6 Things N4G'ers Need to Learn

I know, I know. This is an arrogant blog post about how N4G is ¤%¤# up beyond reason, and you're gonna scroll through the five topics and either tell me how much you agree, how much you hate me or leave. You're probably not even reading this for all I know. You probably skimmed past this casual banter in order to get to the actual article. That's all right, I don't blame you for that. No one has time to read absolutely everything. Just know that even though I indeed am God's son and humanity's saviour, also I make these mistakes, and I really just want to make people aware of them instead of making people feel bad because they've made them (even though I somehow doubt this will make anyone feel bad). N4G is asylum material all right, but isn't the world run by insane people after all? Exactly, so read on knowing that I mean no harm.

1) Subjectivity matters

One of the first comments I read on N4G went something like this:
"That's just your opinion, thus making it irrelevant"
Now, I don't remember the exact context of the situation, but I do know this: Subjectivity is everything. Moral is subjective, review scores are subjective, how good games are is largely subjective (though some will measure it by how much the games have sold, or what meta score it has (which again is based on subjective data)).
Even this blog post is just my opinion. And if my opinion is that Halo 3 is a terrible game then I have a right to say that. You may disagree, you may think I'm an idiot, but you may not say "The meta score is 94 (or whatever it is) so your opinion is irrelevant." Because my opinion is relevant in every sense of the word.

No matter how universally well received a game is you're never wrong to hate it. If you actually are the only one who hates a certain game, then sure, not many people will care what you think, but your input, however weird it may seem, belongs right where you posted it - in the comments section. Here your opinion can be challenged, agreed with - disagreed with, maybe someone will make fun of it, and as long as we drop the hostilites that should be completely all right. The problem is that a lot of people on N4G have their own sense of what is politically correct to say about games on N4G. You can't say "Super Mario Galaxy is the worst game of all time" without having someone be incredibly hostile at you, or getting the usual "no one cares" from 250 different people, who believe me, cares. They just pretend to not care, because your opinon doesn't fit their opinion. And since "they" treat their own opinion like the law, and try to back it with facts - you are a lawbreaker - and that makes you free game for insults. Well, I say shame on them, and keeping saying exactly what you mean at all times. This is the internet. No need for white lies.

2)Don't mind his/her background

You don't have to explain why I say what I say. Because of my username 360ICE, which is, believe it or not, NOT really affiliated with Xbox 360, people call me a 360 fanboy all the time. When? Well, whenever I say things like "I did not enjoy the Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One demo". Instead of agreeing, disagreeing or genuinely not caring about it, people feel the need to say "GTFO 360 fanboy" because that would explain why my opinion differs from theirs. I am not a 360 fanboy. And even if there are actual fanboys out there don't throw away their opinion based on other comments they've made or what their avatar picture is. Try actually dealing with the opinion itself, or at least try being a little subtle and say something like "360ICE, your username does make me question your opinion, but no matter if you've actually played the game or not, I respectfully disagree". Ok, you don't have to be THAT nice, but just don't turn people away because of their username/previous statement/avatar/background in general.

3) Manipulating reality is not okay

Actually it is NEVER okay. And we've all adjusted the facts just a little bit, just to win the conversation. What's the harm right? You win the conversation, you don't make the same argument again and you know the real facts. Problem is that it's misleading. People here are willing to believe and spread whatever suits their overall opinion.

What bothers me even more though, are people who FEEL that something is right. So they say it without being sure. It could be all right. Hopefully someone will call you on your BS, but very often not. Don't make things up because you feel it's right. It's lying, plain and simple. And even though lying on the Internet isn't exactly the greatest sin, we're all better off without you sharing your private disneyworld with us. Sure, Forza 3 has outsold GT5, but only in your head so do some research before you post.

4) Some things are given

"I'm sorry sir, I am but a mere subjective participator in this discussion, and my opinion does not outweigh yours, nor am I sure that I am right, but I did not quite enjoy Patapon 2 as much as the average person. I know my opinion does not fit with the norm"

I know a lot of above-average clever N4G'ers add phrases like "IMO" and "It's just my opinion, but" to their comments, but you shouldn't have to. It will probably get you an extra disagree, but that you don't like Patapon 2 is your opinion, and that's a given. You don't need to point that out, even if it will get you more disagrees or in some cases bubble down (because some people think saying that a game is bad is trolling). You should be able to say "I did not like Patapon 2 at all", and have your bubbles intact. Oh, how I long for that day.

