SniperOmega said:
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but ya... lots of games are being built around eyecandy, and pulling people in. not around keeping people playing (thats the same way word-of-mouth spreads, +better gameplay)
I know this isnt popular to say... but i disagree with this popular myth about game development (at least for PCs and FPS). Sure, game devs are trying to make games look pretty. They have to. It's expected. However, NONE of them are ignoring gameplay. THey bust their asses to provide solid gameplay and even some try to make innovative gameplay. I just dont believe there is a higher % of shitty games now than there were in 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985, etc. I think there are in fact more games (and more quality games) out there in any given year than previously.
However... the fact is... for online gamers, they JUST WONT BE FUCKIN SATISFIED because they hold up new games to their experiences of their youth. We expect the games to keep us interested... when the truth is our interests are as much about the past as the present. We're jaded and expecting games to provide us something we have a part in providing. We are part of the "having fun" formula and no game by itself can accomplish that. The most popular games in human history seem to often be the most simple, repetitive games with a range of both solo and social challenges. However, they ARE just games. We expect more than a game from games...
Almost every online gamer has a "first love" game where they really got into online gaming and they unfortunately then hold up all other games to match that experience. The truth is, they are all just fuckin video games... and having "fun" isnt merely about the game. It's about US as well.
I used to joke about kids standing around on the playground arguing about whether they want to play Kickball 1.0 or Kickball 2.0, deciding which is more fun. If you sit around the elementary school yard arguing about what game is most fun... there comes a point when you just simply forgot how to have fuckin fun during your limited time. Kids have fun doing ANYTHING if they want to.
Meanwhile, we are getting older and expecting Kickball 5.0 to provide the same entertainment Kickball 1.0 provided... without acknowledging our role in "having fun."
No, i think we are being unfair when we say all the new games suck, arent good gameplay, etc. There are new, younger gamers playing and LOVING these games. We're just jaded.
(ok, sure, there are also some shitty games and lots of companies doing formulaic development to take low risk "intellectual property" and crank our crud... but that has ALWAYS been going on.)