Why do I say this, you might ask? Well, the answer is rather simple. The people in the community, especially those in forums, blogs or almost anywhere else on the internet are usually full of crybabies, ritualistic fanboys (both video games and fanboys), nostalgia-tards, the list can go on and on.
Now I am aware there are a few smart people online that talk about gaming without any sort of bias (at least with a decent reason) or stupid (unless they're reasonably joking about it), including well known people that I see on YouTube. But sadly, the smartest people in the world are easily overshadowed by the self-absorbed and closed-minded dimwits of the world. My first question is where can I start?
Why not start off with those who complain about certain things in the game that they think is missing or needs to be rectified when the developer intentionally did so in form of artist's creativity or the game doesn't need a certain feature because it's not built around it.
Starting off with artist's creativity, when certain things are created in a way that they think is good enough no matter what the outcome may be, gamers can rant and rave about it so highly that they give in and have to "fix" it due to their demands. Mass Effect 3's ending is a fine example of that. While I can agree that ending was very underwhelming, I didn't have the raging hate that made me want to send hate mail to both EA and Bioware in order to have the ending more stretched out since the ending got such a bad response since it was the end of a saga that matter via player's choice, they decided to release free DLC in order to extend the endings and even then, some players were still divided by it!
It's one thing to be disappointed about and have the right to talk about it reasonably but raging and sending hate to the developers is a high level of low that I can't bare it not matter what.
There's also the complaint of certain gamers who don't buy games because of certain aspects in video games, games that don't have multiplayer for example. While it is nice to have that feature in games to extend the value of it and some who didn't added in is a bit of a missed opportunity (Vanquish for example), not every game needs that. Games like Codemned, Resident Evil, The Darkness and many more tend to have (or their sequels) forced in multiplayer which weren't designed around it and only placed in there to extend the value when they can be shallow as hell. Not all games are like this but for the ones that do, they tend to be forgettable and tends to make the game feel unfocused when the main campaign isn't as strong as it should have been.
Another problem with the gaming community is that whenever something is changed, especially in reboots, die-hard fans can flip out like crazy. Now this problem isn't as prevalent because some can be taken for granted and some of it can be agreeable but if you don't like on how a certain franchise has changed, why do you keep playing/talking about them and focus on the good old games?
The infamous DmC: Devil May Cry reboot is a prime example as the developer Ninja Theory got heavy fire since they changed around a lot of the details and mechanics that the previous games have been known for but I still say most of that blame has to be laid on to the publisher Capcom for allowing them to do whatever they wish in order to get a new image for Dante. Some fans have been more accepting than others but it's still something that die-hard fans loathe to this day.
(Personally, I found the reboot to be a nice surprise since I wasn't a fan of the original game (most likely due to it's age) but the 4th game was alright.)
I understand the frustration of changes no matter how good the actual product can be (my feeling towards Max Payne 3 can be a test to that) but I don't think it's a good idea to go on a rampage about it or otherwise it'll make a bad name within the fan-base of your beloved franchise.
Understandable that you'd prefer the old days but that's no excuse to talk down to those who do prefer newer things or say that the older games are "superior" which may be true but doesn't mean you should use that in an argument.
One of the more obnoxious things within gaming is the age of gamers playing certain games, now I'm all for everyone regardless of age or gender playing video games but when it comes to age (especially children), there are some games that needs to be restricted from their reach, especially multiplayer games like Call of Duty which results in unintentionally hilarious videos of kids ranting, crying or being trolled by other players on Xbox Live.
Think video games are the cause of violence or other criminal activities? Then why are kids younger than the intended age for certain games playing them? I can put the finger on both the parents for buying the game for them and/or stores for selling the game to them without much caution.
Now onto one of the most occurring plagues of the gaming community which is the "console war".
Going on since competitive systems like the Super Nintendo and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis consoles back in the 90s, it was proven that two big game systems can survive and compete at the same time with their game library, regardless of exclusives or multiplats. Nowadays with 3 big console developers at the helm, it's almost impossible to have a decent talk over what console is the best or what you like/dislike about a certain system when the main focus is the games.
