How are YOU holding gaming back?

[King Billi]

There was a time I believed that gaming could be a purely individual experience, a way for me personally to unwind and have some fun in my spare time... I never felt I was hurting anybody else with my hobby and whatever I liked was purely for my own reasons and personal tastes.

Sometimes however what I seem to "like" is precisely "What is wrong with gaming today!" and does nothing but hold the whole medium back from progress and the validation of society as a whole.

I used to hold the notion that there was no obligation for any of us to justify our personal tastes to anyone but ourselves but apparently that isn't the case as we all have to seriously consider now how what we like affects the industry and how other people view us as a whole... We're all in this together of course...


So anyway here's the point... I like Call of Duty...Alot. You know what I'm talking about... the "bane" of modern gaming and all that.

Here I was thinking that all I was doing was enjoying a fun little action packed first person shooter of no consequence to anyone but myself when all along I was really just a racist, homophobic, foulmouthed little s**t sending gaming culture as well as society itself back several decades for daring to show anything less than pure derision and contempt for such a game.

So that's basically it... Can you think of anything you like which is or could be construed as "holding the medium back"?

Please share it.

Edit: I hope my blatant sarcasm was evident here... I'm never sure if that comes across very well when typing.

 

[scorptatious]

Well I like Halo. The first three games anyway. (ODST was too short, Halo Reach was merely okay to me, and I haven't tried Halo 4) That series introduced regenerating health, which a lot of people seem to have an issue with. I can kinda see why people would say it's overused in a lot of games, using exaggerated terms such as "hide behind a chest high wall and suck your thumb" or some pretentious crap like that. But with Halo, it makes sense at least.

Plus, I find the games to be very fun. It had a nice variety of weapons, cool enemies, neat level design, and of course it has Arby n the Chief.

 

[aguspal]

I honestly think people are thinking a little too much about it.


You like COD? Thats fine by me. You arent doing anything bad and much less killing the industry somehow (a big L O L). Same goes for other stuff like Gears and Halo that I dont actually like, but I respect those that play it.

All In All, I honestly belive the whole "killing the industry of videogames" is just simply an excuse to blame on why games you hate dont deserve to be played. Its really lame. Just go and play whatever the hell you enjoy, and respect other tastes in videogames.



The end.

 

[Zhukov]

Uh... I really enjoyed Bulletstorm?

I hugely prefer voiced dialogue to old school RPG list-o-options dialogue systems.

I prefer gameplay that relies on player input rather than character stats.

I don't have any particular objection to DLC, even on-disc day-one DLC.

Oh, and I'm not currently boycotting any publishers.

 

[Esotera]

I buy every Activision game on release day, with all the optional DLC. I liked the ending to Mass Effect 3.

I am the 10th person who always rejects the Dota 2 match

mwahahahahaha

OT: no-one is holding the genre back apart from the players who are rude or deliberately unfriendly online, and development studios that add in sexist/racist/cliched stereotypes to their products.

 

[Rawne1980]

Nothing.

What I choose to enjoy is my own business and i'f i'm enjoying it then it isn't holding anything back.

If what I enjoy ruins other peoples advancement of games then that isn't my problem. I'm hardly going to change what I enjoy for someone else's sake am I?

As for what I like, old school style RPG's. With a fuck ton of content, tactical combat, micro management and an good story.

And that's why i'm halting buying new RPG's that move more towards hack and slash/third person shooter territory (and no, I wasn't a fan of the Mass Effect series either so no hypocrisy here).

So i'm the exact opposite of "holding back the industry". The games I like are advancing but in a way I don't like. The industry is moving on without me.

 

[Vegosiux]

By insisting that graphical fidelity and the raw rendering power (POLYGONS, RAAAH!) are irrelevant to making a game good.

And I will make no apologies for that.

 

[Comocat]

I think in MMOs that have gone f2p it's fairly challenging to draw a line of where it's acceptable to buy your way out of a grind and when it becomes abusive. Buying another character slot is probably fine, paying to use a skill bar is kind of weird. Convienance vs advantage is a pretty nebulous idea, and I feel in games built around player investment, the customer always loses.

Edit: I should note that my time in Lotro where I bought stat tomes, that were essentially unavailable in game, reinforced turbines money making practices that I disagreed with.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I don't have any particular objection to DLC, even on-disc day-one DLC.

Oh, and I'm not currently boycotting any publishers.

Amen to this.

Always online? I'm already always online. It doesn't bother me at all. So I buy it anyway, and I encourage that dreadful shit, which I know I'm meant to hate. And I do...I hate it so much...even though I'm not really sure why and it doesn't actually bother me in the slightest.

