Is it me or it getting harder to not look at games/gaming in a negative light?

[Vigormortis]

You're not using the word misanthrope correctly here... I think pessimist would be more accurate.

OT: I don't see gaming in as positive light as I once did, but that's mainly because I've grown up, don't have the time and things like that. I still enjoy it though.

I was going to say pessimist, but most times that I do it's met with retorts of, "I'm not a pessimist! I'm hopeful for the industry! I just hate what it is."

And besides, most of the people I've met who endlessly lament the "downfall" of the industry also speak of their disgust with people. Or, more to the point, how "people" have ruined the industry through popularity.

Might be a stretch, but I'm stickin' to my descriptor.

 

[Yopaz]

You're not using the word misanthrope correctly here... I think pessimist would be more accurate.

OT: I don't see gaming in as positive light as I once did, but that's mainly because I've grown up, don't have the time and things like that. I still enjoy it though.

I was going to say pessimist, but most times that I do it's met with retorts of, "I'm not a pessimist! I'm hopeful for the industry! I just hate what it is."

And besides, most of the people I've met who endlessly lament the "downfall" of the industry also speak of their disgust with people. Or, more to the point, how "people" have ruined the industry through popularity.

Might be a stretch, but I'm stickin' to my descriptor.

Misanthrope means so much more though. Why don't we just settle for annoying? They fit perfectly into that definition.

 

[Vigormortis]

Misanthrope means so much more though. Why don't we just settle for annoying? They fit perfectly into that definition.

I know it does, but I was attempting to be derogatory.

But if it's that bothersome....I 'spose we can go with plain ol' 'annoying'.

 

[Evonisia]

I think it's a case of "They are negative, it's taking me off my buzz".

Example, I always get the horrible feeling at the back of my head that whenever I'm playing Black Ops II that right now I'm being stereotyped and associated with the worst of the worst. I have fun when I play it, but once I stop I can't shake that feeling. Technically I've been called a "neckbeard" for the crime of buying a game I genuinely like and bought based on the thought that it would be good (well, above average for mediocre games of it's time).

I really liked Dead Rising 3, but the fact that there is an Xbox One in my house because of it practically condemns me to a public burning.

 

[Racecarlock]

I was depressed about 5-7 hours ago, then it turned out to be heartburn and not clinical depression like I had been assuming for the past few months.

Anyways, crap has always been around. Always. I mean, if you don't believe me, spend a few hours watching the angry video game nerd. You'll see. The crap has not prevented the good games from coming out. Whatever your idea of good or crap games is, you're still being supplied nowadays. This isn't a bad thing. This is a good thing.

It would seem as though business practices are getting worse, and they are in many ways. Thing is, sometimes good games still get released under these practices and also not everybody uses them. So if you don't like a practice you can simply not buy the game in protest or whatever.

There's also the fact that reporting has become far more widespread thanks to social media and camera phones. The media would have you believe that society is worse than ever with crime happening on every street and immigrants takin' yer jerbs, but the truth is that crime is at the lowest it's ever been, even with the low regulations on firearms, and while it's true that there are many garbage games coming out these days full of glitches that "Can be patched out later" or released as a beta that you pay full price for on steam and also turn out to be crap, you still get really good games like Saints Row IV, GTA V, Gone Home (I didn't play this one but it's apparently a good story game so there I guess), The Stanley Parable, and so on. And while the current industry might not last much longer, there will be other good developers who make good games and publish good games who will take their places. And some will get greedy again and the process repeats, but there will always be good guys and good games.

Don't believe the doomsayers. People thought the world was going to end in 2012 and look how that worked out. I'm still quite alive right now.

 

[Comocat]

I had a few points left in my Nintendo account, so I bought the original Final Fantasy. I bought the game when it first came out for the NES saving up for it with my allowance. Needless to say, how I remember the game and how the game actually is are two very different things. I'm pretty excited for what games can do now.

I only buy a handful of games per year, so I havent really seen this decline in quality, because I dont buy every new release that gets thrown at me. TBH I dont understand the fuss around CoD or Madden, because nobody is making me buy those games.