5) You are NOT the average gamer

As some British guy said about the queen, gaming is a caleidoscope - ever changing. And even if the average gamer was hardcore when you started playing games he (even she!) isn't now. There are millions of people out there who have never been to a gaming site, who have hardly ever tried a PlayStation or heard of Steam, but who still play games every day. Either they play on their phone, maybe their DS, Wii or PS2. Or on PC, 360 or PS3 for that matter.

The casual market is enormous, and even in some of the games we play we're being outnumbered by casual gamers. CoD has become a great example of that. Millions of CoD players play online with their friends a few days a week, but they've never seen an E3 live stream, and that's what we need to realize. Just because people on this gaming site is turning against something, doesn't mean consumers will. Why? Because this forum is not a representative selection of gamers. And if you're excited about all the japanese role play games you've imported, so am I, but somewhat unfortunately not the vast majority of the gaming community (unless it's pokémon).

6) You could be wrong

Read every post thinking you could be wrong. Don't skim through the other person's opinion, break down his post into several parts and reply before you understand what this person is trying to tell you. Because you might very well have misunderstood something, misread something or just gotten something dead wrong. Maybe you've gotten your facts from a bad source, who knows? Admitting that you're wrong is awesome cool. But it's also pretty hard, and I rarely find myself in a position where I do it myself. Now, I know that you're thinking "But ICE, you're always right." I'm sorry, but that's not really true. Anyone can be wrong about pretty much anything. Sometimes it seems very unlikely, sometimes you can't understand how you can't be right, but don't actively try to convince yourself that you're right. You can try to convince the other guy, but if he manages to open your eyes, then just say you get it now and move on. It's hard as hell, and I hate doing it myself, but it makes you a better person. And it makes someone's day a little better.

So, yeah. That's pretty much it. This is just an opinion. Reality as I see it. Nevermind what I've written before, just take this for what it is... whatever it is. And remember kids: Commenting shouldn't be a minefield. Sure, sometimes you make mistakes, and that's all right. As long as you're a relatively nice person you're okay in my book.

[coolbeans]

I consider this a top 5 list because #6 doesn't apply to me.

*Waits to see disagree counter a few days later* :P

I certainly enjoyed reading it. It's a shame how often most n4g users need to be reminded of a few things on the list.

[Christopher]

***I know a lot of above-average clever N4G'ers add phrases like "IMO" and "It's just my opinion, but" to their comments, but you shouldn't have to***

Actually, you should when it otherwise look to be a statement of fact. It's called properly conveying a message.

For example:

** "COD is a horrible shooter" is a statement of fact. **

** "IMHO, COD is a horrible shooter" is a statement of opinion. **

Clarity in one's message should always be attempted when we are limited to just text for conveying our messages to a very wide audience.

I think many people don't differentiate between the two or automatically think that a person is always talking about themselves, which also isn't true. You see how I didn't use IMHO, there? That's because we knew the subject and that it was an opinion because I said "I think". But most times people don't say "I think" they just say "many people don't differentiate between the two".

Based on your logic, your second sentence of your final paragraph should not have happened. It's a habit for all of us that hopes to convey our message to those who might read it otherwise. It's also seen as a sign of being polite to your readers as well.

More importantly, in the war on logic that many people seem to have on this site and others, it helps to be as specific as possible in your message. It aids in preventing people from making stupid comments a lot of the time.

[360ICE]

If someone says:
"CoD is a terrible shooter", then people ought to intuitively know that it's just an opinion. It will never really be a statement of fact, since CoD being a terrible shooter is largely a subjective matter, and if people don't get that and somehow think something like "That's not true! I enjoyed CoD. He's lying!", then they need to work on their processing skills.

Unfortunately, you're probably right about people differentiating between the two alternatives. People may feel more offended by sentences without "IMO" and feel that they to a larget extent are meant to apply to everybody. And that therefore, since there was no "IMO" the person writing the post must be trolling, and that again was my point. I'm not really meaning to attack the writer as much as the reader, as I think some things should be given - hence the title.

