The gaming community is one of the few that actually asks, and in some cases (ex. Blizzard) almost lives off of a constant stream of audience opinion, commentary and feedback. Some mediums have some sort of outside influence -- for example, I recall hearing that in a few pre-screenings of The Dark Knight Rises there were many, many complains about the inability to understand Bane through his mask, which was improved upon for the actual release -- but most everything pales in comparison to the direct audience contribution that the video gaming community has.
And I think, in that, the audience responsibility has sort of gone to the crowd's head. There's probably something deeper, something possibly more profound with this current generation of gamers wanting to prove to the non-gaming world that games are now for adults. But it's probably safer to not get into that. (By which I mean, I'm too sober to really ramble about that)
How am I supposed to care about his (or any other game journalist's) opinion on gamer entitlement? I mean, how can someone feel that they have a valid opinion on gamer entitlement while stacks of free games are being dumped at their feet?
I'm tired of journalists pretending like they're actually in touch enough with the real world to weigh in on issues like this and judge the real people who are dumping their real money into this industry.
I haven't watched either of these videos yet, but I'd like to say that gamers do not accept uncomfortable experiences in games easily. One could argue the primary complaint over the ME3 endings was the sameness or lack of conclusiveness of the endings, but it is undeniable that there was a sizable group that complained specifically because there was no "good" ending. None of the endings solved everything in the world.
In my opinion, the biggest problem with video games is that the overwhelming majority of consumers want teenage power fantasies, where the player has ultimate control over the game world's destiny. While the appeal to playing a christlike hero singlehandedly saving a helpless world from a faceless enemy is undeniable, the real problem is that the developer's voice cannot be in the game outside of creating a skinner box for the player to work in. Indeed, the games plot and resolution are at the mercy of the producers and focus testers. This is why Spec Ops is important.
I haven't watched either of these videos yet, but I'd like to say that gamers do not accept uncomfortable experiences in games easily. One could argue the primary complaint over the ME3 endings was the sameness or lack of conclusiveness of the endings, but it is undeniable that there was a sizable group that complained specifically because there was no "good" ending. None of the endings solved everything in the world.
In my opinion, the biggest problem with video games is that the overwhelming majority of consumers want teenage power fantasies, where the player has ultimate control over the game world's destiny. While the appeal to playing a christlike hero singlehandedly saving a helpless world from a faceless enemy is undeniable, the real problem is that the developer's voice cannot be in the game outside of creating a skinner box for the player to work in. Indeed, the games plot and resolution are at the mercy of the producers and focus testers. This is why Spec Ops is important.
We weren't angry over the fact that there is no good endings now or even after the new content came out. But because it is horribly written and destroys every single theme the series was going for from the very start. All the while it throws a Deus Ex Machina with a heaping teaspoon of ignoring all choices you have ever made and ever will make and give you the middle finger for it!
I hope to never meet the people who made the ending. I truly hope so, for their sake. My inner writer is so incredibly angry over how fucking terrible it was that I don't think I will ever get over it... not now, not in tens of billions of years... to even trillions when a universal heat death happens will my rage EVER go down for how it was all treated.
This is great and I'm glad SOMEONE is finally brave enough to bring it up, because it will surely bring about healthy debate that will make us all grow as people.
I wrote a research report on entitlement that discussed the ME3 controversy for a masters module. Feel free to check out my blog. Www.playingwithresearch.blogspot.com
It's against our rules to just put a video up with a "Agree or disagree" sort of statement attached. We call that variety of thread YouTube Spam and it isn't permitted.
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