Does Nostalgic Fear of Change Have a place in gaming anymore?

[GonzoGamer]

I'm fine with aesthetic and style changes but when the gameplay devolves from what it was, that's when I have a problem.

Like with GTA4. I would've been fine with the change in style and everything but it seemed to be working backwards gameplay wise. So it just ended up being another open world game that was neither rewarding nor compelling.

 

[Beryl77]

I used to think that gamers like change and new things because gaming itself is a really new medium but soon I realised that even among gamers there are a lot of people who are really afraid of changes.
The hardcore Counter-Strike crowd is an extreme example. They've been playing cs for over a decade and don't want to change to a different shooter. Valve is making now a new cs and they invated some professional css gamers to test it but not cs gamers since they would never really a Counter-Strike game which isn't exactly like cs 1.6 and in my opinion that's just stupid and narrow minded.
But of course change isn't always something good, for example Gordon Freeman which you mentioned, should never be able to talk. Not because of nostalgia or anything like that but him being mute, serves an important reason. It's there to make the player feel like he's Gordon and whatever the player things, does Gordon as well.

So, simply changing anything won't necessarily make everything better but the opposite isn't good either. It needs both, not destroying a good game mechanic but also not falling behind.

 

[CManator]

It's not a fear of change itself. It's a fear of ruining something great to appeal to a new fanbase who may not appreciate it anyway. Like George Lucas and his changes toStar Wars. He's not going to win any new audiences, he's just going to piss off people who already enjoyed the films for what they were.

I just think games in a series should evolve, not change. If you want to go in a new direction, make a new IP. That way you can attract new fans, keep the old ones, and possibly even please both with your shiny new game.

Example of change: Every Final Fantasy after 7 has been so wildly different, that the series barely has an identity anymore. Every game has folks who love it, and others who hate it. Never have I seen fans of a single franchise bicker so much over each game. Square is no longer selling the Final Fantasy games, they are selling random jrpgs that happen to be called Final Fantasy, and really the name is the only thing carrying these games lately.

Example of evolution: The Legend of Zelda has remained largely unchanged. It has gone 3d, expanded in size, acquired new tools and uses for old ones, shifted in art style, etc. but is basically the same game we fell in love with 25 years ago. Naturally there are people who don't necessarily hate the gameplay, but feel the series has gone stale. But there are plenty of games that offer Zelda gameplay in a non-Zelda setting and many of them did all right.

Saying people only hate games because they fear change and are blinded by nostalgia is the same kind of ignorant streotyping as saying people only hate games because they are popular. It's the oversimplification of an opinion used to dismiss it entirely. OP, how would you feel if I said you only like games to change because your ADD won't allow you to appreciate anything for more than 10 minutes? You would argue that my statement is full of assumptions, and is grossly oversimplified. That is my response to the topic question.

 

[Mahoshonen]

Making a change, no matter what the subject matter, is always going to carry some inheirent risk. Slave-like devotion to formulas as if they were some religious mantra is probably only appropriate in actual religions (and even then, it probably doesn't hurt to nail a list of complaints to a door every once and a while). But change made carelessly or without thought to the overall package can often do more harm than good.

To go back to giving Gorden Freeman a voice, before you can even start looking for a voice actor, you need to think about what you want Gorden Freemen to say and how this is going to affect the game as a whole. Because you can have him voiced by Sir Alec Guiness and his dialogue written by Stanley Kubrik, if the net effect of adding a voice is that the game screeches to a halt while he talks with someone, then you've detracted from the overall sum. Because without the suburb pacing that still tells a substantial narrative, Half-Life is just another game about a power-armoured space marine.

 

[LilithSlave]

I suppose I wouldn't mind hearing Link speak, as long as it's not the "Excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME, Princess" variety. Because that is not link at all.

I personally liked the voices in "Super Mario Sunshine".

 

[Atmos Duality]

My question is this. Do we really have room for this kind of attitude in a media platform that prides itself on progress and change?

Perhaps it's just my cynicism, but this question strikes me as a rhetorical form of "Conservative views suck. Liberal views are best for the industry." That's my initial, knee-jerk reaction. Take it or leave it.

But I do posit this: perhaps people would be less inclined to retaining such fears if the industry wasn't becoming so eager to dig up past successes and violate them for a quick buck.
It's the same method of association that these companies use to try to add value to their mediocre cash-ins that also DECREASES the value of the audience's previous experiences associated with that franchise.
It's innate psychology; attach some strong emotions to that and you can create some truly violent (and unpleasant) reactions.

Like what happened to Star Wars, for example.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't embrace change; I'm just saying that change for the sake of change is every bit as bad as stagnation for the sake of security.

Many of the best games came not from a sense of wanting to start viral marketing ads, or preying upon the popularity of a concept, but because that concept sounded really fun to do at the time.

 

[krazykidd]

It's 2011. Video Games have reached the point of becoming so close to being regarded as movies and music that we can taste it. We have gaming franchises that have grown up with us, and newer franchises that have found a place in our hearts. We are all fans of this art. But there are fans of our art that do not like change. Its comparable extreme irrationality at this point.

We have fans who don't even want to see Link, or Gordon Freeman speak for fear that the chosen voice won't fit them, thus ruining the franchise. There are fans who don't ever want to see colour in Diablo III. My question is this. Do we really have room for this kind of attitude in a media platform that prides itself on progress and change?


Actual discussion please, not fan banter.

But fans are what made certain games popular no? They should not be overlooked , i mean if the original zelda did generate as much fan base as it did , the other probably wouldn't even had been made . Hell having a fanbase is the best thing that could happen to a game , means people like it , people talk about it ,people recommend it to others . Lose your fanbase and well , your screwed .

Should gaming companies base decisions soley on fans? No . Should gaming compqnies take in consideration what fans say? Yes . Look at metroid other M .

 

[dickywebster]

It depends on the series really, some series r built around innovation or doing new stuff, some change art style all the time, so i see no problem with series advancing like that

Its when series r basically used as cash cows and whored into the ground i have issue with
Or when a series is taken in a new direction with no relation to the rest of the series and called a sequel or continuation by its makers (id hold up silent hill as an example, but thats more cause it stopped been scary and deep and now seems to be about cheap thrils)

series evolve, thats all well and good, but when that series is clearly stagnating and been continued just for its brand and the money it brings in, then fear of change is a good thing
Change itself isnt a bad thing, its the reason behind the change that often is the cause for fear (sometimes rightly)