Failure of Mechanics: The Hype machine and The Difference Between a Solid Game and a Broken Game

Phew...been a crazy week.  Still, I am doing my damndest to keep up with my promise and update at least once a week.  I have a full article written from a few weeks ago, polished, and ready for your perusal.  Next week, probably another Creator Spotlight.  Enjoy.

 

           Let's talk a bit about the games media hype machine and the general misconceptions of the gaming public.  Now, I know this sounds a bit bland, but...just follow me on this for a second.  I mentioned in my earlier reflections on the previous console generation that the hype machine is a big problem.  It creates unrealistic expectations of a game that will almost always be disappointing to gamers because the reality cannot live up to the hype.  The big problem with this, however, is that it creates misconceptions.  You see, too often gamers don't understand the difference between a solid title that, whether you like it or not, is at least a game that works, as opposed to a title that is broken on a fundamental level but which is still looked upon fondly because of the hype machine.

Yeah, the game's media hype machine promised us this broken pile of excrement would be awesome right up until release...no wonder people were pissed off when it failed so hare.

            Let me start this discussion by talking about Final Fantasy 4: After Years, for the Wii.  This game is REVILED by the gaming public.  Partially, I think, because of the hype machine.  The game was advertised on Kotaku and other gaming media outlets as the next great Final Fantasy game, the sequel to the landmarked Final Fantasy 4.  So...was the game great?  Well, no, not really.  However, that didn't make it an unplayable, unsaveable, or even a bad game.  What was Final Fantasy 4: After Years?  It was a decent little RPG that was originally developed as a cell phone title.  It used the same basic battle system as Final Fantasy 4, the active time battle system, however it added a few new features to the mix.  There was a combo system that allowed different characters to work together to create new attacks that were both unique and allowed for a bit of graphical flair in what was ostensibly a 16-bit throwback, there was a system with phases of the moon which affected combat, and there were extra dungeons unique for each character to play through that relied on their unique abilities to survive.  New characters were added to the roster from the Final Fantasy 4 cast and there was a new take on the story that had begun in Final Fantasy 4.  The game was, by and large, fully functional and had several interesting features.  The story featured the return of Golbez, the son of Cecil and Rosa, expanded on the mythos of the crystals, and added a few easter eggs from previous Final Fantasy games.  However, this game is hated by the Final Fantasy community, by and large.  Declared the worst in the series by many.  Worse than FF13.  Worse than Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.  Worse than Final Fantasy 14 at it's broken launch.  But was it?

The irony is that for all the shit FF4: After Years gets, if it had been released in 1995, it would have been a mega smash hit and remembered as a classic.

             No.  I stand firm and declare that while Final Fantasy 4: After years did have several flaws, namely that it was a bit too nostalgic and loved revisiting locations from Final Fantasy 4, it was originally a cell phone game so was sold piecemeal when first released, and that the story deviated from the basic tone of the original Final Fantasy 4, it was not a bad game.  The game was, from a mechanical standpoint, relatively sound.  There were some issues with the delivery of the game, as it was sold in individual episodes before being collected, but the battle system, the music, the graphics, everything that made the game "a game" worked and it worked well.  So, argue for whether or not this is a good game all you want, but don't decry it as the worst game ever, because like it or not, it is playable.  It certainly isn't Final Fantasy: All the Bravest, which is not only broken on a mechanical level for the purpose of squeezing money out of gamers or Final Fantasy 14 at it's initial launch which was nigh on unplayable.

At least Final Fantasy 4: After Years wasn't THIS.

            This is my problem with the hype machine.  It often overlooks the nuts and bolts of a game and creates misconceptions in the gaming community on what is really important.  No matter how much you hype a game, no matter how great it looks, no matter how awesome it may seem to play, it needs to be solid on a mechanical level.  The hype machine billed Final Fantasy 4: After Years as the return of one of the greatest Final Fantasy games of all time.  Was that unfair?  I'd say so.  However, the game was not ultimately broken or unplayable.  Or even all that bad.  Now, I'd like to examine another game which does not receive nearly as much crap as Final Fantasy 4: After Years, but which I personally was unable to finish specifically because of these mechanical issues.

This screenshot doesn't do it justice, but imagine the text about 3 times smaller for me when I was playing Darksiders 2 and you'll understand my anger with broken game mechanics.

