Metal Gear needs better writing, not graphics

Don Reisinger from CNET writes:

"We don't need better graphics from Hideo Kojima and his team; we need better writing.

After playing through Metal Gear Solid 4, I was deeply disturbed by what it offered. Was it a good game? Sure. But after completing it, I won't consider playing through it again because of the convoluted storyline and the amount of cut scenes."

[Hellsvacancy]

Thats as far as i read

[n4g-gamer]

He is right though, MGS 4 is about as convulsed and retarded as a story will get, so its probably a good thing that kojima isnt working on mgs raiden. Its gonna have all the great gameplay elements from kojimas team but non of his retarded writing.

[Hellsvacancy]

Or perhaps YOUR just 2 retarded 2 understand it

[n4g-gamer]

No It is perfectly understandable , this does not take away from its sheer stupidity.

[callahan09]

Of course it's written by Don Reisinger. Does he write anything that isn't a veiled attack at something PS3-related?

[The_Darkest_Red]

The story in MGS is as wonderfully crafted as any in the entertainment industry. The amount of depth and character development present in each game is a testament to just how good the writing actually is.

This is ridiculous. Attacking the game that is best at something for what it is best at? I mean I understand that there aren't many angles you can attack a series like MGS from but this is just pathetic.

*** By the way in case anyone cares, this is my new account. My old name was PistolPumptMonk. ***

EDIT: At n4g-gamer: Please, explain to us the entire MGS story in detail so that we may understand it as fully as yourself.

[edgeofblade]

Maybe some people like convoluted stories.

I'm not one of them, but I recognize the right of Konami and Kojima to seek a market of people who will buy any Japanese-written piece of comic book plot garbage.

But there are people who like that stuff and i respect their right to like it. So, a disagree here means you disagree with peoples right to like whatever they like...

[Willio]

4-5 million purchases later says this author is retarded.

[Lifendz]

Cnet strikes again!

[The_Darkest_Red]

No, a disagree means you don't know WTF you're talking about. Seriously, if the story is so stupid why do so many mature older people appreciate it so much? I am willing to bet that NO ONE who understands the story thinks it is stupid or convoluted.

So please, edgeofblade, explain the story to me. Then you have the right to a valid opinion. Otherwise, I'm poppin that disagree button like I pop scrubs in COD.

EDIT: At guy below me who thinks he is the king of the world: I just ate one of your bubbles and they taste like chicken. Yum!

[PrimordialSoupBase]

@Hellsvacancy

Since you can't even spell, I suggest you avoid contributing to a conversation about writing. Same goes for most of the idiots on this website.

Metal Gear is overwrought trash. The end.

[Silellak]

How are you even still allowed in the Open Zone?

I stopped caring about Metal Gear Solid's plot around the time of MGS2. MGS1 was silly in some ways, sure, but it was an entertaining story that was told fairly well.

I'm not going to pretend I've played MGS3 or 4, so I won't comment on those specific stories (beyond what I've read on Wikipeda), but it seems to me like MGS fanboys mistake confusing, convoluted plotlines as being "deep". If you don't like the story, it must be because you're too stupid to "get it" - and that's just absurd. People may enjoy the story, but the fact is, the often wince-inducing writing that delivers the story simply isn't very good.

There's nothing particularly wrong with that. I enjoy plenty of movies and TV shows that often have sub-par writing. But don't pretend Metal Gear Solid is some glorious, flawless piece of art that's beyond criticism - because it isn't.

[DragonWarrior_4]

This is the most milked franchise next to Mario, but at least the Mario games keep evolving. Kojima needs to let Snake die already and make another Zone of the Enders game or just quit making games period. MGS4 is the most overrated game next to Halo. I cant stand it when you noobs keep hyping up these mediocre games. Sure its pretty, but graphics dont make a game great.

[Kain81]

--

[iHEARTboobs]

In honor of that "convoluted trash" of a story, i'm going to pop it in again and have a great time playing it......again.

[bunbun777]

We all play to have fun, and that level of fun is constantly being qualified through what makes us the gamers, have a fun time. The writing is solid, maybe too much for some, but thats the thing-- if we strip away from what is there then we go back to common denominators...

