As with all things, there's a good and a bad way to do something. It really seems like Evolve started with a joke: "Let's make a MOBA where the point is that the game's as unbalanced as a trebuchet see-saw." This would also explain the unlocking system, but instead of unlocking characters based on what the player wants or thinks they want, let's just make it arbitrary so they feel they need to keep playing, not to get the one they think they'll like, but hope the next tier is a character they like.
Why Completing All Objectives And Finding All Secrets Are Meaningless
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
Murders are not tolerated within society and bad things happen when they are caught. Society does not cater to the whims of murderers. It's a bad analogy. Casual gaming is encouraged because of the money they bring in, despite it being bad for the gaming industry and games themselves. Games can make money without catering to a casual audience and dumbing everything down, and indeed had been doing so for a very long time. What's more we gamers, and our alleged voices in the gaming industry, were far too welcoming towards casual gamers, despite a number of people predicting what was going to happen if they were allowed to become the dominant force in the industry due to the greed of publishers. At the end of the day there aren't enough games for everyone when it comes to high end, state of the art games.Full Metal Bolshevik said:
Especially on this site there is a knee-jerk reaction toward anyone making strong, exclusionary, and perhaps arrogant statements, but that doesn't mean that they are wrong.
That said acknowledging the problem is a first step, BUT there is a big question as to how to change things. With murderers it's easy, you come up with punishments to deter them (or you try). With casual gamers it's a lot more difficult because they aren't criminals, and of course publishers are used to the levels of money they are making off
of the current trends. What's more there are a lot more casuals than murderers. I suppose we could pass laws where someone who plays casually too much is not protected by the laws, then we could say do a version of "The Purge" whereby hackers will browse people's playing history, and then hardcore gamers will show up to rape/torture/murder those who say played too much Angry Birds in comparison to more serious games... it might help solve other issues like overpopulation in urban metroplexes as well especially when the casuals fight back and we have open warfare in the streets. That said it would probably be worth it just to say see crowds like something out of The French Revolution forcing casuals up onto a podium to be ironically crushed by one of those presses they use to make sheets of candy bars. Of course then again with what I play nowadays given some of my aches and pains I'd probably be first against the wall.
All joking aside, the point is that the problems within the industry and how we got here should be pretty obvious. Rather than sitting down pining over "oh, how did it comes to this" we do need to work on ways to solve the problem and make things less comfortable for casuals. Among other things the gaming media could start being a lot more negative towards casuals and games intended for "the everyman" especially when simplification actually hurts a game in terms of depth and what options you should have. Instead of coming out and saying "there are no hardcore gamers and casual gamers, only gamers" and things like that, a start would be to treat casual type mechanics and game design with disdain and speak harshly of those who such mechanics were obviously intended for.
Why would anyone want to do this.Therumancer said:
Yes, "there are no hardcore gamers and casual gamers, only gamers" is a backwards statement, since as in any hobby, people have varying interest levels and abilities. But your shame campaign you're suggesting... Imagine how rude and bizarre it would be if the national/major-league version of [insert professional sport here] always mocked their local/minor-league counterparts for not being as competitive, in an effort to drive them out of the sport. Using basketball as an example, would it be a good thing if professionals and the media came out and said "street basketball shouldn't exist"? I'd say no; all this will cause is ill will between the public and the athletes, and I'd imagine it would do the same in gaming.
I'm not saying there is not a problem, I'm just not convinced that "simple games and casual gamers exist" is that problem. Perhaps the problem is that devs are making these games that are 'hardcore' on the surface, but really are anything but. That's not the casual gamers' fault, though - it's devs trying to catch both the casual and the dedicated gamers in a single swoop, but alienating the dedicated as a result. And if the casuals outnumber the dedicated, then this might keep happening, especially if the casuals want to feel like they're playing an epic game.
That's fine; it just means the dedicated are in the minority. As long as there businesses see value in selling things tailored to the dedicated, then we will have games to play. But with how AAA studios leak money... those games probably won't be coming from them.
(Stands up) Yes, hello, my name is normalguycap and I...am a completionist. I've been a completionist for many years now and it's ruined my enjoyment of games and sometimes my life. I hope to be clean and play games responsibly.
I never used to be one and I can't remember when I fell into it but I'm sure it has to do with real life culture, like schools and grading. It used to be fun because completion meant exploring the game in a different way or seeing all the fun content. Not anymore. Gotta break the habit.
I never used to be one and I can't remember when I fell into it but I'm sure it has to do with real life culture, like schools and grading. It used to be fun because completion meant exploring the game in a different way or seeing all the fun content. Not anymore. Gotta break the habit.