I like gaming, I hate everything about the gaming industry

This is a TL;DR rant. I’m goin’ get flamed. Ad hominem personally insulting replies are not only welcome but preferred.

Besides video games, I have other diverse interests including Swiss watches, sports cars, and golf. I have never encountered a hobbyist enthusiast industry that treats its customers with the contempt and disrespect on the same level as the gaming industry.

The horology, automobile, and golf industries are not constantly reaching into the pockets of their customers for more recurring revenue unlike the gaming industry. Unlike gaming, the horology, automobile, and golf industries do not constantly overhype their products and outright lie to their customers routinely.

On the consumer side, I have never encountered a customer base as toxic, racist, and inhumane as the gaming community. I’ve been on other message boards and sure there are the pedantic stupid arguments about why Titleist has to release a new driver every year or if the GT500 is better than the ZL1 but I have never seen the hate and despicable people on other boards as I do on gaming boards. Employees of these other industries do not have to put up with the regular physical threats from their consumers like those in the gaming industry do. Maybe it’s because the demographic of Swiss timepieces, high end cars, and golf are better educated, more moneyed, older and more mature, and of a higher class than the average gamer.

In conclusion, I say this with all love and respect to fellow gamers: GET A LIFE. Find other interests. A video game is just a sophisticated toy. Your life will not end or be adversely affected if you don’t play a game or if some website scores a game a 7 instead of a 10.

Gaming is like any other consumer industry. You pay them some money, they provide a product or service. You don’t owe them your loyalty or emotional energy. The gaming industry doesn’t care about you or your existence. They couldn’t care less if you post pro- or anti- rants online, the only thing they like about you is that green paper in your pocket and devising new ways to separate as much of it from you as possible.

@GalvatronType_R: Hmm, having a bad day are we?

Love gaming, and for a large part gaming communities, but best to know what one is getting into. Am a huge fan of many games and love discussing them, taking them apart both in a positive light and negative, and reading and hearing other perspectives is always a treat outside of some less than enjoyable angles some Users bring to the table. That is sometimes the way things go however, namely in the competitive space.

Helps that when some genres and communities of gaming get too intense I share a certain game series (Monster Hunter) with a group of local friends of mine, and we adore that series, even when at times it has terrible entries or does dumb **** I moan about. We laugh through and have a good time. Because gaming is about having fun; it is entertainment.

Recommend not taking gaming debates personal, and those that try and bring up sexist and racial slurs are frankly not worth the time of day. You have the option just to ignore them, flag them, or just leave. If a group isn't fitting your interest. I just recommend not bothering. Why waste time on bags of hotair.

@GalvatronType_R: That’s the nature of capitalism. It’s not going to change unless people stop caring about money - which will never happen. The only way you can fight against it is to stop buying its products and benefitting an industry you claim to disapprove of.

@Starshine_M2A2: it's not "capitalism." The horology, automobile, and golf industries sell in the free market too.

My point is those industries treat their customers with a lot more decency and respect than gaming does. Also, those industries have much more mature, reasonable, sane, and high class customers than gaming does.

@GalvatronType_R: maybe it’s because gaming is relatively a new business and everyone is clobbering for a piece of the pie.

This, I suspect, is the real issue.

The industries @GalvatronType_R mentioned are mature as all hell. Movie and music industries, for all their screwups when dealing with the internet, have mostly figured out that the key to happy, placated customers is good product and service. The closest to the "chop 'em up" mentality gaming companies have nowadays in other industries is the MCU, and even then, they each have their own complete stories, matching the nature of the comic books they're based on.

We're going to see a ceiling for how much money can be wrung out of the majority of people, and the gaming industry will face a crossroads - either target the whales exclusively (mobile), or pull back a bit to keep from pricing out the mass market.

@GalvatronType_R: The gaming industry just passed 50, and as most gamers today are products of the console wars of the 90s (or the microcomputer wars of the 80s if you're from the UK/Europe). They've been raised from childhood to be fanatical about their consoles and games, and people who talk about it on the internet tend to be the most rabid, fanatical of that group.

You're starting to see the console makers step back from that nonsense, mostly because Sony and MS have other businesses and thus know how to act better, but a lot of games companies only know how to drive the emotional fanaticism that served them so well throughout the 90s and into the 2000s.