I couldnt help but thinking of Idiocracy and the movie of the Year, ASS or whatever it was called, an ass that farted on screen, everyone loved it. (except the dude from the past)

Look, the world is a hard thing to fully understand, with the politics, the power, the belief systems that have been held over for thousands and thousands of years (ancient mystery schools) but I will say this-- Hideo is one of the few to either get away with explaining, howbeit in a very sensational manner, some of the core elements in play with a new world order, a military state, technology supplanting free will, the human spirit through perseverance finding meaning through survival--- or he is possibly propagating the things that either he is mandated to tell or that he feels are coming. At the very least he is using real world topics for a frame of the stories. And yes I'm talking of things of a conspiritual nature.

The ID tagged guns thing--its real but its not mandated-- some people in power are trying to do exactly what is being explained in the game. Sorry if you guys think I'm a "loopy sci-fi fanboy" but its true, so dont trash what you dont get, and if you dont get it, its ok. But if Hideo's games feel a little too complicated, how complicated do you think the real thing is?

-edit 1-13 beyond criticism? of course it isnt-- but it is beyond your level of criticism, unless you think there's a wiki out there that will help you actually explain yourself-

[FlamingTP]

Overwrought trash? Care to back up that statement with examples and logic buddy? I mean seriously most of us are open minded here. We may give you credit for some truth if it exists and you can prove it but otherwise the open zone is for you.

[Rigmaster]

Overwrought trash ==> Not on the Xbox 360. Ever.

QED

[gintoki777]

convoluted or not it makes a kick ass game too bad Don Reisinger will never be as successful as a single metal gear solid game and kojima

edit* to that guy with the king slime avatar metal gear has not been milked until this year when xbox 360 wants to get its nose into things -_- thats why now it sounds like such a milked series. But really there have been alot more mario games and sonic games than mgs games

[Defectiv3_Detectiv3]

Because games are known for their well written storylines. Compared to most games, MGS4 is frickin' shakespeare. Who cares if its convoluted, it still gives you enough emotional investment to want to keep playing through and see what happens.

MGS is one of the few series where I actually don't want to skip the cutscenes. I would agree that they were a little long winded at times, and sometimes they went off on a tangent, but overall, it puts most games stories to shame.

[Amplitude]

Greetings. I've come to remind you that - before adding to this conversation - you should realize that there are people in here who are saying that MGS4 has a bad story, and making fun of the MGS series for it.
If you were intelligent, you would realize that these people are either massive fanboys, or just naturally retarded.

Thanks! Proceed with the comments.

[Tony P]

That's just some guy's opinion.

At least MGS is trying to do something beyond 'aliens have invaded! saddle up!" Most games can't move beyond rampant clichés and even when they do, can't craft a genuinely interesting story like MGS.

I confess the story can get far too complicated for my personal tastes (I preferred everything before MGS2 because it was grounded more in reality) but it's far from bad. So you won't find me calling Kojima a genius or MGS the best series ever. It is not the only game with a decent story. But it's good and gamers should take pride in mentioning this jewel of a series amongst a sea less audacious titles.

[SaberEdge]

Hey, I love MGS4, but if you're honest with yourself you do have to admit that the story is a little convoluted and maybe even a little bit silly. There is no way you are going to convince me that the narrative is as well crafted as Uncharted's or Mass Effect's.

It's not like this is a new idea, lots of reviewers had similar things to say about it after it was released. Go back and read some of those reviews, some thought the story was great, but some thought it was convoluted and poorly written.

That doesn't mean that the story isn't enjoyable in its own way or that the game isn't great, because it is. But don't act like everybody has to agree that the narrative was the greatest thing ever.

[ExgamerLegends2]

I was never into mgs until MGS4. I asked a friend who's a mgs fan to explain the story to me and he just laughed, so i figured it was either long or too convoluted. When i looked it up online i saw it was both lol. But it was really interesting. I loved it. I've played through MGS4 7 times and I'm considering playing through the first three to understand the story better.

[Silellak]

Oops, I forgot one of the N4G Commandments:

1. Thou shalt not state thine own personal opinion of a game, if that opinion doth differ from those of the Fanboy Armies. If thou doth challenge them, thine bubbles shall they take.

Amen.

[cmrbe]

Convoluted != Complex.

MGS story is complex. Its kinda like Lost with many characters all having important roles to play in the bigger scheme of things. If you don't follow them closely you will get confused.

