Don Daglow Dissects the American Online Gamer

[Furism]

Is there any reason you'd want a complicated, difficult-to-understand interface?

One word: depth.

More words: I love cRPGs and I'm fed up with the current trend of simplifying everything to maximize sales. Not everybody wants a complicated game, I understand that. But the trend is to make simplistic games, with one or two layers of gameplay, when in the past players could (or had) to be creative.

I enjoyed having to actually use my brain to choose between two stats because I had to balance the effects they would provide. I also enjoyed having to *read* obscure scrolls to get background information on the dungeon I was exploring, or find a weakness in the end-boss' resistances. There are plenty examples.

I realize that "back in the day" only geeks would play that kind of games and we loved the complex rulesets. Now everybody pretends to be a geek but clearly that's not the case.

Anyway, I don't think it's more a 'rica vs Europe thing, it's more a general trend worldwide. Maybe America pushes it a bit further because it's more money- than culture-oriented than Europe (and that gap is getting smaller by the day) but that's it.

 

[GenGenners]

Yeah, guys, stop taking offence to this.
The kind of people he's referring to are most certainly NOT the kind of people that visit The Escapist. By virtue of even reading this article, you have already proved that you are not his target.

 

[Falterfire]

No, you don't understand, I'm not talking about simple games, I'm talking about a simple, clear interface. There have been plenty of games that prove that you can build a very complex game with a minimal interface. To use the first example I can think of, Minecraft. It's got a lot of complex, moving parts, and only about three menus. Even if you disagree with that specific example, you should be able to find your own counterexample: A game where you spend more time fighting the interface than whatever the actual opponent is. (Be that opponent a soldier, an army, or world hunger)

When building a game it is important to make sure that the user can understand what's going on. That doesn't mean what's going on has to be simple, but the user should know where to look or click to find the information they want or what button to press to perform the action they want.

 

[Furism]

So you're saying that a "complex" interface has to be "clunky." I beg to differ. You can have a rich and complex yet effective interface, like Eve Online's.

 

[Hagi]

Whilst I can definitely see the fun in bashing Americans and proclaiming European superiority, after all we are far more civilized and cultured.

This does sound like an old guy bitching about kids these days. Then again, he is American so what did you expect?

At least he didn't whine about liberals ruining the country, but seems another poster here has filled that gap.

ps. If you reply as if this was a serious post I will insult your American upbringing and heritage regardless of you actually being American.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Not enough people in this thread get satire. This was a well written joke and a lot of those who have posted above are taking it too seriously, or rather, seriously for the wrong reasons. Thankfully some people still get satire.

 

[Soveru]

I cannot help but laugh at how many people are taking his remarks seriously. Learn to recognise satire when you see it.

 

[Lethos]

It's a joke guys. Self-depreciation is the first step to find joy in life.

 

[LostintheWick]

Yeah, guys, stop taking offence to this.
The kind of people he's referring to are most certainly NOT the kind of people that visit The Escapist. By virtue of even reading this article, you have already proved that you are not his target.

Thank you! I think you are exactly right. BUT... but... I would still agree with most of what he is saying even if it wasn't in a joking manner. And he wouldn't be speaking for all gamers... just a lot of them

 

[faefrost]

Is there any reason you'd want a complicated, difficult-to-understand interface?

One word: depth.

More words: I love cRPGs and I'm fed up with the current trend of simplifying everything to maximize sales. Not everybody wants a complicated game, I understand that. But the trend is to make simplistic games, with one or two layers of gameplay, when in the past players could (or had) to be creative.

I enjoyed having to actually use my brain to choose between two stats because I had to balance the effects they would provide. I also enjoyed having to *read* obscure scrolls to get background information on the dungeon I was exploring, or find a weakness in the end-boss' resistances. There are plenty examples.

I realize that "back in the day" only geeks would play that kind of games and we loved the complex rulesets. Now everybody pretends to be a geek but clearly that's not the case.