            Darksiders 2.  Darksiders 2 had a lot to prove at launch as the original Darksiders, while fun in my opinion, was a bit derivative of the Legend of Zelda.  Darksiders 2 set out to change that.  There was less brawling and more acrobatics, more free roaming, loot based drops...not all of this set well with me, however the mechanics in place still worked.  The game wasn't unplayable or broken or even all that unfun.  However, there is a problem with Darksiders 2.  Namely, that there was a problem with the text size on the screen.  On a decent sized television of say 20-30 inches, the text in the game, from the flavor text on weapons or items, to descriptions of abilities, to text spoken by characters, was so tiny that it was nigh unreadable.  Now, Darksiders 2 received positive hype, after all you are playing as one of the four horsemen, Death, however this aspect was completely overlooked by the games media and by gamers alike.  This is a problem on a fundamental mechanical level.  It makes games for someone like me, who has decent eye sight but a small TV, almost unplayable...I had to fight the game every step of the way to try and enjoy it.  And for a while, I did enjoy it.  However, after about ten hours, I was just fed up with the broken visual mechanics of the game.  I put Darksiders 2 down and never looked back.  In my opinion, while solid for the most part, the game has some broken mechanics.  Apparently, this is only true of the console version, as the PC port works fine.  Nevertheless, it is a flaw for the PS3 version I played and shouldn't have been ignored by the gaming press.  Dead Rising had similarly tiny text and even Dark Souls to an extent has small text, though Dark Souls's text is nowhere near as cripplingly bad as Dead Rising or Darksiders 2.  This is a flaw in the game's mechanics, because it prevents players from actually...well...playing the game.  It is a small flaw, mind, but for me it stuck out in Darksiders 2.  For the most part it is a very fun, mechanically solid game.  However, even fun games, even games we love, need to be recognized for their flaws.  A game's flaws need to be mentioned and held up by the gaming media rather than being brushed under the rug, either intentionally or just because of an innocent mistake.  Let the individual decide whether or not it's something they will enjoy, rather than convincing them the game will be awesome, when it turns out that it might well be unplayable for them.

Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2.  Other fun games with writing two sizes too small.

            This is something I think gets overlooked too often.  In games that are blatantly flawed on a mechanical level, like Guise of the Wolf or Ride to Hell, the flaws will be held up for full scrutiny.  However, in more popular games, like Saint's row 4 or Xcom: Enemy Unknown, they tend to get overlooked.  Even if the issue is small, that doesn't make it any less of a flaw.  People will clamber against Ride to Hell's clunky, broken gameplay, but will not say a thing against Skyrims occasional glitch or bug.

It's easy to dump on Ride to Hell...

 

But no one wants to point their finger at Skyrim for it's broken mechanics.

            This is especially true of high profile games, like Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.  I freely admit that I have issues with this game.  It has some very fun moments, impressive graphics, sound design, and some new takes on the classic Zelda fair.  However, it is what I would call a broken game.  Why?  Because the controls fail on a basic level.  The wiimote waggling works for the most part...however when flying on your bird in the sky sections, the motion controls are nigh on unplayable...and they're all you've got.  On the whole, the motion controls are a major chore.  And in combat, when you are fighting enemies with a shield, the delay in the controls hurt enjoyment immensely.  You see, while the idea of being able to strike from different angles to get around the shield is cool, because of the delay in the motion controls, 99% of the time, you will just hit the shield and waste your time.  This is especially frustrating when dealing with enemies who have shields, which, if you hit them, you take damage.  I have issues with the game, even though it does have a lot of fun moments.  Is it a good game?  Yeah, it is.  However it is also a broken game.  Mechanically, it isn't solid.  It's flawed.

