Poll: Conservative and Liberal Gamers

[Glowbug]

Like most things, black and white is the wrong way to go about things. I'd class myself as a conservative gamer, but I disagree with a lot of these tropes. I think OP is confusing a conservative with a hardline steadfast and unchanging person and a liberal for a wishy washy pussy. Which is entirely wrong, since surely the Liberal would hate DRM, the Conservative would support the smaller industry etc.

I'm a left wing libertarian (we exist, donchaknow).

 

[Treblaine]

(1) I realize I forgot to include why liberal gamers dislike 3D. For them, it's usually because of negative reactions, like headaches or nausea, whereas the Conservative dislikes 3D because he sees it as merely a money-making scheme.

(2) My labels do indeed need some work. I suppose I made the umbrella a bit too big for the sake of this experiment. If a person likes Indy games, doesn't mind DRM, but still thinks Motion controls and 3D are a gimmick, then they are pretty much split down the line 50-50, and my opinion is that such people are rare.

(1) I hate 3D for both of those reasons, equally. And I know I am not alone on this.

(2) Such people are NOT rare. Most people who like indie games do not like DRM.

You're decision to use labels from political discourse is so dumb you should drop those labels entirely and start FROM SCRATCH! This medium is moving too quickly and is too divided to say what is clearly conservative or progressive (that you foolishly conflate with "liberal").

You are getting a lot of criticism for this idea because the idea really is that bad.

 

[Strazdas]

i think you mixed something up in

Conservative: Dislikes change to gaming environment, Dislikes DRM, Dislikes Indy Games, Graphics are very important. Liberal: Embraces motion controls, 3D, Indy gaming, Does not mind DRM, Does not mind lower-res Graphics

Its the conservatives that should not mind lower-res graphics and liberals that think grpaihc are important, because same idiots like DRM and thing graphics are the most important stuff.

Also i dont see how indie games shoudl really apply because indie games tend to be the conservative ones whole the mainstream has went into motion controls, 3d and other similar "inventions".

 

[zehydra]

(1) I realize I forgot to include why liberal gamers dislike 3D. For them, it's usually because of negative reactions, like headaches or nausea, whereas the Conservative dislikes 3D because he sees it as merely a money-making scheme.

(2) My labels do indeed need some work. I suppose I made the umbrella a bit too big for the sake of this experiment. If a person likes Indy games, doesn't mind DRM, but still thinks Motion controls and 3D are a gimmick, then they are pretty much split down the line 50-50, and my opinion is that such people are rare.

(1) I hate 3D for both of those reasons, equally. And I know I am not alone on this.

(2) Such people are NOT rare. Most people who like indie games do not like DRM.

You're decision to use labels from political discourse is so dumb you should drop those labels entirely and start FROM SCRATCH! This medium is moving too quickly and is too divided to say what is clearly conservative or progressive (that you foolishly conflate with "liberal").

You are getting a lot of criticism for this idea because the idea really is that bad.

What would I use instead? Perhaps "Liberal" is ill-used, but I do believe that Conservative is the proper label for the people I have described that fit that description. I am not basing these terms on the political version of these terms, but rather the purest senses of the words. Though you are right, using commonly used political terms is going to screw up the whole point of this thread, since nobody wants to identify as a conservative, lol.

 

[spartan231490]

I split those definitions pretty evenly. I hate motion control and 3D, but I have nothing against indie games, and I actually prefer game companies to put a little less money and time into graphics so the rest of the game gets more attention. I would love to see a holo-deck style of gaming but I don't think motion control and 3D are the first steps on this path, I think they are instead dead end roads distracting us from the true path. I have no issue with DRM. I play indie games if they look good, the same reason I play other games, not because I'm disillusioned with the developers.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I'm an artsy fartsy retro gamer who plays SNES games on a 3D TV.

You're a fan of mangled low res artwork?

 

[Treblaine]

(1) I realize I forgot to include why liberal gamers dislike 3D. For them, it's usually because of negative reactions, like headaches or nausea, whereas the Conservative dislikes 3D because he sees it as merely a money-making scheme.

(2) My labels do indeed need some work. I suppose I made the umbrella a bit too big for the sake of this experiment. If a person likes Indy games, doesn't mind DRM, but still thinks Motion controls and 3D are a gimmick, then they are pretty much split down the line 50-50, and my opinion is that such people are rare.

