The lights are on
Remember old school gaming? When all gaming was just hanging around with 1-3 buddies playing games like sonic and other various time wasters till you got bored. Back then it was simpler (well for most of us). Nobody was called a 'gamer' we just played. Now though you've got two groupd, the hardcore and the casual. The hardcore sits atop their mountain blaming the casual for the shovelware and gimmicks while the casual ignores the hardcore and just pushes the newest and most flashy hoop with a stick.
Now we can argue all day about why both are wrong, neither are wrong, and every other form of putting blame on people but that's not the point. I'm not someone who can pass judgement on these sorts of things so I won't even try. However I am pretty good at seeing things for what they are so lets go on that as far as my personal opinion goes (which by the way, feel free to question me and my opinion. Questioning things is something far too few people do anymore.)
I'll start with the casual crowd. These are the people that play games because they are something to do rather than being devout followers of games. They are the ones that buy into gimmicks because they are new and different and the ones that Nintendo went after with the wii. I don't think anyone can argue that they are the ones that have kept nintendo in the game at all despite the fact that most hardcore gamers look down on it.
But that's the thing, these people are now what gaming companies are trying to target because they are the ones with money. They create these gimmicks like motion control and 3D to appeal to them more because they know that they will buy into it. This is a problem because it makes gaming out to be a gimmick in general but it isn't as big of an issue as everyone claims. It only becomes an issue if/when companies completely write off the non-casual gamers in favor of the casual ones (Nintendo anyone?). This though causes a pretty big backlash from the hardcore crowd and as such no game intended for them ever sells well.
Now most of the hardcore crowd, you know the guys who when you think of them are the ones holed up in rooms and dorms everywhere slamming down red bulls and playing the most graphic and 'hardcore' games around, would have you believe it is all the casual gamer's fault that video games are not taken seriously by people, but let's take a look at it a bit closer.
When you think of games that this person would buy one comes to mind right away. Modern Warfare 2. Considering it is 'the' hardcore game now a days lets look at it. The game has a two-star story that is only fitting for a bad hollywood action movie (In fact nevermind, it has a story stolen right from a bad hollywood movie) yet is considered one of the best games to come out this year.
You see in the whole games are art debate this is the kind of game that keeps games from jumping from distraction to experience. All the casual gamer does when they see this is roll their eyes. It does say a lot though when the best selling game of this year is a game that does nothing to benefit gaming in general. In fact Activision is a major reason in why games are never going to be taken seriously, but I'll withold that for another blog.
Now granted 'hardcore' gamers are the ones that buy these games but oftentimes I think we're falsely labeling games/gamers and forgetting that things are not all black and white. I think though most people that believe themselves to be 'hardcore' are really just the mid-levels between the hardcore and the casual.
In fact I'd go so far as to say we need a redefinition of the word hardcore. Hardcore should never be used to describe games like Call of Duty, Gears of War and other 'mountain dew shooters.' In fact lets call them that. They are the Mountain Dew Gamers. The ones that buy madden and call of duty every year because of the name on the box rather than looking for innovation and the like. These gamers are the people that should least be called gamers because they speak as if they know without actually knowing anything.
I've had my share of arguments with them, hell I've even considered myself one of them at some point. But the bottom line is that they are as big of an issue as the casual ones for no other reason than the fact that they are the ones that stifle innovation and support the cookie-cutter formula that most publishers use today.
While gimmicks hurt the industry in their own way, these people hurt the industry in a far worse way, by not supporting innovation and instead going with the same old tired drab year after year after year.
If the gaming industry is ever to be taken seriously as a true form of entertainment this process of pumping out the same games year after year after year needs to stop. Games need to have story, plot, drama, and everything else that makes a movie good without becoming stagnant. Arguably the stories for games are just as good as the ones for movies, but when games that are being called 'the best game ever' have stories that wouldn't get two stars from any movie reviewer it's impossible for others to take them seriously.
That's why the true hardcore crowd needs to stand up and have a voice. Buy into the games that emphasize story and gameplay over gimmicks and half-finished games. Games like Heavy Rain and The Last Guardian for the PS3 need to be hits for game makers to realize that this is what the industry needs to become. We need to do our part too.
