Games to change the public view of video games.

[babyblues]

Personally I don't think the opinion on video games will change until our generation(we who have played games since we were very young) is in charge of things. The old people who have control need to die out/retire before anything will change.

 

[Prozoquel]

I know that a bunch of people have already said this, but if someone doesn't like video games, who cares? Why bother trying to change their mind when you could just go on enjoying your video games as they are?

That said, the games that stand out as being above the average video games in terms of story or presentation for me are Silent Hill 2, Shadow of the Colossus, and any game by Clover Studios.

 

[babyblues]

I know that a bunch of people have already said this, but if someone doesn't like video games, who cares? Why bother trying to change their mind when you could just go on enjoying your video games as they are?

Quoted for freakin' truth.

 

[stompy]

I really don't agree with all this "pander to the whiney people" movement thats going on. If people want to complain that video games are too violent, don't play them.

If someone is uninterested in gaming, their loss, I don't think companies should have to try to make games for an audience that doesn't want to play them. I know casual games make butt-loads of money, but trying to specifically design games to get non-gamers hooked just ends up with a bunch of boring and unchallenging video games.

You've got a point there. I mean, I was talking to my dad, who was bitching about how several guys on the train only talked about video games. Eventually,. he conceded that video games are a generation thing, and his generation (the ones causing all the fuss) wouldn't understand it. As is, they don't want to understand it, so why bother?

 

[wgreer25]

The other part would have made me laugh if I hadn't heard it so many times before. You have a pretty narrow view of how things work. In America there are guns everywhere. Lots of them. Saying that that isn't one of the reasons murder rates in America is 10 times higher than in say, Sweden is just lying to yourself. The avaviability of guns is dangerous. If everyone has a gun, that means every criminal has a gun. If there is a gun in every household then it's very easy for criminals to get guns. Guns kill people.

"There is proof that areas with more restrictions on guns, have higher gun realated crimes, because law abiding citizens can't own/carry them."

And that is just pure bullshit. If the restrictions on guns were actually real restrictions and not allowing just half the people in the country to have them, that would never happen. When you have so many guns in a country, so easily accesible, all criminals will be able to get guns, easily. Very easily. Any criminal who wants a gun will be able to shoot people.

If you instead had a sane restriction policy, like say, France, Sweden, Norway or any number of other countries, you wouldn't have to deal with so many people getting shot, because neither normal people nor criminals would have such easy access to guns.

I probably didn't make my point clear. And I really don't mean to hijack this thread with an off topic discussion. A proven statistic is that 98+% of all gun realated crimes are committed with illegally acquired weapons. This means that the laws put in place to prevent the ownership of guns... is doing nothing but keeping guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Yes it is an unfortunate fact that guns are everywhere in America and that is sad. But a politician that thinks that more gun laws is the answer is just moronic. A possible solution might be HEAVILY increased punishment if you commit a crime with a gun. And the statement "guns kill people" is laughable. I have a revolver in my vehicle and it has never killed anyone. People kill people, a gun is a tool, just like a knife. But it is a tool that is easier to obtain if you break the law (i.e. something a law abiding citizen won't do). It is a matter of being prepared when someone tries to mug you at gunpoint (because nowadays they will kill you so there is no witness). I think it would be great is there were no guns at all in this country, but that won't happen. Until then, the criminals are better armed and willing to kill you for wallet. It sounds like you are someone who has not been the victem of a violent crime (I hope you never are). I have been, and in the future I will be prepared. And if everybody was prepared, criminals might get it through their head that the common folk are not easy prey.

Anyway, to sum up my argument. More gun laws = bad for law abiding citizens because criminals are already willing to break the law. More gun laws = wasted time/money since there is statistical proof that gun laws do absolutly nothing to stop crime.

 

[CatcherJJ]

Does the publics opinion on games really need to be changed? Is there a feeling of negativity towards gamers? Or do we just want people to understand what we enjoy and have them enjoy it too?

If what you're talking about relates more to the last question, it's a hard objective to achieve. Even now when the big game companies like Nintendo and EA are trying to make the industry in general more accessible to the non-gamer or whatever we call it now, getting a person who doesn't enjoy games as much to enjoy them a lot just doesn't happen very often. It's a hard gap to bridge because frankly, the gap is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and there is no bridge.