(1) I hate 3D for both of those reasons, equally. And I know I am not alone on this.

(2) Such people are NOT rare. Most people who like indie games do not like DRM.

You're decision to use labels from political discourse is so dumb you should drop those labels entirely and start FROM SCRATCH! This medium is moving too quickly and is too divided to say what is clearly conservative or progressive (that you foolishly conflate with "liberal").

You are getting a lot of criticism for this idea because the idea really is that bad.

What would I use instead? Perhaps "Liberal" is ill-used, but I do believe that Conservative is the proper label for the people I have described that fit that description. I am not basing these terms on the political version of these terms, but rather the purest senses of the words. Though you are right, using commonly used political terms is going to screw up the whole point of this thread, since nobody wants to identify as a conservative, lol.

I suggest you take a step back and consider what the hell you are trying to achieve with these 'labels' whatever they are.

The video game community is so diverse and constantly changing, you can't say just because someone has one opinion on a subject that they are any more or less likely to hold a certain other unrelated opinion.

Part of the reason for this is video gaming is not a two-sides system.

In politics thanks to democracy it almost always boils down to the top-two parties competing for the most votes, and they then divide issues between them and shape them along universal ideals to gain the most votes.

That is not the case in video game industry with hundreds of different games on half a dozen different systems at such a range of prices that you can buy into them in so many different ways. This is complicated and with so many overlapping interests and always constantly changing there is no group. Console manufacturers and Games Publishers struggle with this- the issue of "demographics"

Demographics
That seems to be what you are struggling towards; putting different types of gamers into different groups according to unified tastes so they can sell them a product with lots of features lots of people like. yet even the best in the business struggle with this and you know what: there is no consensus.

I think it is because the video games industry since its rebirth in 1985 has been in a near constant state of flux with a highly dynamic user group that growing up and then having children as they consume the products.

People really are not divided along ideal like conservation/progression as these are ideals of government and society, not ideals of entertainment and art. You wilfully mix artistic and technical preferences and not in a very meaningful way.

For example you have made no distinction between tastes for abstract (Team Fortress 2) or realism (Crysis). These are important artistic distinctions and far more important than 3D which I think it's less a case of love/hate and more struggling to even care one way or the other.

 

[zehydra]

(1) I realize I forgot to include why liberal gamers dislike 3D. For them, it's usually because of negative reactions, like headaches or nausea, whereas the Conservative dislikes 3D because he sees it as merely a money-making scheme.

(2) My labels do indeed need some work. I suppose I made the umbrella a bit too big for the sake of this experiment. If a person likes Indy games, doesn't mind DRM, but still thinks Motion controls and 3D are a gimmick, then they are pretty much split down the line 50-50, and my opinion is that such people are rare.

(1) I hate 3D for both of those reasons, equally. And I know I am not alone on this.

(2) Such people are NOT rare. Most people who like indie games do not like DRM.

You're decision to use labels from political discourse is so dumb you should drop those labels entirely and start FROM SCRATCH! This medium is moving too quickly and is too divided to say what is clearly conservative or progressive (that you foolishly conflate with "liberal").

You are getting a lot of criticism for this idea because the idea really is that bad.

What would I use instead? Perhaps "Liberal" is ill-used, but I do believe that Conservative is the proper label for the people I have described that fit that description. I am not basing these terms on the political version of these terms, but rather the purest senses of the words. Though you are right, using commonly used political terms is going to screw up the whole point of this thread, since nobody wants to identify as a conservative, lol.

I suggest you take a step back and consider what the hell you are trying to achieve with these 'labels' whatever they are.

The video game community is so diverse and constantly changing, you can't say just because someone has one opinion on a subject that they are any more or less likely to hold a certain other unrelated opinion.

Part of the reason for this is video gaming is not a two-sides system.

In politics thanks to democracy it almost always boils down to the top-two parties competing for the most votes, and they then divide issues between them and shape them along universal ideals to gain the most votes.

That is not the case in video game industry with hundreds of different games on half a dozen different systems at such a range of prices that you can buy into them in so many different ways. This is complicated and with so many overlapping interests and always constantly changing there is no group. Console manufacturers and Games Publishers struggle with this- the issue of "demographics"

Demographics
That seems to be what you are struggling towards; putting different types of gamers into different groups according to unified tastes so they can sell them a product with lots of features lots of people like. yet even the best in the business struggle with this and you know what: there is no consensus.