And would someone please start buying the good wii games? I mean just because it doesn't say Zelda or Mario doesn't mean it's a bad game.
By the way, sorry for rambling so much. I had a lot on my mind and tried to organize it but it came out a little muddled still.
Love the blog, man. I agree with you on almost every point, except I like MW2, lol. Behold gamers of GIO, this man speaks the truth!!!
It isn't really rambling. In fact, you describe the casual gamer very well, but you've got to understand something about both; they are actually both reliant on eachother. Casual gaming brings forth, and they are usually satisfied with whatever's thrown on their plate. Hardcore gamers criticize them for not playing "good" games, but subconsciously they want the new things to come out so that they might find something they like about the new features. They may assume all the gimmicks suck, but really some are psyched to find something new. Unfortunately, they are also conservative and hide in their shell by playing more shooters. We want gimmicks, but we also want gimmicks that don't stem away from our present gaming era. The real problem is that the gimmick craze is moving too FAST. They need to slow down and figure out if it works. It shouldn't be thrown together as quickly as possible so that only casual gamers will be okay with it. Casual gamers could be seen as sheep in this, but their opinion still matters. It's just that hardcore gamers will only accept something that actually has something interesting and unique to bring to the table. Both sides of the spectrum can be seen as this: casual = change, hardcore = redundant. Just remember that simple rule.
Games offer something for everyone. For the 'hardcore' there's companies like Bioware and Square Enix making games with good story, Activision and Bungie got the Mountain Dew crowd and Nintendo caters to the casual crowd. Just because MW2 sold well doesn't mean it's the end of good games.
@ Jc17580 I know and agree with that. I'm more saying that when the industry says it wants to be taken seriously as a form of entertainment and then it pumps out these as its blockbuster hits then it makes a person question if that is really their motive. Granted there are exceptions but hardly ever is the best selling game (or even the game of the year for that matter) anything other than one of the mountain dew games AKA games that bring nothing new to gaming.
How is making blockbuster games that generate hundreds of millions of dollars counter-productive to being taken seriously as a form of entertainment? It just feels like you've got issues with the cliche image you've created for Gears of War and Modern Warfare fans. It doesn't matter if you are always bringing something new to gaming it matters if you are doing something well. Not everything has to focus on 'innovation' because if thats all you focus on and you don't make sure the gameplay works then you end up with Mirror's Edge. Wonderful concept and art design but terrible execution.
To be honest, I don't think the point of a game should be to have a 5 star story, save that for the movies where it's cheaper. Gameplay should hold priority over story since that's going to be the final part of how long the game will last, I rarely hear about people who played a game over again just for the story. Now with that said I don't think that we should throw the focus on story out of the window. The story should at least be decent. I just think that gameplay is more important to a game than the actual story, like borderlands, it has become a popular game but it wasn't the story that drove fans to like it, it was the gameplay.
In response to gimmicks, I agree with you. Gimmicks shouldn't be criticized to the extent they are. While they're not perfect, at least it's progress. Without being innovative the differences between consoles just become the same thing except one has improved graphics and hardware.
@BlachHeartedWolf
Sorry for missing the point.
I have to agree with that though. I have a personal hatred for mountain dew gamers. I think your post said it better then I could.
I really liked the blog and the term mountain dew gamer by the way.
First of all, it's not a movie, it's a video game. Second of all, It's more the consoles themselves that describe what kind of gamer you are. For example-Xbox 360 players like to get into extreme gaming...and yes, that does mean Call of Duty, and people who play Wii like casual, comfy gaming with family, while the PS3 is something in between...it's not as high quality as the Xbox 360 and has a more casual game line, but it still has some hard-core games as well. Though if it's a P.C player, well-they don't usually have too much money and they seem to be locked up in their room a lot. P.C games aren't usually as good quality as console games and they have a lower multiplayer population.
Now, come on guys, you can't tell me that a Mountain Dew would be the last thing to drink while playing some MW2. It really is a good soft drink lol
I think you misplace your hatred. MW2 is a fantastic game, and while the story might not be great, it's filled with jaw-dropping moments that keep me in the game.
