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Beb

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Beb

298

Forum Posts

445

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6

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Reviews: 5

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Papers Please was an example of a well done indie game that had something to say, and the subject matter influenced the gameplay.

Gone Home was very interesting and well done for what it was, that hooked the player early on my masquerading as a horror game. People have been critical of it for pushing the boundary of how minimally "interactive" a game can be and still be considered a game, and being a bit of a bait-and-switch.

I have not played Sunset, but from what I have seen, it looks like it has even less gameplay than Gone Home, but no interesting hook up front (even if it is a trick) to pull the player in.

If people really want to push the medium, the cost of their game should be low or free, so that there is no barrier to entry and their work has a chance at reaching the most people. If they want to make money, they need to make games that people might actually want to buy. Trying to to both at once is madness, and would take immense skill to pull off.

I think there is lots of room for experimental games - but expecting them to be a commercial success is foolish at best. There are thousands upon thousands of people that wish they could be making games for a living, but don't because they have to support themselves, and it is not fair to expect the world to support you in doing so "just because."

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Beb

298

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#2  Edited By Beb

I think social criticism sits closer to "forcing" on the spectrum since it implies that the game is actually harmful to society. "Destiny needs more content" doesn't come with that sort of implication.

I agree. Criticism about something technical, length, mechanics, etc. no matter how scathing, will at worst come across as saying the game is bad, as in poorly made. I'm sure no Dev likes to hear that their game is bad, but as Jeff has said before, Devs often know when a game comes out, that certain parts might not have turned out the way they had hoped. Devs can listen to that criticism or not and make up either own mind.

On the other hand, claiming a game has "a problem with race" for example, even if intended as simple suggestion for improvement, comes along with the implication that the game is bad-bad, as in racist. It can also make an implication about the Devs themselves, that a gameplay complaint does not. It can feel more like an accusation than criticism, even if that isn't the intent of the critic.

Social criticisms also have a sort of built-in chance to trigger far reaching boycott-like reactions if they 'catch on.' (This has happened to Grand Theft Auto over the years, for both violence in general, and attitudes towards women.) The most scathing criticism of Destiny's flaws could never have that kind of reach.

All that said, this is a great article. I don't think any of the above is reason to hold back criticism of games. I just think that critics need to think really hard about what they say, and how they say it, when criticism starts to tread on political grounds.

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Beb

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Hey @austin_walker, first I want to thank you for the thoughtful way you have approached this.

I think the "sounds like" thing you mention in your blog is key to this issue in general. I think for pretty much everyone involved in a discussion like this one, when they hear what they consider the be an opposing viewpoint, the substance of that viewpoint quickly gets placed in a bucket with other things it "sounds like," which quickly has people talking past each other. We are all at fault with this - it is human nature.

I feel like this topic specifically is a hard one, because I can see 'both' sides. If you want more diversity in games in general, then it makes sense to want to see that in the big releases, especially ones with many, many characters. After all, the more characters there are, the more opportunities there are for diversity.

On the other hand, even if you are not opposed to having more diversity in games in general, it makes sense to be critical of that criticism on a case-by-case basis. In this case, the game deals with topics of discrimination in a context that makes sense to the source material, the culture, and the people that created it.

I can see why the idea of racial quotas came up in the title of Love Letter to Person Who Demands Racial Quotas in Witcher 3. It is easy to hear the call for more diversity in games - especially in the criticism of a specific game - and think it sounds like "All games must have diverse characters." But is anyone really saying that? Probably not.

I think it is a fair thing to ask if a game "could" have contained more non-white, non-male, non-straight characters, but saying that one "should" is much more contentious. The answer to both questions will vary game-by-game.

Could the Witcher 3 have been more diverse? Absolutely. Should it have been? I don't think so.

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Beb

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#4  Edited By Beb

An open world game may or may not be a sandbox game. The scale we want to measure against is Themepark vs Sandbox.

World of Warcraft is an open world game, and a themepark. You can run around in the world more or less as you please, but it was crafted by Blizzard and each player will experience the same things in the same circumstances. The content will be basically the same for everyone.

Minecraft on the other hand is open world and a sandbox. The player has a large degree of freedom to do whatever the want.

Skyrim (unmodded) is a bit more sandbox-y than WoW, because you can 'permanently' kill NPCs, move items around in the world, etc. But it is not as sandbox-y as Minecraft because you can't deform the world (other than build a few houses with set designs, in set locations.)

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Beb

298

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I would totally stop by if I lived in the right country. Someone have a beer for me.

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Beb

298

Forum Posts

445

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Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

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Beb

298

Forum Posts

445

Wiki Points

6

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

Got it yesterday after early impression videos started coming out. It wasn't even on my radar before then.

Only played a few hours, but I feel like the more open world and movement makes the difference between me wanting to like Dead Island (which I barely touched), and actually liking Dying Light. That said, I am still way early in the game, so there is still plenty of opportunity for me to realize I hate it depending on how things develop.

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Beb

298

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I read the first three books of the Long Price but I think they never published the last one in Canada, which really sucks because I was really enjoying them.

Actually, that was years ago, so maybe there is some ebook available now. I should probably look in to that.

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Beb

298

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I think it is both funny and frustrating that that they let Brad "get away with it again" this year with Destiny.

Wish Jason had spoken up more. I felt like he had some good things to say.

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Beb

298

Forum Posts

445

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Reviews: 5

User Lists: 0

#10  Edited By Beb

I got Escape Goat. It's pretty good!

edit: Didn't spend any money on gems.