At 1/28/14 04:00 PM, SneakyGameBoy wrote:
Is it the company or is it us? Or is it both?
You could say it's both, but the majority of the blame goes to the gamers themselves.
Gamers are becoming more and more verbally aggressive against companies for various reasons. Some are understandable and some are for the wrong reasons. Usually it's because of the game's flaws or they don't just like it at all. It seems like any company who makes a mistake on their latest game or console people start going out on a outcry about it. And then there is console wars and I guess game wars, if the second one actually exists, where people feel to need to make their opinions into facts when in the end it's still an opinion. It can be either Xbox vs. PlayStation or Battlefield vs. Call Of Duty. But what am I really trying to say is will we still see this entitled, unimpressed, ungrateful attitude we see out of gamers? I know we are in this era where gaming finally made it in the great world of media entertainment but it's incredible to see that gamers complain about almost everything in existence.
Part of it has to do with the growth of online gamers, and the perpetual stereotype that online gamers (and gamers in general) are foul-mouthed kids who spout racist sentiments as a joke. Another part of it is that the video game industry has rapidly grown the last 10 or 15 years, and with that more games are coming into the market, specifically targeted towards those who grew up playing games and wanted a more mature and "realistic" style of gaming, and in turn created a backlash against it.
Because of games like Call of Duty and Battlefield being as big as they are, some gamers make the accusation that all the recognizable games are only shooters despite the fact that there a ton of games out there that they don't seem to notice. So what if shooters are popular? They're not the only genre that is available by far, and to knock on them because of this speaks of jealousy and basically encourage gamers to play these games in the first place. The ideal argument is to let gamers play what they want to play and don't bitch about the ones that they don't like, but it seems like that message is getting lost in the mail.
I grew up playing games starting with the genesis back then you could get a game and play it probably even go back multiple times. We didn't need updates or friends or online. We played the game cause it was fun or just entertaining.
There really isn't much of a difference once you strip it down, and considering that a lot of the online friends and updates aren't required to play most games as is, it's possible to enjoy games and not get online at all.
I remember back when complaining didn't really matter or even opinions, sure you can say if the game was good or not but creating a petition because of some character didn't make it into the next installment is not gonna help. Yes I know we are the consumer, therefore we have the ability to voice our opinion on being displeased with the end results, but truthfully speaking, if you don’t like it because it didn’t live up to your exceptions don't voice it out like you are some politic.
I understand why fans would do this because they care about the franchises in one way or another, especially when social media boomed the last decade or so gave them a platform to speak their opinions. The problem is that some of them want to use it as a crutch to bitch and moan about games that they probably don't even like, much less play, and then attempt to play politics with games and gamers into a monolith where we agree on the issues.
I admit I had my far share of rants against a game or company but I sometimes keep it to myself and not allow it to get the best of me. I realize that companies and corporations can be greedy and won't change the way they make and manage their games but is it really gonna help if you keep talking about it?
You would think so, but the thing is gamers as a whole are about as diverse of opinions as any other medium, but the majority of gamers themselves either like they have to offer, or just don't care and just want to play games politics be damned. It doesn't help that the vocal minority (and some of the more ignorant and hipster) want to do something that is either impossible or illogical, and the worst thing is that they expect others to fully agree with that, despite the fact that I've just mentioned that the gaming community are not a monolith, and it upsets me that they would try to force their opinions on me, and most of the developers and publishers who aren't in the business of kissing their ass, but making games that they want to make.
As long as you still talk about them on the internet the more ways they can rip off customers or find some other cheapish scheme to get them more money. It's either you buy it or you don't. Then there is companies who makes everyone happy and then make a minor mistake making everyone go on strike. Exaggeration? Yes but really who wouldn't be surprised? You can't change everyone but there is one point where you're gonna have to say to yourself "Maybe I went off to brash about them and they made a mistake." Some developers work their asses off to make a good quality game. Imagine if you were that developer who went to make a game for 5 years or maybe 4 and the game finally released and a lot of basement dwellers start complaining over how the ending was or direction you were going for the franchise? No fun at all.
When you try to please everyone, you please no one. That said however, no one should be saying that publishers/developers don't listen to their fans and critics, because they do, and if anything, they seem to listen to them too much. There are so many unpleasable dumbasses out there that think they know anything about the video game industry, it's getting harder and harder to for them to recognize legitimate complaints and suggestions, which is partly why they make what they make to appeal to a broader audience, and not cave in to those who aren't satisfied with a franchise before and won't be in the future. Honestly, I'd rather have it that way than developers doing something that they aren't wholly familiar with, and make a shitty game because of it.
