What is truly wrong with gaming
- Thread starter Orks da best
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I know your not really asking me what I think is wrong with gaming, but I am going to answer this question anyway.
What I think is wrong with gaming or holding gaming back from becoming even better is the industry making the same type of games over and over. I would love to see more innovation and creativity in games. There is just endless possibilities with this wonderful media that I would love to be able to explore.
I don't think that gaming is in a downward spiral or anything like that, and there are still good games coming out; I just think games could be so much more, and we're just at the beginning of exploring all that they could do.
What I think is wrong with gaming or holding gaming back from becoming even better is the industry making the same type of games over and over. I would love to see more innovation and creativity in games. There is just endless possibilities with this wonderful media that I would love to be able to explore.
I don't think that gaming is in a downward spiral or anything like that, and there are still good games coming out; I just think games could be so much more, and we're just at the beginning of exploring all that they could do.
hampering*, if you care-Orks da best said:
I kind of agree with a lot of everything you said, but... replace games with everything and gamers with people.
It's like everywhere I look, I see stupid shit happening and no one bats an eye at it, like it's become acceptable that no one puts effort into doing things right or listens to anyone, or gives a shit at all!
I do appreciate the things that shine through, but I really wish something would happen that would change mankind for the better, I just see so many snap-judgments and lack of thought.
Why is "because it's how it's always been done" a good reason for anything?
P.S. I don't really want to list examples, if anyone needs examples then they are probably suffering from the above ^
Oh, and for anyone else who is interested:
Your - possessive, example: Your dog is loud.
You're - combination of you and are (you + are = you're), example: You're ignorant.
Their - possessive, example: Their car is bland.
There - a place, example: Go over there.
They're - a combination of they and are (they + are = they're), example: They're rather obnoxious, eh?
Thank you for reading, to finish:
Rouge = A cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbone.
Rogue = In modern English language, the term rogue is used pejoratively to describe a dishonest or unprincipled person whose behavior one disapproves of, but who is nonetheless likeable or attractive.
I think the gamers you're talking about are pretty much the gaming communities version of fundamentalist religous groups, they're loud, arrogant, hard to get through to, stubborn, and unwilling to see another side of the argument, and like such people they shouldn't be taken seriously nor do they represent the majority of their demographic.
Overall I think the tone of your essay, for lack of a better word, makes it seem like gaming is in some kind of stagnation, and I think that is far from the case. Also I doubt the vocal and asinine minority of gamers that you are talking about are the worse thing happening to gaming, if anything I think the worse thing happening to gaming is the presumption that video games are kiddie toys at best and rape and muder interactive training manuals at worst, and the many people that spread that kind of slanderous crap, people like Fox News and Right-Wing Christian Parent groups who are very ignorant of the medium.
And even these things haven't caused many major problems for the gaming communities and businesses.
Overall I think the tone of your essay, for lack of a better word, makes it seem like gaming is in some kind of stagnation, and I think that is far from the case. Also I doubt the vocal and asinine minority of gamers that you are talking about are the worse thing happening to gaming, if anything I think the worse thing happening to gaming is the presumption that video games are kiddie toys at best and rape and muder interactive training manuals at worst, and the many people that spread that kind of slanderous crap, people like Fox News and Right-Wing Christian Parent groups who are very ignorant of the medium.
And even these things haven't caused many major problems for the gaming communities and businesses.
Well mate, as you said, it isn't perfect. It never will be. There will always be something wrong with gaming or any kind of entertainment worth it's salt.
However, we've gotten to a point where it is piss easy to find games that fit a certain age demographic, and so, have a wide selection to chose from.
I say ignore what you don't like, and focus on the game that entertain YOU.
The sooner you do that, the happier you will be.
Nothing you do or say will make the things that you dislike or don't care for disappear.
However, we've gotten to a point where it is piss easy to find games that fit a certain age demographic, and so, have a wide selection to chose from.
I say ignore what you don't like, and focus on the game that entertain YOU.
The sooner you do that, the happier you will be.
Nothing you do or say will make the things that you dislike or don't care for disappear.
Allow me to welcome you to the Escapist then, tread carefully lest you awaken a raging self-proclaimed smart-arse.Orks da best said:
Well we are a large part of gaming so it's fair to assume that with any probems we have down the line that we're involved in it to a certain extent.
