Poll: Conservative and Liberal Gamers

[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.

 

[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.