I have been a gamer all my life. I remember playing Castle Master on my families Windows 3.1 computer, or Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis. But as I have grown older and have continued to game I have realized that gaming is destroying itself. This argument mainly was set for PC, but as time has gone on it involves console gamers as well and that is the Cheater.
More and more it seems we have to deal with hackers, cheaters, and exploiters in gaming. Remember back in the old days when the word hacker was a rare word. I mean if someone was to be accused of hacking or cheating it was because they were, not because they were good. But the more and more people cheat and hack the more gamers cannot tell skill from hacks. I don't know about you but I feel like hacks prove no honor or skill. I would like to use Modern Warfare 2 for a few examples relating to these topics (back when I used to play it).Hacking is what made me lose interest in the game, for example one day I played for 8 hrs and ever single game had a hacker. This makes it no fun but also no skill and I like to say no honor.
But this isn't the only problem with gaming as time has gone on. Another issue that is killing gaming is TEAMWORK! This is getting outrageous; the best example for this is Battlefield 2142. Lately I have been unable to play this game due to computer issues. I remember when I first bought this game everyone worked as a team and talked. The commander had a mic and would do his job, the squad leaders and squad members would talk. People would play classes not to gain points, but to work as a team to victory, and no body was afraid to use a mic to talk and work as a team. Now the game has become pointless. I will play games where nothing gets done because no one communicates and everyone is self-centered on making the most points. (Also back to the exploiting point BF2142 has a few of these that can destroy a match, for example grenade spamming results in preventing a team from accessing a control panel to blow up)
But there is another culprit in this mix and that is the developer. Game developers are a big cause in the death of gaming, the big thing they are getting greedy. Now I can divide this into many points, the first of which is collector's editions.
Now this may seem like a bad point but let me point something out you, back when Splinter Cell Chaos Theory came out you could buy the collectors edition of it (which consisted of an amazing steel case and bonus disk) for $5 extra. Or how about Quake 4; the collectors edition for that was the exact same price but you got the DVD version of the game (back when PC gaming was converting from multiple CDs to one DVD) as well as Quake 2 and all it's expansions packs, and again for the same price as the regular game. Now we pay $20+ extra bucks, sometimes for collector's editions that are not worth the cost (although there are some that do live up to the value, for example Bioshock 2). Also if you have the gamer pay extra money for a collectors edition which includes special in game items doesn't give them out to those who didn't (Splinter Cell Conviction, every single item was given to all the players after a certain period of time).
But this is the only factor of the greedy developer, my next argument is DLCs. These are getting out of control and are getting over priced. Here are some great examples, one is Resident Evil 5. Back when the game was released they announced they would releasing multiplayer for the game a week later (even strategy guides had the multiplayer written into it), but here was the sad part. The gamer paid $5 for file that was less than 1mb in size. The multiplayer was already on the game disk they just charged us extra for this (Bioshock2 did the same thing but with maps). Or how about Crackdown 2; the day the game was released (it might have been even before, not sure), there was already talk of not one but two DLCs. Or can I bring out verdict number three...Bungie. These developers are great at DLCs, great in that you have to buy them, because if you don't you can't play in certain play lists anymore (and then of course there was ODST which had all the maps on the disk that and everyone who bought the maps earlier were never compensated). This can go on, but I'll end it here (also Fallout 3 and Modern Warfare 2 to blame a few).
Not done with you developers yet I got another great thing and that is support your games and stop giving us gamers the short end of the stick. By this I mean cut the c*** with all these sequels. In the last 3 years I think almost every game I have bought has been a sequel and why not always bad, most the time it is. The developers it seems tend to rely on a title instead of the game itself to sell the sequel and leave us gamers disappointed. The developers seem to rush these games adding only half completed new ideas (and usually if they do more to them we have to buy a DLC), this also includes many glitches and bugs. When I say the rely on the title they usually make the game not nearly as good (and that's partially because the gamer is expecting the new excitement that from the first game) but it seems to me developers just sell these semi-good games to make a buck cause the gamer will buy it based of the name and then be we are disappointed (but they don't care they got their money). Let's point out these great examples: Crackdown 2, Army of Two 40th Day, HAWX 2, and these are just a few more recent games. In the long run start coming up with new ideas (actually this leads to another argument I'll come back to later)
I said this on the last point but developers need to support their stuff, but not after it has been released but before it has. These are glitches from achievements to all the way to where a game can't run. Army of Two 40th Day is a great example. The developers put two bonus weapons in the game for the loyal fans that played the first one. But almost no gamer could actually get these to unlock and it took forever for it to be patched and even then it still the patch was still horrible. Or Modern Warfare 2, how many hacks there are it seems like nothing is being done to prevent them. Mercenaries 2 was great for this to and that game came out over 2 years ago and is still full of glitches.
