Poll: Conservative and Liberal Gamers

[Hagi]

Conservative.

I don't think 3D and Motion control in their current form are a viable future.
I prefer games without bugs.
I prefer control systems that actually work as opposed to something 'revolutionary'.
The vast majority of my game purchases are AAA games.

And I think this poll is completely and utterly useless due to the political baggage hanging on the terms liberal and conservative. I've trouble thinking of a more inherently biased poll then this one but can't really come up with anything.

 

[Double A]

I'm libertarian, then, because I hate DRM but like Indie games. Also Indy games, but I don't see what LucasArts has to do with this. Processor-raping graphics, motion controls, and 3D are a huge waste of time and do little (if anything) to improve the game. I like to see the medium move forward, but not into a dead end.

Looks like to me you just took two political terms and didn't attach any real weight to them. You aren't employed by a major news network, are you?

 

[EGtodd09]

I'm surprised even one person fits exactly into one of those categories. Way to specific. I play Call of Duty and Battlefield, but I also play Terraria and I don't mind DRM but I think the current state of motion controls is terrible.

 

[Xaio30]

(I had a massive rant here before I realized that you addressed it in your Edit, but I'd still like to share the following.)

I'll add an option to your poll: Majeretive.

-Dislikes DRM until they stop screwing everyone over to some degree.
-Likes games with personality and immersion.
-Does not care for graphics. (It can have ungodly detail or be text-based)
-Dislikes Motion controls until they are as accurate as standard controllers/mouse.
-Likes changes where more time is spent on improving story and gameplay aspects.

And if you're not Liberal, Conservative or Majeretive. Then create a new one.

 

[masticina]

I am neither I am a balanced gamer. I see the gain in new technology now ways to think and do things. It is what moves the industry forward.

For the same though I see the worth of 'old fashioned" things. I do buy old consoles with their hit games. Latests I did buy a Sega Mega Drive II with all three sonic for instance. If you don't know your past you don't know your future.

I will enjoy the progression within games as much as how much stays the same. I know the past the now and can predict at least in part the future. For I see the big lines

Politics Schmologitics in the end games are to enjoy us. Noe ExCUUUUSE me Princess while I go go a certain blue hedgehog before he did go on drugs.

 

[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.

 

[RagTagBand]

(I had a massive rant here before I realized that you addressed it in your Edit, but I'd still like to share the following.)

I'll add an option to your poll: Majeretive.

Google has no idea what that word is, and neither do I. Do you mean "Majorative"?

 

[Xaio30]

(I had a massive rant here before I realized that you addressed it in your Edit, but I'd still like to share the following.)

I'll add an option to your poll: Majeretive.

Google has no idea what that word is, and neither do I. Do you mean "Majorative"?

Ah, sorry. My last name is Majere so i made that word up to symbolize my own opinions.

 

[That's Funny]

As a gamer I'm liberal, politically, while I dislike conservatism in politics, I like to keep an open mind when voting.

 

[probunk]

Libertarian gamer. Much more liberal in this context.

 

[babinro]

I favor conservative gaming so I voted that.

I'm in favor of change in the gaming world though. I've no plans to buy a 3D tv or get any motion control system beyond the Wii. That said, I do feel that motion controlled gaming at imes improves over traditional...it simply needs the time to be perfected.

 

[Tommeh Brownleh]

While I dislike motion controls, its not because they harm the medium as a whole, they've just yet to immerse me in the way that a good old fashioned Keyboard+Mouse or 360 controls have. I like 3D, (I use my 3ds a LOT) Indie games are typically the games to embrace new ideas and try new things, and I like that, I actually enjoyed Mirror's Edge not because of the quality, but because it was a new idea. Color me liberal.

 

[cobra_ky]

i'm a gaming anarchist. when it comes to gaming, i'm anti-corporate, anti-government intervention and seek to uproot the vested power structure currently controlling the industry. i support innovation, the indie (D.I.Y.) development culture, and most of all freedom. according to the arbitrary categories set forth in the OP, i'm mostly liberal but i utterly despise DRM.

it's not the OP's fault though. That's the inherent problem of trying to divide people into binaries based on their views. there are more than two sides to virtually any issue.

oh, and for what it's worth, i'm fairly progressive when it comes to politics in general.

 

[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.

 

[Toriver]

I am conservative in my politics, but a liberal gamer, to a degree. I'm not all that enthused with 3D, but motion controls don't bother me, and neither does DRM, if it doesn't actually break my game. I don't really care about graphics; I want to be able to play a smooth game, not have to wait or put up with a stuttering screen because my machine can't handle the polygons and shading. And while AAA studios do make great games, I also support the idea of indie developers. After all, the indie developers of today may be the AAA devs of the future!

