The Internet sucks!

[SoulMaster71]

OK, OK, maybe not sucks, if it sucked I would have left it, but it's ruined one of the best parts of video gaming: the surprise when you pick up a great game.

See, back in the days about which people like me love to get nostalgic, we didn't have the Internet. We only knew the coming games from the previews in Electronic Gaming Monthly. According to the Angry Video Game Nerd, people went to see The Wizard just to get a glimpse of Super Mario Bros. 3. I remember that before I got the Pokémon games, the only contact I had with Pokémon was a single video sent to me that promoted every kind of Pokémon merchandise, with only a small section about the games, meaning that I went in knowing practically nothing about what I would experience. So when the game came out and played well, or looked better than the previews showed, or had this or that character from other parts of the series, we were genuinely surprised. Even after the debut of the Internet, there wasn't much info on upcoming games, even Pokémon at the height of its fad, so for example when Nintendo revealed new Pokémon, we didn't know there were going to be sequels and assumed that they were secret Easter Eggs in Red and Blue.

That feel of exploration is gone. That feel of surprise is gone. Trailers, developer interviews, and a million news articles appear on the Internet, and fans online are practically expected to read them all. It satisfies curiosity, but it has a cost. The previews used to build anticipation without overly heightening expectations, and would reveal just enough about the game that you'd want to play it without giving so much away that you wouldn't need to. Nowadays, most of the fans know most of a fighting game's roster before it comes out. We already know who the main characters of the newest big RPG are. Every multiplayer mode is revealed to us. A game has few surprises, so we don't quite get the whole experience we did back then. It's all familiar.

It can be summed up by a line in Lord of the Rings: "Many folk like to know beforehand what is to be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of praise louder." (Bold added). The people preparing the feast are telling us exactly what they're going to serve, so when they serve it, we nitpick the supposed "flaws" in their meal instead of really enjoying it. Certainly, some fans were unpleasable in the old days, but it wasn't what it is now.

Can the Internet offer anything in compensation, any way that it enhances the gaming experience? Or will its attempts to do so simply bring up other charges against itself?

[forevergrimm]

Uhh... online gaming? I got nothing. Internet is meant for information distribution (and the occasional "entertainment").

[Can-head]

At 6/27/10 01:25 AM, forevergrimm wrote: Uhh... online gaming? I got nothing. Internet is meant for information distribution (and the occasional "entertainment").

By ''entertainment'' you mean this entertainment, done by yourself for yourself?

[Psychopathic-Mind]

You can avoid that kind of thing you know. I'll bring back your example of knowing fighting game rosters: I didn't even know all of Brawl's characters when it came out because I didn't go looking for them. I agree that it's much easier to find spoilers now but it's definitely possible to go into a game without knowing.

[Gustavos]

One guy mentioned Brawl, and that made me realize something that relates to this topic. When I first played SSB Melee, I knew absolutely nothing about the game. The game modes, characters, nothing. And I was blown away. Brawl had the same affect, but it didn't last very long. Because I knew there was a unique story mode, most of the new characters, and new concepts in the game. And though I enjoyed every thing I already knew about, I would had enjoyed it more had I not a clue about them.

I really wish there was a way to browse the internet and not get so much information about games spoiled to you even if you don't want it. Is there a reason that, aside from all the excitement, there's an empty part of me opened up after watching E3? Do I really feel like I shouldn't know about this upcoming series of games coming our way? Sure I could choose not to watch, but it's all that my video gaming friends talk about both online and off. So I have to watch.

But I have one question, because there's no way I could have known. Before the internet became a place for video game news, what were video game magazines like? Were they any different? Or did they give us less information in hopes of us seeing the game for ourselves. Were there game reviews? Interviews? Was the only difference a lack of trailers and gameplay videos?

[36Holla]

I disagree with this point. The reason I disagree is because as someone who pays for their own games, I like to know that I'm paying for a game that's going to be worth the money I paid for it. When I see that any game is coming out, I don't say "Well I hope when I throw sixty dollars at it, that it turns out to be a good game." without getting information on it. Most other people who buy their own games will say the same thing. Research is key and your feelings about how Pokemon turned out to be a good game even though you knew nothing about it is more of a fluke. You got lucky that it didn't turn out to be a bad game. Combine the internet, and how big the game industry has gotten and it's no wonder that gamers have expectations on the information they're going to get about a game before they play it. Staying informed is needed nowadays for any gamer unless you want to take that big of a chance on a game you know almost nothing about. Again, you may not start appreciating this until after you start paying for all your own games and stop relying on other people to get them for you. Maybe one day, you'll get to that point.

At 6/27/10 02:29 AM, Gustavos wrote: But I have one question, because there's no way I could have known. Before the internet became a place for video game news, what were video game magazines like?

They were the same as how many online sites are now. Reviews gave you details on the game and how good the reviewer felt it was with strong and weak points that the game had and they had interviews with developers on games. No gameplay videos obviously and screenshots filled that void.