No offense to anyone who says "IMO". I just think that you very often don't (/shouldn't) need it.

@coolbeans

Thanks :) And yeah, I bet I won't be the last person to write something like this. Also, sort of doubt I was the first.

[Christopher]

*** then people ought to intuitively know that it's just an opinion***

What ought to be, sadly, rarely lines up with reality.

[pandaboy]

It shouldn't ought to be though, you were right the first time mr cgoodno. Truer words have never been spoken on this site, the war on logic seems to be an n4g pastime.

I actually thought it was a pretty good blog, although you come perilously close at times to blurring the lines between justified and unjustified beliefs.

[360ICE]

@cgoodno
That was my point.
In short, this was my agenda:

1) To tell the reader that he needs to understand what is an opinion without having it told to him. But I agree, sometimes "IMO" can help mitigate.

2) To tell the writer that he shouldn't care that much about the reader. I know people who read comments here are liable to get upset because someone didn't add "IMO", but the writer shouldn't feel obligated to add "IMO" just because the reader doesn't have the abilitiy to understand that, say "The color blue is terrible" is just an opinion. Of course, as I said in another point opinons matter, so feel free to voice your opinion on what you think about the color blue as well.

@pandaboy
My point regarding what cgoodno said was that you should be able to say "Truer words have never been spoken on this site" without adding "...in my opinion". I know it's your opinion without you saying it, and I gotta say I think most people should too.

Regarding what justified and not justified beliefs are. A statement like "CoD is a terrible game" doesn't really mean anything, without adding "the controls are terrible, story is awful" and telling why you think the game is terrible. But I don't think you need a justification to dislike something. Sure, if I say "Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the worst game in the history of the universe" without explaining why I'll leave a lot of people wondering why I don't like Zelda, or at least I'll lose a few bubbles for trolling (without actually deserving it). Now, sure there are trolls out there - and we have a responsibility to keep a certain class not to be mixed with them, so explaining your opinion makes a lot of sense. After all, no one cares about the review score without reading the actual review, amirite? (I am not)

@TopDudeMan
Haha! Now, you may be kidding, but I'll bet you some people could read this, think "I agree with that" and then go make all these mistakes. Writing IMO isn't a crime though, I just think people shouldn't always have to.

[pandaboy]

I do agree with you now that you have elaborated. I was worried because a lot of the n4g community assume imprudently that one's subjective opinion is as valid as the next persons which isn't always the case. The 'it's just his opinion' response irritates me when used incorrectly.

**And if my opinion is that Halo 3 is a terrible game then I have a right to say that. You may disagree, you may think I'm an idiot, but you may not say "The meta score is 94 (or whatever it is) so your opinion is irrelevant."**

So long as you sufficiently justify why it is terrible, which I think you agree with me on this, it's just you didn't make it clear in the blog. Nobody denies your right to say it, just as nobody should deny one's right to treating it with derision if it isn't justified. The second part of the statement is fallacious reasoning and so you are spot on with that. That's another pet peeve of mine; seeing the majority belief fallacy used by the n4g community.

"But I don't think you don't think you need a justification to dislike something".

This appears to be true actually, you may not understand why you dislike something and therefore not able to explain your reasons, yet your dislike may be justifiable without you knowing it. But a reviewer, for example, must be able to explain sufficiently why he or she dislikes what they are reviewing otherwise we may treat the opinion as frivolous.

[Christopher]

***That was my point. ***

Yes, but that concept isn't about N4G or writing, it's about an element of society. My point is still valid considering that society is as it is, and saying it shouldn't be doesn't change that logic still mandates that you provide clarity for the existing society as a whole.

You see, my statement stands because you write based on the reality of the situation, that which is real, not based on what you believe should be reality. So, your concept that we should write it based on our desire of reality isn't writing towards the appropriate audience.

Logically, you should always reference opinions to their appropriate subject (use of proper pronouns). This is important in writing as well. Regardless if in an ideal world people would understand that writing from a personal opinion should always be seen as opinion.

