points in this.

Though I'm not sure that people lack the capacity to understand opinion just that they lack the ability to understand how that opinion was formed.

For instance I like Fallout 3 and TES IV: Oblivion is most certainly my favourite ever game to date. I find the environments you have to traverse quite enjoyable to explore and though I understand why people find them repetetive and therefore boring.

Back on topic alot of people you refer to for me I think just appear oblivious to differing perception which is slightly different to opinion.

Generally people who are oblivious to opinions are trolls.

The only 'opinion' I'm oblivious to is;
"Halo Sucks"
"Why?"
(Action or explanation showing they hate anything popular)

 

[Icecoldcynic]

I'm really unsure what point you're trying to make here. Yes people have different opinions, and yes games are supposed to try and please as many people as possible. I don't see the problem, most people understand that anything said, positivie or negative, towards a game, is that person's opinion.

 

[TheScarecrow]

Right, I'm pretty sure we all knew that already.

 

[obex]

I'm really unsure what point you're trying to make here. Yes people have different opinions, and yes games are supposed to try and please as many people as possible. I don't see the problem, most people understand that anything said, positivie or negative, towards a game, is that person's opinion.

If everyone understood that point this thread would be unnecessary however most people think that there opinion is fact, that because they think the games is bad or good this is truth and anyone stating to the contrary is wrong.

 

[Tearopenthelives]

most people understand that anything said, positivie or negative, towards a game, is that person's opinion.

To which I'd say;

Right if there is one thing that i see frequently on the internet its the fact that the opinion is dead, before i talk more about this here is a quick definition of an opinion.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

I'm really unsure what point you're trying to make here. Yes people have different opinions, and yes games are supposed to try and please as many people as possible. I don't see the problem, most people understand that anything said, positivie or negative, towards a game, is that person's opinion.

If everyone understood that point this thread would be unnecessary however most people think that there opinion is fact, that because they think the games is bad or good this is truth and anyone stating to the contrary is wrong.

There will always be people like that, but what you have to understand is that for one thing, they are by far the minority, especially on the Escapist. And another thing to understand is that 9 times out of 10 that person will be doing it to intentionally elicit responses such as this topic, because they are trolling.

 

[Monshroud]

Nice bit of ranting there... I do agree with you that people seem to forget that people can have differing opinions and that just because someone has a different opinion doesn't mean they are right or wrong in having that opinion.

Although a good number of people on the Escapist can usually act a bit more mature, the majority of people are in that 15 - 25 male bracket, where if you don't agree with their opinion then you suck...

Pay no attention to the trolls, respect each other, and stop whining on and fucking on about how Insert Game Here sucks, or Insert Game Here iz teh bes thing evar!