The MGS story requires the player to invest time in it. If not, you will not fully understand it and normally those people will say its convoluted which is not. They joust don't understand the story.

In terms of writing MGS3 has the best writing. MGS4 is second only because it had the herculean task of tieing up all the plot in the Story of a franchise that spanned 20 years i.e Kojima couldn't really edited MGS4.

I am most certain that those that are saying MGS story is convoluted in this thread haven't even played all 4 main MGS games. Word of advice. Don't just take what others say about the story and take it as fact. Play the game yourself then make your own mind up.

[Homicide]

The story is awful, and not only that, it is told in a bad way. Using hours and hours of cutscenes is not good storytelling.

Complex? The answer to pretty much everything was -*spoilers*
-
-
-
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nanomachines. Kojima should be a doctor.

[edgeofblade]

Ahem.... Mr. The_Darkest_Red, here is the plot I remember from playing MGS4.

An armless, legless, former president with similar generic code to Snake and Liquid kept alive and shrink wrapped to a machine... and that genetic code is a backdoor access code to a global control network controlling all the nanomachine soldiers in the world to keep them from sh*tting themselves when they drink the water.

Meanwhile, a "targeted" super virus designed to kill only certain people breaks down its ability to distinguish one target from another and could become a global pandemic... but doesn't because it's replaced with a better virus to kill the old virus.

You call that a good story? I call that some middle schooler's half-baked creative writing assignment. I call it a bunch of nerdy elementary kids playing at recess. Creative... but wild and unruly... and entirely unbelievable. Clone this, nuke that, biomort over here, nanomachines over there. It's just so out there, it's one step away from having an alien abduction, time travel, or dimensional tear.

Don't give me "mature rational adults" when you know damn well they are mostly children with an asianophile complex.

@cmrbe: I did take your advice by reading EVERYTHING in the MGS database before playing MGS4... and I enjoyed it as a game... but I would NOT consume it in any way other than a game. Not as a book or as a movie, which is about the most damning thing I can say about any video game plot.

[DragonWarrior_4]

MGS4 is an OK game, it really doesn't do anything well. Even the stealth mechanics aren't as smooth as MGS1 and 2. I really dont know why you guys like this game? I hope that someday you people play some old school games and find out what great games actually are. This is not one of them.

BTW, the story was fine until Snake Eater came. The series has went down hill since then. Its gotten crazier each and every time.

[Jaces]

And yet fanboys rejoiced at getting a MGS game?

Whatever happened to convoluted story and to many cutscenes? Sure we don't know how Rising is going to be but it'd still be the same with MGS4 if that was ever ported over.

Fanboys are always finding something to complain about.

@Edge of Blade: Dude...it's a game, not a freaking biography. Who cares how unrealistic and over the top it sounds, the game is supposed to keep you guessing and it still is even after it was beat. I'd rather have that than a boring, predictable plot.

[RememberThe357]

Cnet claiming that something else needs better writing... These guys are less helpful then UGO...

@PrimordialSoupBase: Here we go with your arrogant bullshit. You didn't even realize that he's talking about the over all story of MGS, not the quality of sentence structure or spelling. Maybe instead of making yourself look like an idiot for calling someone out in a comment section about spelling (wtf? Who doesn't misspell in the comment section?), you could have added a witty or thoughtful response. In fact, please point out where he misspelled?

Your comment was and is not "the end", and nothing you say to try and evoke some type of power feeling will effect anything. People have opinions, and for you to claim that your opinion is fact proves how much you need to stay in the Open Zone.

[Daver]

I never really followed MGS serie but i bought MGS4 and i must say it was one of the best game i have ever play

The story is awesome, sure it is complex but thats what it makes the game so good in a way

[HDgamer]

Funny of the fanboys to say it doesn't have a good story. Funny how can a game series be around for nearly 20 years, sold more copies than most games, get guiness book of world records, GOTY awards, fans around the world and continue to be the best stealth game for their niche crowd also delivering an amazing story with long and lengthy cutscenes that make real movies seem like child's play?

[edgeofblade]

@Jaces:

You haven't seen "too seriously" until you hear an MGS fanboy talk about how Solid Snake is better than Master Chief... because he's more refined and kills with stealth... and therefore an MGS gamer is more refined than a Halo gamer. It's just sick all the crap people with inferiority complex use as leverage to make themselves better than someone else.