Anyway, I don't think it's more a 'rica vs Europe thing, it's more a general trend worldwide. Maybe America pushes it a bit further because it's more money- than culture-oriented than Europe (and that gap is getting smaller by the day) but that's it.

But haven't games like Civ long proved that you can achieve depth without having to fight the interface to do it?

I can't find fault in Daglow's Six tips (excepting perhaps the one about history. Good well done history does sell well. It's just there is so much poor history from media makers washing it out. ie AC3)

As far as his understanding of the American youth and the American gamer, ummm, lets just say that the reported ignorance is a two way street.

 

[Silk_Sk]

As an American online gamer, his words sting but only because they have a measure of truth to them. He outlines a very safe game design philosophy.

 

[MrMunchies]

If the shoe fits, wear it.
Beside, if you have some self-esteem, you can get over everything he said. Stop complaining.

 

[Chimichanga]

Europeans are stuck-up has-beens who can't get over the fact that their countries have done nothing but suck and kiss the U.S.A's or Stalin's ass since the end of the second world war.

In most online games, they tend to be hypocritical and snobby - usually denoting players they find inferior to them to be "damn yanks" and "stupid Americans" while blaming their own faults on server lag and poor design.

* A good game has minimal lag and server down time while being very well designed.

LOL U GAIS, U LIEK MAI TUNG + CH33K HUMOUR/? If you noticed, I had some "thoughtful" and sensible truism-I mean, "Points" about how to run a good online multiplayer. None of you smart and intelligent gents across the pond should take offense to any of the stuff said prior to it, because it was all obviously just a joke and not meant to be taken personally.

No longer being facetious, I didn't really see the joke. Those are legitimate observations of the giant ignorant mass of angry homophobic preteens on XBoxLive (a user base that is not strictly American, mind you); while I love making fun of said idiot user base, he insults me personally by then labeling this moronic mass as "Americans" in general. This not only covers retarded 10 year-olds, but "Americans" as a whole, which includes me. It would be the same as class-typing every condescending non-american I've played with/against as representative of all "Europeans" when the aforementioned jerkwads are in fact just a small minority.

I know failure, and the pain and humiliation of academic failure, all too well - to the point that the fear of failure has been one of the select fuels that got me through high school and college. I found that him saying that I - by association of being an "American" - did not know this was more insulting than being told I needed to be pandered to and have my hand held like a moron.

Yes, I damn-well took that personally.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

'American gamers are self-obsessed, schooled only to praise success.'

*Checks comments*

'I'M NOT LIKE THAT SO NOT ALL GAMERS ARE SELF OBSESSED, ALSO, HERE'S SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HISTORY I LEARNED TO PROVE HOW INDIVIDUALLY CLEVER I AM.'

Huh.

Spoiler

Fun to look at this as a European actually. We had an American come to my boarding school in high school. He had genuinely been taught that America had won the Vietnam War, had his father come and complain to the principal the first time he got a failing grade on a homework assignment. This being an assignment he had written ten minutes before the class. A complete wanker in terms of personality.

Now of course I know that not all Americans are like that, (obligatory my best friend is American and I know several other Americans comment) but it does tend to shape one's views a little.

 

[antipunt]

crave individuality, hence the success of monetized avatar customization options, and that games need to treat players "like a celebrity."

this guy....
..

he knows me..

>_>
<_<

 

[Evil Smurf]

Oh wow, I just don't know what to say about this.
I mean the offensiveness of this guy rivals internet trolls.

Because surly ALL American gamers are drooling idiots who only care about guns and instant gratification, who don't accept failure and don't know who Stalin is despite the fact that quite a few shooters are set during WW2.

The bad part is, most of the points for making the games are actually good (with exception for the last point),
but his reasons to support those points are completely nonsense.

-Craft the opening minutes to hold attention.
-Use a simple, clear interface.
-Minimize text: show, don't tell in tutorials.
-The player is a celebrity, give them unique customization.
-Recognize that we're in the queue and the user is the master.
-History rarely sells and is often unknown.

