Poll: Is the Escapist mostly Anti-Mainstream? (Users more so)

[TelHybrid]

I wouldn't go that far. Mainstream games were the only games that a lot of the masses were exposed to for years, but with digital distribution emerging more as a way of attaining games, and consoles taking advantage of this growing trend, indie games are getting more coverage and more appreciation.

On the flipside, there's a lot of changes to mainstream gaming in recent years, and while many are content with these changes, a lot of people aren't pleased with certain aspects. DLC is always a touchy subject, as it's a big debate in general involving what should be free and what shouldn't be, and if they're overpriced or not, and if DLC is simply a way of completing an incomplete game as well, that will also stir up some controversy.

Finally, there's the hipster subculture. The whole ideology that it's cool to hate mainstream stuff that the masses like is a very prominent view that's emerging, unfortunately. Ironically these people conform to anti-conformity. They can't decide for themselves what they like, so they just follow the crowd.

Personally, for me I like to enjoy the best of both worlds. I'd never turn my nose up to a good mainstream release like something from the Mass Effect series, or Portal 2, or even Halo. At the same time Indie games, or games by small companies owned by larger corporations, such as Flower and World of Goo, have taken up a lot of my time. They're the games this generation that are trying new gameplay mechanics via software (rather than gimmicky hardware), and provide the nostalgia produced from the simplistic fun that games were all about years ago.

 

[Nimcha]

There's a lot of hate towards stuff that's successfull.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

I wouldn't say so. There's a lot of Duke Nukem supporters here, as well as for a lot of mainstream titles that aren't occurring to me right now. The general hatreds are a bit more focussed than 'mainstream', moreso picking out the titans that spawn clones but keep going regardless (WoW, Halo, CoD etc).

It seems the community is more pro-variety than it is anti-mainstream. Otherwise I'd expect we'd get 90% of the threads filled with proclamations of how Indie Shmup #144 is the new standard of quality in the industry, and how all games should be more like The Graveyard.

 

[mjc0961]

I don't really know or care what most other users think about mainstream games. I can say that I don't hate them just for being popular though. There are some I have played, thought were shit, and can't fathom why they're popular though.

can't vote that would counter the purpose of this thread


*rages*

Wait, what do you mean..? :S

That voting would be the mainstream thing to do and thus he can't do it because he's so anti-mainstream.

 

[veloper]

The staff? Mainstream.

The users? Mostly RPG storyfags (PC and consoles) and a vocal minority of haters from the oldskool (PC).

 

[Fiend13]

Two questions:
1. What is mainstream?
2. Is there a definition of mainstream that is not led ad absurdum by the amount of people using the internet?

 

[crimsonshrouds]

I dislike a lot of things that are mainstream but those things dont fit with my tastes and i play/own them. COD being one of those.

Do i dislike everything mainstream? No! Do i try to shove my opinion down peoples throat? No!

I usually flame bait people with the fact i dislike halo because the first one i played was odst and i judge the whole series on that.

 

[DustyDrB]

I've just never liked first person shooters, even before Halo and Call of Duty came around. I'm more of a 3D platforming, adventure, and RPG guy.

I still love Zelda games, though. That's about as mainstream as it gets.

 

[Durananrananrananran]

I think really the escapist is anti-crap.
Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes crap. The more mainstream something is, the more people know about it, the more people consider it to be crap. Not proportionally, just in total. And the dissenters are always louder than the contented

This.

I'm not sure what you mean by mainstream - I'm guessing you mean best selling games. In that case, its all mainstream. Pretty much all of the games I see discussed were high charting games.

 

[Alluos]

Some are, but others just genuinely enjoy things that happen to be less mainstream, and it's sad that these wannabe hipsters of the internet manage to cast their umbrella of stupid over everyone else.

I'm surprised the escapist isn't too mainstream for them.

 

[Buizel91]

There seems to be a Huge PC community, and i have seen a fair share of Console bashing around. Call Of Duty is pretty much ergh'd whenever a thread appears about it, same with Halo, although Halo seems to have a few more fans than COD here.

Many hardcore Pokemon fans about, can't have a Pokemon thread here without "the first 150 were the best" where actually there was 151

But other than them it's just a typical gaming site, with everyone voicing opinions. It seems more organised though, and not a lot of trolls about (which other gaming site are infested with) Our community seems more lively as well, many people knowing each other and generally having a good time.

I like to think of this place as a haven for gamers, Don't know why, just as i said, seem more organised and nicer than other places on the net.