Here I am saying people can play whatever they want and enjoy it, and everyone else is criticizing me for not appreciating a story so ridiculous and fourth-wall breaking. Sure, like it all you want, but everyone's compelling need to make me like it too is....unhealthy.

[bnaked]

LOL WTF?????

MGS has the best written story in the history of videogames!

This guy must be unintelligent..

[JoySticksFTW]

The stories are amazing. Even Kojima admits that MGS2 was too convoluted, so he stream-lined 3&4's stories

The gameplay was stream-lined too and made much more player-friendly

[Jaces]

Same thing could be said with Halo or Gears if someone bashed the story. It's the circle of hate, lol. Still though, everyone has their opinions and that's fine.

But it's hard to not ignore when people are complaining that it's not realistic enough....last time I checked it was'nt Metal Gear Realistic. It's just a game with an insane, confusing, and IMO great story. Same thing could be said about Splinter Cell, no way he could take out all those bad guys by himself, no way he could take that many bullets and not die. No bashing, big fan...just making a point.

Anyway, what's so off the wall about the story when everything is in fact possible now or at least in the not to distant future. Just curious.

I didn't buy the game for a grounded, realistic, can only happen in 2008 game. I bought it for a great time...and wanted to find out how it all ended.

[Why dis]

Very true not only writing but a gameplay mechanics overhaul. No more hiding in boxes, stupid AI, no more Beeps & boops indicating alert status, no more over the head visual alert status indicators like (!) (?) (Z). Needs more solid control and animations.

This isn't the early 90's you know. no more PS1 type ideas.

[cmrbe]

OK. Regarding your points. Foxdie the virus that you refer to is a genetic bio weapon that targets specific target to eliminate. If you had play MGS1 you would have known that Snake was injected with foxide to kill specific targets he came across in MGS1 without snakes knowledge. In time the virus broke down in his system which would eventually target everyone else which we found out in MGS4. This is not school grade writing imo. This is Tom Clancy level of writing.

Regarding Solidus. No it wasn't solidus. Rather a clone so you are wrong there. The SOP, Sons of the patriot system was a system of military control through nano machines which actually was derived from the foxdie virus that Naomi created. The SOP is a system to help enhance solider combat skills as well as eliminating fear, pain and other emotions determent to their performance. I have no idea where you got the idea that the SOP was a system to stop them from sh1ting their pants from drinking water. Again this is nothing far fetch.In fact i am sure most militiaries in the world are researching ways to improve the combat abilities of their soliders. We have seen people talk about implanting mico chips into people and the whole one world order. In terminator and Matrix we have seen writers write about machines taking over. Again this is nothing far fetched or school grade and i complete disagree with you.

However thankyou, at least you did provide some points unlike others however you still could never understand the whole story until you play MGS1,MGS2 and especially MGS3.

Reading them is completely different from experiencing it.

[gaffyh]

Stupid people complaining about pointless things as usual. Why Dis is retarded, the game doesn't need to change anymore than it already has. If you change all the stuff you mention, it becomes another dumb shooter, which only dumb fanboys like you want.

Gamers don't want to play the same generic gameplay, at least MGS is different. Also the writing in MGS is fantastic, and if you're complaining about MGS4 writing you're retarded, because it is the part of the story that makes the most sense and is much more westernised than the other parts.

[GarandShooter]

@EdgeofBlade

'Here I am saying people can play whatever they want and enjoy it, and everyone else is criticizing me for not appreciating a story so ridiculous and fourth-wall breaking. Sure, like it all you want, but everyone's compelling need to make me like it too is....unhealthy.'

Didn't quite get that feeling from this:

'I'm not one of them, but I recognize the right of Konami and Kojima to seek a market of people who will buy any Japanese-written piece of comic book plot garbage.'

So this is just your way of telling everyone they can enjoy what they want? You don't see how this could seem demeaning to people?
You know, that market of garbage lovers that are clearly beneath you as you have declared yourself as 'not one of them', you have no clue as to how they could find these words offensive?

You poor victim.

