Biggest problem getting into gaming...

[Chipperz]

I think the hardest things to overcome for many people are undoubtedly the stereotypes. Until a year or so ago, my mom didn't even know games had stories. I'm not sure how that logic follows, but she somehow thought that when I played Halo, I just sat there alone and shot random things for no reason over a 10+ hour campaign.

People really don't understand that video games have value. They don't understand the social value nor the literary value that video games hold. It's hard to get into something when you see it as nothing more than a waste of time.

Now this one interests me. I've never heard of that one before. Perhaps Sony heard about your story and decided to base their Uncharted 2 commercial around it.

Well that's not the only example. When I first talked to my best friend's mom about how video games told great stories, I got that dismissal that you get when an adult is no doubt thinking "Oh, you're so cute with your little ideas: don't worry, you'll grow and be big and smart someday!" She completely dismissed my idea, and I still can't think of a good reason why.

I am a huge proponent of video games as a form of literature, so you can't even imagine all the crap I've gotten from many older people about this: people just don't get it.

As stupid as it sounds, if you can get away with it, forcing them to sit through you telling them about a game works brilliantly. Even better is showing them an actual game - I loaded up the bit in Call of Duty 4 when Jackson is dying of radiation poisoning and just related the entire story that had led to that level to prove this point to my mum. Worked perfectly.

 

[GoldenRaz]

Hand-eye coordination and general understanding for gameplay are the two main barriers, I think. I know from experience that it can be quite daunting to learn where all the buttons are and what they are supposed to do.
For examples, I still have some minor problems finding the right buttons on my Xbox controller and I continued to press the grenade button in CoD4 instead of the crouch button all the way through the campaign (mostly due to unfamiliar button mapping).

And that's from someone who's been gaming on consoles for the last six years.
Must be near impossible for someone completely new to the medium.

 

[Thaius]

I think the hardest things to overcome for many people are undoubtedly the stereotypes. Until a year or so ago, my mom didn't even know games had stories. I'm not sure how that logic follows, but she somehow thought that when I played Halo, I just sat there alone and shot random things for no reason over a 10+ hour campaign.

People really don't understand that video games have value. They don't understand the social value nor the literary value that video games hold. It's hard to get into something when you see it as nothing more than a waste of time.

Now this one interests me. I've never heard of that one before. Perhaps Sony heard about your story and decided to base their Uncharted 2 commercial around it.

Well that's not the only example. When I first talked to my best friend's mom about how video games told great stories, I got that dismissal that you get when an adult is no doubt thinking "Oh, you're so cute with your little ideas: don't worry, you'll grow and be big and smart someday!" She completely dismissed my idea, and I still can't think of a good reason why.

I am a huge proponent of video games as a form of literature, so you can't even imagine all the crap I've gotten from many older people about this: people just don't get it.

As stupid as it sounds, if you can get away with it, forcing them to sit through you telling them about a game works brilliantly. Even better is showing them an actual game - I loaded up the bit in Call of Duty 4 when Jackson is dying of radiation poisoning and just related the entire story that had led to that level to prove this point to my mum. Worked perfectly.

See, I had to explain the "Would you kindly?" scene to my mom, because she's not one for violence (she was impressed, for sure). She would never make it through a lot of really good games because of that. I've started her on Final Fantasy X, though, but she can't get used to the gameplay. I'll be working on that when I get back from college, for sure...

 

[auronvi]

snip

That thing looks... very phallic and intimidating to me. I mean, I have played games with one before but that picture makes it look very... stiff. All I am saying is I don't want to accidentally sit on one.

Was that a common injury suffered from those controllers. I can see them being left on the couch... someone leaps onto the couch only to be unpleasantly surprised by a stiff greeting. Did I paint the picture well enough?

 

[ultimasupersaiyan]

Controls are the hardest part about getting into game because they are more complicated and the other hard part is the QTE!

 

[Dr Namgge]

If controls are hard break people in slowly. Not every game uses every button, and not every button is used at the same time. Start with something simple, and most people become familiar within a few hours. Don't start straight online into a serious firefight, cos getting your ass kicked over and over is discouraging to noobs. I remember the first time I played my first FPS, I was so confused as to what did what, and got killed so much it put me off the genre.

