Poll: Conservative and Liberal Gamers

[Glerken]

"They want gaming to be free to evolve, but without the "suits" messing things up"
Politically, this can be a philosophy. It doesn't really make sense with gaming, as there is no "suit" that muddles with the development of a game. The developers have complete control over the game they're making.

Dragon Age 2
The only time developers have complete control over the game they're making is when they're a little indie dev team making what they want to. As soon as they're beholden to a big name publisher it definitely is the suits calling the shots.

Those games wouldn't get made without the financial backing of the publishers. It's hardly rational to rail against them when they're responsible for the fact that the game can be made at all.

 

[Raistlinhawke]

Liberal, if only for my love of Indie games and my ambivalence towards graphics.

 

[bakan]

TLDR; Conservative: Dislikes change to gaming environment, Dislikes DRM, Dislikes Indy Games, Graphics are very important. Liberal: Embraces motion controls, 3D, Indy gaming, Does not mind DRM, Does not mind lower-res Graphics

And what about the ones disliking intrusive/draconian DRM, liking every game as long as it is good and are generally open to new ideas but not dumbed down content.

 

[infohippie]

Those games wouldn't get made without the financial backing of the publishers. It's hardly rational to rail against them when they're responsible for the fact that the game can be made at all.

Perhaps so, but when the business guys at the publisher interfere with the development to the detriment of the final game, such as pushing the devs to finish long before they're ready, or dumbing down the game to appeal to more of a Joe Sixpack audience in the hopes of making more money, then I think it's perfectly justified to blame the publisher for turning what could be art into nothing more than a crass diversion.
In any case, my point was that yes there are "suits" in the gaming industry that can mess things up, the devs do not have complete control over what they're making. In fact the devs usually only have quite a small amount of control with all the rest subject to the demands of the publisher.

 

[Treblaine]

*le snip*

This is ridiculous, you are tryin to divide people by their gaming preference according to their political leanings, this is not goign to work.

"He/She disregards any other setup as insufficient and dismisses motion controls as a "gimmick", and even sometimes harmful to gaming."

I was very keen about Playstation Move, I bought all the peripherals and games and when I tried them... yeah, it's a gimmick. What the hell does that make me? A liberal for trying it yet conservative for deciding (on examination) it is a gimmick.

You also say some other really dumb things:

"They also dismiss 3D gaming (liberals may also dislike 3D, but for different reasons than the Conservative)"

But you never make clear what is a conservative way to dismiss 3D and what is a liberal way! This is all utterly arbitrary and pointless in the distinctions and certainly not helpful in any way.

Keep in mind that I do not expect people to match either definition 100%

These labels are POINTLESS if they are so inconsistent.

What is the point in saying "he is a conservative gamer" if that doesn't inform if they like motion controls or 3D or not?

It's reasonable to say that if someone is politically conservative their beliefs will line up consistently with few exceptions, but those are political ideals. We are talking technological and artistic preference which is far less over-arching.

Liberal Gamers also do not mind DRM

This pisses me off the most, DRM is neither liberal nor progressive and it also stands in stark contrast with their indy gaming preference that scorns DRM. DRM is the conservative approach to gaming retail to CONSERVE the status quo of pricing and distribution.

 

[scar_47]

Really bad definitions to use especially since the OP is comparing politics amd gaming where there are clearly more than two camps and the way the dividing points were decided is rather questionable. I think theres something to be said for a formula that works but we still need innovation not ever game needs to be AAA or an indie title a lot of really good games took some rather large risks in several aspect like portal or even bioshock, I dislike 3d and motion controlls because they don't really add anything to the game which is odd since graphics don't really matter either as long as they look decent ( in terms of what the game is aiming for theirs good and bad cell shading) but their on opposite sides, DRM is fine if done well and for mp only theirs no reason to have to constantly be online for a single player game I'm rather unaffected as a console gamer but I don't think I've heard of a DRM I'd care for, and I play a ps3 almost exclusively every once in a while I'll play an older pc game or a ps1/2 game or even dust off the SNES but those are rare occasions.

 

[dyre]

Most pointless thread ever. When you try and use such broad terms to cover people's opinions on a such a wide swath of issues you end up glossing over all the nuance.

this

I find the "Liberals are fine with DRM" statement especially lulzy

 

[Vibhor]

I am a moderate. I fucking hate draconian DRM but thats my only qualm.

EDIT: On the other hand, I find liberals embracing DRM quite a weird classification.
I know that because I am a !!FLAMING!! Liberal
Also, Just dropping this [http://www.bay12games.com/lcs/] there

 

[Arafiro]

I find 3D (in both films and games) and motion controls to be hugely pointless gimmicks that will hopefully pass just as any fad does.

DRM does nothing but hurt the games industry and cost developers potential sales.

I'm not against working towards a VR system, as I feel that is the future of games eventually, but only as I feel it would offer both the physical immersion and also controls that actually work. Motion control systems do not have this, especially the waste of material that is Kinect, where the "amazing" lack of need for a controller also facilitates a system without any buttons and therefore without any meaningful controls.

I do however absolutely love Minecraft, and find the indie market exciting, especially as an aspiring games developer. I'm also happy with graphics that aren't as amazing as some of the absolute newest titles, but only when done correctly. Cel-shaded, for example, just looks rubbish, and ruined what was otherwise a great game (Wind Waker).