Get used to this image, because with the broken motion controls, you'll be seeing it alot

            Anyway, let me conclude with what I believe to be one of the most unfairly maligned game of the previous console generation.  Bioshock 2.  This game has been held as one of the most disappointing sequels of this generation, if not of all console generations.  And really, that's quite unfair.  Looking at Bioshock 2 from a strictly mechanical perspective, everything works perfectly.  The visual style is similar to, but improved from the previous game.  There are no glitches with it or hang ups that make the mechanics broken or flawed.  The music and sound design likewise works very well, with solid voice acting, a lack of errors on the music or sound effects, and a consistent tone throughout.  The gameplay is easily the best part of the game, as it is greatly improved from the original Bioshock, allowing players to wield weapons and their plasmid powers at the same time, for smoother controls and an overall improved experience.  The game is solid.  It works on a mechanical level and...generally...it didn't have anything about the gameplay that might lessen its value other than it was already done once before.  The hype machine, however, billed this as the return to Bioshock as a big daddy.  And there were some interesting design choices, like the option to turn off Vita chambers for a harder game or an overlay on the screen to make it seem like you are literally in a diver's helmet as big daddies often are.  But what people were expecting, I believe, was to go into Bioshock 2 as a walking tank, like the big daddies they fought, and feel powerful, strong, nigh on unstoppable, etc.  That wasn't what happened.  The gameplay was very similar to Bioshock.  It was improved, to be sure, but it wasn't what the audience was expecting.  In my opinion, this is why the game is so often heralded as a disappointment.  Bioshock 2 is not a bad game by any means.  I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the best shooters of the last generation.  However the audience was expecting something different from Bioshock.  They wanted to be a tank...but instead, they were a man and a father...thus, the disappointment set in.  And no matter how mechanically sound, people still bash it because of that.

In spite of how good Bioshock 2 is, both on a mechanical and a storytelling level, people lob hate it at constantly.  This is NOT a broken game...it's actually pretty damn awesome.  But the hype machine promised something that this game isn't, so...

            While I heartily disagree with this idea, I too am guilty of it.  I hate Legend of Grimrock.  I started playing it, enjoyed it, but at some point, around level 5 or 6, I began to despise the game.  Everything from the mechanics to the weak story bugged me.  Now...I don't necessarily think that's a problem.  If a game is not to your taste, it is fine to dislike it and be verbal about it.  I do believe there is too much vitriol in the world, but others may share your view and want to be warned off a game they may not like.  However, using blanket statements like "Biggest disappointment of 2012" or what have you is unfair.  Saying "This disappointed me the most in 2012" is perfectly acceptable, because that just says it's your disappointment.  You own it.  It isn't a blanket statement on the quality of the game, but on your experience of the game.  That's something I can get behind.

I don't like Legend of Grimrock...at all.  However, the mechanics work perfectly.  It is NOT a broken game.  I may not like the mechanics, but for what it is, they work flawlessly.  There's a difference between not liking the mechanics and the mechanics just not working.

            Now, I started this discussion to both hold up games that are mechanically sound, even if I or others don't like them, while bashing games which are heralded as great but which are mechanically broken.  A failure of mechanics is the biggest indicator of a flawed or terrible game and I would like people to recognize it as an issue.  For starters, don't be lured in by the hype machine.  Don't overlook mechanical issues just because you like a game and by that same token, recognize that even if you hate a game, it can still be mechanically sound.  I freely admit to hating Legend of Grimrock.  However, I'm not the desired audience.  While I think the mechanics are clunky at times, they aren't broken.  They still work on all levels.  It is a solid game.  I don't like it, but I recognize that I'm not necessarily the audience.  Skyward Sword, however, I really wanted to enjoy...but I don't feel bad bashing it because it fought me every step of the way with it's broken motion controls

I may not like Xenoblade Chronicles, but I can't say it's a broken game.  The mechanics work as intended, even if I hate them.

            The best thing that gamers can do is be aware of the hype machine and not buy into it.  Not be taken in by all the supposed features or ways the game is supposed to be and instead see it for what it is and whether they like it or not rather than whether it is arbitrarily good or bad, a disappointment or a classic, etc. then I think the game industry and media as a whole will be better for it.  Recognize the game for its mechanics.  Or failure thereof.  A solid game may not necessarily be a good game, but it is still playable, at least.  A broken game, however, no matter how great the graphics, how strong the license, or how nostalgic the subject matter, is going to fight you and hinder your enjoyment every step of the way.  Recognize that.  If you can get over it, great, but still recognize that the problem is there.

            Functional does not make it good, however being good does not excuse a lack of functionality. 

