I Remember When Video Games Were About Fun

****Fair warning this post may be poorly written because i wrote in the heat of some serious anger/sadness****

I consider myself in a rare age group where I am old enough to have nostalgia for the old arcades in town right when the consoles were picking up so much steam that the writing was on the wall and arcades were quickly becoming a thing of the past. My parents would take me there and I would hound the old fighting game cabinets challenging anyone who came by to a game. I was a real hot head and I could honestly beat anyone (Kabal was my character of choice in Mortal Kombat 3). I could beat anyone and I would gloat really hard. But I never took my gloating too far. I would never hurt anyone's feelings because I had good parents who taught me that it is wrong to say bad things to people. I would also never exclude anyone from playing against me. I didn't care if they were black, white, female, or male. I would invite anyone to come and play against me and sure we would tease each other back and forth during a game but it was all in good fun. Video games were about fun.

The point I am trying to make is that I feel like we have quickly moved past a generation of video game players were they don't feel like being inclusive, where being a "gamer" is somehow an exclusive club and no one is allowed in unless he/she is deemed "acceptable". Even now in my now 20s I feel like an old man yelling about "back in my day". I go online seeing stories about harassment of game makers, games writers, and other people who play games. I see all this bullshit and I find myself asking "what happened"? What changed to make people who play video games act this way? Was it the internet? Why must video game players act this way?

In order for me to make some informed opinion on the whole "gamergate" thing i decided to watch some gamergate video on youtube and try to make sense of why people are so angry. And i found myself more confused if anything. The whole video was about how its some us vs them mentality and the "them" in this scenario being games writers. This video talks about how games writers are going after gamers in some grand conspiracy to eliminate them. I finished the video and said to myself "what the fuck did i just watch"? Why the fuck would games writers want to eliminate games journalists? Writers would be out of a job if that happened. I could not figure out this guy logic and i was left befuddled. So it lead me to making this blog post. (By the way if anyone is wondering about the video, the video was made by some guy by the name "investigamer").

I guess the whole point of this post is a plea to just have fun playing video games. Just have fun, its that simple. Don't be so angry. Play fun video games and calm the fuck down. If you are having fun playing a video game then you probably should not be so angry. I maybe be missing the point of this whole GamerGate thing and there might be a reason to be considered but I don't think the conversation needs to be filled with so much anger and hate.

So to end on a happy note here is something that Rorie will appreciate

Yay, puppies =D I like puppies and fun!

Yeah, I dunno. I feel pretty depressed about the whole thing. People aren't excited about games any more, not in the way they used to be, and there's a lot more stuff out there to be excited about.

We have access to more games from a larger variety of people then we've ever had before. More people are writing interesting things about games, and we have better access to them then ever before. And yet some people abuse this access to try and ruin their careers and even their lives. And for what? Because some developers and some members of the press are friends?

While I usually hate the "remember when video games were about fun" defense, I will concede it in this case on the grounds of GamerGate being absurdly stupid.

@coolarman: Thanks for writing this, really. Often the most loud people are the ones who are so unbelievably angry. You don't often see or hear about the more levelheaded individuals.

This is why I love the GB community so much. It just is (for the most part) such a smart group of folks.

I love video games so much, but at the end of the day they are entertainment. Entertainment is supposed to be fun. Let's all have fun together.

While I may caution against posting large rants in the heat of the moment, I would agree with this twist on the classic "games are just supposed to be fun".

I am a big supporter of criticism of games and those within gaming, but I also think we should have more of a sense of humor with it all. Gaming can have serious elements like anything else which deserve genuine consideration, but it's important to maintain perspective on how we are still, for the most part, discussing giant robots, schoolgirls, explosions, and frivolity. Gaming is awesome and enjoyable, and we can together help make gaming even more fun for everyone who cares about it.

I agree that maybe I should have had a more level head when I wrote this but this post was more about of sadness than anger towards this whole gaming stuff.

And I love your statement about giant robots, explosions, and stuff. Thats one of the reasons I love this site. All the staff members understand that games are more fun than "serious business".

I don't know anyone really wrapped up in "GamerGate" type shit.. I think it is just forum trolls for the most part..

Everyone I know IRL who is into video games is just as excited now about games as they were a month ago.