Words cannot fail me when someone complains about certain consoles saying it's the best because of certain features when (as I've stated before) it's all about the games. But even the games part is an issue itself. For starters, some gamers complain about certain titles going multiplatform, no matter what the reason it is. Rayman Legends was originally intended to be a Wii U exclusive which does seem rather strange since the previous game Origins was a multiplatform release but due to the sales of the Wii U being rather poor, Ubisoft decided to release it as a mutliplatform as well as delayed the game which caused so much outrage by fans, they made a Challenge App for the Wii U version. While the Wii U version may still considered the prime platform with the most features, the inclusion of other consoles won't exactly hurt since the predecessor was made on every system to allow more sales and players to experience the game.
The same can be said for Crysis as it was originally made for PC but due to requiring high-tech PCs to run it smoothly and the fact that not a lot of gamers have a good PC to run it as well as it's price (which you can, of course, find high quality parts at a low price to rectify that) made it hard for Crytek and EA to sell in which for the later installments (including a downloadable version of the first game) on the home systems along with the PC but people complain on how much of the series has gone "consolized" without considering the reason why the developers went through with this idea in the first place.
Also count in Final Fantasy XIII when they announced it'll also be on Xbox 360 alongside PS3, it caused a massive outcry because the Final Fantasy series have been on Sony consoles for a long time even though it's start and various spin-offs have been on Nintendo platforms as well, which completely destroys the argument of Square's signature series being a Sony product.
So that's one awful truth about exclusivity in video games but the other one that people complain is why a certain game is an exclusive to a specific console and demand it to be on the other or multiplatform. If that was the case, wouldn't the system not sell? Or do you just hate the system and want the game on the console you hold so dear when it could end up with porting issues, not that it's a problem nowadays but still.
The announcement of Bayonetta 2 at one of Nintendo's Direct feeds is a big example of that. After the sales of the first game didn't meet expectations, Sega decided to drop the franchise and sent it back to PlatinumGames where they were picked up by Nintendo to help them fund the sequel and make it an exclusive. A lot of people raged about it and while it's strange for a multiplatform title to go exclusive (like what I talked about earlier), sometimes there's a good reason why and that's because a sequel wouldn't have exist at all if there was no one to back it, even the developers mentioned about it themselves.
And then there's those fanboys who say that a certain game is exclusive to their system when it's also on PC. A majority of 360 games like Bioshock (on their first run), the first Gears of War, Fable III, Mass Effect, etc. have been either released along side or came out later on PC which destroys the argument of a console exclusive. I assume the same thing applies to those who say that Final Fantasy XIV Online on the PS3 when it's also on PC since it's an MMO.
Another issue within gaming is when gamers claim that you're not a "hardcore" gamer if you play specific games, especially games that are more or less like Call of Duty, Halo, Battlefield and many others similar to it. I hate to break it to some people but when I think of "hardcore" games, I think of games like Zack & Wiki, Ghost 'N Goblins, Dark Souls, Mega Man and many others. No matter what the intended age group the visuals are, if the game is hard as nails or deep as the earth's core, that is what I consider a hardcore game.
Although it probably doesn't help with the rise of casual titles that we see on mobile platforms that cement the image of casual games so like one look without looking into it is completely wiped off. One of the many reasons why gems like Little King's Story are often forgotten.
There's also plenty of other matters that I would talk about such as sexism against female gamers, DLC and video games in the media but half of those are either irrelevant to what I'm talking about or too touchy that I might have to do a separate blog if I feel the need to.
But the bottom line is the gaming community to me is just dead because from what I remember when I was growing up, gaming was all about having fun and enjoying an experience at the comfort of your own home by yourself or with friends and family. Nowadays (somewhat thanks to the internet) those days have been long gone since people have a reason to complain, troll and various other ways of spouting bullshit to others.
You could call out on me if you want by saying I'm doing the same thing and I do acknowledge that I too am not the ideal version of a gamer but unlike some people, I have at least a sense of common knowledge and try to restrain/explain myself or correct my mistakes whenever they occur. I know others who do the same thing as I've mentioned but the majority of the gaming public is so out of control that I can't stand it.
You might be asking, if I hate all of this so much, why do I continue gaming? Because it's my passion, it's been a favourite thing for me to do since my childhood and it's not going to die no matter what. I may have not been much of a crazy gamer as I was years ago but I still enjoy it to this day and I treat each platform with respect no matter how flawed they may be.
This blog is over.
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