Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Video Games Are Boring

gamesindustry.biz

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

251–260 of 342 posts

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#251

Post by nrjames »

AdrianB1 wrote: post #222
tomdell wrote: post #219

One of the main problems with single-player video games is that a lot of people work alone and don't want to spend their free time doing something that feels kind of like work, but doesn't seem to offer much in return. They'd rather spend their time socializing or doing something that will improve them in an obvious way. A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at tha…

Maybe it's the games you play, not the single player mode. I play both and I have no preference for the type, but for specific games.

I think this is a good point. I've felt that way about single player games for a while. When I recently played Firewatch, which has a story with some complex emotional layers, I realized that I now need more than "mechanics" for a single player game to appeal. Now, I try to find games with more emotional depth. There aren't many out there. We all change in different ways and I suspect you can find single player games that will appeal more to you now than ones similar to those you used to play.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#252

Post by BuckRogers »

Interesting article, but games for me since the 90s ended have been huge letdowns. I started gaming in '86 on a Commodore and a bit before with an Atari 2600. The 90s were the peak of creativity. The 80s a bit limited technologically, though the arcades at their peak were a sight to behold. In the last 16 years, I only found a handful of games that really got me interested. Left 4 Dead and League of Legends (I did have TFT and tried DOTA but didn't play long enough to get hooked).

But it seemed in the 90s, both PCs and consoles were putting out their best stuff. I still look at the old Sega Genesis games and early 90s PC titles as some of the best the industry ever put out.

As a result, I just bought a new PC and decided to not even bother with a high end gaming machine. I'm using a Skull Canyon NUC, first time in 30 years I wasn't concerned with meeting current specs in the latest AAA games. We're going on two decades of rehashing 90s ideas and I'm done.

I will be buying a Nintendo Switch though. The social gaming aspect of Mario Kart is still magic for me but there is no other entity out there with Nintendo's polish, charm or fun. I think it's an open secret that 3rd party publishers often run from Nintendo systems not due to API lock-in but because they simply cannot compete with Nintendo 1st party titles.

Oh, and my username is actually a homage to the Buck Rogers Gold Box titles from the early 90s. I never got into the D&D stuff but played the heck out of the two Buck Rogers releases.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#253

Post by overgard »

nitwit005 wrote: post #232

Those "white men" (I guess Asian gaming isn't a thing?) are apparently doing a pretty good job appealing to women as some studies have suggested they're roughly half of the game playing demographic: http://www.dailydot.com/parsec/adult-women-largest-gaming-de... It may be correct that women want something different than men, but I don't think its true in the way they imagine. A lot of women seem to have enjoyed "The…

Maybe I'm cynical, but I tend to be skeptical of art that's more about a cause rather than about the art itself. I'll give an example: christian rock. I have no problem with christianity, or with rock, or with rock that is about christian themes or ideas. But I think we all know there's also a subgenre called "christian rock", which is generally a tacky, pretentious and overbearing imitation of the above things in the interest of furthering an agenda or crassly pandering. The problem with "christian rock" is it tends to be more about being "christian" than about being good rock music. You can have good rock music that is christian, but "christian rock" is almost always tacky.

You see something similar recently with "art games" that are trying so hard to be "art" that they're pretentious and overbearing. The only good "art" games are the ones that ended up being interesting works of art by exploring an idea, not because they set out to be art games.

I hate to say this, but I kind of worry this could just be the same thing, but instead it'll be "serious adult" games or "feminist games" or pick whatever social movement you want here. But it won't really be about the game, it'll be about the movements values.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#254

Post by notgood »

tomdell wrote: post #219

One of the main problems with single-player video games is that a lot of people work alone and don't want to spend their free time doing something that feels kind of like work, but doesn't seem to offer much in return. They'd rather spend their time socializing or doing something that will improve them in an obvious way. A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at tha…

>A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at that age. 5 years later, I tried to get back into it. I played some games that I used to like. I don't feel the things I used to feel while playing. Leveling up in Diablo just feels like accomplishing a chore - it feels meaningless.

"Growing up", that's what you are describing; I purchased Fallout 4 the day it came out, and after few minutes of playing and all I could see was bad hit-boxes and every NPC feels like a sound-recorder with a few different pre-recorded phrases. That game got pretty good reviews so its probably not about the game, its my perception of it. Old hobbies feeling meaningless happens to almost everyone, some people spent their youth reading but at their forties they barely read the news.

>This author seems to think that video games, in general, are definitely for everyone. I don't agree. Just like there are people who don't like reading or listening to music who manage to live whole, well-rounded lives, there are people who don't like playing video games.

Couldn't agree more; some people like extreme sports, some people don't, doesn't mean there is something wrong with every extreme sports, its just that we are different from each other, that's all.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#255

Post by AnOscelot »

eswat wrote: post #70
COGlory wrote: post #38

I mostly disagree with this article. There's very few nonviolent games I've played that I enjoy. I guess you could say I'm the average consumer, but there are certain trends in industries that are predominant, because that's what people want. I think all media generally has its worth defined by how it is a conduit of unrealistic experience. For instance, the biggest blockbuster movies usually contain unrealistic scen…

> People willing to consume media are people that don't have or want the opportunity to be extraordinary in their lives. That’s an interesting thought that I can’t disagree with. Myself and many people in my circle, including clients, have had played games in the past, probably to the point of unhealthy obsession when we were kids and getting an education. But all of us became less enchanted by the medium as we becam…

I wonder how many of us went the opposite direction. Loved games when I was a teen. Then college took up so much time that games fell to the wayside. And then almost the entirety of my 20s and much of my 30s was spent either working on projects I was passionate about, or with my friends and band, or on various adventures. Games took a far back seat to all of that. Something to do on one of those rare nights when nothing was planned.