Correction, some gamers are entitled, spoilt, crybaby, pigheaded, stubborn, egotistical and self-rightious.
Yeah, there are a lot of arseholes out there among the gamer public but this can be said for just about any group or demographic.
For example, my girlfriend absolutely loves reading (she's probably read more than one hundred books over the last year, something I actually admire her for being able to do and wish I was capable of) and yet she has talked to me in the past about her frustrations with other bookworms and, in particular, certain authors or books.
No medium or group is immune to having it's black sheep and bad apples, gaming included.
Why not?
We've made tonnes of progress throughout gaming's history with these people still hanging onto us so why are they now suddenly a major problem?
Have you never seen Twi-hards? Or rock-snobs? Gangsta wannabes? Self-proclaimed movie critics?
Every medium has it's problem people, ours just seem bigger because we actually have to deal with ours on a regular basis.
That's true, we do need to be more tolerant of others.
This is presently something that the entirety of the human population is dealing with right now (despite all the progress we've made) so I'd say that we gamers are about on par with everyone else regarding that.
The only problem with wanting everyone to follow the 'Golden Rule' is not everyone is co-operative or even just plain nice enough to be considerate of others enough to be able to facilitate that.
That's not unique to gaming, that's just a problem with people in general.
True, gmes changing isn't always a bad thing but then there are the few times when it is (I for one don't really think that Red Faction translated all that well into the third person and we all know the lamented tale of Sonic going 3D) so sometimes the whiners and ragers do have a point.
As for what I believe is wrong with gaming at the moment, my biggest problem would have to be the sheer excess negativiity that lots of people seem to have these days, I'm normally a pessimistic and cynical person so I'm partial to the odd bout of grumbling and complaining about things I don't like but could we please lighten up and change our tune to something besides 'everything sucks'?
What's wrong with gaming? Actually, consumers are a pretty big portion of it, I think. We have millions upon millions of fanboys who will troll the internet for morsels hinting at the next iteration of a "AAA" title like Modern Warfare 3, who will rabidly defend any flaw like Archie Bunker defending segregation, and who are guaranteed money.
There is no incentive to trying anything new, when the business model that exists borders on flawless. Release a new iteration of fanboy bait #263, and profit.
Why would any sensible company try anything different? Games are expensive to make and produce. There's a lot of risk in something creative or different. The latest shooter clone or whatever is a much safer bet.
There is no incentive to trying anything new, when the business model that exists borders on flawless. Release a new iteration of fanboy bait #263, and profit.
Why would any sensible company try anything different? Games are expensive to make and produce. There's a lot of risk in something creative or different. The latest shooter clone or whatever is a much safer bet.
I think the problem with gamers is that we think we're above the... "others". Lets compare Gamers to Football Fans.
They root for their favorite team
We root for our favorite Game/Company/OS/Console, etc.
They get angry when the players change, people quit, teams are sold, or the coach makes what they see as a fatal mistake. Not to mention dedicating their time and lives to a team only to watch them suck.
We get angry when a developer changes the game, games are sold to another company, game that took years to release only to end up in bitter disappointment, or worse the game dies in production.
We both fight and bicker at each other to the point of shouting out death threats. I find the creation threads of "Xbox vs PS3", "PC vs Console" very similar to a few arguments I've observed with rival football fans.
They spray paint their bodies and put on jerseys. Then act out like their heros. (Grunting, yelling, insert football manliness here)
We spray paint our bodies, put on costumes, imitate our heros. (Get into sword fights, shout out I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite ______________ on the ___________. Etc.
Now, I may of mistaken this comparison. I admit I am a gamer, not a sports fan, but I like to think I'm good at observation. I grew up in a football home after all. My point I'm trying to get across is that the same problem with gamers is the same problem with anything else that can be even remotely competitive. Perhaps its just human nature to always try to top one another. To always want more than we can have. To confuse our vivid imaginations, with the hard reality of what is possibly in this digital age.
They root for their favorite team
We root for our favorite Game/Company/OS/Console, etc.
They get angry when the players change, people quit, teams are sold, or the coach makes what they see as a fatal mistake. Not to mention dedicating their time and lives to a team only to watch them suck.
We get angry when a developer changes the game, games are sold to another company, game that took years to release only to end up in bitter disappointment, or worse the game dies in production.