 

[Something Amyss]

Everything that you've just mentioned can be seen in every other entertainment industry ever. For every Firefly, how many cheap and shitty reality shows do we get? For every Schindler's List, how many soulless EXPLOSIONS! and BOOBS! movies do we get? For every truly good musical artist, how much poppy "I sound like everyone else but I'm hot so I get a record deal" groups do we see?

I'm curious as to how many movie studios have required you to sign up to an online account to get your full movie, or to oppose used sales.

 

[tippy2k2]

Everything that you've just mentioned can be seen in every other entertainment industry ever. For every Firefly, how many cheap and shitty reality shows do we get? For every Schindler's List, how many soulless EXPLOSIONS! and BOOBS! movies do we get? For every truly good musical artist, how much poppy "I sound like everyone else but I'm hot so I get a record deal" groups do we see?

I'm curious as to how many movie studios have required you to sign up to an online account to get your full movie, or to oppose used sales.

I've never had to sign up for an account in order to play a video game (now granted, I am a console gamer so I imagine that's different on the PC).

As to your question though, many movies are doing the digital thing and you have to have accounts for that. Sony has Ultraviolet, you've got Amazon, you've got iTunes, you've got plenty of places where you need an account to get movies.

 

[Something Amyss]

I've never had to sign up for an account in order to play a video game (now granted, I am a console gamer so I imagine that's different on the PC).

You've never had to download an unlock key from PSN or XBL?

[As to your question though, many movies are doing the digital thing and you have to have accounts for that. Sony has Ultraviolet, you've got Amazon, you've got iTunes, you've got plenty of places where you need an account to get movies.

So you have to go online only when you're specifically buying online to use an online service. That's not the same thing.

 

[tippy2k2]

I've never had to sign up for an account in order to play a video game (now granted, I am a console gamer so I imagine that's different on the PC).

You've never had to download an unlock key from PSN or XBL?

Maybe I don't get the question, do you have an example to clarify? I've downloaded games from my consoles but those are digital downloads (like the Amazon thing). Are you talking about things like Project Ten Dollar, which fell apart or something else?

 

[Something Amyss]

Are you talking about things like Project Ten Dollar, which fell apart or something else?

Project Ten Dollar fell apart, but the concept didn't. We're still getting redeemable codes. Including online passes for physical and retail products, locked ODC (Capcom, Mass Effect 3, etc) and so on.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Well, I am finding it significantly harder to look at the gaming community in anything even approaching a positive light (mostly because the community is seemingly doing its damnedest to continuously alienate me). The industry is also doing a fine job pushing themselves into a negative light. But the games themselves? No, not really. The games themselves are still as good as they always were, and we have more variety than ever. Most of the faults modern day games have are not new.

Cookie cutter sequels? Megaman series did it first.

Copycats of famous games? Had those since the days of Bubsy & co (before, even).

Exploitative DLC/cut content sold as DLC? Remember when you had to buy a separate CD if you wanted a game to be fully voiced?

Horrible DRM? I dunno about you, but I am glad we don't have to deal with code-wheels anymore...

Games broken at launch? Bro, do you even Temple of Elemental Evil.

Games being stupidly hyped? What do you think Nintendo Power or The Wizard was for?

 

[The Wykydtron]

*pops head up from League and DOTA 2*

Hey, what's this about paying money for games? I've kind of lost track of-oh cool a new Drow cape...

OT: The last game I paid full price for was MGS Rising and even that was only £20. I also bought Witcher 2 yesterday cuz of the Steam sale and I really do want to try it again. Will probably still find the same host of problems I had with it on the 360 version but hey i'll do anything twice.

The only things i've bought for full price anyway near recently were Devil Survivor: Overclocked and Ace Attorney 5 on the 3DS and they were all really good. I stopped being hyped for things years ago and now all I do is cast a small glance over the upcoming games while playing free games, games i've already completed and older last gen games like say, Persona 4 Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines.

I am hopeful for Titanfall though. Sadly I doubt any of my friends will download the fearsome malware known as Origin with me to play the bloody thing even if it does turn out to be good.