Creator Spotlight: Amon26

            Okay...so, in an attempt to provide more content in less time, as well as a chance to branch out and try to discuss things not as terribly depressing as the state of the games industry, I want to talk about creators.  Game developers, composers, programmers, what have you, who I think need more exposure.  I don't know who reads my blog or who even cares, but...this is me paying my respects.

            I had originally planned to start with a fantastic composer, one of the only ones to ever make me cry, but instead I want to talk about horror.  Delicious, fun, soul chilling horror.  Believe me, this is going to be good.  This is Amon26.

Pretty amazing developer overall.  I have no idea why more people don't know him.

            I can tell you that I've never met Amon26 or even had contact with him, yet his work has been one of the most brilliant I've ever seen in the medium of Flash.  Amon26 typically works in flash games, but they...they have more polish, beauty, and mad genius than many AAA titles.

            For those who only play console games or only play games on Steam, there is a world of free games on Newgrounds, Kongregate, or any other number of flash game websites.  People create and share, for no other reason than to get experience, get their name out there, or to make others happy.  This is how Amon26 introduced himself to the gaming world at large.  He may have begun tinkering in game design around 2009, but Amon26 got his first major hit, and well deserved recognition, with Gyossait on Newgrounds in 2011.

Prepare for a beautiful nightmare.

            Gyossait is a game that is...difficult to describe at the best of times.  It has very little exposition and while Amon26 did give a cheat sheet on the story after many requests, it's best played first without it, then with it...because the experience is different each time.  Basically, the player appears, bled out of the skull of a fallen god, and begins a journey.  However something or someone is haunting him.  Trees full of blades, with flowers of blood are your waypoints and as you die, you are rebirthed to suffer, again and again until you persevere.  This is not mercy.  This is torture.  The one hounding you wishes to peel of your skin and wear it as a mantle to keep them warm at night.  All this, in the first minute or two of the game, told through only a few lines of text and the games visuals and playstyle.

Are you afraid yet?  ...you should be.

            This is why I wanted to spotlight Amon26.  His games are a perfect marriage of aesthetics and gameplay to create organic storytelling.  True, there are cryptic snippets of text that appear on the screen, but they do not exposit.  They are more like conversations half finished...things that you need to know, but you have no context for.  The true story is told through the world and how you interact with it.  At the start, you cannot kill.  You only have a shield and your wits to overcome enemies and puzzles.  However, one puzzle inadvertently kills someone...and from then on, you are allowed to kill.  You are given a gun, but never told to use it.  You can, at points, return to only your shield.  How you play with this affects both the ending and your experience.  Are you a destroyer, who will take the easy way out, or have you learned the value of life through your mistake?  These deep ideas are what a little organic storytelling can create.

This is about all the exposition you're gonna get before Gyossait starts.

This is about all the exposition you'll get in game.  Tell me that's not unsettling.  I dare you.

            However, let's talk about the visuals for a second.  Amon26, in an interview with Indiegamemag.com, spoke of how he had nightmares, vivid dreams of creatures half formed, believing themselves to be human, or perhaps jealous of our own humanity, and wishing to take it by force.  Monsters birthed not from some unspeakable Lovecraftian pit, but from the human mind...and these nightmares are the source for much of Amon26's visuals.  Gyossait is a ruined world, on the verge of collapse.  Monsters roam the streets, the bleakness is like a nightmare made manifest, and the first time you meet your "host," after she kills you only to taunt you and revive you for more suffering, you will understand horror.  It is not an adrenaline rush from a quick jump scare.  It is the knowledge that your life is in another's hands...they hate you...but they don't want you to die...they want you to suffer.  The world hates you and this hate is heaped upon you like a leaden net to weigh you down.  It is this atmosphere that makes playing Gyossait distinctly uncomfortable, but also engrossing.  Because you're not alone and being hunted.  You are in a living, breathing world that is apathetic at best and at its worst, cruel to a fault.

Nightmare fuel.  Delicious, beautiful nightmare fuel.