That said, I don't have a problem with people that play CoD, Halo, and Madden. I have a problem with people that ONLY play CoD, Halo, and Madden and then call themselves gamers. If you want to be a gamer, play more than one kind of game. Enjoy CoD and Madden, but try less blockbuster games such as Psychonauts. Often you'll find playing this under-the-radar games to be a pleasant surprise.
Finally if you're going to compare the gaming industry to Hollywood and say that we aren't getting anywhere by making shovelware the biggest money-makers, just consider that Twighlight: New Moon had the biggest midnight movie release of all time. >.<
I love the article but even though i consider myself a hardcore gamer most of the hardcore releashes r 60 dollars. I wish the prises would go down so everyone can play more games.
@ Kenan:
That is very true, and let me make this clear because I think I came off a little angry at MW2. I like the game, I think it is an okay time. However I do not think of it as anything special or groundbreaking. It's a rehash of the last game with a few new features.
Also I love the comparison to Twilight. I think that Movies and games parallel more than people think they do.
great read. i agree with you on most points. there's finally someone talkin some sense.
i agree for the most part with your post, while there are great movies and great games, innovation and creation are two different things, just like there's a difference between genius and intelligence, if it weren't for people thinking outside the box and creating something new, we'd still all be in caves(it takes genius to make something new and intelligence to refine, and you can have one without the other), there are great games out there that are highly refined but really just the same old stuff(CoD,Halo,Madden,Gears of War,ETC#) but it's games like Ico,Shadow of the Colossus,particular FFs andeven the Persona series, they completely made something new and it's wonderful and every true 'hard-core' player is looking for something new and wonderful and not some polished up re-hash of last years stuff.
shout out to my fellow Aspies! Autism Authentic! lol..
So you are saying the only real hardcore gamers are people that enjoy games with a heavy emphasis on stories? I don't agree with that at all.
Glad I found a blog like this, I saw a comic not to long ago with similar claims such as games like God of War ( which I love ) Making the gaming industry a little "softer", which is somewhat true It made the claim that it took a lot of difficulty out of the game by adding "Button Mashing Cutscene/battles" Which is true and false, with or without the Cutscene/battles It's still a hard game..anyway back on track, I do fall under the hardcore game list however, disliking a lot of newer games always get me criticized, example, I am not a fan of the second Left 4 Dead..wont waste the time to repeat what you already said of CODMW2 ( rehashed of the previous with a few new touches )I get bashed for picking the much older Persona3/4 over the newer Star Ocean..which was nowhere near as good as it should have been. Case in point it just seems that the GAMER community is as divided as any Gang structure..Comparing to that because its hard to cite it as just 2 groups( casual/hardcore)..but that's just my personal opinion.
Great blog. Interesting points. I have to disagree with you on a couple of your points, however. The gamining industry is already taken VERY seriously by it's target audience: everyone who read your blog. And games should not be compared on the same level as Hollywood block busters. In fact, a lot of block buster video games make as much, if not more than Hollywood block busters. (Halo 3: 170M it's first day. Transformers 2- ROTF: 109M it's first day) Trust me, the industry is serious.
In my opinion, the life of a hardcore gamer is more of a culture than a hobby. I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I give myself this title not because research games for months before they come out before I make my purchase. Not because I only play games with a great story line. I am a hardcore gamer because I have a unbridled PASSION for video games! THAT, is what separates the hardcore gamer from the casual gamer.
Let me give you specific examples. On Friday nights, I would rather stay home and play video games than go out partying with my buddies. I use a lot of my vacation hours from work on game day releases. I go to game stores just to talk with the staff about video games! I used to go to LAN cafes and literally spend the entire day playing Counter Strike, Star Craft, Command and Conquer, etc...
I have no beef with the casual gamer. If someone buys a system just for the Madden franchise, so be it. Have fun. Your loss, but still, have fun. Motion gimmicks are dumb to me, but my kids love their Wii. You have to understand: game developers are going to try to bring in a new demographic of people to buy their product because in the end they are trying to make money. They are not making these games out of the goodness of their hearts. But just because they are trying to pull those people in does not mean they will abandon their base. US. GIO.
@ Blade
No, I'm more saying that the ones who only buy madden and CoD every year and proclaim them the best games ever made are not the hardcore crowd. Hardcore is too difficult to define in just one sense but IMO those people are not hardcore gamers.