The key is to break them in via the main singleplayer, or preferably the co-op multiplayer. Help them make progress, not by doing all the hard stuff for them, but by guiding them into what does what, or how to defeat certain enemies. Give them pointers, but don't patronise, just let them go at there own pace. Once they're used to how things work, then take them into online, and encourage them. Don't join a free for all, play team games, until they think they're ready for all vs all. Once they want to do it, and are enjoying it, then they'll be more inclined to keep going, even if they lose by a ridiculous margin. Better that they're enjoying it, and wanting it, than you're forcing them.

 

[asdasdasdasda]

I would say the biggest problem with gaming right now is the community. If you don't have any friends, there's a lot of douchebags and morons out there simply because of how popular gaming has become and what internet anonymity does to people. This can be a major turn-off for people.

I wouldn't say that controllers is really an issue. It's not hard to get used to once you've used it for an hour or two. The only big issue with it is forming habits. Seeing someone, hitting the aim button, etc. And that's rectified quickly by just playing on.

 

[damselgaming]

I learnt from trying to update my Dads gaming habits, that no mater how good you make a story sound, it still sound slike your waffling on about anything.
Case point:
(Whilst visiting my Mum and Dad)
"Dad, I'm buying you a new console for Christmas, what sort of games so you want?"
"Hmmm, I like shooty ones, and football ones."
"Right, what about Half Life?"
"What's a Haalf Life?"
"You play a guy who lets all these aliends onto earth and you have to fight against them."
"Hmmm, sounds a bit complicated to me..."
"Ok, then what about the lastest Call of Duty? It has Jack from 24 doing one of the voices."
"... Is it set in World War 2, like my other ones?"
"Yes Dad."
"That sounds good."

Oh my Dad, he tries his best.

 

[Zersy]

Seeing the point in gaming in the first place.

My dad still doesn't see the point in playing something with a controller.

the biggest obstacle of all is just know why your doing it.

For me it was the PS1 (Sega actually but i only played it like 6 times before throwing it down the stairs) I played too have fun.

Most non gamers need to relise that playing games is alot of fun.

 

[n00beffect]

Now i don't find the controlers a problem (myself being a season gamer and not having a real viewpoint on this problem) "The bigger they are,the better you get" in this case,so the youth of gaming shouldn't have a problem getting used to them,because they don't know better (or easier to handle in our case) The problem is,i think, in the variety of consoles,adventure games,mmorpgs and such these days,they're lack of true gaming spirit and quality in a game... (be it PC or console) I mean,before it was easy.. Game>Play... now it's Game>cut scenes>controlls check>more cut scenes>tutorials>text book missions>bugs,crashes>overwellming graphics.. and so on... most games have become more like movies than games.. I mean i bought GTA IV recently.. and i found the box to be havier than the 5kg weights i used to train on when i was a kid.. inside: Map of the city,2 instruction books (and i mean books not sheets),a bunch of collectors' stuff and many more things i didn't require to play the game.. And not to mention the nearly-hour-installation process.. it's rediculous.. Games are no longer "just games". They've become entertainment systems with no just challange of any kind and most importantly money-hungry industries.. So the non-gamers that don't know what true games are all about will never find out,unfortunately.The world of gaming we know is doomed to become a pathetic 2 ton controller,unnecesserely complicated,movie-based,textbook excuse.. I find this even more disturbing.

 

[mrx19869]

the price.

 

[HentMas]

[snip

Well, that never personally happened to me, because of the cables we would always place it back in the gaming cabinet (yeah! we took out the game, conected all, played and afterwards we would put it away again, we were afraid it might broke haha)

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I'm fairly young, so I went straight to the more complicated controllers, and I don't think they were difficult to get the hang of at all.

In fact, my biggest problem getting into gaming was money.

If you look at this from the actual "ends, not the means" aspect, then it would possibly be that to me (young and inexperienced) the games were hard. The controllers were about the easiest thing to master.