            I don't intend to spoil Gyossait's plot or endings, but this game is how I was introduced to Amon26.  His previous titles, All of Our Friends are Dead, a shooting game that had no story, but piled on the unsettling atmosphere in such a way that it felt like a nightmarish fever dream, and Au Sable, following a girl in a red hood, journeying into a deep dark forest, in search of her sister and finding the remnants of what once was human hunting, taunting, and crying, are equally unsettling.  Amon26 has a talent for creating stories that only need a little exposition before allowing the game design and visuals to take you on a journey.  I'd even go so far as to call him video gaming's Edgar Allen Poe.  Not widely appreciated in his time, but amazing in what he has done with so little.

All of Our Friends Are Dead.  True terror lies not in graphics, gore, or music, but in the unsettling nightmares we make for ourselves.  If a developer gives you the pen, you know you've got good horror.

          Ironically, Amon26's games aren't all grim or bleak.  His current project, Shomia Teaf, focuses on a fairy in a colorful world and seems far more lighthearted...however, there is an undertone of something being very wrong, as the violence in the game suggests.  Let's Win Forever is another game that is bright and colorful, but...feels distinctly off.  I can't even describe this thing.

Let's Win Forever.  I don't even know, but something seems...off.

            Amon26 is a one man development group and despite numerous setbacks, continues working towards not wealth, but some semblance of happiness.  He enjoys what he does and believes in himself, but...for all that I've sold him as some dark, brooding, angsty, tosser, he's actually much more like Justin Carmical than you'd think.  Amon26 does suffer from some personal demons.  Don't we all.  However, despite that, he tends to focus on the positive.  In his interviews, he always encourages people to follow their own path.  If they don't know what they want to do, strike out and do anything.  Don't let others dictate who or what you should be and don't ever think you're not worth something.  Amon26 is an odd character whom I've never met, but would someday like to.  His games show more intelligent design than dozens of AAA titles I've ever played with their sole issue being their brevity.  Gyossait and Au Sable each are likely beatable in under an hour.  However, I don't want that to discourage people.  They are games I feel everyone should experience, both for their own nightmare fuel, but also because they really are fascinating looks at how a story is formed not necessarily by exposition, but by the actions of the player in an unusual situation.

Au Sable.  You go into the woods looking for Harmonia and find something inhuman...or perhaps too human.

            Here's where things get a little odd, though.  Yes, just here.  Shut up.  Amon26 is what many on the internet might call, a digital wayfarer or vagrant.  His only wiki is on the independent games wiki, which does not have links for many of his games and even though it gives links to websites or what have you, most are abandoned or reverted to their regular domain name owners.  The man is hard to pin down.  The best way to look into him, however, is probably through his twitter and his tumblr, both becoming outlets for personal discussion on his journey through life and on his games.  Amon26, though still a relative unknown in the game development community, is a person worth watching.  He hasn't published games to any widely known platforms however he continues to develop because it is what he loves.

            I would encourage everyone to at least give Amon26 and his games, particularly Gyossait, a look.  Support him if you can.  Spread word of his games.  Follow him on twitter or tumblr.  Look into his youtube account.  Check out his music on bandcamp.  If you wish to donate, he's given instructions here.  More than anything though, try his games, many of which even I haven't tried...yet...anyway, they all have his signature style.  So give them a look.  And, while still free on Newgrounds, Amon26 has assembled a deluxe edition of Gyossait for sale, including bonus content in the form of mp3s, Au Sable, All of Our Friends Are Dead, and a prequel to Au Sable, The Hunt, where you take on his imagined horrors in a first person, Doom-style, shooter.  You can purchase that here.

The Gyossait Deluxe Pack has tons of extra...the Hunt is a prequel to Au Sable and it's just as terrifying.

            In spite of my plugging, this is meant not as a publicity tool, but a sign of heartfelt respect for Amon26, as someone who likes a certain brand of horror...his brand.  The kind that doesn't beat you over the head with musical stings or overwrought exposition, but which is quiet, cerebral, tense, and unsettling.

            Wherever you are, Amon26, you've got at least one fan here.

I Has Opinions. You Has Them Too. That's A Good Thing

Before we jump right into a discussions on how we all have valid opinions on the internet...yes, really...I wanted to give a brief update on the direction of this blog.  First, I need to apologize.  I've neglected it just a tad.  But, that's going to change.  I'm going to make the attempt to update the blog at least once a week with new gaming tidbits.  I'm going ahead with a game spotlight section, which along with diminutive diatribes will be short enough for me to keep up with while I finish my longer articles.  I'm also going to add a developer spotlight section so that special developers or members of the gaming community get some real notice.  Think of the Justin Carmical memorial as one of those.