You either like hardcore games or you don't like them. There rarely is the sometimes like them person.

Just because your pops plays Wii Sports and mom plays Brain Age doesn't mean they're gamers. I don't care what people say. I watch movies casually and am not a movie buff. It's the same concept(maybe).

Companies that are starting to cater to the not-gamer are reaping in the rewards now, but it's only a gimmick. If Nintendo seriously thinks they can turn a bunch of non-gaming shmoes into someone who can truly appreciate a Zelda title they are crazy. It's just like parent who tricks a child in eating a vegetable by hiding in some other food. Yeah, it works for a while, but the kid eventually finds out and stops eating it again. It goes the same way with games. Nintendo hides the game and makes it seem like a workout(Wii Fit) or a way to keep your brain sharp(Brain Age).

So the real question I want to ask you is, why do you care what everyone else thinks about games? Most People aren't going to be suddenly drawn to gaming(AND stick with it) because of Spore.

I'm probably just making no sense and just rambling, but I just got off a 12 hour flight and have no sleep in me.

 

[jim_doki]

the first thing we have to do is stop making games for gamers. Think back to your childhood days of gaming and the simplicity and enjoyability of those old 8 bit systems. now think about today in the world where performance and appearance have outstripped fun. Why? because games can't get away with much less than the standard these days. gamers are in a way killing gaming and we need to look at casual gamers. look at what they do for fun and make a formula out of that. there will always be games for us hardcore kids, just like there's always going to be amazing movies and theatre and music

 

[Copter400]

I think that the FPS Love that's being made is a good game. The whole landscape is done in a conceptual Cubist sort of fashion.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Um.....I don't have the fondest idea. How about Pokemon? Yeaaahs.
Everyone knows what 'Pokemon' is. From adults to children, it's a very recognizable name. It may not have changed the public outlook on games, though...

/headbut

how about a game based on a reality TV series! yea! American Idol, and Deadliest Catch and Big Brother! These games would appeal to the laymen!

The sad thing 2 of those games are real...

The really sad thing is that all three are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol_(video_game)
kotaku.com/361258/360-catches-the-deadliest-catch
www.boardgamegeek.com/game/6785

To be blatantly honest, the only thing that will get public perception of video games up is the formation of another "hate" group, against something worse than video games.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Sorry, guys, but I have never played psychonaughts, so I have no idea what it is about, or how it plays, but has anyone suggested Wii Fit? C'mon, everyone's seen that video on youtube!

The game that calls you Fat?
Nope...

 

[shatnershaman]

You know you could take an "artsy" game like BioShock and then continuously shoot the ground and spin.

 

[wgreer25]

Does the publics opinion on games really need to be changed? Is there a feeling of negativity towards gamers? Or do we just want people to understand what we enjoy and have them enjoy it too?

If what you're talking about relates more to the last question, it's a hard objective to achieve. Even now when the big game companies like Nintendo and EA are trying to make the industry in general more accessible to the non-gamer or whatever we call it now, getting a person who doesn't enjoy games as much to enjoy them a lot just doesn't happen very often. It's a hard gap to bridge because frankly, the gap is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and there is no bridge.

You either like hardcore games or you don't like them. There rarely is the sometimes like them person.

Just because your pops plays Wii Sports and mom plays Brain Age doesn't mean they're gamers. I don't care what people say. I watch movies casually and am not a movie buff. It's the same concept(maybe).

Companies that are starting to cater to the not-gamer are reaping in the rewards now, but it's only a gimmick. If Nintendo seriously thinks they can turn a bunch of non-gaming shmoes into someone who can truly appreciate a Zelda title they are crazy. It's just like parent who tricks a child in eating a vegetable by hiding in some other food. Yeah, it works for a while, but the kid eventually finds out and stops eating it again. It goes the same way with games. Nintendo hides the game and makes it seem like a workout(Wii Fit) or a way to keep your brain sharp(Brain Age).

So the real question I want to ask you is, why do you care what everyone else thinks about games? Most People aren't going to be suddenly drawn to gaming(AND stick with it) because of Spore.