It has Jack from 24 doing one of the voices."
"... Is it set in World War 2, like my other ones?"
"Yes Dad."
"That sounds good."

Oh my Dad, he tries his best.

Is it just me or do you think Kiefer Sutherland wasn't so good in that, or that whoever timed his pauses did a terrible job?

My Dad shows a slight interest in games (he never really plays them), and delights in any of the graphical aspects. If I'm playing something like Mother 3 or Deus Ex I tell him they have an amazing story/gameplay aspect to them. He always responds with "Yeah, but it looks old".

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Spoiler: snip

I think the hardest things to overcome for many people are undoubtedly the stereotypes. Until a year or so ago, my mom didn't even know games had stories. I'm not sure how that logic follows, but she somehow thought that when I played Halo, I just sat there alone and shot random things for no reason over a 10+ hour campaign.

People really don't understand that video games have value. They don't understand the social value nor the literary value that video games hold. It's hard to get into something when you see it as nothing more than a waste of time.

Now this one interests me. I've never heard of that one before. Perhaps Sony heard about your story and decided to base their Uncharted 2 commercial around it.

Well that's not the only example. When I first talked to my best friend's mom about how video games told great stories, I got that dismissal that you get when an adult is no doubt thinking "Oh, you're so cute with your little ideas: don't worry, you'll grow and be big and smart someday!" She completely dismissed my idea, and I still can't think of a good reason why.

I am a huge proponent of video games as a form of literature, so you can't even imagine all the crap I've gotten from many older people about this: people just don't get it.

Eh, I'm the same way, I just don't bother trying to explain it to people anymore though. I remember back when Okami first came out, and my mother was sitting down and glanced over at it and said how odd of a game it was. I told her about how great it was, all of the characters, the fleshed out story, the art form. She, thankfully, believed all of it and actually saw that the game was actually more then a game.

Another friend of mine who isn't always into games for their stories, was completely blown away by Shadow of the Collosus when I showed it to him. He bought the game the next day, and even though a story is almost non-existant, we both agreed that it was probably one of the best atmospheric games to date.

Edit: Sorry for the double post, but I have to go to bed. Duty calls. Hopefully this topic survives until I make it back here tomorrow.

Well Shadow of the Colossus may not have had the most complex or involved story, but you have to appreciate the storytelling displayed at the end.

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

Despite the lack of any real plot development, you still felt for Wander and his struggle: this is possibly due to the epic feel and desperate-looking animations on Wander as he's swaying and struggling on the giant beasts. Anyway, when it came to the end, we were forced not only to watch, but to participate in our heroes demise. As he was being sucked in to the far room, we were given control. The entire game we had been put in compromising situations, always being provided some way to get out of them, but not this time. We tried walking him, rolling him, everything to get him away from his imminent doom, but it was no use. We had to fight in vain against the enemy that would finally defeat our hero. That was emotionally intense for me.

Sorry for the rant. Video games can leave quite the impact on my psyche through their storytelling prowess.

Yeah, I agree completely. I was very tired last night, and you put my feelings into words that I couldn't really think of last night =P Although the game doesn't actually sit in my mind all the time, it definitely makes me hope that other games will take a cue from it.

Anyways...

Huh I started with the Colecovision and the controller had over 12 buttons and a joystick. Sure it wasn't the best controller and those ridiculous cards you had to put over the keypad but it really came down to the game not the controller.

This is probably the biggest counter-argument, considering this is what hes talking about (for those younger ones out there)

How old were you though? I think that for younger gamers, its alot easier to just learn new controls right out of the box.

 

[ConstantJoe]

One game I'd recommend for getting people into gaming is Monkey Island. The controls are simple, just point and click, the game's pretty simple (the answers to puzzles are more, "How didn't I realise that before?" after completion instead of requiring extreme thought), the characters are extremely likeable, and the games fun of comedy.

 

[VanityGirl]

Actually, I think the biggest problem for people who are just getting into gaming is the cost.
Compared to a more standard form of entertainment, like a DVD or something, games can cost quite a bit.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Actually, I think the biggest problem for people who are just getting into gaming is the cost.
Compared to a more standard form of entertainment, like a DVD or something, games can cost quite a bit.

