Dumb it down...

[veloper]

I thought it was a thinly-veiled insult towards console players such as myself; I mean look at the term itself: "dumbed down". To the average person, this could be interpreted that the game was made "for dummies", which is more than a little insulting, of course.

Then someone kindly informed (and I mean no sarcasm in that statement) that when folks say "dumbed down", they don't mean "made for idiots", but instead that features were needlessly removed.

It means both.

features were removed to appeal to dummies

 

[oplinger]

I like the term "dumbed down"

negative or not, it's to the point. More complex features are removed or changed to appeal to a dumber crowd.

I wouldn't call it "streamlining" as that would imply higher efficiency. While it can be part of it, I don't think it quite covers all the bases like "dumbed down" does.

"simplified" could work, however it'd end up with a double meaning. Simple as in easy, and simple as in not complicated. Eventually "simplified" will carry the same negative connotations as "dumbed down"

Which then rules out just about everything. It will have negative connotations no matter what word we use.

Dumbed down is fine. Mechanics are dumbed down/simplified/streamlined so dumb/simple/ADD people can learn them. Interfaces are reworked or even removed entirely so dumb/simple/ADD people don't have to bother with them. The game is made less challenging so dumb/simple/ADD people can finish it, all while stroking their ego the entire time and giving them absolutely nothing to think about.

It's just what happens...the term fits. I say use it. Or whatever term you want. It all comes to the same effect in the end.

 

[SageRuffin]

I thought it was a thinly-veiled insult towards console players such as myself; I mean look at the term itself: "dumbed down". To the average person, this could be interpreted that the game was made "for dummies", which is more than a little insulting, of course.

Then someone kindly informed (and I mean no sarcasm in that statement) that when folks say "dumbed down", they don't mean "made for idiots", but instead that features were needlessly removed.

It means both.

features were removed to appeal to dummies

Just so you know, you're totally not helping.

And you probably couldn't care less, so I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Zaik]

It needs a new term because "dumbed down" has been used so much that if I tried to define it I couldn't do it without saying "dumbed down".

Anyway, I made a guide for people who are just figuring out, or still haven't figured out, what the difference between "Streamlining" and "Dumbed Down" is, which is a legitimate problem since they're two different words that describe the exact same thing.

Spoiler