Gaming is really the only market where the audience has been taught from the beginning to despise the "other side." Yeah, you'll see jabs at Mac users by PC users (and vice versa), but it rarely gets personal, because no one is that emotional about business machines, because companies like Microsoft, IBM and Apple have always had ambitions beyond the playground and comported themselves accordingly, whereas those ambitions are relatively recent in the gaming industry.

Honestly, the chillest people you'll see are retrogamers nowadays, probably because they're older, and have mostly gotten over the playground nonsense. It's becoming close to time for the industry to do the same.

@GalvatronType_R: You can’t really compare those industries since their audiences are much different. The games industry’s consumers are, by nature, immature and irresponsible because they tend to be younger. Hence their poorer behaviour.

As others have posted, it’s true that gaming skews younger so that generally indicates less mature more idiotic behavior. And as stated, people into Swiss watches, high end sports cars, and golf are generally older, more moneyed, more mature, and of a higher social class than the average gamer.

But the original point is this. I have never encountered another hobbyist industry that treats its customers as superciliously as gaming does. The gaming industry routinely tries to reach into its customers‘ pockets for more money on products that their customers have bought and paid for. Unlike the other hobbyist industries I mentioned, gaming constantly overhypes their products and tells outright shameless lies to their customers (e.g., “plenty“ of notice from Sony about PS5 preorders).

But gamers have somewhat brought this onto themselves. Some gaming companies receive threats so extreme that they have to hire personal security for their employees (no one online threatens Rolex or Ford when they don’t like the latest Submariner or GT500.). Gaming is full of phony toxic “personalities” and “influencers” with huge audiences like Angry Joe or Geoff Keighley who play caricatures of themselves for clicks and views while e-begging for Patreon money.

I like gaming. I am sick and tired of the gaming industry and gaming community. Gaming industry revenue is big and climbing but everyone would be better off if the industry would just grow up and its customers would get a life.

@GalvatronType_R: dude I want you to know....that there are honorable people in the game industry. They come up with good ideas. But some people are scum if you would excuse the term, and they are under control of the corporations. They push for money. Do you think they really care about gamers??

I mean, you can’t compare the car, golf, and watch industry, not even the movie industry with the gaming industry. Hell “3D” only was introduced in the 90s. You’re right to bemoan things.

You’re trying to do the more honorable thing and I get you. I really do. Because I’m that way as well, and I would hope you are as well.

But what do you expect from a business like video games that has spiked upwards in profits?? It’s just going to bring in more people.

There’s studies about addiction. Video game addiction is real. Personally I love video games and I only play/wait for what’s really worth playing and/or waiting for.

I like to think that in some parallel universe there are people getting in violent arguments over which brand of golfing tees is the best.

Most gamers were raised in the solitude of their rooms by video games, super hero books and toxic online forums. Not exactly the most fertile soil.

It's kind of unfortunate a new console gen linned up with a US presidential election this year. Gamers are always kind shitty, but this has brought out the worst in all of us.

Buy a PC, play more independent games.

This has literally pulled me out of the darkness, where you currently reside, and restored my faith in gaming. There are so so so so so many good games out there if you just get the hell away from the mistitled "AAA" gaming industry.

"This golf ball has 20 dimples, which is 2 more than your golf ball."

"Yeah well it's not about the dimples, it's about the composition of the interior of the golf ball. Besides your golf balls are more half-gen than next gen. Mine are all next-gen"

And then they call themselves various animals, like....groundhog or goose or whatever animals plague golfers.

There truly are!

Look into this new development :D

Blizzard co-founder Michael Morhaime and others found a new studio made specifically for the cultivation of good games, by gamers for gamers.

Looks like a true fertile ground for the craftsmen of the gaming industry. Can't wait to see what they come out with.

oooof, such generalizing!

I'll be sure to tell the surgeons, doctors, lawyers, chefs, and other losers I know that play video games that this is why they suck.

🤣 Perfect!

You're looking at both sides (don't get me started on content creators, influencers & etc) & I've zero issue with that. Gaming industry only cares about the bottom line. Gaming community don't help by making excuses for them & other things. One more thing, is it me or video games aren't being made for everybody to enjoy? It feels like it's being made for certain groups in the gaming community (content creators & influencers for example).