We can go more into that next week though.  For now, let's talk about opinions on the interwebs.

            Considering how much vitriol, anger, and criticism I dish out regularly, I'd like to take a moment to actually try and be positive for a change.  I'd like to discuss opinions a little bit here.  This is less to do with publishers or developers, but more the game industry as a whole and our growth overall.  See...our industry, our culture, is still relatively new in the eyes of the world at large.  And it shows.  While the internet, and internet culture, has allowed people from all walks of life to feel included or to find something they love that they can share, gamers sometimes have...a bit too much passion.  And they don't really take kindly to people expressing opinions or views that don't fall in line with their own.  Things that they feel might threaten the medium they love so much.  However...an opinion isn't an absolute truth.  It's not a law that needs to be changed.  It's not even a pressure against this medium they care about.  It is a thought.  An idea.  We all have them.  You have them.  I have them.  And truth be told, that's not a bad thing.

Opinions are important for the game industry.  They affect everything from review scores to editorial articles to the very content of games...so we should respect them.  For they have power.

            Story time.  When I was younger, say about 16-17, I got Final Fantasy X-2 for Christmas.  I loved the game.  While I found the story only passable, the combat was enthralling, using the idea of changing the female characters' clothes as a job system...however, I admit freely that sometimes I'd have the characters dress in the skimpier outfits because I found them attractive.  Looking back, this strikes me as rather sexist, objectifying the characters for a sexual thrill.  Know how I came to this conclusion?  Anita Sarkeesian.

Yes, I played the Final Fantasy dress up game.  Sue me, I was in my late teens and a huge fan of the series.  Surprisingly fun to play, though.

            Let me put a bullseye on my back and say, I really don't like Anita Sarkeesian.  Probably said it before, but let me just put this out there.  I don't like her internet persona.  I find it a bit abrasive, extreme, and smug.  That being said, I don't dislike her as a person or really disagree with most her opinions.  I don't agree with all of them, but at the same time being exposed to them changed me.  They probably helped kick start me thinking about feminism in video games and the objectification of female characters in fiction in general.  I always considered myself a feminist and was overly fond of strong female characters like Terra Branford from Final Fantasy 6 or Gwendolyn from Odin Sphere but except for the most extreme examples, I'd never really connected feminism to video games...I was one of those "last bastion of fun" kinda players, trying to keep my games in a glass bubble.  However, even if I don't like Anita's internet persona and even if I don't agree with all her opinions, they have helped me grow out of that glass bubble.  They've helped me to change.  And that's a good thing.  Many gamers threatened Anita with things too reprehensible to repeat here and too despicable for me to want to.  Some carry a huge amount of hatred for her and her discussions of feminism on youtube, Feminist Frequency.  I admit, I'm not a fan...but I still respect that she has a right to her opinion.  Not only that, but her opinions carry merit and I for one am grateful that they are floating out there on the internet.  Why?  Well, because it's another voice.

Okay, look.  I don't like Anita Sarkeesian.  But she is not a coward for disallowing comments on her youtube pages, she is not ruining gaming by making feminist critiques, and she is not trying to subvert some twisted glass bubble we all think games exist in.  Just leave her alone and let her voice her opinion like anyone else, okay?

            Human beings are formed by the experiences, opinions, views, etc. around them as they grow.  Truthfully, humans don't ever really stop growing until death, so we are constantly growing, learning, and being molded by our experiences and the world around us.  They help us to mature.  All opinions help us to grow in one way or another.  Exposure to crass commercialism could lead to people becoming highly consumeristic and wanting everything they see on the TV or it could make them jaded about many products which are too in your face with false promises.  It could even lead to them being middle of the road about it, liking some thing but being a discerning customers in their own right.  Exposure to racist ideas could horrify, intrigue, elate, or just depress others.  It could make them staunch civil right activists or bigots...but either way, the fact that the opinion exists means that it will affect our growth.

Never gonna evolve if you don't try new things and get out of your comfort zones.