I think it is because the video games industry since its rebirth in 1985 has been in a near constant state of flux with a highly dynamic user group that growing up and then having children as they consume the products.

People really are not divided along ideal like conservation/progression as these are ideals of government and society, not ideals of entertainment and art. You wilfully mix artistic and technical preferences and not in a very meaningful way.

For example you have made no distinction between tastes for abstract (Team Fortress 2) or realism (Crysis). These are important artistic distinctions and far more important than 3D which I think it's less a case of love/hate and more struggling to even care one way or the other.

Yes, you are correct. I ought to have been more specific. I do not mean Conservative or Liberal Gamer by what he plays, but rather by the Real-life circumstances that he accepts, at least, that was the point. I should have left the whole Indy Game/AAA game and Graphics things out of the picture entirely.

 

[TheTim]

Well all the games i play are mainstreamed and big budget, and most indie games i don't really like. so i'm still conservative when it comes to games.

 

[RagTagBand]

Like with most left/right debates, the middle ground is almost always where the truth lies...but you haven't included that option.

I'm liberal Politically, but by your standards (arguably arbitrary as they may be) i'm a "Conservative" gamer.

My definition is not arbitrary. Every part of my definition of conservative gamer comes from the fact that the conservative gamer seems to dislike to change to his/her medium.

I said "Arguably" arbitrary and yes I think some of the things you've put are arbitrary and biased as "Conservative" lists things they don't like and "Liberal" lists the things they do like. Well what do "Conservative" gamers like and what do "Liberal" gamers not like?

 

[zehydra]

Like with most left/right debates, the middle ground is almost always where the truth lies...but you haven't included that option.

I'm liberal Politically, but by your standards (arguably arbitrary as they may be) i'm a "Conservative" gamer.

My definition is not arbitrary. Every part of my definition of conservative gamer comes from the fact that the conservative gamer seems to dislike to change to his/her medium.

I said "Arguably" arbitrary and yes I think some of the things you've put are arbitrary and biased as "Conservative" lists things they don't like and "Liberal" lists the things they do like. Well what do "Conservative" gamers like and what do "Liberal" gamers not like?

The idea was that Conservative gamers like traditional-style controls. The idea of the "liberal" gamer was more or less conceived in my head shortly before making this thread. I had a much better idea of the Conservative gamer, since I had found so many online already. The liberal gamer was supposed to be the opposite side of the spectrum, since I know that not everybody fills in those roles.

 

[zehydra]

well that was a giant pile of bullshit and chips, now how about you make a category that isn't broad stroke caricature?

how about you make one?

I'm surprised at the amount of angry responses to this thread. This thread was just an idea I had. I was wondering how accurate my idea was, and as it turns out not terribly.

It was just an idea, which I guess it seems like I'll have to abandon, because people are getting offended.

 

[cgentero]

I embrace Motion\Touch\Voice controls as an augmentation rather than a replacement
I don't particularly care for 3D(I am blind in one eye) but I don't have anything against it
I support Indie games, but admittedly popular titles; Minecraft, Super Meatboy, Limbo, etc.
I dislike DRM and feel that piracy is inevitable but that F2P and other innovations can impair it
I don't mind low res graphics at all, still play NES, not to say I don't have a Crysis capable PC

 

[ReservoirAngel]

Liberal definitely. Actually this explains why I so often clash with my brother over stuff that I find totally unimportant but he finds massively relevant.

I'm all for new technology. Well, mostly. The Kinect I'm not fond of, but motion controls in general ARE a good idea when implemented properly, and I'm looking forward to the Wii-U to see what stuff that can pull off.

And yeah, I don't mind less graphical capabilities. This is where the sibling clashes come from. My brother finds it insane that I can be perfectly content with something that isn't completely at the peak of graphical possiblities. Honestly a lot of the time I don't even notice. Like he makes a big deal of "Half-Life 2 looks so much better on PC" but when I compare the PC version to my 360 version? I really can't see a difference.

It's the same with frame-rate too. Apparently something running at even 55fps is just "unplayable" to him whereas for me... as long as it runs smoothly and doesn't jerk around or stutter like hell, I honestly don't give two fucks.