I'm probably just making no sense and just rambling, but I just got off a 12 hour flight and have no sleep in me.

You make a good point. I agree that you are not going to "draw in" more non-gamers with the approach that Wii is taking. You are probably right in that there really is no way to turn a non-gamer into a hardcore gamer. I know a few people on the fence that need a little nudge. Where I think the perception of games becomes important is in the next generation of gamers, our kids. I'm older and my wife and I are working on our first kid, well, we are getting in a lot of practice anyway. I plan to have fun playing "E" rated games with my kids when they are young and judging later what is and is not appropriate for them to play when they start to get older. Where the puplic perception comes in is here. If I allow my 14 year old son/daughter to play COD8, am I going to catch shit for allow my kid to play a rated "M" game? Or more to the point, will idoit lawmakers make it were I can be jailed if I allow my kid to play a rated "M" game? I think the public perception does mean a lot for the future generation of gamers. People see it now as a way to be introverted and breed violence. I would want my kid to be active in sports, but have no problem with him playing a VG in his spare time. And with online play (forgeting all the asshats online) he/she could play together with is friends. But I would hate for the general feeling to be that he/she is some introverted loser for playing games because the public oppinion of gaming is so bad. I havn't been in school for a LONG time, so I don't know what it is like for you youngsters out there, but I think this is at the core of the issue.

 

[Silver]

Does the publics opinion on games really need to be changed? Is there a feeling of negativity towards gamers? Or do we just want people to understand what we enjoy and have them enjoy it too?

If what you're talking about relates more to the last question, it's a hard objective to achieve. Even now when the big game companies like Nintendo and EA are trying to make the industry in general more accessible to the non-gamer or whatever we call it now, getting a person who doesn't enjoy games as much to enjoy them a lot just doesn't happen very often. It's a hard gap to bridge because frankly, the gap is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and there is no bridge.

You either like hardcore games or you don't like them. There rarely is the sometimes like them person.

Just because your pops plays Wii Sports and mom plays Brain Age doesn't mean they're gamers. I don't care what people say. I watch movies casually and am not a movie buff. It's the same concept(maybe).

Companies that are starting to cater to the not-gamer are reaping in the rewards now, but it's only a gimmick. If Nintendo seriously thinks they can turn a bunch of non-gaming shmoes into someone who can truly appreciate a Zelda title they are crazy. It's just like parent who tricks a child in eating a vegetable by hiding in some other food. Yeah, it works for a while, but the kid eventually finds out and stops eating it again. It goes the same way with games. Nintendo hides the game and makes it seem like a workout(Wii Fit) or a way to keep your brain sharp(Brain Age).

So the real question I want to ask you is, why do you care what everyone else thinks about games? Most People aren't going to be suddenly drawn to gaming(AND stick with it) because of Spore.

I'm probably just making no sense and just rambling, but I just got off a 12 hour flight and have no sleep in me.

The point isn't to turn ordinary people into hardcore gamers. It's to change their perceptions. You seemto miss that point. Compare it to you and movies, you don't watch movies all the time, you're not a movie buff (or whatever you called it), sure. But you do watch movies.

If we turn that around, most "normal" people don't play games period. The Wii, and this topic, is trying to change that into how you see movies. It's something you can do for a while, sometimes when you have nothing better to do, sort of like watching a movie. The good thing about this is that people come to understand video games and the people who play them better. It's not that weird anymore, it can actually be quite fun. It also brings money into the industry, sure you might not like Wii fit, or other casual games, you don't like all movies either. Just because more people are interested in our hobby doesn't mean we have to go and be protective about it, and complain about them not being real gamers, and try to exclude them from this hobby. Just because your father doesn't play counterstrike on an elite level and only plays a few sports games on the Wii doesn't make his gaming experiences worth less, just different. Your gaming experiences isn't going to suffer because more people play casual games (and some WILL find it funny and move up to other games), it's probably going to benefit. Try to look at it positively, you won't get as many articles in the newspaper calling you a fat, psychotic loner who is bound to blow up the school, there's going to be more money in the industry (and no, gaming companies won't stop making hardcore games) and you can introduce more people into our wonderful hobby.