And now, with the demands of family and sick loved ones, and with the added money which can build the sort of system I could have only dreamed about in my poor teens and college years, I'm home much more and games are suddenly appealing again.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#256

Post by santaclaus »

shanusmagnus wrote: post #224
tomdell wrote: post #219

One of the main problems with single-player video games is that a lot of people work alone and don't want to spend their free time doing something that feels kind of like work, but doesn't seem to offer much in return. They'd rather spend their time socializing or doing something that will improve them in an obvious way. A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at tha…

This is exactly how it is for me too. When I was younger I would feel so connected to the game world, and the wonders of exploring the game world were real wonders to me. Discovering some new village in Ultima 6 made me feel like a great adventurer. A finder of something. If it was important in the game world then it was important. These days it falls out just like you wrote: if I try to play a game, I mess around fo…

> Discovering some new village in Ultima 6 made me feel like a great adventurer.

I find that joy of discovery varies wildly game to game. I could never get into Bethesda RPGs, new or old. There is lots to discover in an Elder Scrolls game, but none of it feels like it has much weight or import. When the Ultima games really hit their stride (V through VII p2), discoveries had weight and import. The Witcher games feel similar, to me, I spent way to much time exploring every damn polygon in the world. I can't really pinpoint why these games feel so different, but hey, I still find new games to trigger that same sense of wonder.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#257

Post by Mithaldu »

notgood wrote: post #254
tomdell wrote: post #219

One of the main problems with single-player video games is that a lot of people work alone and don't want to spend their free time doing something that feels kind of like work, but doesn't seem to offer much in return. They'd rather spend their time socializing or doing something that will improve them in an obvious way. A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at tha…

>A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at that age. 5 years later, I tried to get back into it. I played some games that I used to like. I don't feel the things I used to feel while playing. Leveling up in Diablo just feels like accomplishing a chore - it feels meaningless. "Growing up", that's what you are describing; I purchased Fallout 4 the day it came out, and…

> Growing up

You might want to edit that to "people change", since that's what it sounds you meant, instead of a phrase that evokes "becoming more mature/adult".

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#258

Post by shmerl »

> The most important thing is that they think video games lack depth. They say things like, "Unlike books/films/podcasts, with video games I don't learn anything or change as a person".

Which is somewhat surprising, since as with any art form, there are games which are masterpieces, and there is mass market junk. Why would people specifically not like games "because they lack depth", but have no problem reading books or watching films, while the vast majority of them are drowning in the sea of mediocrity as well?

I suppose it comes from the general lack of perception about games as an art form. While established art exists for many years, computer games are relatively young art, and I suppose you can compare it to the negative view on cinema by some in its early days.

> Skyrim has the depth, but not the taste.

I wouldn't agree here. While Skyrim draws many with its exploration element, I'd say it lacks depth if you compare it to really good RPGs. It's not on par with Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment, Knights of the Old Republic, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines or the Witcher series. The story in later Bethesda games is pretty generic and outright boring. I'd say the last good game in the series was Morrowind.

Going back to the art point above, it's the result of mass market appeal. Publishers don't want risky things which can become masterpieces. "Safe bet" of mass market mediocrity is more comfortable for them. Luckily, crowdfunding today helps with that to some degree.

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#259

Post by Sophistifunk »

mercer wrote: post #141
apozem wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly how I felt about Red Dead Redemption. Years after beating the game, I couldn't tell you much about any individual mission. I do remember staring at the in-game sunset as it cast shadows across the open prairie and thinking, "Wow."

I was about to recommend RDR, because I feel the same way about it. I intentionally avoid taking the 'fast way' to places and ride my horse everywhere. I gather herbs, hunt, take on side-quests, or just enjoy the ride. It's very zen.

...until you finally collect that last blue flower, and get eaten by a mountain lion :D

Re: Video Games Are Boring

#260

Post by notgood »

Mithaldu wrote: post #257
notgood wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>A personal anecdote - I loved single-player video games until I was 18, but I stopped cold at that age. 5 years later, I tried to get back into it. I played some games that I used to like. I don't feel the things I used to feel while playing. Leveling up in Diablo just feels like accomplishing a chore - it feels meaningless. "Growing up", that's what you are describing; I purchased Fallout 4 the day it came out, and…

> Growing up You might want to edit that to "people change", since that's what it sounds you meant, instead of a phrase that evokes "becoming more mature/adult".

Nope. Its "growing up", most people who did skateboarding at their teens don't do it after growing up; saying "people change" is too vague, if you say "growing up" you are clearly pointing out that it was something they did as youngsters but not any more; and language exists for the sake of clarity and communications, so "growing up" is a good choice here.
Post reply on HN