The average gamer probably doesn't visit game sites and I seriously doubt they know what gamergate is, the majority of gamer's simply buy the games they think look fun and play them. You, me, and all these nerds raging on the internet about journalism or whatever are in the minority. I'd probably at some point would of cared about this bull but I quickly figured out that'd be dumb because its about video games, most gamer's are having fun and are just enjoying games. Yes the people involved in this are stupid shitheads but what can you really do? I'd imagine they probably live pretty sad lives if this sort of thing gets them going so you can at least take pleasure in that.

What i'm trying to say is that ignorance is bliss.(Is for me at least, I still don't know what the fuck gamergate is besides some nerds mad that someone got laid)

I envy those who are not aware of all this gamergate bullshit.

Still is!

Unfortunately, I know plenty of folks wrapped up in it and using it as a kind of catch-all for anyone and anything they've disliked in gaming in recent years, but for the most part, the normal folks I know who enjoy gaming don't care about it in the least. I mean, I'm trying at the moment to focus on playing a new Tales game and maybe getting a 3DS XL. ha.

I'm pretty much squarely in the "online gaming community" part of gaming, but I still remember that we are in the vast minority of people who play and enjoy games.

Yeah, editors from many online publications have said that this had little effect on their traffic. It's a terrible harassment campaign that mostly only affected individuals =( Some defend it to be about video games, but not really.

@coolarman: Well for the most part games are still about having a good time, some try new ways to express a feeling and what not and some are well I have no idea what they are but they exist and thats cool, the problem I think some folks only wanted to talk about online hate, there is a topic there that has to be adressed but when it turn into some kind of war then no one wanted to a part of that. During the whole time this happpend I was well playing video games, and having a good time with them, in fact I played video games with frinds of all kinds and we all had a good time, I pretty much ignore the whole gamergate thing becuse I knew it was not worth wasting time on it, cause its so easy to be a dick on the internet simply because there is no consequence for doing it, bans blocks, trying to argue with them? they will only make a new account and back to buisness. The truth is more people than ever play video games and the truth is 95% if the time in the real world people like me try to introduce folks to video games I want them to see why playing them is cool, hell my GF cant play Mario Bros but little by little she goes a litte farther and I dont make fun of her I support her effor and it a good time.

I think what im trying to say is games are still fun, but try not to focus on the bad parts of the internet, go offline tell a friend about cool games and maybe they join you to have a good time. Oh and dont be a dick on the internet.

"Gamers", or at least a small portion of them, haven't changed at all. I remember when Jack Thompson was railing against violence in video games 10 years ago. He received the same death threats and verbal abuse that video game writers are getting today. Trolls and disgruntled individuals within the gaming community are nothing new. It's just now that they're targeting the left side of the political spectrum instead of the right.

Critique is always good, it's a way to find out about problems within the machine. The thing that I don't get is people going all rage on people, like all that feminist movement(which I support...for the most part) which people on twitter,forums,gaming sites,etc. go so far as to honestly send death threats. It's weird to me.

Still I feel critiques are a necessary thing in order to advance in any way possible.

Yeah the us vs. them mentality needs to die, as well as the heinous harassment. That's the only this can die off.

Most definitely.

And that's what makes me feel sad to see gaming journalists attacking the concept of "gamers" or even "gaming culture." Most gamers don't have a clue about any of this. Thankfully, some people not associated with "gamergate" are finally speaking out.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12306-Female-Game-Developers-Make-Statements-on-GamerGate.9

From one of several anonymously interviewed women working in the gaming industry:

#GamerGate was brutal. I remain shocked by the events that kicked it off and the public execution of someone's character. The executions spread like wildfire, and ultimately, those of us who may have spoken out instead found ourselves silenced either by our employers or our families out of well-founded concern for their well being. It seems insane that this should be a part of making games and that being a woman who talks about being a woman making games should be reason to fear the public exposure of private details.

#GamerGate was appalling. For the first time in the history of games, people in the industry went down into the gutter with the trolls, called them fuckers and assholes, trolled the trolls and incited an organized counter-assault. No one should have to stay silent in the face of an assault, yet I was shocked to see our own abandon basic decorum and pour gasoline on the fire. It created a fissure that I don't think will ever properly heal within the game industry itself.

Yep

Eh, your thread was safe for at least a little bit. Can't bring it up without a few people coming out of the woodwork.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on why we can have concerns but still have some lightheartedness with all of this.

Maybe if we stopped bringing this up so often it will die a quiet death?