He doesn't seem to understand that gamers are composed of more than just ten year olds screaming obscenities at each other over Xbox live.

EDIT: If this is meant to be a joke, he's treading dangerous ground, there's a fine line between what can be taken as a joke and what's taken as offensive.

He reminds me of Jim Sterling. He needs his own show!

 

[maninahat]

snip

Im kinda with you there. I know more about the dam Gothic age(real name of the dark age)and Renaissance then i care to write about. Yet i cant seem to figure out who the hell this guy is and why i should give a dam what his opinion is.

Hold on, Gothic isn't the right name either. The term wasn't even invented until the Renaissance age, used to describe the previous art style. Like "Dark Ages", it's a title made up in hindsight to negatively reflect a more "primitive" time. Truth is, no one comes up with a name for the age they currently live in. What is this age called exactly? The post-modern age? The 21st century? Ask again in a thousand years - they'll have come up with a name for it by then.

 

[maninahat]

Oh wow, I just don't know what to say about this.
I mean the offensiveness of this guy rivals internet trolls.

Because surly ALL American gamers are drooling idiots who only care about guns and instant gratification, who don't accept failure and don't know who Stalin is despite the fact that quite a few shooters are set during WW2.

The bad part is, most of the points for making the games are actually good (with exception for the last point)...History rarely sells and is often unknown.

I think he was being tongue in cheek (which is supposed to make it okay).

By the way, the last point is true too. Historical games only work if they are restricted to familiar historical settings, which just so happen to be the ones he described (the few ones the stereotyped average American knows: Gladiator, Braveheart, The Patriot and Saving Private Ryan). I don't expect a game about the Rus or the Benin empire to sell, and neither does any game company.

 

[Gennadios]

He then summarized his presentation with six tips on how to sell games to American online gamers:

[ul][li]Craft the opening minutes to hold attention.[/li]
[li]Use a simple, clear interface.[/li]
[li]Minimize text: show, don't tell in tutorials.[/li]
[li]The player is a celebrity, give them unique customization.[/li]
[li]Recognize that we're in the queue and the user is the master.[/li]
[li]History rarely sells and is often unknown.[/li][/ul]

It looks like he's just describing how to sell AAA games to gamers in general. If you're fine with a shoestring budget and just enough cashflow to stay afloat, indies can throw all that sh*t out the window.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

It is a bit of satire, but I don't think he is far off the mark. Those make the best jokes.

I'll use the example of Dark Souls. That can be a truly punishing game, rewarding yes, but it sure hits you hard and your idea of constantly advancing, always triumphing. No the game forces you to think and plan and get your reactions right down. Not just button mashing either, or you will go off a cliff or over-commit and get slaughtered when you run out of stamina.

Great game, it is huge in Japan but westerners took to it with less abandon. It sold alright, but you don't see many non-Japanese in the mp. Some will be slogging through offline, but the added difficulty of mp scares people, frustrates them, makes them lose their shit. I've heard about it,tTalking to friends, and some have given up on it entirely, they now hate it, it didn't allow them to easily win on their first run. They proved to be unable to master it and persevere through the challenge that is dark souls. Now I put it down for a while, and came back and "got it", but not all are willing to do that. Great game truly, but it is hard, so you see it on return shelves and you don't hear so much about people bragging of finishing it, because for many it is just sitting on their shelf un-finished.

The Japanese gamers love the grind, and working out exactly what works and what doesn't. It has been a harder bit of entertainment cake to swallow for some. Luckily I have another friend who, while he put it down for a while after being caned, has stuck with it and gotten good. He opts for a simple build but not everyone is a parrying onion strategist. Poor guy had to accept not all games are easy, but eventually he did. Now we share dark souls stories.

Note: been fighting the forest hunters a lot lately, sitting on 2.3 million souls.