And day one DLC? I'll buy that. $10? I'll pay that in a second, if I want the DLC. It doesn't even occur to me to be angry, I'm just like...yay, more game, and I didn't even have to wait for it! I bought fucking HAIRCUTS in Sims 3 for gods sake. I am the poison killing the games industry.

I also occasionally want to wrap my arms around gaming and yank it back to 1995 so I can have more turn based games.

 

[Tom_green_day]

You know who I think is holding gaming back?
1) Console fanboys
2) People who cry because they get DLC a few days late, and don't seem to understand why. See Skyrim PS3 DLC here*
3) People who are casual gamers BUT SAY THEY ARE NOT. I have no problem with casual gamers.
4) People who cannot distinguish casual and hardcore games but think they can.

So basically people who obnoxiously think they are right without weighing up both sides of any argument.

*Yes I know it was nearly a year late but if you don't understand why I only feel pity for you

 

[TrevHead]

While I don't actually think one type of gamer is better than another (Although I do put stock the hardcore since they go the extra mile)I do think if someone actually cares about their hobby they should put there money where their mouth and:

1) Try to broaden their horizons don't just play the same games as everybody else plays try to buy one or two niche titles and new IPs.

2) I'm starting to think of those ppl who just watch Let's Plays as doing something akin to piracy, I don't mean the average gamer who uses YT, but those who just watch YT for the story like they would a pirate movie. That sort of habit will just mean less games and more copyright BS on YT.

3) Buy new not used.

In short while it's fine to play what you like, but if you don't open your wallet and buy niche games then (AAA/ none indie*) gaming isn't going anywhere.

*Sure there are alot of small budget indies doing well, but those are limited by their low price point.

As for the question how am my holding gaming back? I think I do ok, I buy mostly niche games and while I don't buy that many at launch I do buy mostly new and too many for the time I spend gaming each day.

 

[krazykidd]

To rant or not to rant. That is the question .

How am i holding videogame industry back ? That is a good question . And if i was to be honest to you and myself i would say by not evolving with the industry . I flat out refuse to evolve with gaming . People often refer to us as the old grumpy guys that complain about have gaming was better back in the day. Yes that's me , i'm THAT GUY .

Now while i won't go on forums and complain about the new generation of gamers and games , i do think games were better back in the day and refuse to accept the changes . I go my reasons and don't feel like getting into an "old vs new " debate . But i will point out games/things i won't do to show how i am "keeping " gaming back .

-I won't buy dlc . Never , ever . Period . Loved Dark souls , i will not buy the dlc expansion out of principle . I play fighting games , i will not buy the costumes . When i buy a game , i expect to hsve the full experience and shall not buy anyways else afterwards .

- I will not buy a digital version of anything . I understand that it may be the future we are going towards , but i'll be damned if i pay for something that is not a physical copy . The only exception is indie games because those would not see the light of day in a physical copy . So i am not completly unreasonable .

- Resident evil 6 / Dmc reboot syndrome . Making games more accessible / edgy / changing from the original concept . Resident evil 6 is not a bad game . However in my opinion , it's not a RE game outside it's name . A name carries weight , and if a game series doesn't deliver what i expect of it , i will not give it the time of day . Now for DMC . Games need to start attracting the new generation of gamers . These are the guys that are going to be spending the most money on games in the next few years . Me being an adult i have less time/money to play/buy games, while the new generation will start getting jobs for pocket money and have more money/time for gaming . DMC in my opinion , from the art design, to the dialogue , was made to appeal to the teenagers, the ones who will pick up the torch . " FUCK YOU, NO FUCK YOU , NO FUCK YOU! , FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU". Yup , that's the future .

I remember a simpler time , when gaming was aimed towards me . But it is no longer , and i am bitter . But i understand , i'm getting old and irrelevant . And i refuse to change .

 

[Darquenaut]

Hmmmm... let's see...

1) I purchase DLC. Not habitually, but if I really liked the game, then I'll buy extra stuff.

2) I purchase games published by EA. I would say Activision too but... they... kinda killed off all the franchises I was playing. But! But if they made made a Prototype 3, then yes.

3) I'm a old school heretic in that I'm willing to allow to see my favorite series to expand and try different styles. Dante as a Euro-punk kid instead of anime male stripper? Okay, fine. Castlevania as a third-person brawler instead of a side-scrolling collect-fest? Sure, whatever. Fallout playing like the Elder Scrolls except with guns? Whatever. My only stance is: if the game works, run with it. If not, try again.

4) I play Japanese games with English dubs.

5) I will occasionally buy a used game Like... maybe one every three months?