Oh, but I don't play many indie games. Mostly because I have no available internet connection to get myself onto XBLA to scope out stuff there. Plus being poor as dirt doesn't help things along in any way.

 

[Dense_Electric]

Why is there never any middle ground in these polls? As there are more than two sets of opinions when it comes to politics and social issues, there are more than two sets of opinions when it comes to the future of gaming.

 

[Galaxy Roll]

Things would never evolve if no one ever pushed the envelope, so I'll be liberal forever.

At least until someone creates a super-genre transcendent game with characters, environment, and story so immersive that you get literally sucked into the game where your mind literally explodes from being too feeble to comprehend just how amazing the gameplay is. Then I'll die happy.

 

[Lilani]

-snip-

I hate to be "that person," but I really don't like the idea of picking a side, here. I think choosing to be EITHER conservative OR liberal is like deciding whether to use your right eye or your left eye.

I like a healthy mix of both. I don't use one or the other as a mantra in life, but rather two go-to options when approaching a problem. I'm going to get a haircut: Do I leave it long, or make it shorter? Well I do like my long hair and I know I look good with it, but I'm getting a new job soon and the boss likes short hair. The boss is guaranteed to like the short hair regardless, and I there is a chance I may, too. So I'll get it short and make a good first impression.

Or my grandmother is coming home for dinner. I have all the ingredients to make a new dish I've been wanting to try, but my grandmother is old-school and she might not like it. But, I'd have to go to the store to get her favorites. Do I make my grandmother uncomfortable by making her explore with me, or do I go ahead and stick with the mainstay and make her happy? The last thing I want to do is have an old lady angry with me, so I'm going to have to go with the usual dish.

See? I took both ideas, applied them to the situations, and decided on which was best to get the most desirable outcome. I didn't obstinately stick with one or the other, trying to legitimize it and force it into the situation. They aren't absolute belief systems you can trust throughout life. They are simply tools in the decision-making process. Again, I'll say choosing one or the other is like choosing one eye or the other. You have two perfectly good eyes. Why not use both? You'll get twice the perspective on the situation at hand.

So I think we as gamers need to look at each situation in gaming and decide what needs to happen. FPSs are probably due for a good change right about now, but deciding what to change and what to leave is key. If we don't look at what we've done in the past and take note of what works, the future has nothing to build on. We'll just keep making the same mistakes again and again.

Uncontrolled conservatism is stagnation, and uncontrolled liberalism is chaos. With the former nothing ever changes or improves, with the latter nothing is ever learned or retained. Using either without any checks or balances is completely useless.

 

[JaredXE]

Definite Conservative. DRM is useless and harmful, motion controls and 3D ARE a gimmick, graphics....ehh, don't care that much.

 

[Paladin88]

Old I know, but I thought I'd share my views on this topic anyway.

I think people are far too concerned with labeling people, and often with words they do not truly understand the meaning of. I'm an artsy person, I do all sorts of weird things to my hair (just changing colors- its red now lol), I love diversity and people so long as they are of good character. Nobody in my family has ever cared about someone's race, or sexual preference- as it is not important. I find the Christian faith fascinating and beautiful; especially after I had studied Greek and Hebrew and the culture of the ancient world, which also influenced ideas for one of many games, and graphic novel I've been working on (a main hero in one of my books/games is actually gay). With that bit of info about myself, people would assume I am a modern liberal... I am not, and have never considered myself to be one.

Am I a conservative? Well there are different types of conservatism. I am a classic conservative which was apart of the original philosophy of the Republican party. In which they believed a smaller government, was a more efficient, and intelligent government; not to mention safer. I am fiscally conservative, as it is rooted in common sense, and responsibility. If someone handed me a credit card with a $65K limit, and I spent it all, then asked for another one, and did the same thing... That's not very responsible, wise, and its dangerous. This does not mean I hate or fear government (I'm no anarchist), nor do I believe people in need- should have to fend for themselves- as I believe in the safety net. I am conservative on national security, which is again also rooted in common sense. I don't live in a rough neighborhood, but hey, bad things can happen to anyone anywhere, and I rather be safe than sorry. I keep my home secure, yes I own a gun too- and I'm trained, because while I can call the police if something did happen... The police cannot instantly materialize at my door and be ready to help me. So while I wait for the police to show up, my gun is ready as am I to defend myself if I must... I have a sword too, which I think is awesome too ^_^.