I guess I'm going to have to admit this is a bigger problem than I thought. Since games are easily above the $65 mark nowadays, and consoles cost anywhere from 200-400 dollars...its relatively easy to see that this is also another major problem. I mean, if you don't like gaming, you can't really return a system.

 

[Wyes]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. would be the biggest problem with getting into gaming. Dear god, that game would break the spirit of a new gamer.

Tutorial levels? Pshaw, no way.
Learning hotkeys for life-saving items? Ha, good luck.
Having to ambush NPCs that have a really good aim and equipment that's actually useful to get any decent equipment yourself? Hell yeah.

(This isn't me bashing STALKER, I love the game, but it really just drops you in there)

 

[squid5580]

Spoiler: snip

I think the hardest things to overcome for many people are undoubtedly the stereotypes. Until a year or so ago, my mom didn't even know games had stories. I'm not sure how that logic follows, but she somehow thought that when I played Halo, I just sat there alone and shot random things for no reason over a 10+ hour campaign.

People really don't understand that video games have value. They don't understand the social value nor the literary value that video games hold. It's hard to get into something when you see it as nothing more than a waste of time.

Now this one interests me. I've never heard of that one before. Perhaps Sony heard about your story and decided to base their Uncharted 2 commercial around it.

Well that's not the only example. When I first talked to my best friend's mom about how video games told great stories, I got that dismissal that you get when an adult is no doubt thinking "Oh, you're so cute with your little ideas: don't worry, you'll grow and be big and smart someday!" She completely dismissed my idea, and I still can't think of a good reason why.

I am a huge proponent of video games as a form of literature, so you can't even imagine all the crap I've gotten from many older people about this: people just don't get it.

Eh, I'm the same way, I just don't bother trying to explain it to people anymore though. I remember back when Okami first came out, and my mother was sitting down and glanced over at it and said how odd of a game it was. I told her about how great it was, all of the characters, the fleshed out story, the art form. She, thankfully, believed all of it and actually saw that the game was actually more then a game.

Another friend of mine who isn't always into games for their stories, was completely blown away by Shadow of the Collosus when I showed it to him. He bought the game the next day, and even though a story is almost non-existant, we both agreed that it was probably one of the best atmospheric games to date.

Edit: Sorry for the double post, but I have to go to bed. Duty calls. Hopefully this topic survives until I make it back here tomorrow.

Well Shadow of the Colossus may not have had the most complex or involved story, but you have to appreciate the storytelling displayed at the end.

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

Despite the lack of any real plot development, you still felt for Wander and his struggle: this is possibly due to the epic feel and desperate-looking animations on Wander as he's swaying and struggling on the giant beasts. Anyway, when it came to the end, we were forced not only to watch, but to participate in our heroes demise. As he was being sucked in to the far room, we were given control. The entire game we had been put in compromising situations, always being provided some way to get out of them, but not this time. We tried walking him, rolling him, everything to get him away from his imminent doom, but it was no use. We had to fight in vain against the enemy that would finally defeat our hero. That was emotionally intense for me.

Sorry for the rant. Video games can leave quite the impact on my psyche through their storytelling prowess.

Yeah, I agree completely. I was very tired last night, and you put my feelings into words that I couldn't really think of last night =P Although the game doesn't actually sit in my mind all the time, it definitely makes me hope that other games will take a cue from it.

Anyways...

Huh I started with the Colecovision and the controller had over 12 buttons and a joystick. Sure it wasn't the best controller and those ridiculous cards you had to put over the keypad but it really came down to the game not the controller.

This is probably the biggest counter-argument, considering this is what hes talking about (for those younger ones out there)


How old were you though? I think that for younger gamers, its alot easier to just learn new controls right out of the box.

Geez I was inbetween 10 and 13. I can't remember how old exactly I was. Funny thing is it was really my Dad's not mine. I moved in with him (divorced parents) and he didn't have any kids living with him around that time. He was a big gamer himself (at the ripe old age of 55). He didn't have any problems with the controls for most games either. He could kick my ass at golf on the NES when it launched.