How Has Gaming Changed In Your Life

Having confidence to clearly say i have proper experience towards the topic of gaming as a whole, i still consider several things concerning from the time of simple gaming and ill explain.

Does anyone remember the joy of going to the local gaming hobby store and purchasing a game and being able to know that you spent your money and you can sit down and just game your heart out and not to worry about any other expense.

These memories always get brought to my head once i purchase a new crate on Halo or any other modern sort and that thought always troubles me the excessive pressure to throw your wallet to developers once you already have purchased the title.

I do understand that graphics change throughout generations and years to come but cant the triple A titles manage to see another way then begging kids and those with more of an open wallet. Those who cant get the new Speed or more health power up have the idea that they bought a game just to keep paying. Is all this even morally acceptable?

Have we overlooked the memories of couch co-op and how you'd play with the same level of advantage as of your friend.

Has gaming gotten better behind the graphics and new consoles, better question are you happy?

-Pirate

{{Disclaimer}}

The title was presented before topic was lead to others.

@backyardpirate: I thought you said 'How has gaming changed your life' and was like gosh weighty subject! Is still quite weighty but more specific.

Games have become easier overall and more graphic focused. Also more polarised into low and high budget games, cutting out the medium sized devs.

Also lazy releases because "we'll patch it later".

Yes business practises are more nefarious and aggressive theses days and aimed at younger audiences case in point the mobile phone game industry and Clash of Clans et al which require continued investment.

@jackamomo:

Agreed towards the heavy topic ( Don't want emotions ) But pushed to the side , towards the point of "we'll patch it later" would you say Yeah patch anything to make the game better or would you say leave it and well just ignore the dev's mistakes?

@backyardpirate: Definitely finish a game before releasing it. If it's unfinished the price should reflect that.

I won't play Skyrim because one it looks tedious but two because I know it's full of bugs and three it doesn't even have a head bob animation so you feel like a terrier who's lost his back legs charging at dragons with a sword and a flaming scepter of some sort but hey that's just me.

@jackamomo: Great example if you look at Mass Effects early impact and the rush state almost crushing down BioWare can very easily be shown as an grand example of rushed product going sour.

@backyardpirate: Also acting like a total shit like EA and Star Wars games can equally piss people off and a multiplayer which lasts one year.

@jackamomo:

That spreads out a whole other concern, actually several. Can game dev's/pubs be able to take mistakes as EA and others or will they learn to just go around the mistakes and just clean up their mess without even helping the situation? Also...Why in the world is Microsoft trying to purchase EA as an exclusive launch Dev? That strikes concern.

@backyardpirate: EA has long been used as an ace card by larger companies if it's exclusivity to PS2 this that or the other company to utilise it's library for cash squeezing purposes and forcing you to play single player games connected to the internet for no reason..... eh Microsoft...?

I think they are trying to synthesis the brains of all living humans into one superbrain that will take over the world (or the home utility software market, whichever comes first). This is still however in theory stage...

Overall, in terms of quality of games at their release time, I'd say were at about the same. I feel like big studios are releasing a lot less quick buck games (like movie tie-in games) then back in the day. But now that the industry has grown so big, there is a lot more unfinished games and games that are just trying to drain people of all the money they can (looking at you EA and Konami). There are some concepts that I miss that aren't done as much nowadays, like couch coop and having a bigger focus on unlocking features through play rather than pay.

Ultimately, all of this resulted from the industry becoming bigger and gaming being taken more seriously as an art form. Still, it's not like there aren't good games anymore, and a lot of some of the new great games are made possible because the industry grew and budgets became larger. Plus, 2017 was probably one of my favorite years in gaming period, despite a few issues here and there.

Your response is key, yes some people don't give concern to the impact of gaming and how the ( hate to say it) art form is more important. The pixels in video games have always been stunning and the increase of graphics have caused a brainwash effect causing us to throw out money to get a huge tv with 4k or even higher to grab those amazing sights. (all leading to your point of art) The focus of graphics isn't helping but only stepping over the fact of a polished game with story plot setting and play ability.

@backyardpirate: Misleading title. Which after reading is more about nostalgic reminders than what one enjoys. So I'm just going to post reasons why I like gaming, because the nostalgia conversation doesn't really interest me_

Hmm, gaming is a huge part of my life, even down to what I enjoy talking about. I don't exactly spend all day playing games, but when I do, very in the zone of enjoyment I don't find elsewhere.

Gaming as a whole makes me think of how I handle everyday life, thinking each situation with a beginning, middle, and end. And only thing stopping me is mental restrictions.

Don't exactly like many sports or television so Gaming kinda replaces those things you'd usually see people having interest in.

With that, I do advice knowing when it's too much investment in Gaming Media, and unless it's also ones profession? Structure your time on other obligations for the majority. Otherwise Gaming is likely someones addiction and no longer just a hobby; but an illness. Like any addiction.

@RSM-HQ:

Hit it on point. Q: When do you think gaming gets too much and causes it to overtake someones life as an addiction? Some don't see it as an addiction and many hate that word being tied into a hobby of choice they can praise over and over again.

