Playing a game the wrong way.

[Raelity]

Has anyone ever thought they might be playing a game the wrong way, and therefore getting less out of it? By the wrong way I mean not in the way the developers intended or in a way that doesn't fit at all with the context of the game.

The example that got me thinking about this was Dead Space 2, Isaac Clarke is an engineer with no oombat training, he is constantly attacked by spiky monstrosities oh and he's also going mad and having frequent hallucinations of his dead ex-girlfriend. By all logic he should be constantly panicking when under attack, and the game tries to make you panic too, with enemies attacking suddenly or in seemingly overwhelming numbers. However I found after a while that I was playing Isaac like a soldier, I favoured the Pulse Rifle and kept my gun up whenever I thought I might be attacked, I always double tapped the leg then went straight for an arm when they hit the floor. By a little way in I didn't ever feel panic or fear when I had a load of them rushing at me I just aimed carefully and knocked them down one at a time, and if I died I died, big deal, back to the checkpoint. So my the point is in a horror game designed to make you apprehensive and panicky I found a way of playing that meant I could have been playing COD and I wouldn't have been any more stressed. Was I playing it wrong?

 

[Confidingtripod]

my halo-reach spartan having no-sense of teamwork, often abandoning the other troops or ignoring orders to look for better guns or easter-eggs

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Well, there ARE people who played Vanquish as a straight up typical third-person-shooter.

Thereby not experiencing the whole point of the game and getting bored of it.

The game PENALIZES you for staying in cover, so why would you treat it like you average cover based game?!

It just boggles my mind.

 

[RedMore Trout]

However I found after a while that I was playing Isaac like a soldier, I favoured the Pulse Rifle and kept my gun up whenever I thought I might be attacked.

No, you're playing right, the developers just did a shitty job making a horror game. The game is still fun, but by no means is it ever even a little bit creepy. They gave you a helluva lot of firepower, and all the health and ammo you could ever want. It doesn't really have any atmosphere and when things get too hectic you even have a superpower to freeze enemies.

The other day I was playing Marvel vs Capcom 3 and just button mashing. Now thats how you play a game wrong

 

[Fiad]

Playing Morrowind as anything other than a Dark Elf comes to mind.

 

[Ganath]

I disagree it wasn't creepy. Well actually, it mostly wasn't. Except for you know. That one scene involving...sharp objects. It actually killed any replay value for me, I just don't want to experience that scene again. Oh and the damn raptor things..

 

[Shockolate]

Well, I had MASSIVE Derp during my very first playthrough of Borderlands when I thought you actually had to buy weapons for the chests lying around.

Since the game is all about finding loot and shooting guns, I didn't really play the way the developers intended, I guess. Does that count?

 

[Lt_Bromhead]

I disagree it wasn't creepy. Well actually, it mostly wasn't. Except for you know. That one scene involving...sharp objects. It actually killed any replay value for me, I just don't want to experience that scene again. Oh and the damn raptor things..

.... Which scene with sharp objects?

 

[Tallim]

I disagree it wasn't creepy. Well actually, it mostly wasn't. Except for you know. That one scene involving...sharp objects. It actually killed any replay value for me, I just don't want to experience that scene again. Oh and the damn raptor things..

.... Which scene with sharp objects?

He *probably* means either the scene with the screwdriver Or the "machine" right near the end.

 

[StBishop]

I think the Dead Space example is down to game design. You're rewarded for playing that way.

If they gave you a better (more lasting) punishment for death, rather than the inconvenience of trying again, you'd have been more panicky.

OT: Nah, I always play the game the proper way. My way.

 

[FPSMadPaul]

The example that got me thinking about this was Dead Space 2, Isaac Clarke is an engineer with no oombat training

Really got to be careful when you have no oombat training
OT: I'd say you just adapted to the situation (as Isaac would have done).