 

[zehydra]

*le snip*

This is ridiculous, you are tryin to divide people by their gaming preference according to their political leanings, this is not goign to work.

"He/She disregards any other setup as insufficient and dismisses motion controls as a "gimmick", and even sometimes harmful to gaming."

I was very keen about Playstation Move, I bought all the peripherals and games and when I tried them... yeah, it's a gimmick. What the hell does that make me? A liberal for trying it yet conservative for deciding (on examination) it is a gimmick.

You also say some other really dumb things:

"They also dismiss 3D gaming (liberals may also dislike 3D, but for different reasons than the Conservative)"

But you never make clear what is a conservative way to dismiss 3D and what is a liberal way! This is all utterly arbitrary and pointless in the distinctions and certainly not helpful in any way.

Keep in mind that I do not expect people to match either definition 100%

These labels are POINTLESS if they are so inconsistent.

What is the point in saying "he is a conservative gamer" if that doesn't inform if they like motion controls or 3D or not?

It's reasonable to say that if someone is politically conservative their beliefs will line up consistently with few exceptions, but those are political ideals. We are talking technological and artistic preference which is far less over-arching.

Liberal Gamers also do not mind DRM

This pisses me off the most, DRM is neither liberal nor progressive and it also stands in stark contrast with their indy gaming preference that scorns DRM. DRM is the conservative approach to gaming retail to CONSERVE the status quo of pricing and distribution.

Alright alright. No, I'm not trying to divide anybody, and certainly not by their political affiliations. This has nothing to do with politics. I merely went with two definitions, Conservative and Liberal, and I noticed how people online who hold certain positions tend to match the definitions of Conservative and Liberal.

You are correct on your analysis on your position of the playstation move. If you consider it a Gimmick, then you are indeed a Gaming conservative by my definitions.

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.

I disagree with your claim that people also consistently fit into "Conservative" and "Liberal" categories when it comes to politics. I'm a bit surprised to see that people are so critical of that particular point (that people don't 100% fit in the categories), when the political version of Politically Conservative and Politically Liberal don't really work either.

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.

 

[zehydra]

Man, I am ludicrously split along your taxonomy.

1. I'm fine with new controller schemas, but overall I think that the tried and true works best. For example, I thought The Path would have been about a million times better with more conventional controls. Overall: Liberal, barely!

2. Dislike 3D gaming. It's a gimmick. Conservative!

3. Looooove the Indie gaming circuit. Hate the 'five flavors of shooter' issue we have right now... and think games need to get back to their roots, with more experimentation of form and variety. So, liberal, more or less.

4. DESPISE DRM WITH A BURNY FLAMEY PASSION. So, conservative

5. Graphics mean squat. You can do beauty with minimal design. Liberal.

So that's two conservative votes, two liberal votes, and one barely liberal vote.

Meeeeeh. I don't know if I like your taxonomy. In particular, the DRM thing strikes me as off the scale of the others.

yeah, maybe I should've just left DRM out of the whole thing in general. My main point was the Real-world aspect of gaming. Also, your number 1 should be Conservative, not liberal by my definition

 

[zehydra]

I hereby designate myself a Whig gamer.

This is probably the best answer to the thread, and you win a whole stack of cookies.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

"They want gaming to be free to evolve, but without the "suits" messing things up"
Politically, this can be a philosophy. It doesn't really make sense with gaming, as there is no "suit" that muddles with the development of a game. The developers have complete control over the game they're making.

Yeahhhh... Tell that to devs owned by Activision and EA.

OT: I'm definitely a moderate, maybe slightly sympathetic to liberal. I don't give a rat's ass about graphics, i don't inherently mind change, but i hate most DRM and i don't enjoy motion controls in the slightest.

 

[Princess Rose]

Edit: Keep in mind that I do not expect people to match either definition 100%, but that I feel that at least with most Gamers I have encountered, they rarely are split even 50-50.

Yeah, except, given your definition, I kinda do.

I prefer console to PC, but will use PC when absolutely necessary.
I hate motion controls and 3D.
I DO want the media to move forward towards a future with full virtual reality games (motion controls and 3D are gimmicks, not virtual reality advancements).
I don't mind DRM (at least, I don't mind it in the passionate, resentful way that so many people here on the Escapist do)
I love DLC, and have no problem with Day 1 DLC. (which you didn't mention)

So, counting up points, I think I did split your definition 50-50.

So I guess I'm a moderate. ^^;;

I'll just be over here, sitting on my fence.