Jimquisition: Damn Fine Coffee

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I worked for a focus group company a few years ago. People would sign up to be apart of our database, give us some details (age, income, whatever), and we'd get contacts from companies who wanted to do market research.

The years I worked there... I have never seen a survey group that was polled just to get an idea. Every survey was carefully put together to get the maximum amount of people who would probably already like the product. IE if it was a Merlot company, they would only want to hear from red wine drinkers.

The companies defeat themselves. They see what they want, but do not realize that the product they want to emulate is already out on the market... so there's little room for them. Why lose out on sales from a market you hope to tap into at the cost of sales that you already generated the hype from? To tap in Call of Duty, they lost most of the goodwill they created. And didn't tap into Call of Duty. Why do these people still get placed in positions of leadership?

 

[Dfskelleton]

That depresses me, the game you showed at the beginning looked awesome, and, seeing what it's become... eugh.

And while we're talking Coffee: Personally, I actually do enjoy black coffee, but I'm not particularly picky about it, either. I'll drink it from just about anywhere, from the most pretentious cafe in town to my local Sonic and McDonalds. As long as it doesn't taste like sand, then I'm all good.
I started drinking it around the time I was watching Twin Peaks, and I've been a happy camper ever since.

 

[Darth_Payn]

Wait, Jim, did you use Bioshock: Infinite as an example of focus-group driven vomit or a product of pure, unrestrained vision? Because it sounded like you used both.
I was part of a focus group to test out an unfinished version of STAR WARS: Battlefront II, and I had a blast! We played a mission, mentally jotted down what went wrong, and told the developers what needed fixing. We also voted on which commercial to use. And we gots paid, son! So, in space battles, when they point out where on the enemy capital ship to launch missiles or drop bombs, that's partially thanks to me.

I think a lot of the pretentiousness we see in games (especially "story driven" games) is also thanks to this social desirability bias. I think many people want to sound like the kind of person who wants to play a slow moving "story driven" game like Heavy Rain because then people might think they're not the kind of gamer that goes onto CoD shouting slurs.

It's probably the same reason everyone thinks all guys want a skinny girl with long hair and big boobs. I know for a fact that there are a lot of guys who try really hard to get that kind of girl just because they want to seem like an alpha male. I find that's it's the most obnoxiously vocal ones that are the ones trying to convince everyone.

I dig the merchandising Jim's decked in this week: nice mug & tshirt.

Hmm, I didn't think of that before. What do you mean when you say "pretentious"? I get the feeling it means that the game's story is calling you the player an awful person, or something like that.

captcha: OSCARS
If this was a MovieBob video, I'd have a more clever comeback to that.

 

[DeadCoyote]

As far as i can tell, videogeme publishers and developers just don't know how to work with focuss groups. Wich is quite sad. Because we've covered all sides of working with them at 3d year in university, wich means that people who work on game marketing are incompetent as hell. =(

 

[shadowstriker86]

Hey wait, so...

>companies use kids to test products

>products are rated M

Isn't that like...i dunno....a crime?

 

[mjc0961]

Okay, got that out of my system. Onto the video.

EA RUINED IT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO OVERSTRIKE! Insomniac should have stuck with Sony for their publisher, or at least gone with absolutely anyone else other than EA. Fuse is a big steamy pile of shit and I blame it solely on EA because after 3 generations of playing great Insomniac games, I know what kind of awesome games they're capable of making when not under the thumb of the most evil game publisher in existence.

HAHAHA, loved the bit about how the game industry chases smooth young boys like a priest. XD Also, nice GTA mug.

 

[wetfart]

How do you like your coffee? Blacker than midnight on a moonless night? Or is that just what you want people to think?

Well since you asked, I prefer a light roast and I take it black. Medium is okay in a pinch. I never really developed a taste for dark roasts. Though I wouldn't mind trying a robusta coffee someday.

Delicious Coffee

 

[loudestmute]

I was browsing through the Battlelog forums one day (please, I beg you, don't make that same mistake), and saw a massive amount of threads asking to put a Zombies-type mode in Battlefield. The most common explanation given (okay, second most, because a majority didn't bother justifying the need) was "Coz Call of Duty has one."

