SuperPhillip Central writes, "I always find it hard to talk about wanting the gaming industry to grow up because I'm not exactly a beacon of maturity myself. However, I have long since been over console wars, fanboy wars, and certain-man-part-waving contests on message boards and comment sections (for the most part, that is). It's a fact, however, that so many gamers have not gotten over this mindset. This is a young industry, and because of that, it is a very immature one. This piece is somewhat of a stream of consciousness. It's an oddity of opinion pieces here, but it's one that allows me to rant about how I think that before the industry can be taken seriously, the press, the gamers the press caters to, and industry insiders need to start acting with more maturity."
Non-playable characters in certain games are meme material, thanks to their foolish behavior. These are the big-budget games with the dumbest NPCs.
Bethesda makes the most consistently stupid NPCs, like really bad... yet I still can't help but love playing their games. Guilty pleasure, I guess. *sigh* 😩
Every Bethesda game and Every Halo game. This list needed to have Cyberpunk somewhere.
Here are the most peaceful areas in games that are otherwise quite violent, offering players respite from chaos in the game world.
My first thought was the safe rooms in the resident evil series. When you hear that enchanting music you know you’re safe.
I literally just came here to post this. That music in the Resi 1 safe rooms is playing in my head.
I was thinking TLOU work benches. Although I remember one time where it was a false security.
Perfect. 👌👌
I'd add the top of my highrise apartment in GTA Online. That calm, quiet peace, just knowing as soon as I step out that door I will be bombarded by 8 and 12 year olds calling each other n**** and f****, trolled by combat jets and rocket launchers.
The entire map of SotC is peaceful as hell. Used to just ride around exploring it.
Afterlife in Cyberpunk 2077 is a peaceful area? Erm, hands down and very hard to miss, Misty Olszewski's Esoterica is the absolute epitome of peaceful areas in that game.
The "last of us" deer location i found to be a welcoming respite. It was nice to not have someone trying to eat me.
In Halo 4, 5, and Infinite, Master Chief became a more nuanced, human character.
In spite of the Halo series’ struggles, 343 deserves praise for adding nuance and characterisation to the ever-beating heart of Halo - The Master Chief. Playing through Infinite, it's abundantly clear that the events of the current and previous trilogies have irrevocably changed the iconic hero. He’s no longer the ‘blank slate’ that was previously presented by Bungie. He’s a fatigued, damaged and fallible protagonist, and one who is meandering through currents of grief, while reveling in his newfound agency. Giving the Chief a compelling and meaningful voice was no small feat, and 343 should be proud of that victory.
This article completely misses part of the appeal of the original iteration of character in the original game trilogy. It was the Chief and Cortana vs an entire alien collective. The blank slate Bungie displayed in their games was genius, he was an mysterious hero a wide audience could identify with because he wasn't as clearly defined as most characters.
The books added a lot of lore and backstory but most Halo players just want a fun game with exposition that doesn't get in the way of gameplay, it's why the Cortana level in Halo 3 was derided.
Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty.
A lot of people give the 343 version of Master Chief a lot of slack.
But Fundamentally he is still the same character, he just has a couple more dialogues. He has not changed in terms of attitude.
"Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty."
And that's what he has done at the end of the day, he did his duty. Watch his partner die, and was ready to destroy the weapon in Halo infinite....he is still the same soilder that everyone remembers
Halo Infintes one was a nice balance between both.
The 343i Master Chief has is based on the books. However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion.
"However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion."
Which is awesome! I love how Master Chief become more John and less soldier.
That's one very well written article. Kudos.
'We get what we deserve'
I'm not entirely convinced that this is the case to be honest. It's the chicken and the egg situation. Are we the fuel or do articles provide that fuel? The whole industry is in such disarray that it's very difficult to cut through the centre of things and see the truth.
One of the biggest problems with suggesting the media is biased or propagandist is that it comes ready wrapped with cliqued responses that offer convenient escapes for even the most rabid 'fanboy'. Even the word 'fanboy' or 'troll' have become convenient mechanisms for avoiding deep and meaningful discussion, leaving us with back and forth arguments of attack and counter-attack. Are WE the problem though? Where was this born?
'This industry is young, and so immature'
I think that's an over-simplification of a more convoluted problem. Clearly, when the author says this, he is reflecting upon the nature of the gamer and not the nature of those that make the games. Listening to Naughty Dog talking about the narrative in their games, leaves us with no doubt that they are intelligent and very mature. So why is it then that some Sony fans and some dissenters can't or won't emulate the behaviour of Naughty Dog?
No, it has to emanate from some other place. You need to look no further than the internet to find your answer. With so many sites vying for your attention, the loudest and brashest are more likely to be heard first. Controversy has taken centre stage and has fanned the flames for so long now that gamers have learned to paraphrase the quick and easy retorts laid out so carefully and deliberately in these grab-the-limelight articles that flood the internet on a daily basis.
War is more lucrative than peace.
Do we get what we deserve? I don't think so. Those hapless people that get caught up in the media circus know no better; they are young and impressionable and from the safety of their keyboard, they can claim a piece of manhood, confident in the fact that they'll only sustain a bruised ego and not a fractured jaw. They're being played by a media that depends and flourishes upon hatred and division. Fanboys are as much the victim as the people they personally attack.
The industry isn't immature, it's cold and calculating and young gamers are their chosen targets. Keep them angry, keep them active and keep them locked into cycles that allow sites to manipulate them into choices they may otherwise not make. Love brings people together, but hatred of others keeps them together. As one they are easy pickings for advertising and purchasing habits.
One of the best articles I've read this week. I hope people actually pay attention to it instead of the usual. "PS4 is more powerful than...", "Halo 1/5 reviews", "Here's a new single GTA V screenshot!" and of course the "Here's some fanboy flamebait, you know you're gonna take it" articles that frequently get so popular here.
Im also a gamer who realizes the immaturity of this industry. I'd always wondered why the lack sophisticated morals in today's gaming, not that i'm comparing today's gaming with yesterday's.
Im just saying! one may believe that after several console generation, after faster processing power, and a bigger raam. Gaming today should have by now be parrellel to movie qualty!
Very good article, although he completely missed the point regarding the uproar over that 7/10 review.
SPOT-ON!