Given this, I'm clearly a conservative gamer. I'm pretty strongly against the rubbish that is Kinect and Move, and dislike the Wii. The Wii was interesting idea when it first came out, primarily because it actually had a great control system, but th amount of casual titles with no depth has pushed me away from it.

 

[Shirokurou]

Let's put the question more clear:
Retrogamer or gamer, open to innovation and change?

The second

 

[DarthFennec]

I always thought the whole liberal/conservative thing was stupid, mostly because I have, in all political areas, very strong opinions about pretty much everything, and those opinions are always pretty evenly distributed between what people consider to be liberal and conservative views. For example, I'll hilight the parts that I strongly agree with in your descriptions:

A Conservative gamer is either a PC or Console gamer, one who prefers his standard setup, be it the WSAD+Mouse, or Game Controller with Dual Joysticks. He/She disregards any other setup as insufficient and dismisses motion controls as a "gimmick", and even sometimes harmful to gaming. They also dismiss 3D gaming (liberals may also dislike 3D, but for different reasons than the Conservative). A conservative gamer likes games that stick to formula, and prefers AAA titles to Indy games, such as Minecraft, mainly because of the prevalence of bugs and lesser Graphical quality. The Conservative Gamer also hates DRM, although individual stances on Piracy may vary. DRM is seen as a new, invasive problem that is threatening the Game industry, and the Conservative sees DRM as a bigger threat than the piracy it's supposed to be combating.

The Liberal Gamer embraces motion controls, often embraces 3D and other steps towards the virtualization of video games. The liberal gamer hopes to someday achieve a realistic Virtual Reality game system, and is willing to play with the systems that he/she hopes will serve as stepping stones along the way. A Liberal Gamer plays both Indy titles and AAA titles, and often does so out of disillusionment with the developer establishment. Liberal Gamers also do not mind DRM, and feel that the DRM is either not really that invasive, or that the developers should be allowed the right to use DRM any way they wish. After all, they willingly bought a product. Also, for Liberal Gamers, Graphics are not as much of an issue.

It may seem like I have an awkward view on controls and 3D, so let me explain. I want to step forward, beyond they keyboard/mouse or standard controller, and I definitely want the virtual reality experience, but I don't think motion controls or stereoscopic 3D are on the right paths to get there. Motion controls are a gimmick, we should instead be investing R&D into interpreting brain signals as input. Also, 3D as it is is just a gimmick, and we should instead be accomplishing 3D by other methods, such as head tracking. In any case, controls should, at least initially, simply be added to the current controller or mouse/keyboard setup. At least until the technology is good enough to support full control via brain signals.

Other than that though, I have a mixed view. I play a mix of Indie and AAA titles, and generally I like indie games better, like a liberal. Also like a liberal, I don't think high graphical capabilities are important in order for a game to be good (although I do think the art direction is important, and if the graphical capabilities don't support that, it's lost points) But like a conservative, I think DRM is evil and needs to die. Like, so much so that I lose sleep over it.

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

I'm a conservative by that definition, but I LOVE innovation.

 

[Baneat]

Remember you just have to hit a majority of the checkboxes to be considered left/right.

That said I think the concept of the thread is flawed and it just needs to die, really.

>Leans fairly right I guess?<

 

[Beserk GG]

I find myself in the middle liking things from both "parties" soooooo... NDP? Maybe?

 

[Nikolaz72]

Well.. Alright. A mixture of both I guess?

 

[chadachada123]

DRM sucks. I love games based on if they are fun/addicting, not on whether it's AAA or Indy. I prefer classic controller schemes, but I DON'T think that 3D is a complete gimmick, just new.

I would call myself an "old-school gamer" but not a closed-off gamer. I welcome new stuff as long as it is still fun.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Conservative, but I love Indie games.

 

[Centrophy]

A Conservative gamer is either a PC or Console gamer, one who prefers his standard setup, be it the WSAD+Mouse, or Game Controller with Dual Joysticks. He/She disregards any other setup as insufficient and dismisses motion controls as a "gimmick", and even sometimes harmful to gaming. They also dismiss 3D gaming (liberals may also dislike 3D, but for different reasons than the Conservative). A conservative gamer likes games that stick to formula, and prefers AAA titles to Indy games, such as Minecraft, mainly because of the prevalence of bugs and lesser Graphical quality. The Conservative Gamer also hates DRM, although individual stances on Piracy may vary. DRM is seen as a new, invasive problem that is threatening the Game industry, and the Conservative sees DRM as a bigger threat than the piracy it's supposed to be combating.

The Liberal Gamer embraces motion controls, often embraces 3D and other steps towards the virtualization of video games. The liberal gamer hopes to someday achieve a realistic Virtual Reality game system, and is willing to play with the systems that he/she hopes will serve as stepping stones along the way. A Liberal Gamer plays both Indy titles and AAA titles, and often does so out of disillusionment with the developer establishment. Liberal Gamers also do not mind DRM, and feel that the DRM is either not really that invasive, or that the developers should be allowed the right to use DRM any way they wish. After all, they willingly bought a product. Also, for Liberal Gamers, Graphics are not as much of an issue.

Oh come now, I voted conservative because you spent so much type on disliking motion controls and 3d gaming but I also want a holodeck or better a "Matrix"-style interface. Also, most indy games are shit, most AAA games are also shit... hmm oh well. No point to this post really, but trying to categorize or lump people into one group or another will never end well.