We both fight and bicker at each other to the point of shouting out death threats. I find the creation threads of "Xbox vs PS3", "PC vs Console" very similar to a few arguments I've observed with rival football fans.
They spray paint their bodies and put on jerseys. Then act out like their heros. (Grunting, yelling, insert football manliness here)
We spray paint our bodies, put on costumes, imitate our heros. (Get into sword fights, shout out I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite ______________ on the ___________. Etc.
Now, I may of mistaken this comparison. I admit I am a gamer, not a sports fan, but I like to think I'm good at observation. I grew up in a football home after all. My point I'm trying to get across is that the same problem with gamers is the same problem with anything else that can be even remotely competitive. Perhaps its just human nature to always try to top one another. To always want more than we can have. To confuse our vivid imaginations, with the hard reality of what is possibly in this digital age.
I agree with the OP that gamers have an attitude/image problem:
*Littering even serious arguments with completely inappropriate comments and profanity, making it difficult for others to take anything we say seriously
*Feigning "maturity" by throwing M-rated levels of gratuitous blood, violence and TnA into simple power fantasies and claiming they should be taken seriously as works of art
*Defending kids playing those M-rated power fantasies and bitching out any and all organizations meant to inform parents about games for "not getting it"
*Being far too reactionary, going so far as to defend ridiculous things in order for the gaming community, such that it is, to avoid taking any responsibility for anything
*encouraging unhealthy levels of gaming and denying the problem of unhealthy gaming: I do enjoy games, but going outside and getting some exercise and a social life outside gaming is a good thing, too
*alienating differing opinions from the majority of gamers on completely unrelated matters: you know what I'm talking about. That BS has to stop. Nobody should have to pick between calling themselves those things or a gamer.
On the industry side:
*ignoring the ESRB in choosing a target audience for advertising: mostly EA is guilty of this, but other companies have done it too
*on-disk day-one DLC: we paid for the disk and what's on it. Give us what we paid for without charging us another limb.
*devs and publishers whining over used game sales
*while we're at it, the idea devs have that we own the physical disk but not the game on it: outside lawyer-land, we call that a cop-out argument. The characters and world may be your IP, but the GAME is ours.
*Littering even serious arguments with completely inappropriate comments and profanity, making it difficult for others to take anything we say seriously
*Feigning "maturity" by throwing M-rated levels of gratuitous blood, violence and TnA into simple power fantasies and claiming they should be taken seriously as works of art
*Defending kids playing those M-rated power fantasies and bitching out any and all organizations meant to inform parents about games for "not getting it"
*Being far too reactionary, going so far as to defend ridiculous things in order for the gaming community, such that it is, to avoid taking any responsibility for anything
*encouraging unhealthy levels of gaming and denying the problem of unhealthy gaming: I do enjoy games, but going outside and getting some exercise and a social life outside gaming is a good thing, too
*alienating differing opinions from the majority of gamers on completely unrelated matters: you know what I'm talking about. That BS has to stop. Nobody should have to pick between calling themselves those things or a gamer.
On the industry side:
*ignoring the ESRB in choosing a target audience for advertising: mostly EA is guilty of this, but other companies have done it too
*on-disk day-one DLC: we paid for the disk and what's on it. Give us what we paid for without charging us another limb.
*devs and publishers whining over used game sales
*while we're at it, the idea devs have that we own the physical disk but not the game on it: outside lawyer-land, we call that a cop-out argument. The characters and world may be your IP, but the GAME is ours.
Bit hard to read that post. May want to edit it some for clarity?
Anyway, what bothers me the most is elitists. Because at the end of the day, these are games. It's about having fun.
Anyway, what bothers me the most is elitists. Because at the end of the day, these are games. It's about having fun.
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that most are all too willing to pay good money for crap. So many publishers figure, why not release some overhyped crap, and it should sell well. And it works. Hell, many gamers will pay (at least $5 but many pay for it in full) for this overhyped crap months in advance of anyone getting the game and actually playing it.Orks da best said:
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that many are gullible enough to believe that if they don?t put at least $5 down on a game long before they get it, they wont be able to buy it anywhere. They?ve also been convinced by the same corporation that a $2 savings on a used game is perfectly reasonable.