 

[Neverhoodian]

I have a disturbing tendency to completely forget about grenades and other explosives when I play X-Com: UFO Defense. There's been plenty of moments where I realize after a mission that I could have saved a few soldiers if I had just blown that Sectoid of the house it was hiding in instead of charging into it.

 

[Mark Flanagan]

I've played New Vegas as a merchant, wandering the Mojave and ignoring the quests. Was quite fun just to make as much cash as possible.

I've also done diplomatic/trade run through of Shogun 2 (Tokugawa)setting up someone else for the win as I didn't think that starting a war with the other clans was a good idea.

I've played Marston in Red Dead Redemption as a low life arsehole who robs and steals unlike the noble common soul the cut scenes paint him as.

 

[Twad]

I have a disturbing tendency to completely forget about grenades and other explosives when I play X-Com: UFO Defense. There's been plenty of moments where I realize after a mission that I could have saved a few soldiers if I had just blown that Sectoid of the house it was hiding in instead of charging into it.

Who need 'nades when you have unlimited ammo with laser rifles? just shoot at the walls/house until nothing remains!

 

[Dr_Horrible]

to be frank, it's a game, there is NO wrong way to play it.

OT, I play the assassin's creed games, yet I can play for hours-long sessions without doing a single quest

 

[ADeskofRichMahogany]

I'm currently playing through the StarCraft single player campaigns using only starting units and units that are unavailable in StarCraft 2.

I have learned that Firebats are really, really, really awful at taking down sunken colonies.

 

[random_bars]

The way most people played Brutal Legend - including me, at first - was pretty much completely wrong and not only severely crippled their ability to win, but completely destroyed the fun of the game.

What you were supposed to do was not only direct troops around but put all your own abilities to their full use too - quickly flying across to groups of infantry to kill them without needing to bring along any troops, fighting the enemy avatar head on, getting into battle alongside your troops and using all of the extremely powerful Double Team attacks, and making use of all your guitar solos to support your army and hinder your opponent's.

However, what most people actually did was to get the idea in their head that Brutal Legend is Starcraft and is therefore meant to be played in the same way. This meant they spent all the time in battle flying above the map, trying to win just by directing their troops around and never getting involved themself. And unsurprisingly, when you strip out most of a game's mechanics and try to play it like something it isn't, of course you're not going to do well or have fun.

But because so many people did this, they generally tend to believe that it's the game's fault for being bad and not their own fault for playing it completely wrong. Sad, really.

 

[Woodsey]

Your example is one of poor design. (Atrocious design if you consider Dead Space to be a horror game, really.)

Playing a game "wrong" shouldn't really be possible. It might be more enjoyable to play a thief in Oblivion rather than a fighter, but that's not playing it wrong, and that's about the only example I can think of.

I guess people who blast through games like Oblivion and ignore any and all side-quests could be said to be missing the point, but that's still not playing it wrong.

And I suppose you could be playing TF2 and BC2 wrong if you don't work with a team effort in mind, but really those are the only examples I can think of.

 

[Fbuh]

The example that got me thinking about this was Dead Space 2, Isaac Clarke is an engineer with no oombat training

Really got to be careful when you have no oombat training
OT: I'd say you just adapted to the situation (as Isaac would have done).

I remember when I didn't have any oombat training. All I could do was make waffles, and not even with syrup.


OT: Occaisionally, I'll fire up FO3 and put God mode on. Then I'll power level the character (using the console) and max out the stats. I'll then traipse around the Capitol Wasteland as a god, doing whatever the hell I feel like doing.

 

[DexterNorgam]

First example I can think of is Catherine. People can set the game for super easy to blitz through for the story, In my opinion that's the wrong way because that is totally robbing yourself of victorious bliss when you conquer that game on a difficult setting.

Another example is why I don't much play objective type matches in FPS games with strangers. Clearly if you are ignoring the objective to rack up easy kills, or work on your stupid 360 quickscope nobody-cares-about-it youtube video montage, you are playing the game wrong.