More importantly, I think the issue here is proper use for statements made during arguments. There's a difference between saying "Truer words have never been spoken on N4G" and "Kinect is a piece of garbage that takes away from the core gamers." Opinions become attacking points when not properly expressed as opinion. Would you rather have seen that or "I don't believe that Kinect is a piece of technology that will sustain the gaming community and that it currently takes away the potential to grow the core gaming community for console owners." Which one would you see as inflammatory, more aggressive?

[TopDudeMan]

I agree with all of these. Especially number 4 IMO.

[lastdual]

I also found #4 to be on the money.

The "IMO Police" often show up when someone states an obvious opinion but doesn't label it as such. Personal value words such as "best" or "favorite" ALWAYS denote opinions by their very definition. Adding IMO to the end is just plain redundant.

That said, the first point needs to be worded better. The author seems to want to say "subjective does not equal irrelevant", but in the same statement appears to say that everything is subjective (even dragging morality into the argument for some absurd reason).

If everything is subjective, then all the author's other points are mute. It's a logical contradiction to claim total relativism and then set forth a bunch of objective statements about how people should behave. Not to mention the inherent contradiction in the premise: Is the claim "subjectivity is everything" objectively true?

[TopDudeMan]

I didn't understand all of that (Sorry, too many big words)... But, yeah.
Peoples opinions matter, but they shouldn't be taken as fact.

A few times people have told me when they are complaining about review scores that the reviewer is an idiot etc etc, but my counterargument has always been "Maybe they're just not into that type of game" and usually a reviewer will say that they didn't like this about a game.

For example: Some people like turn-based battle systems and would see that as being a good feature in a game. Other people would be put off by such a feature in a game. Who is right? Both of them... And neither of them.

So, if I said, turn based battle systems suck, (You'd never hear me say that, by the way) then that's just me expressing my preference and I'll usually give a reason why, too. But I can't have people telling me that I can't say it because it's my opinion, because I am speaking for myself and always have been.

All I think is that if you do have an unpopular opinion, you may want to keep it to yourself or express it in a way that doesn't offend anyone. That's not n4g, that's just real life.

[Tommykrem]

lastdual:
I also noticed that part. By dragging in morality you'll spark quite the debate. Certainly with some religious people, but if everything comes down to perception, then sure, everything is subjective... even though that's really neither here nor there in this instance.

Authour:
Point 5 is just too true. Reminds me of an iPhone VS Vita discussion not too long ago.

[Games4M - Rob]

Great article, very true and well written.

The unfortunate bottom line is that a large portion of the N4G userbase are illiterate, unimaginative, fanboy pricks who arent intelligent enough to realise the context of a comment (on a comments page) without visual indicators such as IMO, Sarcasm, or smiley faces :)

Its not likely to change so just say what you want and bollocks to what anyone else thinks.

[DoubleDouble]

I agree with a lot of the things you've pointed out, but one thing I disagreed with this.

"Regarding what justified and not justified beliefs are. A statement like "CoD is a terrible game" doesn't really mean anything, without adding "the controls are terrible, story is awful" and telling why you think the game is terrible. But I don't think you need a justification to dislike something. Sure, if I say "Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the worst game in the history of the universe" without explaining why I'll leave a lot of people wondering why I don't like Zelda, or at least I'll lose a few bubbles for trolling (without actually deserving it)"

Yes, saying "CoD is a terrible game" is meaningless without the reason. And maybe that person isn't into games enough to realize "I just don't like fps games." I agree with this part.

The part I disagree with is the second half.
If you are simply stating your opinion, and not why you have that opinion; I find it rude. I took the time to read your post, but there is no way to understand your point of view. Even if your reason is "I don't know why," there should be some way to try and sympathize without another post asking, "why?"

I say this is because you are posting in a place where other people read what you type and respond: a discussion. There is no discussion in stating your opinion.

Trolling is intentionally causing anger. Maybe you aren't being intentional by simply stating you hate a game in the middle of a community that loves it, but if you don't have some reason why... You have already annoyed me (taking the time to read it; it being worthless) I will assume that this was your intent. "Trolling."

I know you go on to say "explaining your opinion makes a lot of sense." but I'm surprised you could honestly say a person who says "Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the worst game in the history of the universe" does not deserve the removal of bubbles for trolling.

[Mrbig1991]

Nice, nice to see people aren't as closed minded as I thought upon joining this website. Faith in humanity restored.