Are we ever optimistic about anything anymore?

[KazeAizen]

A question I find myself asking more and more lately. Sure we were optimistic when we were young back in the 80s and 90s when video games were the new kid on the block and finding their footing. We had things to be optimistic about. Sonic, Mega Man, Mario, Zelda were new and when they got sequels they weren't met with groans but rather shouts of enthusiasm. Now that we are all 20-30 year olds all we seem to do is groan, complain, whine, etc. Mind you not without good reason. We've been given a fair share of reasons to groan and complain you'll never catch me saying we haven't. Still as the years go by I see more pessimism than optimism. I think one thing that helped me write this was the new console launch. This is the first console launch that has been in the midst of the internet. Now I know the Gamecube-Wii gens were around and launched while the internet existed but when those launched very few of the gaming sites, forums, etc had fully come into their own by then. Thus less belly aching was heard at the initial launch. This time however its everywhere. Xbones failing, PS4's failing, Wii U under powered piece of shit, it goes on.

Then you have video game franchises. Many of whom are as old as we are. Sonic for instance is 22 as he was made the same year I was born. Yet we don't greet these new entries into old franchises such as Sonic, Final Fantasy, Mario, etc. with the same excitement and enthusiasm we used too. For the most part it seems to derision of the new and a yearning for remakes or re-releases of games of a by gone era that belonged to our childhood. HD collection of the original run of Mario games, Final Fantasy VII remaster/remake, you get the idea. The only games that seem to get any optimistic praise are those made by small indie devs. I'm using very blanket terminology here I know and I know its usually bad to do so. There always exceptions to the rule. Always. Still I wouldn't be saying these blanket statements if I didn't have good reason too. Let me give you an example.

Sonic Unleashed. Its the best one I can think of because this game struck a personal chord with me. It was made using the Hedgehog engine, a game engine in development for about 3 years, and was a true return to form for Sonic. The daytime stages received universal praise from most reviews I saw or read o the game. The perfect mix of old school 2D, new school 3D, and speed that we had been waiting years for. Yet when I took to the fan section discussing this game on anything I saw very little people talking of the awesome daytime stages and more saying the game sucked outright because of the night time stages. I'll admit it wasn't the best combat system I've ever seen but I'd hardly say it was the worst one. The animation is fun, the attacks are satisfying, and the combos are just varied enough to not feel like you are doing the same thing over and over again. I enjoyed this game immensely and while everyone is allowed their own opinion a vast majority of fans out there would rather post, comment, discuss, what they thought ruined the game and made it terrible. Instead of talking about any good the game may have contained like the daytime levels, the environments, the soundtrack and such.

So my fellow escapists do you think we have all just become a giant melting pot of cynicism or have I just been hanging out on all the wrong places on the internet? Also list one thing you know of in gamings future that has got you legitimately optimistic. It could be optimism for a company, franchise, technology, etc. For me that would be EA. Yes they get a lot of crap, yes they deserve a fair share of what they get but when they decide to actively try to alter their company image to be something better you've got my support. Yet when they do something good people choose to focus on their wrongs rather then say congratulate them or encourage them to know they are going in the right direction.

 

[Tupolev]

This time however its everywhere. Xbones failing, PS4's failing, Wii U under powered piece of shit, it goes on.

Lol, what? Where on the internet are people screaming about the PS4 failing?

Have you been reading misterxmedia?

Xbone stock building up in stores, WiiU being WiiU, sure, that news is all over the place. PS4 talk is still very much "literally flying off the shelves, massive demand, biggest launch ever, etc."

 

[sanquin]

While I agree that gamers seem to have become a lot more cynical, I don't think it's all because of ourselves. All this information on the internet only a few clicks away comes with a negative side. When anything bad happens, it's immediately shared on all sites. When something goes as it should, you don't hear about it. When something goes well, you hear too little about it most of the time. Another problem is the ease with which you can share your thoughts now. People like to complain. It's a way to make themselves feel better, even if unconsciously. So people will sooner post something negative than something positive.

I actually think that a lot of the people that complain about games or gaming hardware, still buy those exact products. And heck, even enjoy them enough to play the full single player. It's just that, when a game is 'only' 'enjoyable', people tend to not share that opinion.

 

[TehCookie]

Sometimes I wonder if people even want to enjoy games anymore. When people focus on unhappy thoughts it makes them unhappy. I like to pretend that the people who are optimistic are happily immersed in their hobbies instead of bickering and whining on the internet so we just can't hear/see them.

The main thing I'm optimistic for is simple and broad, the games. There are ones they I'm waiting patiently to pick up my pre-order, others that don't even have a release date yet and who knows what kind of amazing games the future holds. Of course there will be bad ones, so don't waste time on them.

