Anyone else experiencing loss of interest in a game, the more popular it gets?

[ninja666]

So, recently I noticed a weird thing in the way my brain works and I was wondering if I'm the only one experiencing it.

What I'm getting at is that oftentimes my interest in a game deteriorates when it's becoming popular to the point where everywhere you go, people talk about it. In my case it's especially prominent when it comes to writing. The most recent example would be Undertale. For some time I was on the fence about whether or not to try it out since it was generally well-received, but now that I see tons and tons of articles and whatnot about how well-written it is and that it's "da best game evah" I suddenly lost interest. Why? Because the same kind of reaction accompanied Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, David Cage's games, and Gone Home, and we all know how "well-written" they were... That's why I'm automatically repulsed whenever I see something like this because the only thing that pops in my head whenever I see people raving about something like this is "it probably sucks and people are overreacting".

Anyone else experiencing similar reactions and thoughts in these kinds of scenarios or is it just me having this weird hipster mentality not even realizing it? Does your interest in a game goes down the more people talk about how good it is and how you should play it, no matter your taste?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Anyone else experiencing similar reactions and thoughts in these kinds of scenarios or is it just me having this weird hipster mentality not even realizing it?

Without being mean...yes. You are having a weird hipster mentality without realizing it. I believe there's a TV Trope on the subject called "It's Popular, Now it Sucks".

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItsPopularNowItSucks

...although that does seem slightly more focused on the call of "It's been dumbed down for the mainstream" as opposed to "it was never good in the first place/people are over-reacting".

Does your interest in a game goes down the more people talk about how good it is and how you should play it, no matter your taste?

Nope, it goes up. People liking something is usually evidence I might like it too.

When praise is effusive to the point of being stupid (IE "Dark Souls has ruined all other games for me, forever!") it makes me dislike the person saying it, but it doesn't make me dislike the game. Maybe slightly annoyed at the game for creating such lunkhead fans. =P

 

[dyre]

Nah, I don't take it out on the game. My distaste for the overzealous fans / edgy anti-fans grows with each passing comment, but why let a bunch of idiots get between me and my enjoyment of a good game?

 

[ninja666]

Without being mean...yes. You are having a weird hipster mentality without realizing it. I believe there's a TV Trope on the subject called "It's Popular, Now it Sucks".

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItsPopularNowItSucks

...although that does seem slightly more focused on the call of "It's been dumbed down for the mainstream" as opposed to "it was never good in the first place/people are over-reacting".

I wouldn't really say this trope applies to me because I'm not bashing the game based strictly on how popular it is. What I meant was that when it gets so popular people start talking about it everywhere non-stop, praising how good it is and whatnot, you're never sure whether it actually is that good, and I'm actually less interested in trying it out because I feel like I'm gonna end up disappointed because my expectations were too high because of all the hype.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

It stems from our generation's inability to cope with the fact that we're not special. Yet most people desperately wants to be special or at least feel special. Even if they don't know it. Thinking that everybody else is wrong about a piece of entertainment is a manifestation of that. So instead of living their lives and enjoying things for themselves, a lot of people constantly compare their lives and their preferences with those of others and make adjustments to make themselves feel better hoping that they can preserve the idea that they're somehow special and better than others.

Now that you know you can work on fixing that problem. You shouldn't let other people's preference influence your own.

 

[ninja666]

You shouldn't let other people's preference influence your own.

Doesn't that contradict the rest of the things you said in your post? I know it's common sense to think for yourself, but at the same time, with that sentence thrown in, it makes your post sound a bit a like "You shouldn't think you're special, but at the same time you shouldn't other people's opinions and preferences influence your own because you're better than that". I know it's probably not what you meant, but I can't help but think that when I read that post of your, concluded with that particular sentence.

 

[Weaver]

For me it's just overhype. When people ooze praise and say something is amazing, my expectations are so unbelievably high by time I get around to it that I'm genuinely let down.

 

[huckleberryhound]

Usually too busy playing the games to notice the post release hype. I also rarely buy a game now till it's on steam sale, unless it's either an indie game (like elite or mech warriors) or a game i really, really, really want (Fear 3 was the last, i think).

 

[Lightspeaker]

Anyone else experiencing similar reactions and thoughts in these kinds of scenarios or is it just me having this weird hipster mentality not even realizing it?

Without being mean...yes. You are having a weird hipster mentality without realizing it. I believe there's a TV Trope on the subject called "It's Popular, Now it Sucks".

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItsPopularNowItSucks

...although that does seem slightly more focused on the call of "It's been dumbed down for the mainstream" as opposed to "it was never good in the first place/people are over-reacting".

I disagree, personally. Because I sometimes have a similar feeling and I know precisely why it happens for me at least: its not really a "its popular so it sucks" thing, its more like total fatigue and overexposure.

Like...if someone tells me "oh, X is really good, you should try it because Y" then yeah, I might be interested in that game. If two people say that then cool, more convincing. If twenty people say that then its probably a must-buy because so many people are liking it. But if TWO HUNDRED people say it to me then...well...

Basically if a game is literally all that anyone anywhere is talking about I find its very possible to get to the state of just being sick of the very mention of it.


Edit: Also that was amazing. I got one of those "describe this brand in any words" captchas and I didn't recognise it in the slightest so I literally typed "damned if I know" and it accepted it. Do those things really just accept any input at all?