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that many overuse the word entitled and I don?t think they know what it means. Here?s an example of ?entitled? being used correctly: After paying $60 for a game, you should be ?entitled? to a finished product that works properly and will entertain you for a long time.
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that many are likely to buy a machine that has a 50/50 chance of bricking, then when it does brick, they?ll buy another one while waiting for the original to be fixed/replaced.
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that many are willing to buy every crappy overpriced piece of dlc which only encourages publishers to slice up games into more and more parts so they can sell it all separately later.
Gamers are only the problem in the sense that some of them would rather defend their corporate overlords rather than try and make these companies produce quality products again.
Going through this list, it seems that the only real problem with gamers is that they are too trusting and willing to believe that the industry is only there to entertain them when it?s mostly there to get as much money out of them as it possibly can. If gamers were more savvy consumers we would have games that have plenty of content playable at launch without punching in codes, we would have consoles that are both built well AND get decent support rather than having to choose between the two, we would have an easier time finding used games that are more than $5 cheaper than a new copy, and multiplatform games would actually be just as good (or bad) on every platform.
So gamers are far from the biggest problem. They are just enablers: allowing the problem to get worse. The real problem are the people taking advantage of them.
ok, I did not correct my post, as yall have said 50 billion times, but i am thankfull that some people have gotten the point.
I'm guessing that the way the industry is, many publishers are not too keen on taking risks or trying something new. Instead, we are left with games being developed with similar gameplay/mechanics/design, re-releasing old titles from their previous gen console in HD, or giving indie developers a chance (which is not bad, but the quality is missing to an understandable degree).
The industry isn't sure if the FPS franchise will continue to flourish, if story-driven games will begin to truly take flight, if more money should be put into HD graphics, 3-D technology, or existing/new peripherals, or if they should spend the extra money & effort to import games to a more worldwide gaming community (though many gamers are interested in buying their titles).
For the most part, we can continue to support the industry by buying games we enjoy, provide the appropriate feedback for further development of games, and display an interest in future installments of a series/title we want to see.
The industry isn't sure if the FPS franchise will continue to flourish, if story-driven games will begin to truly take flight, if more money should be put into HD graphics, 3-D technology, or existing/new peripherals, or if they should spend the extra money & effort to import games to a more worldwide gaming community (though many gamers are interested in buying their titles).
For the most part, we can continue to support the industry by buying games we enjoy, provide the appropriate feedback for further development of games, and display an interest in future installments of a series/title we want to see.
I understand what you're saying, but disagree. Here's why.
First, a game is a product. Made for a specific audience. Gamers. And over the years, gamers have come to expect a certain level of quality, while only a few companies have consistently provided it. Anyway, make a good product, and people will buy it. If it's good, they'll even sing it's praises (witness all the anticipation regarding Skyrim).
Second, and most importantly, gamers cannot be the real problem because if you take away the games, gamers will move on. But if you take away the gamers, the industry will crumble and fail.
The game developers, well some of them anyway, figure that they can just program a shitty game and put it out, and a few thousand schmucks will pay for it and allow them to make some money.
Truly innovative and evolving game developers (Bethesda, Blizzard, BioWare, among others) have put in the serious time, effort and resources and provided quality products that gamers around the world have come to expect. And that effort has made them the top competitors in the game.
Game companies need gamers. Gamers do not necessarily need the games.
First, a game is a product. Made for a specific audience. Gamers. And over the years, gamers have come to expect a certain level of quality, while only a few companies have consistently provided it. Anyway, make a good product, and people will buy it. If it's good, they'll even sing it's praises (witness all the anticipation regarding Skyrim).
Second, and most importantly, gamers cannot be the real problem because if you take away the games, gamers will move on. But if you take away the gamers, the industry will crumble and fail.
The game developers, well some of them anyway, figure that they can just program a shitty game and put it out, and a few thousand schmucks will pay for it and allow them to make some money.
Truly innovative and evolving game developers (Bethesda, Blizzard, BioWare, among others) have put in the serious time, effort and resources and provided quality products that gamers around the world have come to expect. And that effort has made them the top competitors in the game.
Game companies need gamers. Gamers do not necessarily need the games.
Honestly, before crowning yourself the righteous king of gaming and bashing many players, I'd go through your post and correct the spelling and grammar.