6) I play games with incredibly fantasized human proportions and I'm not immediately offended because I realize I'm playing an incredibly fantasized game where I can hit an opponent square in the face with a broadsword and they shrug it off like it was a wiffle bat. Are said human proportions dumb and juvenile? Yeah, and so is running around in crystal armor. What's your point?

7) I've stopped buying consoles on launch day. Because of this, I'm no longer supporting the console and if their Day 1 sales numbers aren't as big as they thought they would be, then it's all my fault.

8) I play video games with girls but I treat them as an equal. In that, if they watch my back, I watch theirs and I don't try to protect them and hide them in a tower because they are incapable of protecting themselves. For that I believe that makes me sexist.... somehow.

9) I don't play a lot of indie games.

10) And the biggest one of all... I play video games out of the sake of enjoying video games. I don't have knee-jerk reactions to shitty endings to video games. I don't flame developer forums with why they are all worthless maggots and demand they submit to my very narrow desires. I allow video game developers to make video games and I speak with my wallet. For this, I believe this makes me slothful and I am not representing my fellow gamers the way they would prefer.

I shall now go to the Temple of the Fanboy and repent for my actions.

/sarcasm.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

Oh, and I'm not currently boycotting any publishers.

I want to add that refusing to buy anything from a publisher is stupid. You aren't going to let publishers no what business practices you're okay with if you just flat out refuse to buy any of their shit. My rule of thumb is that if a publisher releases a game with horrific DRM or something like that, to not buy the game. However, if they release a game that doesn't have this shit, and it's a game I actually want, I'll get it. Not only does this support good business practices, but it means you don't miss out on as much shit as if you were to try to boycott.

Anyway, on-topic, I rarely buy games that aren't on sale for ridiculously cheap. I can stand to wait until games get cheap, and this usually means I end up getting to play more games. It's a win-win for me, but apparently I'm "devaluing the intellectual property" or some bullshit like that.

Also:

I am the 10th person who always rejects the Dota 2 match

You're a monster.

 

[Phasmal]

I honestly believe women will never be integrated in this culture unless gaming culture becomes "cool".
I don't know what that says about my opinion of gaming culture, or my opinion of women, but that's my personal experience.

I think it's funny you think we aren't already integrated.
You may not think we are, and there are loads of people who don't want us to be. But a lot of us have been for a very long time.


On Topic, I buy used games all the time.
Don't have a lot of money and only buy big releases on the first day.
Also, graphics matter to me more than I would like to admit...

 

[DoPo]

I don't have any particular objection to DLC, even on-disc day-one DLC.

Oh, and I'm not currently boycotting any publishers.

Amen to this.

Always online? I'm already always online. It doesn't bother me at all. So I buy it anyway, and I encourage that dreadful shit, which I know I'm meant to hate. And I do...I hate it so much...even though I'm not really sure why and it doesn't actually bother me in the slightest.

And day one DLC? I'll buy that. $10? I'll pay that in a second, if I want the DLC. It doesn't even occur to me to be angry, I'm just like...yay, more game, and I didn't even have to wait for it! I bought fucking HAIRCUTS in Sims 3 for gods sake. I am the poison killing the games industry.

I also occasionally want to wrap my arms around gaming and yank it back to 1995 so I can have more turn based games.

And amen to that. I don't need to dislike a certain publisher, not to mention boycott them - I can count the EA titles I've got from over the past 5 years or so, on the fingers of one hand (it's actually six, I think...so I'm a mutant) but it's not because I dislike them - they just don't have any games that interest me, that's it. I think I actually have less Activision ones. Again, I'm avoiding them on purpose.

DRM? I've talked about my stance on DRM on this website quite a bit. I find it jarring people to reject the entire notion of it and be proud of themselves. I don't like it - but other things I don't like are door knobs, light switches, and forks - I use them but I'm not emotionally moved over that fact. Unless they actually hinder me, though, in which case I just use another one, rather than complain how all of them are shit and give me cancer.

I feel pretty much the same way about DLC. Day 1 and on disc DLC included. Although I don't really buy much DLC, unless it's for games I really like - Magicka, I'm looking at you. I have all of the DLC for it (I think, I'll have to make sure I actually do) - more robes, hell yeah! Multiplayer maps I won't actually use, sure give 'em here. I love the game and I'll keep throwing money at it just because. Also, Magicka is free to play over the weekend on Steam, so make sure you do because it's an awesome game and the devs deserve all of the money (even though it's 75% off, too).

 

[Happiness Assassin]

I only buy major releases, refusing to buy indie titles. This isn't because of some stand or anything, I am just on a very limited cash flow right now and can't afford a lot of games. Basically I go with the big games because of replay-ability, which draws me more toward rpgs. I have been trying out some older rpgs on steam but nothing really has clicked so much.