I glanced over at my gaming collection, noticed more than five zombie shooting experiences (seven if you count ones without "Dead" in the title, and wept openly about the thought of another goddamn zombie game because "That's what the kids like."

Then I saw today's Jimquisition, and sobbed some more. Well done, Jim. You've brought me to tears you magnificent bastard.

 

[PunkRex]

I was wondering who that was I played Overlord with online... have to get them cheivos right?

 

[PunkRex]

Hey wait, so...

>companies use kids to test products

>products are rated M

Isn't that like...i dunno....a crime?

This one's making to much sense, SEDATE HIM!

 

[XDravond]

And yet again he talketh the truth to the people and the people listened and heard it was the truth....

To bad it's just "the people" and not the ones deciding to make crap games...


I think they should use focus groups to see what the shouldn't be making, in other words what the focus group liked, try do the opposite and see what happens...
Like I wonder what "focus group" thought that an of the following would be successful Minecraft, Angry Birds, PvZ, Bastion, Journey and so on... They are no where near CoD... And I REALLY want Mirrors Edge 2, and I really don't care that "the focus groups didn't like it", Strong female lead, very different FPS (with clumsy annoying shooting), and well some sort of story to get you form point A to point B, I would probably pay to see that pitched to a "focus group" or executive...

And I think Mojang (sure they are small) are doing most right, they are listening to much of what their fanbase wants and gives it to them. Is it really that hard to scale up to "AAA" games?...
Sell a Beta at a lower price, then listen to what the (dumb ;-) people whom bought it thinks and fix it...

 

[loudestmute]

Wait, Jim, did you use Bioshock: Infinite as an example of focus-group driven vomit or a product of pure, unrestrained vision? Because it sounded like you used both.

The game itself was a product of pure, unrestrained vision. The MARKETING for the game (re: box art, TV adverts, etc) was the product of going wrist deep into a frat boy's anus and sniffing your hand afterwards to see what they like.

...Unless my definition of "brofist" is completely different from the actual thing.

 

[rasputin0009]

Why are they focus testing poor college students still?

Because us college students will do anything for a free cookie or muffin. ANYTHING.

 

[loc978]

"I like my coffee black, just like my metal."

"I like my women like I like my coffee: black, bitter, and preferably free-trade."

For serious. I don't necessarily prefer a darker roast, but I fucking hate sugar and cream in my coffee. Sometimes a little dark chocolate doesn't go amiss... maybe a hint of cinnamon now and again. Also, I'm not big on drip, espresso is always better.

Oh wait, this is about games. Fuck, I hate consumer culture. I want my niche back.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

Knuckleduster coffee mug is awesome.

 

[Tinybear]

Is it wrong that I am starting to have sexual fantasies of the Jimquisition videos becoming the new videogame developer gospel?

 

[Gottesstrafe]

What's not shown immediately after the end credits roll is Jim doing a spit-take after realizing he left a trout in the percolator. Still, that was some damn good cherry pie. Just don't make eye contact with the log-lady across the counter...

 

[IndianaJonny]

I think a lot of the pretentiousness we see in games (especially "story driven" games) is also thanks to this social desirability bias. I think many people want to sound like the kind of person who wants to play a slow moving "story driven" game like Heavy Rain because then people might think they're not the kind of gamer that goes onto CoD shouting slurs.

It's probably the same reason everyone thinks all guys want a skinny girl with long hair and big boobs. I know for a fact that there are a lot of guys who try really hard to get that kind of girl just because they want to seem like an alpha male. I find that's it's the most obnoxiously vocal ones that are the ones trying to convince everyone....

Brother, that's a pretty profound start to the week. Nice going.

 

[orangeapples]

The problem with the focus groups as Jim pointed out is that they are not an accurate cross-section of the gaming community. Everyone wants the 12 year old boys who play call of duty, but the only game they care about is call of duty. If the developers spent time caring about the rest of the market (you know, the part of the market with money), they would sell more games.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

I actually like Hot Chocolate and Tea over Coffee so yeah. I'm a rebel with as many Dragon Quest games as I can carry.