How does one go wrong with mechs anyway? I'll be entertained by the several videos meshing Attack on Titan with Titanfall regardless. Wait christ, don't tell me Guren No Yumiya will end up being the standard music for every Titanfall n0sc0p3 montage? God...

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

At the cost its not worth it anymore. Tho I am having a good time since PS3/360 games have gotten cheaper and cheaper, used prices are going through the floor!

 

[Rad Party God]

Shit has always been around, watch some of the Angry Video Game Nerd and JonTron vids and you'll see that every single video game platform is always riddled with shit in abbundance.

Do like I did (or don't), stay aways from the internet for a few days, or at least reduce your time browsing through it, belive me, you'll feel much more positive about almost anything.

Also, as a general rule, maybe you're looking at the wrong direction, there are tons of old/obscure gems on GOG, the indie scene has never been better (with the exception of some dimwits on Early Access) and the F2P scene is quite exhilarating (if you DON'T look at the mobile games).

It's hard to watch my hobby in a negative light with so much good stuff going on elsewhere.

 

[KazeAizen]

Everything that you've just mentioned can be seen in every other entertainment industry ever. For every Firefly, how many cheap and shitty reality shows do we get? For every Schindler's List, how many soulless EXPLOSIONS! and BOOBS! movies do we get? For every truly good musical artist, how much poppy "I sound like everyone else but I'm hot so I get a record deal" groups do we see?

It's easy to look at all the shit in any form of media and lose track of the diamonds in there. Frankly, I'm too busy playing greatness to care about all these problems in the industry. I've been hearing "Well it's a slippery slope! One day all games will have micro-transactions and day one DLC and small pox with every game! You'll care then!!!" but I've been hearing that an awfully long time and I still see greatness coming out. If people want to give themselves ulcers worrying about things they can't do anything about, go for it but I for one will stop worrying and learn to love the bomb play what I want to play without worries.

Not to mention people seem to create problems where there are none. For instance people started calling out Riot for being greedy. The president eventually just got fed up with it and had a very aggressive response back. Seriously though how is Riot greedy? Its not like they have a comic deal with Dark Horse to publish lore and make money that way (though I wish they did a little ) They don't make you pay for any actual gameplay anything. The only thing you are required to pay for is skins. Even then if you have nice enough relatives you can get gift cards from friends and family. They've devoted everything to League of Legends and it takes a lot of money to maintain that game. They have to make money somewhere or else one of the greatest MOBAs ever made and the one game that (to my estimate) that has actually managed to dethrone World of Warcraft in the realms of online games as the biggest one, if not that its come damn close.

I for one am looking on the bright side. All major console publishers now are reaching out to indie studios. Nintendo still knows what an actual game console is. There are things to be positive about. Its just the internet for some reason got corrupted early on and we'd much prefer to dwell on the bad instead of look at the good. Like no one seems to acknowledge that FF XIII-2 was leaps and bounds a better game than the first one from objective standpoints but because it was associated with the first one it got nailed to a cross by fans. Not actual reviewers though.

 

[DanDanikov]

"When I was young..."

People have a habit of looking on the past with rose-tinted glasses and then cherry-picking the worst for contrast. It is disappointing to see the most money going into disreputable mass media, but mass appeal comes from the lowest common denominator and attracts the unscrupulous, exploitative money-makers. The seething masses and them are made for each other, don't let yourself get swept up by that.

Instead, there is a wonderful thriving industry of innovative and interesting indie games, a little off the beaten, trampled highway but not by far. Hell, some of the not-quite-mainstream 'niche' games are still creating interesting and compelling experiences.

Even those aren't 100% perfect, but even the best games never were.

 

[tippy2k2]

Are you talking about things like Project Ten Dollar, which fell apart or something else?

Project Ten Dollar fell apart, but the concept didn't. We're still getting redeemable codes. Including online passes for physical and retail products, locked ODC (Capcom, Mass Effect 3, etc) and so on.

Maybe it's just what I play then because for the most part, the only redeemable codes I ever see now (since $10 died) is for multiplayer fluff content (like skins, cards in Madden, a new gun, etc.). I have never seen any game with any substantial content lost if you never used them. I'm sure they exist but I think you're looking at the minority and painting the industry with it.