@backyardpirate: Very true, it's why I personally find it helpful to make a to-do list outside of work. Makes it so I'm being social enough and getting practical things done, before calling in the evening with a great game :)

@backyardpirate: You have a very solid point on trying to sell new TVs and console updates, though that is usually how technology nowadays goes. It's the same reason people get so frantic to buy the new iPad or iPhone: they want to pretty up and market that new step. It's very similar to how Microsoft marketed the One X, even though 90% of what they said about it was "4K 4K 4K!". As a result, a lot of games nowadays do try to pretty themselves up in order to get early sells and mask the unfinished quality. I can't think of a better example then Mass Effect Andromeda, which very clearly just wanted to sell as much Day 1 pre-orders as possible. That's why a few weeks before release, they redoubled their attempts to get preorders, released multiple trailers and then a week ahead offered that early access program. And ironically, within like half a year, you could get it for twenty bucks or free as part of that EA subscription service.

There are unfortunately a lot of games and game companies that have done this and have no intention of stopping. I'm just glad there are also a large number of games and companies that, while obviously caring about profit, are also legitimate about bringing players a fun and complete experience.

@RSM-HQ: Nothing better then ending the day with a great game !

I'm glad to be able to find people with the same complaints and the same concerns towards what was once a platform to bring families together and sadly has been seen as a money gamble which causes stress towards others with holidays over there shoulders and companies take this as an advantage * caugh EA/Activision *

We can see how gaming really does impact our lives from the way we have various opinions :)

@backyardpirate: Don't forget Konami, they stopped caring about us a LONG time ago.

Agreed. :D

@baron_machina: Konami is a conversation that would last for a long time lol

@backyardpirate: Yeah, true enough. That's a forum all on its own.

@baron_machina: I mean just look at how they are a cash grab from once a strong developer, now turning down to mobile games and pochinki games.

@backyardpirate: Or how they're intentionally blacklisting ex employees and taking some of them to court for using their work at Konami on their resumes, all for the sole purpose of ruining their lives.

EA and Activision may be greedy, but at this point Konami is just... evil. Evil and filled with spite.

Well it just shows how power over mind can cause major negative impact and this is yet again a reason why this should be a learning lesson

I’ve been an avid gamer for 40+ years and to be honest it hasn’t really changed all that much for me. I loved it back then and I still love it today.

Anyone willing to help with a dissertation module?

There are a few changes actually. Where we once received games that we can actually tell went through a thorough testing before its final product was released, today we get games that are launched broken, riddled with bugs and glitches that constantly needs patches and updates to fix.

Where we once received the ENTIRE experience of a game from launch, game companies are now showing they are much greedier in recent times by forcing us to shell out MORE money to get access to content that should have been available at launch but are instead locked behind data walls and loot boxes.

Where we used get an entire story told on one medium, we now have to deal with DLC's. I don't oppose DLC's provided its an added experience (Like Dark Souls 3 Ringed City or Ashes of Ariandel), but when its pretty much content that could've and should've been a part of the final product (Evil Within for example had DLC content that could have easily been apart of the final product similarly to Resident Evil 4 Assignment Ada/Ada's Separate Ways, and The Mercenaries mode), then I have issue. Mass Effect 3 is a prime example whose developer fractured much of the main story at launch so they can milk as much money for its content as possible through DLC's. I think what annoys me the most would be when DLC content get released pretty much within launch window of the main game. That really shows the true intentions of a gaming company right there. Game companies have gotten too dependent on DLC's instead of creating a finished product at launch.

Beyond that, not much has changed....

If you're talking about as a personal habit, not much either. Don't quite game as much as I use to but the passion is still there. To be truthful though, last gen was the first time I passed on a Nintendo console. I have every other console before Wii U but I never felt compelled to get one. Normally, Smash Bros. does it but this time it wasn't enough...

Without games, I'd be more outgoing and ambitious since there'd be nothing else to fucking do.

Not to sound like a grump, but I remember a time when you could buy a game and that was it. You owned it and there was no getting around a glitchy experience. No extra expenses. And that is what I miss most about gaming from when I was younger.

Made me love games more and respect them as works of art.

Its honestly dumbed me down, from thinking outside the box to just thinking about how to beat missions in a game

I forgot that I am even alive.

I think playing games is healthy and do so myself - on a daily basis but anyway I tried to metal gear solid recently on my old save file - I beat it on hard and want to beat it again to get the bandana. When I loaded the save I already had the stealth - but that doesnt help on boss fights or the communication tower ( if you throw stun grenades every few floors you dont have to worry about the guys chasing you.) The torture segment I believe is impossible without a turbo controller. I tried a few times and I got so tired I thought I was getting carpal tunnel - on hard he does it 5 times; and I have done it once before(never on expert) but then he makes you do it agian - and otacon brought me ketchup and I accidently ate it - then the guard caught me hiding the bed ... anyay [spoiler]the ninja eventually got me out[/spoiler]

anyway about video games - this shouldnt even be a topic

I used to love to play but not anymore.