Posts Tagged ‘Opinion’

Yes, the games are very different...

We all have our own proclivities. Styles we prefer, elements and factors that appeal to us. More often than not we cannot fully verbalise these preferences. When discussing games so many factors affect our tastes to the point it can be near impossible to satisfactorily articulate a game’s allure. People need to suffix the explanations of the games they enjoy with a simple ‘and I just like it’. Unfortunately usually when people feel passionately about a game they want to convince others it is good or defend it from deriders.

Recently Prototype and inFamous were released. Both are open world superhero games so comparisons were inevitable. Strangely though no one online seemed to be happy simply saying ‘I like this one!’ They seem to want to convince the world that their enjoyment of one game is more valid than the enjoyment of people who played the other game. To do this they find it necessary to attack the other title, frequently without seemingly having played it.

Arguments center on elements that neither game does well, excusing their preferred games through bizarre mental gymnastics. Look at message boards you see Prototype fans decrying inFamous’s story for its contrived and ridiculously polarizing decision process. In the same post they will argue that Prototype’s plot is unimportant to the game, simply providing frame for the visceral action around it and using words like ‘competent’ or ‘functional’. Reactionary inFamous fans hit back attacking the simplicity and repetitive nature while forgetting (or ignoring) the grenade spam fest that makes up the later stages of their own game.

…but they make it difficult not to draw comparisons.

It appears to be an extension of cognitive dissidence. People need to validate a decision to feel like the right choice was made. But online gamers frequently strengthen their choice by (aggressively) undermining others. The same thing experienced by console fanboys. Every element of gaming (and entertainment) preference is subjective. You can argue more people prefer one game over another, but not that is objectively better.

All this energy is wasted in an attempt to be ‘right’. Gamers it seems still to clutch to the misconception that there is a best game, that somehow there is a scientific formula that can calculate a hierarchy of games. The problem is I suspect if the hierarchy didn’t agree with their opinion they would probably argue the equation was flawed.

Few people are qualified to break down and accurately observe a game based on their construction. Most people must rely on a purely subjective opinion of what they are seeing experiencing. Reviews focus on a few key points, such as whether a game is aesthetically pleasing or if there is sufficient variety in the levels but all of this is subjective and open to a variety of interpretations.

Why is a free casual game any less worthy of high industry praise?

Within the western world of gaming press and blogs there are some accepted wisdom what a ‘good’ game should be. But it is such a narrow view of the industry and so audience focused that at times it becomes difficult for new comers, especially those looking for something different from their games, to understand the shared opinions of the dedicated fan base.

There is a reason that I don’t understand why Japanese game reviews are not inline with my own opinions and those of Western press. There is even a reason why Wii Play and EA’s Carnival Games have been able to sell more than I would ever have believed. It is a very simple reason that we as (Western) gamers have to accept and become comfortable with, simply that we are in the minority.

Geographical location and cultural norms can dramatically affect game preferences

What any individual group looks for in a game is different. Young children enjoy repetition, and families want something simple for everyone to enjoy. People with limited time want more casual, drop in and out games. Even ‘serious’ gamers in different cultures have different expectations. Any gaming poll in Japan regarding most popular games see Japanese role playing games consistently top the charts, often to the total exclusion of Western titles. A quick look at Japanese weekly gaming magazine Famitsu’s 2008 awards sees only one foreign title getting a mention (GTA4) and that was in the world-wide category. Incidentally GTA4 was also one of only two western developed games to rank in the top hundred sales last year at sixty six, along with SimCity DS 2 at eighty three.

I am not suggesting that this is a revelation to anyone but it is something to think about as we bemoan companies for their lack of support to more committed, long term gamers. Also it is worth considering before berate game sites and magazines for favorable reviews of games that more serious players may consider ‘casual’ or even just for having an opinion which differs from our own.

150 words was the task I set myself. Why? Because I hate reading large quantities of text on a monitor. I have posted using the same format on other sites; some feel that ‘a review should never be this short.’ My reviews are my opinion. I am open about that. There is no pretence of objectivity, but I am fair and acknowledge when I am biased.

Frequently in reviews you see the phrase ‘you (may) find’. In some cases reviewers may be putting themselves in another person’s position, but on the whole they mean ‘I found’. By omitting ‘I’ the author seems objective. But games are like any other entertainment, you can be objective about elements, but the view of the whole is subjective.

This was the point of the 15×10 articles. A crash-course in my gaming proclivities. To help you decide if you want to listen to my opinion.