[Daver]

lol shut up, you are an idiot

You didnt even play MGS4, go troll somewhere else

Everything you said in your reply is what make MGS serie what it is.. We dont want it to change to look similar to every other games out there

[RumbleFish]

It's simply impossible to argue about MGS with people that don't love Kojimas style. I can't get enough of that game played it 9 times and playing MGO as often as possible. I like the cut scenes and i appreciate the break from gaming just watching blockbuster movie quality cut scenes. MGS 3 and 4 are my favorite games over all but I can understand that people don't like Kojimas style. For us fans it's embarassing when they complain about the cut scenes, but that's just their personal taste.

But when somebody states, that the writing isn't good, he simply didn't understand the story and the moral of Kojimas work!

[gamesR4fun]

"The content of the story was too preachy. I realize that there is the possibility of a "military-industrial complex" that could, I don't know, ruin the world. I also know that war is a real problem. But I don't need a video game to focus on that while painting a story. And I don't need it to do that over a 30-minute span for every 30 minutes of gameplay"

Story sucks eh?! Dudes stuffs prophetic its real and its now. Cooperate run news like u heck cooperate run government dude spells it out n u dont like it imagine that.

Meh like he played it...

[Sylar]

Even though metal gear has a great story i have to admit that mgs4 did try to add on as much fan service as possible, like unnecessary twists and turns that made the story convoluted.

P.S. I hate all those people that say you have to understand the story to like it. There are plenty of people who perfectly understand the story but don't find it that interesting. Everyone has different tastes. Acting like Metal Gear Solid has the perfect storyline that everyone can love is completely ignorant.

[Highwayman]

@1.2
Oh, the irony.

As for MGS4, I think its one of the best games of this gen. Sure the story may seem strange to those who haven't followed the series, but oh well. To each his own.

[morganfell]

What took so long? Just look down the main page of N4G. Here we go again with the attacks on everything Sony. From games to the PSP Go. It's another relentless round of what Sony isn't.

The competition can't brag on what they are...they have nothing that will keep up with the big black onslaught - so they are reduced to the same sort of moronic attacks we witnessed last Christmas.

When you start to attack the writing in MGS4 then you are really grasping at straws. The very fact that Kojima wove a story that not only tied up all the loose ends but also took the entire Metal Gear universe and reversed everything we thought is nothing short of genius. The fact this idiot from cnet misses that is a statement about his low brow mentality and proof how the anti-PS3 crowd will attack anything out of desperation.

[PrimordialSoupBase]

Ahem, fine, it's not The End.

To answer the whiners who can't see where Metal Gear is overwrought, each of its lengthy scenes that purport to be emotionally poignant (like when Otacon is crying, those many, many times) come across as pure comedy (the little merit they contain is ironic and unintended).

Kojima's MGS4 is hysterical in how heavy handed it moves through drama, banging viewers (not players) over the head with its ambition to be powerfully affecting yet executing it with all the grace of a Korean soap opera.

[morganfell]

Don R is crying because he is one of these Neanderthals that requires minimum dialogue and even that must be monosyllabic. What is the matter Don, a little complexity too much for you? There is always Army of Two.

[evrfighter]

"If you had play MGS1 you would have known that Snake was injected with foxide to kill specific targets he came across in MGS1 without snakes knowledge. In time the virus broke down in his system which would eventually target everyone else which we found out in MGS4. This is not school grade writing imo. This is Tom Clancy level of writing."

dont care about metal gear. Played it when I was a kid got over it. never touched it again. yet these kinds of articles are great for killing time.

But that sounds like something I probably could have come up with in high school when I was gettin stoned.

[Immortal Kaim]

Well I was going to say "this is an interested conversation", but looking at the comments, any difference of opinion from the norm is criticised and berated. You get the usual fanboy moron's who complain about anything on the other system, but there are some people with some valid points being shot down...

I will only say this, as much as I enjoy the story in the MGS series, Hideo seriously needs to leave some stuff on the cutting room floor. If it was only a little more edited, maybe the plot wouldn't be so 'heavy handed', which is a shame given the thought provoking and often controversial topics.

[LastDance]

poor fanboys hate anything they dont understand

[Flipgeneral]

I find that the story is well done. The problem lies in the dialogue interactions between the characters, and the scenarios.

I mean, come on, did anyone find the scene with Meryl and Johny in ACT-5 (you know, the one where they're blasting away hordes of enemies while having a heart to heart conversation) to be good writing???

People need to wake up and realise that MGS4 had some serious issues with the writing

[ultimolu]

Just lol.

