WHY GAMES ARE LOUSY

May I also add realizing that much as the success of motion controls may look like it proves otherwise, core gamers are not only full grown adults, but also, theyre not only dick-clutching men. Maturity and restraint are things to embrace, and not just when you're trying too goddamn hard to win game of the year. There's a depressing middle ground between Gears of War and Limbo, where way too few games are daring to tread, and should. One of the biggest tragedies of the generation far as i'm concerned is the fact that David Jaffe, despite having created one of the biggest new franchises of the last decade, couldn't get his utterly AMAZING sounding war-time drama game off the ground, because no 13 year old would ever buy it. That's fucking bullshit, and it's a mindset the industry needs to unplug their heads from their asses about. Stuff like Alan Wake and Heavy Rain is a start, but not nearly enough.

I think every game developer should wear a bracelet that reads "What Would Valve Do?"

Seems odd that you didn't call out Bioshock for Point 3.  The entire basis of the game is 'under no circumstances should the player be punished.'  And its critical and commercial success and the 'saying yes to the player' talks that followed is a big part of why games shy away from doing anything that might punish or frustrate the player.  And the games that DON'T get lambasted for being too hard and relying on 'trial and error' gameplay (see: the critical response to 'Mirror's Edge').

As someone who hasn't played all that many video games in the past decade, I can't bring any nuance to the discussion.  But this was a really fun read with points that I agree with.  I used to be obsessed with video games.  And now, I can't be bothered to play them unless they're the fast-loading, shoot-from-the-hip variety.  When cinematics were a rarity (and basically images and text), just seeing a video game be cinematic was a thrill.  And now, few things turn me off a game more.  A lot of this has to do with the fact that many of these cinematics just come across as aping other movies, of course.  

I've yet to play any Mass Effect game, but I just found out that the 2nd game came out on the PS3.  So I'll probably try to wait for the price to drop and finally see what all the fuss is about.

Essentially the game industry needs to grow up and not be so afraid of pitching games to the actual average age of gamers (31 here in Australia), instead of the 14 year olds they percieve still buy.

The problem is, while mindless shit sells and risky games bomb, there's really not a lot of financial incentive in these troubled economic times for them to do so. Games like RDR doing so well are a good start, but they're just a start.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

Essentially the game industry needs to grow up and not be so afraid of pitching games to the actual average age of gamers (31 here in Australia), instead of the 14 year olds they percieve still buy.

 

The problem is, while mindless shit sells and risky games bomb, there's really not a lot of financial incentive in these troubled economic times for them to do so. Games like RDR doing so well are a good start, but they're just a start.

FWIW, Heavy Rain, Limbo, and the last couple of high profile "art" games that hit actually did decent business. So, yeah. It's a start.