Social conservatism is what people seem to describe, when they label a conservative as "fearing" or being "unwilling" to change. Change also must be defined, if I started killing and raping people, that would be change... Though not a good one LOL. Social conservatism isn't entirely bad, as it does promote virtuous characteristics- which ultimately does have an effect on society, as I've seen in Japan- and because I was raised as I was, I often had many Japanese people tell me (lived there for a bit), that I was "very Japanese, for an American". I like new things, that are positive, I have to- I'm an artist a creator, new things inspire me greatly- technology and science fascinates me, especially when used to uplift humanity instead of controlling or destroying humanity.

Social conservatism however is bad when you have politicians try to legislate it, as you cannot legislate morality. This was never apart of the Republican party, but became so under Nixion- which was his response to the drug issue starting up- and later the counter culture revolution. Which leads me to the next word...

Classic liberal. I would also consider myself this, and it too was also apart of the original philosophy of the Republican party. The belief was "does man need government to tell him how to live?" I don't smoke weed, nor do I think ill of anyone who does- and I don't think the government should be concerned with it either. I have friends who are gay, and I don't think the government should be telling two consenting adults in love, how they should live. I think abortion is sad, nasty even because of its original purpose, which was eugenics.. However I understand the situations in which a woman may go that way- and such a choice needs to be between her, her family (if she has one), the man (if in the picture), and most importantly (if she believes) god. Not some silly politician, who wishes to play both politician and priest, oh I think prostitution should be legal too lol.

I reject modern liberalism (along with its hate, subtle racism, ignorance, and hypocrisy), which is nothing more than progressive ideology repackaged. It is collectivism when you get down to it, and collectivism kills individuality, freedom of speech, and even thought. Political correctness is also part of modern liberalism, which too is dangerous, and censoring. I also reject modern conservatism (along with its hypocrisy, ignorance, hate, and prudish views), which is the right's version of collectivism. It constantly implies that if you are not an upstanding Christian, (or the right kind of Christian), if you're anything that doesn't mirror their ideal of a Christian American- then you're doing something wrong, and should be treated differently. Both are garbage to me, as both do not care for the constitution or true freedom.

Politically I vote for who I feel is best fit to lead the country. I do not vote for party, and will study a candidate before I vote for them... No I did not vote for Obama in 08 (didn't like McCain either), nor did I vote for him in 2012 (although I felt Romney was a horrible candidate- all of them were on the Republican side). I must say I'm also quite put off by the worshiping of Obama I see from a lot of supporters... It almost looks like something out of Communist Russia, or Nazi Germany.

As for video games... I'm all well and good with the 3D, and motion is fun- though since I'm such an artistic person, no I would not want to see motion capture replace everything, and I know there are many other devs who also don't want to see that. I feel it takes away a bit from the characters, and story. It depends on the type of game really though. Back in the day or as some call it, "the golden era of gaming"- the 90's. Most of the games I ran to were developed in Japan, because I felt American games were boring and ugly. Today I see a lot of Japanese influence in western games, and I myself am influenced, and find myself gravitating more towards western games today.

I've always been a huge fighting game fan, actually making one- also an RPG fan (also making one). I was never really a shooting game fan, especially FPS games, and still not so much today. Adventure games I've always loved, though I care very little for Mario and Zelda these days, as it is too child-like to me sorry. I really dig deep stories, and interesting characters. MMO's really have me right now I must say. First time I got into them was with Phantasy Star Online, later Final Fantasy XI, Phantasy Star Universe, Final Fantasy XIV (can't wait for A Realm Reborn), currently playing and loving Guild Wars 2, and dying to play Elder Scrolls Online.

 

[nexus]

This is probably the silliest thread I've seen.

You should have created your own terminology for the 2 groups. Everyone is just not-so-sub-consciously latching onto their political affiliation.

What I'm not surprised by in this thread:
Liberal being a majority.
People that naively uphold the term "change"; when it doesn't mean anything by itself.
Conservatives being considered "old"

I guess I would fall under Conservative, get off my lawn you hippies.

(I didn't realize this was a necro)