            Going back to Anita, I have to say that rather than trying to destroy her or discredit her or just make ourselves nuisances...why not simply let her speak?  She has as much right to an opinion as anyone and her opinion will help mold us and those who come after us.  When you have an opinion, you have a right to put it out.  Others have a right to criticize it.  And likewise, we have the right to criticize the critics.  This creates countless voices, many mimicking the opinions of others, but some speaking out, taking ideas in different directions, and ultimately offering something to the world.

It may be a chaotic maelstrom, but the sea of opinions in this world can change us...it's an eerily beautiful thing, in my opinion.  Hehe...see what I did there?

            Now, let's take this one step further.  We all have opinions.  So, how about we respect that?  In fact, how about we stop seeing all the bad in opinions and start trying to examine the good that we can see.  Every opinion can have something good attached to it, if you're willing to see it.  If a bigot appears in a comments section discussing the merits and shortcomings of creating a tribalistic class of enemies in Resident Evil 5, where is the good?  Well, it does spark some interesting awareness of both insensitivity in the issue at hand and for the community at large.  If someone is so rooted in that kind of belief, would not this rude awakening to a casual reader that will help either shock them out of their own complacency, reinforce their stance against racism, or even take the discussion in a totally new direction?  It might not seem like a good thing on the surface, but it can lead to a positive effect.  It can also lead to a negative effect, certainly, such as people being offended or the discussion turning into a flame war, however I'm trying to look at the positive possibilities.

Discussing racism is not easy, even if it's just exaggerated in a game like Resident Evil 5.  But we kinda need to...we shouldn't turn away from an opinion or something in front of us just because we dislike it...we may not want to, but we need to know, good or bad, what's out there.

            Going back to respect, I think it important to do two things if you disagree with someone else's opinion.  First, appreciate that you could be the one giving the opinion next.  Think about how you would feel if you put someone down just because you disagree with it.  Try and take into account perspective.  Imagine how Anita must have felt when, in trying to further feminism and highlight some ways the game industry could have improved, she started receiving death threats...now imagine if it were you.  This is the basic respect people should have for one another.  Phil Fish, sometimes an abrasive developer, quit the game industry and cancelled the sequel to his popular game, Fez, because he was so heavily criticized and insulted for his opinions by a pundit named Beer.  What if it had been Beer or any of the other critics who had to take the abuse Fish had to?  Would they then have been so willing to hurl abuse at the opinions and of others if it had been them?  Second, understand that there may be some truth to the opinion you disagree with.  Accept that you may be wrong in your beliefs or that they may be flawed.  Take into account the possibility to be wrong and if nothing else that there is something worthwhile about the opinion of your opponent.  This too, is respect.  The respect of someone to make decisions on their own and share their views with the world.  Bottom line, you are welcome to disagree.  But do it constructively and in a civil manner.  Take into account your own flaws in perception and the perspective of others and don't try to spread anger, but create something good.

The chance for a sequel to the breakout hit, Fez, died because people didn't respect Phil Fish or his opinions.  A tragedy for all of us.

            Now, why does this matter for gaming?  Well, our industry is full of vitriol.  Anger.  We tend to be very dismissive of any criticism because our industry is very young.  Our culture is less than forty years old, at most.  So, we don't like people from the previous generations criticizing video games and gaming culture when they do not understand it.  This tends to make us very defensive.  I would even go so far as to say abusively defensive, where we will get very angry and mean to people who disagree with any facet of our current game industry, such as gender issues set in place since the 1980s, ideas of corporate reliability such as the value of the Nintendo or Konami brand, or the issue of violence in video games.  Some of these issues have changed.  Some need to change.  And we fear change.  But...we really shouldn't.  Our industry, our culture, is only going to grow if people aren't afraid of change.  If we can share our opinions freely and learn from them.  So, every time I voice an opinion about how bloated video game publishers have become?  It has the potential to inform people about the situation the game industry and perhaps take notice, perhaps work for change, support indies, etc.  When Anita tries to make a change through her feminist examination of video games as a whole she has the potential to raise awareness of issues of gender in video games, encourage further learning, perhaps even cause an indie developer or a major publisher to make a change to their game for the sake of the issues she has raised, such as the Last of Us focusing on Ellie as well as Joel.  Even Jack Thompson, hated, reviled, and despicable attorney who so railed against violent video games can make people reexamine their views on game violence and cause change for the better.  Opinions shape our industry just as they shape us.  They help it to grow.  However, if we try to squelch these opinions, we will never grow.  We will stagnate.

