GSC: STALKER Too Hardcore for American Gamers

[Andy Chalk]

GSC: STALKER Too Hardcore for American Gamers

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [http://www.gsc-game.com/] failed to perform to expectations in North America because American gamers have trouble understanding eastern European games and gameplay.

In an interview with Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=152393], Yavorsky said GSC Game World aims for audiences as broad as possible, but differences in "cultural mindsets" make their games less interesting and appealing to Americans and Asians than they are to Europeans.

"Most of our successful games were based on big historical elements, such as with Cossacks [http://www.cossacks2.de/]were pretty well known in Europe, so ultimately that game was more appealing to a European audience than to other audiences. I hear it discussed a lot that European games struggle to find an appeal in North America, for example, just because they're based on different settings and characters, with different stories being told."

Those cultural differences extend in attitudes toward core gameplay, Yavorsky added, suggesting the Russian and eastern European markets are far more receptive to unforgiving, "hardcore" games than those in North America. "Big companies always want you to make your game as easy as possible, so that any really non-intellectual person can play it," he said. "They want all sorts of tutorials to guide the player through, and this is something we've always been very resistant to."

"In our market we're used to having cheap games," Yavorsky continued. "That means all our audience play a lot of games and hence they're really hardcore about them - they want really challenging games, and they don't need to be guided through with basic explanations like, 'This is your gun; this is how you move.'"

"But then, everything, even up to the color spectrum and how bright your game is, can be an issue. It seems that to appeal to North America you need really flashy, bright games, and you can see that every eastern European game is very dark," he added. "In the end, I guess this just comes down to our culture and history - we're different people, and that's that."

GSC Game World is currently at work on here [http://www.stalker-game.com/clearsky/index_en.html].


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[Cousin_IT]

think thats being a bit unfair on our north american cousins across the pond. Wouldnt say his assessment is wrong though

 

[TomNook]

"Big companies always want you to make your game as easy as possible, so that any really non-intellectual person can play it," he said. "They want all sorts of tutorials to guide the player through, and this is something we've always been very resistant to."

"In our market we're used to having cheap games," Yavorsky continued. "That means all our audience play a lot of games and hence they're really hardcore about them - they want really challenging games, and they don't need to be guided through with basic explanations like, 'This is your gun; this is how you move.'"

"But then, everything, even up to the color spectrum and how bright your game is, can be an issue. It seems that to appeal to North America you need really flashy, bright games, and you can see that every eastern European game is very dark," he added. "In the end, I guess this just comes down to our culture and history - we're different people, and that's that."

So all he is really saying is that we US gamers(remember children, Canada is a little Europe and therefore vastly superior to the US in every way) are a bunch of retarded kiddies that need bright colors to counteract our ADD. That sure is a great way to win over the market your company is struggling in....

 

[Calobi]

"But then, everything, even up to the color spectrum and how bright your game is, can be an issue. It seems that to appeal to North America you need really flashy, bright games, and you can see that every eastern European game is very dark," he added.

Not all American games are bright and flashy. In fact, most of the flashy ones seem to come from Japan. Most newish shooters (pretty much Doom 3 and later) are dark and dreary. There are of course exceptions to the rule, but it appears to me that American games are getting darker and grittier.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Russian and European game design is different. It just is, there's no getting around it. And thank god for that. There's no doubt that his statement about "flashy, bright games" is way too broad, but that's inevitable when you're speaking in generalities, which Yavorsky obviously was. Allowing for that, I think his points are perfectly valid; the American game industry has evolved over the past 20-some years to a point where "accessibility" is a priority. Long-time gamers will remember the days when it seemed like every developer's goal was to kick your ass with a game that was nigh-impossible to beat; in the current market, companies struggle to make sure games aren't too long or too hard for even the most hare-brained button-masher to finish.

STALKER isn't like that. It's not unforgivingly difficult but it's sure as hell not the easiest FPS you'll ever play either, and it's a goddamned monster in terms of sheer size. Even if you focus strictly on the main campaign, you're going to be playing a lot longer than you would with a "normal" FPS, and if you get wrapped up in side quests, factional progression, reading the reams of supporting information the game throws at you and so forth, you're in for a seriously long haul.

But it's a brilliant game. STALKER is far and away the finest FPS I've played in ages (and I've spazzed about it plenty of times previously, I know) and I attribute it primarily to the ambitious and unfettered attitudes toward design and development that non-American studios seem to possess. It stumbles in a number of places, but only because it sets its sights so high.

STALKER may be the biggest and best but GSC is far from the only Euro/Russian studio doing fantastic things right now. American gamers who don't pay attention are really missing out.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Well, I'm not gonna lie, STALKER was a huge buzz kill when I gave it a swing. That game was like getting dropped into Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' minus the inspiring father-son relationship.

 

[WabiWasabi]

Hunh, interesting. Just hopped over to Gamespot to read the reviews, and difficulty or not I like the direction of incorporating some more open-ended aspects into the FPS experience. For just $20 there's not much to lose so I ordered up a copy. We'll see how it plays.

 

[TomNook]

I admit, I agree on everything Yavorsky said. Almost everything. Not everything that comes from the West is a flashy epilepsy-inducing digital Ritalin, though. There is a whole infinity of enjoyable games, but very few of them are FPS, to be honest.

I, as an (eastern) European gamer, expect a compelling story and a slightly unusual game setting before I cough up 10% of my monthly earnings for a single single game title. As heretic as it may sound, I would never play a game like Far Cry or Crysis, only to brag about how good it looks on my new Ati 3870. Beauty is skin deep, and I believe that video games are a form of art, or at least should be considered as such. And I like to consume my media as art. It doesn't matter will I play Half Life, read George R.R. Martin, listen to Type O Negative or watch No Country For Old Men, I expect to be entertained of course, but above that I expect to feel good about consuming my media on many different levels. I like my games to be well versed storytelling machines with immersive environments and nicely developed characters. With that said, I can only conclude that games like Stalker are made of pure, liquid, highly concentrated awesomeness.

And I completely agree with Yavorsky that the history, culture and a nation's mindset are crucial for a game market as a whole. When you combine a millennium long history of mutual hatreds, xenophobia and deeply rooted Byzantine mysticism with occasional wars to drench yourself in blood of thy neighbor, out of sheer spite and fun of it, you get a huge market that truly enjoys dark and gritty games.

The pretentiousness, its crushing me!

 

[TomNook]

The pretentiousness, its crushing me!

The stupidity! The retardedness! O tempora, o mores!

Retardedness?

 

[ingsoc]

I happen to be a red, white and blue American and I pretty agree with everything said here. Have you played Halo? How many American sites gave that sorry excuse for half a game perfect scores?

 

[Fantastic Tacos]

You know, I diagreed with everything he said (I live in the U.S.) but them I remembered that I have been playing european games (including S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) for over 5 years now and compleatly forgot what some of the U.S. games were like.

 

[UpInSmoke]

YES! I AM SO FUCKING STUPID! PLEASE SHINE BRIGHT LIGHTS IN MY FACE AND SPIN ME AROUND REALLY FAST!!

 

[Jimmyjames]

This is so untrue. I played through S.T.A.L.K.E.R. THREE TIMES. I love that game and it's open-ended gameplay. You can play it through in 8 hours or 80 hours. One of the best FPS I've ever played.