To be fair, we only see perhaps 1 or 2 threads on this every day or so. We probably get maybe five times as many Destiny and Hailinel threads. So, I think we're doin alright. ha.

You made some negative assumptions of character of your own with that post, and I would ask that you try to avoid doing so. That sort of thing just contributes to the "us vs them" mentality.

However, I will fully agree with this portion of your post. That's not to say "most people don't behave this way, so this isn't a problem." It's more like, "most people don't behave this way, and it's absolutely a problem when they do, and I hope swift and effective legal action is taken against anyone like that, but none of this should be used to condemn an entire community."

You did say you were even more confused now, though. For a better explanation of both "sides" of the situation from someone who doesn't fully identify with either of them, I'd suggest this article.

I felt the need to right about just for my own personal cathartic reasons of wanting to get it off my chest. If people felt that they wanted to comment on it they were more than welcome to. But I felt kind of bummed out and just needed to do something to just get this shit off my brain.

It's worth noting that most gamers and video game developers (at least outside the "indie" community) don't give a shit about "Gamergate" and have just kept making and enjoying games as usual. The only people who take this conflict seriously are two-bit indie developers and professional video game journalists, who are a joke, and angry /v/ people, who are even more of a joke for obsessing over the journalists and the indies.

It isn't so much that "games are supposed to be fun" but that it is a question of relativity. Something like "ethnic cleansing" is a serious issue and should be taken seriously so no one should be surprised if someone gets passionate about doing something. Something like "video games" is a bit less so due to the stakes being so much lower effecting far less people in a far less obtrusive or abrupt way. One can be passionate about what they like but they need to keep in mind how much it should matter where flipping out because "The Loot Cave" in Destiny or whatever makes you passionate may make one look whiny instead of convincing.

Also, if you're that guy who acts as if others criticizing or even dismissing your favorite franchise or system is equal to that person slapping your mother in the face, please just stop. It's ok for people to dislike things for any reason or even no reason at all. You are still free to continue loving said games, you don't need to mount a strategic defense campaign on the forums, your blog, or on Twitter.

It isn't anymore? Oh, damn I have been enjoying games a lot lately, even with Destiny being a disappointment...

My experience too.

Saying that gamers are dead is not an attack on gamers. It's a rhetorical device. People have been talking about the death of the author for years, and I don't see authors up in arms about it. It's impossible to attack someone whom identifies as a gamer because noone agrees on what the word 'gamer' actually means, so since it's completely personally subjective it's a meaningless label.

Games are still fun, though. Just remember that the effort for them to be more inclusive is an attempt to make games more fun for more people, not an effort to break down what already exists.

Good post, not only because puppies, but it is very valid. Recently I myself had it out with a few people I know in Destiny and it made me realize I was going too hard at the game and it was being less of a stress relief from all the other crap and not being as much fun as it should have been. Which is why now I am not playing it much but an hour or two every couple days and looking at other stuff to do. Shadow's of Mordor despite doing nothing to interest me up to this point is looking pretty neat and I think that Vanishing of Ethan Carter game is doing some interesting stuff so I will check it out too.

Everyone should take the time to have more fun (with their games and otherwise) and of course... puppies. Everyone needs more puppies.

It was absolutely the internet. For one, there's more of us now which means more assholes. There's a lot more of us in one place with less accountability for anything you say or do. And the internet also gives the bad people a place to scream while us good ones just play games and have fun. So I don't think anything has changed except numbers and outlet really. Games are still about fun and people who play them are still about having fun. Just look past the ones who are dicks at the ones having a good time in the background. You'll find there's a lot more of us back here.

I dunno. I'm playing through Minish Cap right now since Dan and Brad mentioned it in a recent quick look and reminded me that I never got around to it. A few days back, I played through Far Cry 3. I'm still having fun, Gamergate or whatever-the-fuck be damned.

I do remember when videogames were fun as I've been playing Hyrule Warriors all week.

I do think a lot of it is people being influenced to an extent by everything they read online about games these days. New games come out, people find them a bummer. It's all you read about them online. It definitely influences your own opinion to an extent.

Just look at gamers that couldn't be bothered to be part of any online gaming community. Watch Dogs, Destiny, insert the name of any game that underwhelmed the online gaming community. Ask gamers who don't take part on video game websites, etc. You'll find a much higher percentage of people who really dig these "disappointing" games.