After you've done that; we can talk.
Gaming is like any subjective area. Art, music, literature can all be seen as a masterpiece to one and trash to another, and as well as you may defend your given piece you can never force someone else to love it, no matter why. I understand that it's sometimes hard to explain to someone that dislike's what you like why they should enjoy it as much as you, just as it's hard to accept that something you treasure is someone else's trash.
I may not enjoy CoD, as I prefer games with a more unique feel (usually sci-fi or fantasy) then a realistic representation, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to play with my friends when they feel like it. I can appreciate it's value, even though it's not my taste.
Now I know you're arguing "gamer's attitude" and the bashing, immature behavior and fits people have, but isn't that what you're doing right now? If you're so "over" all that, then why do you feel the need to point a finger at it?
Try to go in any artistic forum and try to tell people to stop bickering over what they think is best. It will never happen. People feel the need to share their opinions and defend them, which is exactly why you're posting. It's true that sometimes it just comes out as whining and blind arguing, but that's easy to ignore if it gets so under your skin.
What's wrong with gaming isn't gamers; it's people like you that enjoy stirring shit and pointing fingers.
After you've done that; we can talk.
Gaming is like any subjective area. Art, music, literature can all be seen as a masterpiece to one and trash to another, and as well as you may defend your given piece you can never force someone else to love it, no matter why. I understand that it's sometimes hard to explain to someone that dislike's what you like why they should enjoy it as much as you, just as it's hard to accept that something you treasure is someone else's trash.
I may not enjoy CoD, as I prefer games with a more unique feel (usually sci-fi or fantasy) then a realistic representation, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to play with my friends when they feel like it. I can appreciate it's value, even though it's not my taste.
Now I know you're arguing "gamer's attitude" and the bashing, immature behavior and fits people have, but isn't that what you're doing right now? If you're so "over" all that, then why do you feel the need to point a finger at it?
Try to go in any artistic forum and try to tell people to stop bickering over what they think is best. It will never happen. People feel the need to share their opinions and defend them, which is exactly why you're posting. It's true that sometimes it just comes out as whining and blind arguing, but that's easy to ignore if it gets so under your skin.
What's wrong with gaming isn't gamers; it's people like you that enjoy stirring shit and pointing fingers.
Ok, for one; Trollers, ragers and haters are a very small part of the gaming community, most of us are sophisticated enough to not act like animals, not all gamers are pricks.
Also, yea, fans may get annoying sometimes, but they're not really an issue, because they keep to themselves(most of the time).
I for one, am an AC, Mass Effect, Prince of Persia and Dragon Age fan, but I don't go around trolling at people who dislike those games, as I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Also, yea, fans may get annoying sometimes, but they're not really an issue, because they keep to themselves(most of the time).
I for one, am an AC, Mass Effect, Prince of Persia and Dragon Age fan, but I don't go around trolling at people who dislike those games, as I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion.
I agree in point with the OP, but a small percentage of the forum goers are the people he's describing. For every guy who rages and hates on say "Call of Duty: Black Ops" there are at least ten people who bought the game and are generally happy with it. I think this problem is blown quite a bit out of proportion by noisy forum goers and such, and I'm sure the game statistics will back me up on this point.
To all the ragers out there: honestly guys, chill the fuck out. Seriously. These are electronic video games being "made wrong", not your mother getting torn apart by wolves released by Dick Chenney. Perspective people. Gaming is objectively as good as it has ever been, with a lot of big names competing hard for your time and money. This means you have more options than ever before to buy stuff that suits your gaming needs. If Mega Bland Brown Shooter 2011 is bothering you, go buy a fun little indie title on Steam for 10 bucks instead and amuse yourself with it!
Here's also a bit of Zen wisdom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI
To all the ragers out there: honestly guys, chill the fuck out. Seriously. These are electronic video games being "made wrong", not your mother getting torn apart by wolves released by Dick Chenney. Perspective people. Gaming is objectively as good as it has ever been, with a lot of big names competing hard for your time and money. This means you have more options than ever before to buy stuff that suits your gaming needs. If Mega Bland Brown Shooter 2011 is bothering you, go buy a fun little indie title on Steam for 10 bucks instead and amuse yourself with it!
Here's also a bit of Zen wisdom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0la5DBtOVNI