This isn't the 1980s, guys.  If we want to keep improving, we can't be afraid of change.

            Some people are of the opinion that the game industry is fine as it is.  And, these opinions still have merit, despite what I have said previously.  These kinds of opinions can highlight what makes our current industry good and, once again, mold it to help retain these properties.  However, the people who have opinions that differ from these shouldn't clash.  Just because we have differing views does not mean we want differing things.  Sometimes we do.  Some people want Suda51 to make more games where you can freely walk on a stripper as part of a psychedelic experience as in Shadows of the Damned.  I personally don't.  The first opinion may argue for artistic merit, anti-censorship, or just playing to a specific niche audience.  All of these are good points.  I may argue feminism, offensiveness, and maturity.  While we want differing things and argue different points, both myself and this hypothetical person making the first opinion each want to improve or maintain the game industry.  We may disagree, but we should respect the opinions of our opponents as well as our compatriots because I think it's fair to say that we all want what we believe is best.  By respecting and understanding the opinions of others, we can work towards this goal.  Everyone believes they are the hero of their own story and that extends to their opinions, which they believe to be just.  You cannot bold facedly tell someone they are wrong and expect them to simply change when they are the hero of their own story.  However, you may be able to make someone rethink their opinion and gain some perspective if you can plant that seat in their mind with your own opinions.

Immature or not, Suda51's games have a place in our industry and people can like or dislike them as they please.  Their opinions are all valid.

            Opinions have power.  The Xbox One, which used a number of DRM features and required an always online connection, changed because of the opinions of the gaming public.  Opinions won the fans of Mass Effect an extended ending for the third game in the series.  Opinions are how Steam games get greenlit.  More than that though, opinions are interwoven into every purchase we make.  We are showing our opinion for a specific genre, publisher, developer, or even just the game itself each time we decide to purchase it, recommend it, etc.  And we shouldn't belittle people for these kinds of opinions.  Much as I despise the DOA Beach Volleyball series, people like it.  That's okay.  I disagree with it, but I respect their right to play any game they please.  If we start being judgmental on opinions, it is a slippery slope, as they say.

Opinions can change things.  Sometimes, an entire console.  Sometimes an entire people.

            Obviously, I'm being a bit idealistic here.  Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone has one and some people have bigger ones than others.  But, I think it's important to remember that we are learning creatures.  We learn from every experience we have.  That includes opinions.  So...how about we make the best of opinions?  Let's learn from them.  Let's respect those who give them.  And let's stop being so angry.  The other thing about opinions?  If you don't like them, you can always ignore them.  A game that someone criticizes and receives a 1/10 on Metacritic doesn't destroy every version of the game in existence.  You can still play the game...you don't have to listen to the opinion if you don't want to.  You might not learn anything from it, but that too is your choice.

Love it or hate it, Metacritic doesn't destroy the games you love...they still exist.  So...quit obsessing over scores.

             For me, opinions, criticisms, views, etc. are a lot like video games, movies, and books.  Even if they're not always good, the fact that they exist is almost always a good thing because they have something to offer.  A bad book or movie can be entertaining, a boring game can be an object lesson, and any opinion can have something to be gleaned from.  Opinions put something into the world.  They offer something that others can look at and grow from, or not if they so choose.  And it's far harder to bring something into the world than destroying something already in the world.  So, respect people for their opinions...because they are the product of their life and their presence in the world, one way or another, will shape us all.

            I have opinions.  You have opinions.  Everyone has opinions.  And there's nothing wrong with that.

Just want to take a moment to step back from my position as an editorialist and say I try to live by a simple mantra.  Do no harm to others.  That, alongside some interesting discussions about Anita Sarkeesian and similar personalities have led me to write this.  Gamers are often self entitled and frustratingly abusive in their opinions...and I cannot for the life of me figure out why.  I mean...why would you want to make someone else suffer?  It is such an alien concept to me...so, I want to encourage others to respect the opinions people have and to address them with respect and intellect rather than vitriol and ignorance.  I may not always be able to live by my mantra, but I try...and that's all I ask of any readers I have.  Try.