There are issues people have with Destiny I didn't even notice, or just didn't care until I read about them. Then the same things started bugging me because I noticed them more.

Having said that, I don't think this is the definitive answer as to why the excitement isn;t there like it used to be. But I do think it is part of it. That combined with getting older, gamers wanting new ideas in games faster than they can be developed, etc.

Since I'm not one of the people receiving death threats the biggest concern I have about this whole thing is how willing and gung-ho people are getting about essentially censoring the internet to snuff out the issue.

I see a lot of talk about removing anonymity and involving law enforcement in a larger part of our online lives. I think that is the absolute last option, borderline shouldn't even be on the table, and we should exhaust every other solution before we succumb to fucking with the openness of communication we take for granted. The most amazing part about the internet is that everyones voice is equal and it seems like many are forgetting that and what comes with that.

Something needs to be done about online harassment, but it should be done at the site level and at the individual level. Simply leading by example will work wonders.

The less you worry about these things the better it'll be. I usually ignore these bullshit rants (unless they are objective commentary on how to improve games) and constant negativity and just try to enjoy the games I play.

Can't say I'm familiar with this GamerGate thing. And by the looks of it with a quick Google search, I'm probably better off not knowing.

My ignorance shall be bliss.

I remember when video games were about fun. Yesterday. When I played some video games. I'll admit, I've been bothered by some of the ridiculous toxic internet drama that has happened on this corner of the internet in recent months, but that doesn't ruin games for me.

I always felt like people into video games were all in this together. Players, makers, journalists. We should all be on the same side.

The "bad internet" never really seemed like something I made any contact with, although it's always been there. That's why this recent tide of pissed off people is just something I'd rather avoid, but it's infiltrating places that were once fairly laid back.

I'm too old to spend energy fighting about video games, man. I don't work in the industry and moved on from my desire to ever join it. The only time I associate video games with negativity is when I go on the internet, which makes me question why I even visit game sites anymore. Other than that, games are still pretty kick ass.

but what about the emo gamers? What will they do? Oh..never-mind....

I don't blame anyone for not wanting anything to do with GamerGate. It's politics, and politics is always the antithesis of fun.

@rccola: it's because most everyone is tempering their expectations of everything coming out, convincing themselves ahead of time that everything will be "meh" at best. Being let down is okay ya'll! If something looks like something you'll enjoy, believe it until you experience otherwise for yourself!

The amount of ignorance in this thread is sad. If you don't understand what the whole GamerGate thing is then that's on you. The information is all out there in many videos, articles and tweets. It isn't about harassment, it isn't about gender or politics and it isn't just "angry forum trolls" its many different people from all walks of life upset about an obvious lack of journalistic integrity in games journalism. The information is all out there, if you don't want anything to do with it then fine but don't think you can comment on an issue without getting the facts.

No one I know within the GamerGate movement is saying you can't have fun, ignore all this if you want and go play a fucking game, no one is stopping you. The only time i've seen anyone say games shouldn't just be fun are the articles coming out of a certain group of people, many of whom are speaking out against GamerGate.

I know most of you will dismiss this because of the comments made by the staff about this issue, this website is a cult of personality and I get this, I'm just asking that people do a little research before making ignorant, dismissive comments about GamerGate.

@bipa: I missed all the drama and what not but caught up on the jist. Gamer gate sounds like it turned into something so screwed off course, but the original message of it sounds like the same course that this site was spawned from. Journalistic integrity, personality driven or not.

To be fair, I haven't seen anyone in favor of gamergate actually say this (besides obvious trolls). Just the media putting words in their mouths and making dubious inferences.

In fact, the people who I've seen engage in this kind of behavior most are the "good people", so desperate to paint all gamergaters (fuck that word) as angry white males that they actually attacked all the minority gamers who came out and said, "stop calling us all white men. I'm [insert minority here] and I'm in favor of this."

But who knows, maybe things have changed in the past week or two that I haven't been following the events. Lots of misguided people on both sides, to be honest, but I'll be damned if I'm going to generalize the majority of people involved as bad people. If I come down harsher on the games journalists than I do on the protestors, then its only because you'll already see the former's version of the events plastered all over the internet. Controlling the narrative is their power, and they use it well. Somebody's got to play devil's advocate.

guys you don't know how fucking bad i want to be a gamergator right now.