 

[Erttheking]

Edit: Also that was amazing. I got one of those "describe this brand in any words" captchas and I didn't recognise it in the slightest so I literally typed "damned if I know" and it accepted it. Do those things really just accept any input at all?

Oh I've been typing "pedophile" and "shit" into those for a good while now.

OT: Nah. Not really. Sometimes I get fed up with the fanbase but that's about it. Maybe slightly different with multiplayer games but I can't think of anything specific right now.

 

[distortedreality]

Sounds like blatant hipsterism to me tbh.

Is nothing new, seen it for ages in the music scene especially.

 

[Booyaah]

I think my problem is, you see all these ppl that are obviously not really gamers, trying to get into the scene, not because they are really passionate about games, but they do it for $$$ or only because it's now the new cool FOTM trend.

 

[Mister K]

Nope, I do not experience such feelings. I mean, if I like something, the fact that other people star liking too won't make me hate it.

At the very least, this thing (a book, a game, a movie, a whatever) is still there and I can enjoy it alone or in company of my closest friends and loved ones.

At most, it will lead to a surge of peopel to talk to about it. For example, it saddens me that here on Escapist whenever there is a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure discussion it never gets lengthier than one page. I'd like more people to know about it and enjoy it.

TL,DR: If you like something, continue to like it. Other people (except for maybe your closest circle) shouldn't affect what you like.

 

[Mangod]

Without being mean...yes. You are having a weird hipster mentality without realizing it. I believe there's a TV Trope on the subject called "It's Popular, Now it Sucks".

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItsPopularNowItSucks

...although that does seem slightly more focused on the call of "It's been dumbed down for the mainstream" as opposed to "it was never good in the first place/people are over-reacting".

I wouldn't really say this trope applies to me because I'm not bashing the game based strictly on how popular it is. What I meant was that when it gets so popular people start talking about it everywhere non-stop, praising how good it is and whatnot, you're never sure whether it actually is that good, and I'm actually less interested in trying it out because I feel like I'm gonna end up disappointed because my expectations were too high because of all the hype.

I'd say you're more likely subject to Hype Aversion [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HypeAversion]. And no, you're not alone.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

To say this is a "Wahh, I'm not special" whining is doing everyone, including yourselves, a disservice.

When it's all around you, and you can't stop hearing about how great something is, it is an immersion breaking experience for some. Including myself. Case in point, The Princess Bride still remains to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Completely without peer in my eyes. And with the world coming online, I realize I'm not alone... And it hasn't hurt my enjoyment of the movie at all.

Clue is another. Cult classic that deserves all the hype.

Street Fighter 3rd Strike? The more fans, the better. That's a great, great game.

But. Say The Walking Dead, the first Telltale game. I needed to be in a cone for that. It was a new experience for me, and I wanted to answer to no opinion but my own. I was forming my opinion about the game, and I wanted that whole until I got someone else's. And that experience is unique because it's an experience that I had it was mandatory for me to wait until I got to the end.

It's not hipster to want to form your own opinion before being bombarded with everyone else's. I rather find out that I'm not alone and join everyone proclaiming this or that is the best thing ever, than read about how something is the best thing ever and how there's never been a game like it and then actually play it to go mentality "... It was ok, but the best game ever?!"

 

[Dabir]

I think my problem is, you see all these ppl that are obviously not really gamers, trying to get into the scene, not because they are really passionate about games, but they do it for $$$ or only because it's now the new cool FOTM trend.

Don't tell me what I see mate.

 

[m0ng00se]

there are 2 times i give a shit what other people are doing
1 is when they're not paying attention to something i think deserves it, so i tell them about it
2 is when i want to be where the people are at. i play street fighter because there's a huge community for it and guilty gear because it's fucking awesome.

i'm pretty happy doing my own thing a lot of the time and i'm happy with fitting in when i do

 

[Pyrian]

I'm very heavily influenced by what other people like. I almost never get a game unless it gets a LOT of praise. But I've learned that if a game doesn't sound appealing to me, no amount of other-people-liking-it will change that. It's not enough that other people like it; they have to like it for reasons that I would like it, too.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

What are you, a hipster?

Now for the serious answer: No, it does not matter to me if game is popular or not. I like the game because I think it is good.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't even know what constitutes a hipster, because the term has been so beaten to death. However, I would say that this attitude doesn't particularly strike me as a healthy one, for whatever reason. That said, there's something else I want to address....

It's not hipster to want to form your own opinion before being bombarded with everyone else's. I rather find out that I'm not alone and join everyone proclaiming this or that is the best thing ever, than read about how something is the best thing ever and how there's never been a game like it and then actually play it to go mentality "... It was ok, but the best game ever?!"

Except this isn't so much wanting to form ones own opinion before being bombardfed by hype, it's an actual aversion to something because of hype. Now, you've let other people define your opinion and options, and I fail to see how that's a good thing.

Ostensibly, it is fine to want to form your own opinion. But when you let hype influence you negatively, you're not. You're letting other people form your opinion, just in a negative fashion. And here, it's even phrased in a counter-culture sense. I agree it's not hipster, but solely based on the fact where "hipster" appears to be nothing more than a snarl word. But is it really laudable to be unable to form your own opinion simply because other people like something?

Honestly, I don't think it is.