 

[Serving UpSmiles]

I don't like the word mainstream, its too mainstream.

 

[Amondren]

This place is underground...

Yeah it's kinda mainstream I mean we won the webby and we have a whole lot of users. Does that make this site bad? No it makes the site better we get plenty of new opinions, new news, and thats just from users. This is pretty much my first place for game related news (when I'm on the internet)

 

[SageRuffin]

So it would seem from where I'm sitting.

In fact, and this is purely personal observation, if you do happen like a mainstream game (i.e. CoD), then people seem to be ready to attack you with torches, pitchforks, holy water, crosses, garlic, portable sunlight, Tahitian Noni juice, snake venom, and the kitchen sink.

Also, gods forbid a game tries to "reach a wider audience", then all of sudden it's being "dumbed down for the masses". And don't get me started on that.

Do note I'm talking strictly about users, and that this is purely my own observations. And, of course, not everyone is subject to this generalization, so please keep that in mind before anyone comes at me with any of the aforementioned instruments.

 

[GrimHeaper]

I am not talking mainly about the hosts of this great site, but more so the users. I have been her for a while now... Almost two years in a couple of months and more recently it's starting to show... Now I am not saying that its bad, but it just seems so often to the point that for some reason it's like Anti-Mainstream are attracted to this site for some unknown reasons...

What do you guys think?

I'm anti-anti-mainstream.
I don't conform to this poll.

 

[LiberalSquirrel]

I'm a "I like what i like" sort of guy, I dislike FPS, but not because im some kind of hipster, i just don't like them.#

I listen to SOME mainstream music my favourite bands a Foo Fightes and Muse, who are fairly mainstream.

I just dislike the idea of hating something because its popular, as much i hate the idea of just being a teenybopper.

...Are you me in male form?

Anyways. People who hate on something just because it's mainstream drive me up the wall. I like some mainstream stuff, just as I like some non-mainstream stuff. Same with dislikes.

...Does that make me non-mainstream for not liking the mainstream non-mainstream mindset?

 

[LuckyClover95]

Yes, but I don't think "wahey I'm so alternative" is a good thing.

 

[Cheesus333]

I don't think it matters. People have individual opinions, and even if they are governed by factors such as 'who else thinks the same', they're still their own opinions. We are many persons, not one people, if you see what I mean.

 

[Kargathia]

Mainstream is a funny thing... Always if you ask somebody about it, then it's always "those other people" who are mainstream.

Personally when having to describe this site I'd go for "intelligent" - inherent sense of superiority included. That looks like anti-mainstream, but is subtly different.

 

[funguy2121]

I think the question is posed a bit too simply to answer without qualifying.

I'm not insulting anyone, but do to the overly sensitive nature of some of the Escapist's demographic, I have to state this anyway: I do consider myself a nerd (geek, really, but that's a discussion for another time), and I use the term, usually, with affection.

Escapist is a nerd site. I wouldn't call it a geek site because (OK, I guess I am discussing it here) there isn't nearly so much emphasis on movies (aside from Bob) and music as on video games, and because whenever a socio-political or scientific issue comes up, there's far more flaming and weak sources (wikipedia, comments sections from political blogs and Yahoo groups) and you're-clearly-an-idiot-for-not-agreeing-with-what-I've-never-questioned-or-researched attitude than logic, credible sources and calm, rational debate. I encounter more users nitpicking and heatedly arguing over such things as the science of dilithium crystals in Star Trek (which isn't exactly hard science fiction) or the arbitrary, endless debate over whether Ponies rule! or Ponies Sux! than I find thoughtful critiques of, say, Christopher Nolan's weaknesses as an action director relative to his peers.

I said all that to say, Escapist is a nerd site. That's decidedly un-mainstream, but not anti-mainstream, at least not necessarily. There are jilted angry teens (like a younger version of myself) who have only in recent years discovered how much of our world is manufactured bullshit and who encourage others not to be clones or sheep. Within this group are a smaller number who really don't like anything that's popular that hasn't piqued their interest. But if you check out a "favorite pop songs" thread some time, you ain't gonna find the Eels or Rilo Kiley or the Apples in Stereo. It's bubblegum dance pop, which apparently quite a few Escapists love. I'll refer you now to one of the greatest up-and-coming comics, writer and star of Community, former writer on 30 Rock, Donald Glover.

"Nerds just like weird, specific things. Ask Kanye West what he likes some time. 'I like robots and teddy bears!'"