Problems With Gamers

I have no idea how to begin this article. Ive gone through a dozen introductions in my head, and none can accurately summarize what Im trying to say. The proponents of the all-mighty thesis statement may shriek in horror, but I think Ill just go ahead and jump into the material head-first. If you REALLY need a summary, thisll have to do:

Gamers be messed up, yo.

Ya know, I think that might actually work out alright. It seems that no matter what angle you come at it from, most gamers are just a wee-bit touched in the head. Regardless of which company they most violently support, several issues prevent them from evolving into capable members of society. Certainly, as in all rash generalizations, there are exceptions. But this is Industry PROBLEMS Week. Wheres the fun in talking about the well-adjusted?

Now itd be foolish to assume that this is a new problem. Ignorance and generalized insanity have been around for a very long time. The internet, however, has not. Gamers have discovered this veritable treasure chest of information and made it their home. And now, with millions upon millions of OTHER insane gamers to talk with, their powers have only grown. Due to the very nature of the internet, every brain-crushingly insane thought they have can be broadcasted into millions of homes. Little Jimmys diatribe against the new Zelda game, including brilliant taglines such as its gay! and omg powerpuff, becomes international reading material.

When used responsibly, the internet is a great place for spreading industry information and intelligently thought-out opinions. The problem resides within the anonymity of the beast. Little Jimmys opinions are in the same boat as everyone elses. Theres no crazy people please post here area of the internet, sectioned off to keep us all safe. As a result, someone with absolutely no knowledge of a subject could find himself overwhelmed by the ramblings of internet madmen, never even making it to the reputable sources. Poor guy, never even knew what hit him.

But blaming the internet wont get us anywhere. How could I hold a grudge against that which occupies so much of my free time with boundless entertainment? The problem clearly lies with the crazies. Their impetuous nature leads them to leap all over the most insignificant of events, blowing them so far out of proportion that their original meaning becomes lost in a flurry of exclamation points and bolded text. Lets look at a couple of the things they love to obsess over, shall we?

Number one, a games appearance. The style portrayed in screenshots or the graphical-quality of said screenshots will cause an insane gamer to instantly envision every aspect of the game in his mind. There are some very interesting associations that are commonly made in this process. For example, an abundance of color usually indicates that the game will be too easy, and pose little-to-no challenge for the gamers insane skills. Instead of saying that they think the game will be too easy, though, they say that the game is kiddy, or something equally unrelated.

There are a couple of problems with this line of thinking. First off, since when do bright colors indicate a lack of difficulty? Super Mario Sunshine is one of the most overwhelmingly colorful games ever created, and its also regarded as the most difficult Mario game ever made. Secondly, why are certain art-styles regarded as kiddy? The original trailer for the Wind Waker featured a Loony-Toons-esque appearance, most notably the Moblins that hovered in mid-air before plummeting into a pit. If I recall correctly, however, Warner Brothers originally created Loony Toons as comedic shorts shown in movie theatres - to a predominantly adult audience. The idea that cartooniness can only be enjoyed by small children is very disconcerting in this regard.

Much of the backlash from the Wind Wakers new art direction, however, was likely spawned because it was so different from the immediately previous iterations of the series. It seems that insane gamers are mortally afraid of change. If a formula is successful, altering it in any way is a crime punishable by death. Its a bit puzzling, since games that radically deviate from the norm frighten and anger these gamers, but games that are too similar are also looked down upon. I suppose that once a developer finds a way to completely alter a game while keeping it exactly the same, theyll all be quite pleased!

But enough of that. Next on the list, we have gamers budding interest in the happenings of the industry. No longer content to just buy their games and play them, many gamers keep a close watch on the business practices of their favorite companies. Sales figures, marketing strategies, and internal relations are all coming under tight scrutiny now that the internet has provided such easy access to a companys pertinent data. Having a healthy interest in this kind of information is perfectly alright, but many insane gamers do their favorite thing and make rash generalizations based on this kind of stuff.

I cant tell you how many times Ive seen threads on message boards with the title Nintendo is doomed, only to find that the author is deciding this because a popular game isnt selling as much as they wouldve liked. Other gamers actually let how much a game sells affect how much they enjoy playing the game, and may decide to sell their console in favor of another one that happens to be more popular. The same kind of stuff happens when a company doesnt advertise as much as they should have, or when they fail to woo as many third parties as possible. Industry happenings distress gamers to the point where they feel dirty for liking the games that a certain company makes.

But however many overly-informed and insane gamers there may be, there is an equally large number of gamers that dont know anything at all. Lets call them oblivious gamers, shall we? These guys simply dont care enough to go online and research anything, so they just go to the closest store and buy a game based on the box art. Now theres nothing wrong with not scouring the internet for game info. If thats not your thing, so be it. However, its unfortunate when some obscure but fantastic games sell poorly because oblivious gamers know nothing about them. They typically just buy their Madden and THPS games, and leave the Pikmins on the shelf.

The most unfortunate result of oblivious gamers, however, is that they often spread misinformation. Things like Mario Sunshine being ported to the X-Box wouldnt be at all surprising to one of these guys, nor would the Sony GameCube seeing a release of Halo. Also, theyre more swayed by flashy shallow games than the more subdued substantial ones. Since these gamers are in the vast majority, it becomes quite risky for a development house to release a fresh and original game. The chances are that it will be overlooked by all but the crazy online gamers - and you dont want THEM to be the only ones to buy your game.

So the point is, the rise in gaming in the past years has put increasing responsibility on the gamers of the world. Those who are already familiar with the pastime have the job of enlightening the newcomers and showing them the ropes. It doesnt help when all they show them is how to be either an obsessive freak, or an ignorant know-nothing. Harsh, yes, I know. But its these two classes of gamers that are responsible for games like GTA3 selling exponentially more than games like Super Mario Sunshine. If this trend is to continue, we may find ourselves in a gaming world composed solely of sports and violence. And nobody wants THAT.

unless you do. In which case I retract my last statement.

Cory Faller