Friday, April 24, 2009

VGcats takes on "gamers"

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/

Nice.

I saw a very few minutes from that SciFi show and I was bitterly disappointed. It really did look like they found the most most annoying casual gamer stereotypes that exist and taped them.

Scott R. is also correct in noting that the popularization of video games means that there is a dip in quality games. Many of the really good games that come out are not getting the positive attention they should enjoy because they are "too hard" or people "don't get them". (For example please consider the following review of God Hand: "Oh this game is too hard *Whine Whine* it must be a bad game because I suck at playing it and I know nothing about the genre of game that inspired it *Whine Whine* [that statement was taken verbatim from the review])

I think we actually have not gotten to the worst of this situation yet. But hopefully there will be good games released in the future and everyone who enjoys a real gaming experience will be able to get a copy.

3 comments:

Animated AF said...

I really hate the 'hardcore/casual' gaming terms. people seem to chuck just about anything that's not hard into that category now, including puzzle games which are one of my favorite genres, as well as simple arcade style games just because they don't have 50 hour stories and some online multiplayer feature.

The Wii and DS are not killing gaming as so many keep saying, if anything they're bringing back what I used to like about gaming: simple fun that anyone can just jump into that doesn't necessary need months of training to get great at. We seem to be getting more arcade type games on those systems, and even a lot of 2D stuff which is great.

I'll never understand this argument that games have gotten easier either: most modern action completely alienate me with their controls and brutally hard CPU (never mind the obsessed online players).

Caleb said...

I think your point is valid.

However,

I don't think that most people would lump decent puzzle games into "casual" gaming.

I agree with the DS point but what decent 2D or new arcade games have been released on the Wii?

Gagaman(n) don't confuse obsessed online players with people that are have any actual talent...

ANYONE who played those games for hours and hours and hours can get be really good at them. That is how they are designed. However, only like a handful of people can fully beat a game like Donkey Kong.

Name ONE action game that has been released in 2008 or 2009 that has Brutally hard CPU compared to a game like Donkey Kong.

All the action games I know of all have regenerating health bars and crap. The only decent challenge I have played lately is Painkiller.

If you know of a decent action game that is challenging please let me know. I am finishing up Godhand and I need something new.

Animated AF said...

Personally I find most modern games more challenging than older ones mainly because they don't have the simple controls and objectives that older games had. Now you have to get your head around moving a character and a camera at the same time, about 6 or 7 different button commands etc etc. Recent games like Uncharted just hit me like a ton of bricks even on easy difficulty: with gun combat that is so one sided with the CPU's unlimited barrage of shots at you and your gun that has about five bullets.

In old games you could figure out how to play them in seconds, but mastering them was the challenge. For me new games are tricky enough just to start playing, let alone master. That's just me though, all the fancy graphics and effects and stuff going on everywhere in games like Killzone 2 just blow my brains out, so much un-wanted detail that I can't focus on the actual gameplay. Some modern gamers who were born on the X-Box would probably consider puzzle games "casual" simply because ypu only need one or two buttons and you don't shoot things.