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Schwigles_McWigles

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Bad habits I've encountered (and in some cases, guilty of) in various game genre's

While I'm certain someone has already made a list much like this, I figured for my first list I would do something simple and straightforward. I'll try to be at least a little creative, and try to avoid some obvious ones. Like teabagging, there's no need to point that out. Anyway, on to the description.

Often times you can't help but notice certain behaviors that you or others express in particular games and/or genres even. Exploits, attitudes, right down to plain old stupidity, we try to avoid and even condemn- sorry, bit too strong- wag our finger at such actions, but often nary a thing changes. We may even succumb, and even indulge, in such actions. Alright, I'm taking this too seriously. Basically, we do a lot of stupid crap in games, but hey we're just human. So lets take a look at just a few of such behaviors...

P.S: I 'll keep adding more as they come to mind. Share yours if you wish and maybe I'll toss it in.

List items

  • Since I can't go by genre, I'll use the best example.

    The "Cow in the headlights"-

    This has happened to me and everyone I've played with. You see a car, you think "alright, I see two bright suns growing rapidly larger, clearly someones grandma in a Focus. I'll just nudge over"

    Two seconds later you Michael Bay the damn thing, and now you watch as several other cars glued to the ceiling race past. What the hell, are we like firefly's? Are they hypnotic headlamps, or what? Regardless, we seem to either forget to adjust our heading, or think we'll slide right past. I'd attribute it to being manly, but really it's just a drop in coordination.

  • The "Won't even use a band-aid on a ruptured jugular" syndrome-

    Again, best example I can use to describe this behavior.

    We've probably all been here. We're low on health, we know the next step may be our last, and then we remember out health kits. "Wait," we tell ourselves, "these things are in limited supply! I've already used, like, two! I should conserve even though half my foots been blown off." Yet it's understandable why, especially in a game like STALKER or Oblivion where potions and medicine are like Hallmark wrapped gift.

    See, health can be hard to come by in exploration games, and early on we learn to conserve until we absolutely need it. Trouble is, some of us then become hoarders, and pretty soon we have more health packs than ammunition. Oblivion especially, when we consider that our healing spells will do the trick, and the fact that a quick jump to the nearest town or tavern grants us a chance to fully heal our ailments, even for free in some cases.

    Other games, like STALKER, may have slow regeneration systems that we come to depend on, and become complacent. Eventually, we bite the bullet (literally), and hit the specially assigned key, yet stubbornly enough we try to remain economical thinking the next encounter will certainly make minced meat of us. Still, being frugal is better than...

  • The "Oh ****, I bruised my knee, better use a LARGE medkit" syndrome-

    I'm going to use Team Fortress 2 twice, for good reason. Anyway, this is one I've managed to avoid doing after smartening up, but it happens all too often.

    Someone loses a fraction of health, let's say three hit-points, and yet all of sudden they hurl themselves into full medical emergency and find the biggest effing health pack possible. This leads to another issue, one that drives us mad...

  • The "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see the torrent of blood bursting from your chest"-

    Okay, so I can't use titles more than once. Whatever, I'll use a similar experience.

    While the previous comment could be applied to both singleplayer and multiplayer situations, this one is purely in the competitive/cooperative realm. Teammates- and I use that term loosely- who snatch healthpacks when they clearly don't need them.

    Look, if you think your virtual bug bite constitutes use of major resources, go to the medic or virtual ER. I don't think I need to dwell on the subject any longer, as most of us have experienced this, so on to the next one.

  • The "I'm Mike Meyers/Tyson in a warzone" syndrome-

    Tyson and Meyers had several things in common: They're both named Mike, were both surrounded by controversy, and oh yeah, they both loved using their arms to do the talking. And they were good at it, you know why? It was their job.

    So what am I trying to get at? Well, you see, melee kills are that cherished past-time in games, a holy moment in our struggle for online (or even offline) superiority. When we're presented with a genuine opportunity to plunge our knife into a fleshy bag of meat, or simply beat the snot out the opponent like he's our relative, makes us all gooey inside. Trouble is, too often we think we have such an chance, we find ourselves seconds later asking "I had a gun, why didn't I just use it?"

    I'm a repeat offender of this, and Reach is an excellent example. I strive to earn Assassination kills, reveling in the victims helplessness. When it's successful. Most of the time we end up in a smacking contest, or I lose the target, or get killed.

    Yet can you really find fault in that? Well, yes, but to us, their backs are presented on a platter lined with roses or some crap, and we begin to salivate with wide eyes. Then we eat lead.

  • The "Clearly it says Burnout Motorsport 3: Pile-'Drive' LOL PUN"-

    Good god do I hate playing online in simulators with randoms. There are many reasons, of course, but the primary issue is that they think "Hardcore track-racer" translates to "Blues Brothers chase scene: the game." These are the players who don't target the finish line; they target you, because this is Mario Kart remember. Often times, such players are to young to young to even see over the dash of a real car, but sometimes you get some asshat who probably can't get over the high-school years. Oh and sometimes, damage will be on, so have fun driving your jumped up 911 Turbo like it's a 92' Accord with blown shocks and cam-knock.