One more thing. It occurred to me to evaluate the companies in the industries I've listed.

Titliest, Dunlop Golf, Taylor Made, Callaway, Srixon. Ford, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche. Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, Panerai, Breitling, Patek Phillippe.

NONE of the companies listed above are anywhere close to as scummy, dishonest, and lowbrow as EA, Ubisoft, Activision, WBIE, Capcom, Konami, etc. Also, none of the companies above have such sleazy despicable slimeballs in charge like Bobby Kotick, Andrew Wilson, Yves Guillemot, Randy Pitchford, etc.

What is it about gaming that attracts such low class companies and customers?

@GalvatronType_R: Capitalism by nature is all about profiteering, so it’s shouldn’t be surprising that game studios and publishers are trying to get as much money out of consumers. With a lot of companies moving towards Gaming as a Service (including Game Pass), this will only become more obvious. I’m not really a fan of Xbox Game Pass or playing games which are tailored towards being GaaS.

Though on the flip side, a lot of people would see those titles as being more accessible since they’re free to play or on a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass. It’s easier for most people to pay $9.99 a month than $59.99 for a game each time.

In terms of enthusiasts in the gaming community being toxic, I think that’s mostly a given because a lot of the industry is immature. Even the majority of gaming journalists are the same way, it’s also an industry that’s dominated by man-children.

@haziqonfire: again, capitalism has nothing to do with it. All industries operate in the free market but some enthusiast industries treat their customers with some measure of decency and respect while gaming treats its customers like crap and it attracts absolute scummy despicable people both on the industry side and the consumer side.

The game industry is here to stay and nothing is going to change that. We the gamers are here to respect the hobby keep up to date on the hobby and enjoy the hobby nothing more nothing less.

Because you have not found the right game for you. And me too, now I'm playing a lot of games, including PUBG MOBILE, Fortnite, LOL ... 😁😁 I am playing PUBG mobile PC with GameLoop Emulator https://gamehoy.com/ , please befriend me, ID: 10903232

No matter what the gaming industry thinks about me or the gaming community, if they only see us as pockets for money, nothing will ever change my perspective to playing video games, it's been part of my life for almost my whole life and it will stay as it is for the rest of it.

You lost me when you started claiming that there is anything wrong with being a "gamer". Not everyone in this community fits the mold of what you're trying to describe. I think a majority probably don't. Gaming is my main passion in life and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I don't judge other people based on how they spend their time, as long as they aren't hurting people in the process. How does me sitting at home playing video games cause you any problems?

Okay, video games don't end your life. It's just entertainment. Like books or movies. Don't demonize it

Just a small follow up.

It’s been reported that CDPR has received death threats due to the 3 week delay in CP77. Yet again, no one sends online threats to Rolex or Omega when they don’t like the new Submariner or Seamaster because unlike gaming, luxury watch fans are of a higher social class (education, income, intelligence, life experience, reason and sanity etc.) than the average gamer.

The gaming community is full of despicable people.

its likely this. mostly on the maturity front.

it's not a ding on gamers, they just generally skew younger.

@GalvatronType_R: Definitely agree you need to have other hobbies besides gaming. Even board or card games would be better. Even though I grew up with games and still play them I think they're best enjoyed in small doses.

What I really don't like is all this subscription, loot box and additional charges after you buy the game. I like to buy a game and just own it 100%. I have a library on steam, Origin, Epic Games, and older ones in CD cases and sometimes I feel like playing a game and I play it. I don't want to pay a monthly fee or buy a game and then spend additional money for armor, weapons, or whatever. I also don't understand why people put up with consoles charging you for the privilege of playing online. That's why I stuck with my PS3 and play online with PC.

In fact I really dislike most online games. I want to be lost in my own world and do what I want in the game without dealing with real people. The only online games I like are like Starcraft where you're doing your own thing competing.

As far as the community I don't play many online games, but I haven't noticed them to be any better or worse than others. Some people on the political forum are a bit rough, but that's to be expected. In the gaming areas I haven't seen anything that bad.

@Maxpowers_32: spot on analysis. I’m relatively the same type of gamer.

And don’t even get me started on strictly cloud gaming.

What is the purpose of these, oh so insightful revelations? Fire is hot, touch it and get burned...who knew?