As I'm sitting here waiting for my 360 to finish downloading the Omega DLC for Mass Effect 3, I'm once again finding myself having angry, troubling conversations with fellow video gamers online about how Mass Effect 3 is a crap game, and about how the new Devil May Cry reboot is nonsense, and how AAA games all suck, and Nintendo makes games for babies, and I'm getting tired of it. It's not like I have an issue with people having opinions about things, or even the notion that they are audacious enough to present these opinions as if they were well-established facts, or that they berate you for having a different opinion in order to make themselves feel better, because I'm pretty much numb to that shit now. My issue is fundamental; these people seem to enjoy hating video games more than actually playing them.

It's great that you're being critical of big games. It's awesome that you played through it all and had a lot to say about it. We don't have to be fed dookie if we don't want it. But please, give me an example of something you like, or else I won't be convinced that you actually enjoy playing video games. It's pretty common knowledge that people who talk a lot of shit about everything are just trying to appear intelligent, but it comes off as being just as impulsive as munching the feces you immediately claim you love.

I find I don't have time to argue with these people, because I'm spending it playing video games, since that's my favourite part of video games. I know some people will read this and think I'm just getting mad about "trolls", but it's a bigger problem than that. Sometimes trolling puts people out of a job in the games industry.

Check out this image:

Look at the extreme contrast between the user score and the critic score. I'm not trying to defend journalists too much here, since a lot of them are pretty lazy, but they are most certainly better informed about the game than these metabombers who typically haven't played it fucking up the user score. Most of the time, the games that are being attacked like this are actually quite good and worthy of playing, but there's just SOMETHING about them that made fans too angry and rather than take it up with the company in a civil manner, they have to make it their mission to destroy and defame the hard work of hundreds.

It's just upsetting to me since all of these games had a lot of care and time put into making them, and while they all have aspects that may be less than appealing for some, it's a terrible look for gamers to be so immature with the way they express concerns. We really need to shake that reputation of being angry, antisocial male nerds that are hooked into computer screens and are unable to have empathy for anything except for what they're playing at that very second. Video games are mainstream now, and we need to accept that there's a much broader audience than just us, and they may need a bit more accessibility than we're used to.

However, there's a whole host of indie developers making awesome, hardcore games like Hotline Miami and Super Meat Boy that satisfy that carnal desire to build your skills and then proceed to destroy. So why not bring that stuff into the spotlight? Nah, let's just make fun of them too.

So this is clearly a parody video, but look at the top comment:

I can't believe it. The defense of trolling just doesn't work anymore; you can't sit here and tell me I'm simply not in on the biggest, longest, and least funny practical joke of all time. The discourse and disparity of opinion between journalists, game developers, and gamers is simply appalling, and we all need to grow the fuck up.

One last thing I want to touch on is how people behave while they play video games. Growing up, I was always pretty chatty. I liked to sit down with my cousins or friends from school and play video games, but I also liked to have casual conversation, not unlike playing a game of chess or poker. However, people seem to treat gaming like they're playing a professional sport; they devote every iota of their focus onto it, and tell you to shut up if what you're saying has nothing to do with winning. Excuse me, but last time I checked, we were sitting on a couch smoking weed and eating Doritos, there is nothing professional about what we're doing. Gaming should be stimulating, but also a stress reliever; if you're finding yourself getting overly stressed while doing something that is supposed to be fun, either you're doing it wrong or you should find another pastime.

I'm not saying that there should be zero element of stress or frustration, because there will be, and that's part of getting better, getting through the game. I'm not telling you to give up as soon as you hit a roadblock, because nothing gets done that way, but please don't stop being a good, polite friend just because we're throwin' down in some Smash Bros. I love an intense match as much as anybody, but sometimes I like to wind down with games, and nobody seems to be with me on that.

Okay, looks like my downloads are done and I gotta fight the Reapers or something. Let's all go play something we enjoy eh? :)