 

[nykirnsu]

Now that we are all 20-30 year olds

That there seems to be the problem: you grew up; now that you've had twenty years of life experience new installments in a long-running franchise are naturally less exciting because you've seen it all before. When you've had the same experience for that long then of course it's going to be less exciting and that's something you just have to accept. However, your post makes it sound like you believe everyone is currently your age, but then you're forgetting one important fact: children still exist despite the fact that you're no longer one of them. Yes, there are still plenty of children who are still optimistic and stupid experiencing the same hopeful joy you once did, and just like you they'll become less and less optimistic as they get older.

Cliched as it is, this saying is very relevant: it's not everyone else that have changed; it's you (and the rest of your age group).

 

[Casual Shinji]

While I agree that gamers seem to have become a lot more cynical, I don't think it's all because of ourselves. All this information on the internet only a few clicks away comes with a negative side. When anything bad happens, it's immediately shared on all sites. When something goes as it should, you don't hear about it. When something goes well, you hear too little about it most of the time. Another problem is the ease with which you can share your thoughts now. People like to complain. It's a way to make themselves feel better, even if unconsciously. So people will sooner post something negative than something positive.

I actually think that a lot of the people that complain about games or gaming hardware, still buy those exact products. And heck, even enjoy them enough to play the full single player. It's just that, when a game is 'only' 'enjoyable', people tend to not share that opinion.

This.

It can be easy to see all the complaints on forums and think everyone just hates gaming now. But one negative post is not representative of someone's entire personality. The problem is when you put those millions of posts together it gives the impression of just an extremely spiteful community.

I'm sure I've made my fair share of rant posts, but I don't consider myself jaded, not when it comes to gaming anyway. But my rants only add to the collective bile, just as those by other people, who really hold no ill will toward gaming, do. So I guess it's in our control yet out of our control at the same time.

 

[Multi-Hobbyist]

The moment I realized we'd all put up with micro-transactions and online passes (EA), copy pasta (Call of Duty), half finished final products (DLC) and console wars with shit consoles and shitter customer service, I promptly gave up on optimism in gaming.

I will admit, there was one time I felt optimistic. The release of MOTHER 3 had me pretty blue with hope. But that's all it ever amounted to be, then promptly died. At least Nintendo had the decency to release EB on virtual before allowing me to nail the coffin shut.

 

[Tropicaz]

people are extremophiles these days, things are either the best invention ever or something that murders kittens. there is no inbetween aymore for most people especially online. not to mention negative titles for articles and threads will automatically get a bigger amount of hits and replies as a rule.

if you even offer an opinion of "game x was decent and i had a good time" people will generally either ignore it or just go .. and?
bt if you say its the the best ever or the worst ever people will bite. either to agree or disagree

Exactly. There's a few games I had like that for ps1 and 2 where I just though 'that was decent.'

I'm still OK with decent, I'll watch a decent film, read a decent book, play a decent game. But the way the internet goes nowadays if it isnt a GOTY contender/winner then it may as well not have come out.

 

[Someone Depressing]

I'm never optimistic - it's just my personality. But there has been more cynicism in the gaming community mostly because of disapointment because of the recent launches. Give it time. Maybe.

 

[Barbas]

We are not optimistic because the best days of our lives are now over. Our optimism has been exploited too many times and left us drained of hope and enthusiasm. Companies like EA are not trying to change, they are merely trying to convince us they are. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and they have much to atone for.

 

[Mike Fang]

Well, I pre-ordered the Thief reboot, you could consider that optimism.

Really though, I think these days most optimism in terms of video games is cautious optimism. It's true, we used to be a lot more eager to hear about a sequel in a game series we enjoyed. However, I think in recent years we've seen corporate culture make itself more noticeable and prominent in their entertainment products. That's not to say it wasn't there before...but I think it's become a bit more blatant lately, with business and sales numbers taking a front seat while things like product quality and freedom for developers to innovate and create taking the back seat. Games becoming more technologically advanced and bigger production affairs have come with the inherent risk of sacrificing artistic and creative integrity in exchange for design-by-committee, focus group-centered projects that manufacture video games the same way you'd manufacture a new model of electric shaver or a new line of office equipment.

I think we'll see optimism for video games on the upswing again when we see more companies treating them like the creative works they are, capable of exploring concepts and making statements; because unfortunately, right now the most frequent statement these game companies seem to be making is "we just want your money."