MGS' story is one of the best storylines in the history of gaming. I'm just stunned by the work Kojima and his team put into this.

CNET needs to stick with industry news/political news instead of judging a storyline like MGS.

[Tarasque]

Boohoo, here come's the tears. But tears of laughter from me, fanboys at it's greatest.....

[xwabbit]

The same guys who said blu ray was a dead format? They must know their stuff lol, but rlly lol, that was 2 much.

[JHUX]

Did I play a different MGS4 as the haters? Or are you guys just lying trying to trash a game you've never, and will never play? I think more along the lines of the 2nd part.

[ThanatosDMC]

Wow! This is the first time in N4G i've ever seen somebody get more than 100 disagrees!

[BattleAxe]

Is this article some kind of joke or prank.......palease!!!

[GameGambits]

If MGS4 has a bad story I want to know what you Gaming Gods of Mount Olympus think is a better story line? Let me guess Halo 3 IS T3H EPIC CUZ MASTER CHIEF CANNOT RUN BUT HE CAN JUMP 4000 FEET WTFBBQ!?!??!111?!!?

The subject of MGS' writing in any of them is NOT open for discussion. They are god dam perfect. If you want to argue that or say "in my opinion" then just do the world of NON retarded people a favor: Buy a loaded gun, put it into your mouth, and pull the trigger until you are dead.

People with their brains attached to their spinal cords KNOW that MGS games are at the TOP of the food chain when it comes to story.

Now you dumb dumbs go back to reading Cat in the Hat so that you may one day comprehend intelligent stories when they are told to you.

[dantheman1515]

It is well documented that MGS4 wasnt my favorite game of all time, but it wasnt bad either. The game had some good elements, but the story just held me back from embracing the game.AND DONT TELL ME ITS BECAUSE I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND IT. Playing the game turned into a chore. I ended up playing more on my DS during the cutscenes, then MGS4 during the gameplay.

[Syronicus]

I love the story and writing Kojima puts into the MGS series. If he did not add what he has already done so, it would not be the same game. It would be just another shooter with little story told and that is not what Kojima is all about. If you played MGS4 and thought the story was too much then you are not a fan of the series and should have picked up something else.

[vickers500]

"The story in MGS is as wonderfully crafted as any in the entertainment industry."

You don't watch a lot of movies do you?

[NickIni]

This is like saying "I'm not readying that book as it's story was far too complex."

And MGS4 is almost like a book in terms of it's complicated and deep plot, at least far more so than any other game. Some people are so shallow.

[f789790]

The story isn't the best because it is confusing and complex for those who haven't played the previous games. Good writing is enjoyable and easy to understand. Even the people who have played every metal gear game have trouble explaining everything. The fact they released a database on the series is a tribute to how difficult the story is.

I liked the story but seriously, it was supposed to be a game not a movie.

[thesummerofgeorge]

in gaming history. Convoluted means complex and difficult to follow, complex? yes, difficult to follow? yeah for a kid, an adult with average intelligence shouldn't have a problem.

Buddy go play your Wii if you can't follow a complex storyline, some of us are intelligent enough to play games like MGS 4 and comprehend them. What a clown. So by better story, he means a dumbed down version. I'll bet this guy can't sit through the Godfather movies either, probly thinks they're to convoluted too. You can't tell me it's not good enough writing just because YOU COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE STORY you simpleton.

And to the guy who said " don't tell me i just didn't understand" WELL YOU DIDN'T!! I fully understood the story, and it was an amazing experience, and I ate up every minute of the cutscenes, so obviously it's not too complicated, you just don't have the attention span, drive or smarts to sit through it and understand, you played your DS crap during the cutscenes, and expect to understand what's going on??? That is as retarded as it sounds. Don't blame a great game for your lack of attention span and intelligence... Stick to the DS, so you won't be burdened with the task of trying to think.

[Scrooge McDuck]

lol but yet halo and gears has the best writing according to them

[PLAYSTATIONGENRATION]

Their stories are predictable and boring

[edgeofblade]

Gears plot... sucks. Halo plot... sufficient, but not great.

I maintain a game doesn't need a good plot to succeed as a game. I think people care WAY too much about plot. If some story is the compelling reason you are playing a game, you could very easily be playing a crappy game and not even know it. Or worse... you could be willingly playing a bad game for the plot.