  • The "Teenage girl at the mall stereotype" syndrome-

    "Invest young," our parents say. "A penny earned is a penny saved," some guy in bifocals once spoke (yes I know who). Money is something we earn and use freely. It's also something we must use wisely, a characteristic many of us lack. So if many of us are irresponsible with real income, what do you think happens in the virtual world?

    Again, I'll admit to being a spend thrift in many games. Since I used Forza 2 as example, I'll point out that I bought cars and parts almost as soon as I earned credits. Even cars I didn't need I would blow my earnings on, and suddenly I find myself with a garage full of junk. It's like we need 'Spender's Anonymous' for games.

    By the time Forza 3 rolled around, I had filled my garage to the maximum with vehicles I never even used. However, while watching your wallet is just good sensibility, being a penny-pincher is equally absurd in games, such as in...

  • The "Dad who books a rusty boat to Honolulu from Seattle to save $0.04" syndrome-

    At the opposite end, we find ourselves scrounging every last cent we earn in case we'll never earn more and all money that isn't ours disappears from everywhere. Sometimes it's to buy that super special item late in the game. Sometimes it's to have a cushion or reserve for when we need supplies, like upgrades or health vials, or when we know we'll be forced to spend anyway.

    Because we're either too conservative or just self-loathing, we forget that it's okay to get something we want, even if we have a current goal for our existing funds. Just so long as we keep an eye on the spending. Take GT5- no, don't take mine, I mean figuratively. In GT5, everything is very costly, and very maintenance driven. Turbos that cost as much as Civics, Civics that cost as much as BMW's. Oil changes, chassis repair, paint for cripes sake! Then you see those glorious few vehicles that command both your absolute attention, as well as insane prices. Christ, where do you find the money for all this??

    The funny thing is, we tend to forget that as we progress further, the rewards are greater. Granted, in GT5 the races can reach ludicrous lengths, but I'm typing in general. What we're really trying to avoid is both running out of funds, and grinding, something that affects both money an experience (though experience is a different subject). We see that Mustang for cheap and think "wow, what a great deal, only 30,000 credits, and I have 7.8 million of those!"

    Then we remember why; we're trying to earn that one special car that costs more than Rhode Island, like the GT40. Suddenly the Mustang becomes too expensive. Yes, the 30,000cr car is too much compared to the 20,000,000cr car. Don't forget, we have all that micromanagement bull we have to take care of.

    Eventually, though, we realize we're just making a riot hash of it, and buy the damn Mustang. Then buy everything we can, and blow all our funds. God damn it...

    Also, remember, I'm just using GT5 as an example. This can apply to any game with an economy.

  • The "compensating for more than skill, or is the game just sadistic?"-

    Okay, last racing game for a while, I swear.

    I'll be real brief: Purchasing the best damn anything for goddamn everything. Instead of adapting a skill and being moderate with purchases, you buy the most used and or expensive item because how else can you succeed? The Audi's in Forza 3 are an example of this.

    Yet sometimes it may actually be due to a design issue, the game just being brutally hard because of glaring flaws rather than just challenge. Shift 2 has kamikaze AI, touchy physics, and a tuning system harder to operate than the Space Shuttle. You say "**** it," and buy whatever you're able to. This can apply to many other games, like Demon's Souls, which brutally punishes players repeatedly if ill-prepared.

    Also, using racing again, situation one can lead to situation 2, causing everyone to use the same damn thing. This creates a mundane list of competition vehicles, and brings down the experience, somewhat.

  • The "Thank you sir, may I have another?"-

    Ah, challenge. We all want to be tested, and some of us want to be tested further. We like challenge, even if the only reward for our efforts is a message that says "You have the vegetables of Bull Mastiff, and the sausage of a Black Stallion." We're fine with that, which can be problematic.

    Demon's Souls needs no introduction, but it carries with it a difficulty curve like a cliff face. Unforgiving bosses, easy and often cheap deaths, tricky combat, the lot. But while in Demon's Souls is like this out the box, some games become this way because we choose to alter them as such. Devil May Cry's "Dante Must Die," where pretty much any hit on Dante ends his life. Switching all the aids and ramping up the difficulty in simulators, creating hectic situations that would normally be more manageable. Lengendary in Halo, Insane in Gears. All of these and many more that merely reward you with a plaque, or rather mockingly, an item you've proven you don't need.

    Demon's Souls has more of an excuse, but even so, you have to ask yourself "is this worth my time an effort?" Weirdly enough, for some of us the answer is yes. Do we have something to prove, are we fine with the lack of appreciation, or we just a little mental. Don't know, now stop whining about getting raped by the dragon on the bridge, ya wuss.
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