 

[Eve Charm]

Eh I'm older and probably more cynical then most and I still have the optimism that my favorite companies are going to make my favorite games. I think it has a bit to do with not coming in looking for "The best thing evar!" as apposed to just looking for something " I'm going to have fun with" Like for instance Killer is Dead, I had fun with that. It does lose a bit tho like games like Dragon's crown was hyped for, people were already playing it saying it's good. Bravely default and the new blazblue with people I knew already imported.

Well guess it goes with HOW optimist you are. I'm not optimist enough to believe Persona 5 is going to be the best one, but a good game ya.

 

[Andy Shandy]

One thing that has me legitimately optimistic, eh?

There's going to be another Mirror's Edge game. I still don't properly believe it

Anyway, I like to think I'm mostly optimistic about gaming, but the internet can make it difficult some of the time. You tend to hear about the bad stuff and not the good, so it makes it seem like everything is bad. When it isn't really.

 

[Psychobabble]

Well my optimism about the continuing growth of general cynicism is growing by leaps and bounds.

 

[KazeAizen]

Now that we are all 20-30 year olds

That there seems to be the problem: you grew up; now that you've had twenty years of life experience new installments in a long-running franchise are naturally less exciting because you've seen it all before. When you've had the same experience for that long then of course it's going to be less exciting and that's something you just have to accept. However, your post makes it sound like you believe everyone is currently your age, but then you're forgetting one important fact: children still exist despite the fact that you're no longer one of them. Yes, there are still plenty of children who are still optimistic and stupid experiencing the same hopeful joy you once did, and just like you they'll become less and less optimistic as they get older.

Cliched as it is, this saying is very relevant: it's not everyone else that have changed; it's you (and the rest of your age group).

Yes I did exclude children which is odd for me as I seem to be one of the few people championing them as gamers and saying that I'm glad Nintendo is still the one company I see on the planet dedicated to turning out games they can play. We have changed with life experience but did it have to be changing into a bunch of cynics? While kids are still a major force in gaming lets be honest with ourselves. A vast majority of sales for both consoles and games are to people 16 and up because most games being made have a T rating and anyone around that age has spare money and time to burn so of course target them. Sure the Wii burst down a new door which the iPhone/Android game makers capitalized on but how did we, we being the 20-30 year old gamers, respond? With anger, with harsh words, not calling them "true" gamers. Why couldn't have been with open arms and encouragement that video games are getting bigger? Why couldn't it be seen as a new beginning instead of heralded as the beginning of the end?

 

[DeltaEdge]

Are we ever optimistic about anything anymore? Sometimes, but not always. Maybe this is just me, but part of being mature means not being blindly optimistic about everything, but rather, taking everything with a grain of salt. I consider the best policy to be forgive, but don't forget, as it allows room for positivity if say a company is trying to make amends and is giving good reason as to why you might want to try their next product versus "FUCK NO THEY STOLE MY MONEY ONCE NEVER AGAIN", but also leaves room for rationality so that you don't fling yourself blindly into what could be a facade and then scream helplessly if you get burned.

So basically, yes, people are still optimistic within reasonable measure if given proper cause, but companies have done plenty to verify that we cannot simply trust them blindly on whatever they try to sell us, and it's to our advantage as consumers to continue to keep an eye on companies so that we can reap the benefits of their more honest efforts, but keep our wits about us to avoid the toxic byproducts of cash-grabs or bad consumer practices.

Edit:Also, on your mention of Sonic Unleashed, people focused on the negatives because for many people, they actively negated the positives. I also liked the daytime stage, as in the one or handful I got to play before I got hopelessly irritated and bored by the nighttime stages. Maybe they didn't bother you, but they sure as heck bothered me and apparently many others as well to the point that we didn't want to keep playing the game. And since completing these stages was required for getting to the daytime stages, it actively prevented us from just focusing on the good bits of the game.

So while you aren't wrong for liking the game, can you at least see why some of us, in this case at least, really had no choice but to focus on the negative points of the game? It was an integral part of the game that could not be brushed aside, so there was little reason not to voice our complaints about it if we didn't like it.

 

[KazeAizen]

This time however its everywhere. Xbones failing, PS4's failing, Wii U under powered piece of shit, it goes on.

Lol, what? Where on the internet are people screaming about the PS4 failing?

Have you been reading misterxmedia?

Xbone stock building up in stores, WiiU being WiiU, sure, that news is all over the place. PS4 talk is still very much "literally flying off the shelves, massive demand, biggest launch ever, etc."

The PS4 was a minor thing but it happened during the title wave that was it and the Xbone release. I saw a few articles and threads saying like 10,000 out of the 1,000,000 units were bricked upon arrival and people were pissed and wouldn't let it go. All I could say in my own head was "Are you kidding me? That's not half bad actually." It just stuck in my head as it was pretty recent.