So I seem I have attacked the developers enough and I have decided to go back to the gamer. And I have a few more issues to point out. These are quick points but simple. First of all the gamer needs to be patient with developers sometimes. Yeah their glitches and sometimes they need to be address but sometimes the gamer needs to realize that it can take time to program. The other thing I wanted to point out is that gamers need to accept innovative ideas, and that they may have problems at first. Just because it's not like Halo or other FPS doesn't mean it's not going to be good. This is probably why we have so many sequels cause developers are to afraid to create new ideas cause the gamers won't take a risk in playing a new innovative game.(I will leave this one for now as I am having trouble finding words for this point).
Oh and I forgot one more thing to attack developers. I hate games were "The Rich Rule The Game". This is a saying I have for games were gamers can buy in game items with real world money they either, one usually are required to unlock, or two can only be bought and make you much better. Battlefield Heroes is a great example for this. Granted yes it is a free multiplayer game and I realize they have to support it, but if someone has a weapon they bought with real money they are a lot better, for example the sniper rifles. The nicer rifles that require money to obtain, do a lot more damage and have a lot more stability when looking threw the scope (the cross hairs move less due to breathing). Another game which I can't believe I am saying this is Team Fortress 2. Valve is a company who I worship and seems to battle all the points I have listed but finally lost a little of my respect. Certain items in the game have gotten to the point were the only way they can be obtained is threw purchasing them from an online store. Other items can be bought here to that are usually very hard to find. These are only a few examples again of games that follow the trait "The Rich Rule The Game".
Okay so I am almost done, all that's left is the solutions and I'll make this short and sweat. The issue with hackers and cheaters, ext will never go away. So what developers need is one of two things, First of all a great way to punish the gamers. The best example is Valve Anti-Cheat which will actually ban you valve account (this effects all the games you have bought with this account). Another way to fix this is create cheater servers. In other words let the cheaters play against each other and let the non-cheaters or gamers play against each other. The next argument is teamwork; the big issue is we need to start putting age barriers on games. Little rug rats tend to be the ones who solo out and ruin the game for everyone else. Kids who's voice reminds you of a chipmunk and won't zip it (also I have a friend who believes these are the hackers because they want to be a good as the older people). But also for the team work to work right developers need to redesign their points system to encourage teamwork. A great example was Tribes Vengeance. In CTF you could never capture the flag and still take first place because of how points worked (For example fixing the base after an enemy attack or other actions that lead to success because of teamwork). And as for you developers stop being greedy. Force us gamers to be patient and come up with great ideas. Release games late if you have to, remove bugs and glitches, support your games and fast, and stop thinking about $s and starting thinking about your customer. Take Valve for instance. They have yet to release Half Life 2 Episode 3 because they want to release something the gamer will enjoy (although now I think it's another issue as well). Also take gamer input; I will use Bethesda and Valve for this. They release to the gamers map editors and such allowing the gamer to not only build new maps but also mods and create new innovative ideas for the game that the developer can then take into mind when working on new games (Fallout New Vegas' Hardcore Mode I almost guarantee was built on a user mod a friend told me about for Fallout 3).
Well time for me to wrap this argument up. Hopefully you can understand my English and grammar (never been great at writing, I write computer programs, not research papers). And hopefully I didn't lose you (and that I remembered everything I wanted to say, sometimes when I write large documents I forget points). But most of all I hope gamers agree with me or take note of these arguments as well as developers. I don't know about you but I am getting tired of gaming and hate to say this, but I think it's dying and getting worst and worst. If you have an arguments for or against, something you want to add, or more example don't hesitate to write them I want to hear them. Thanks again for reading
~James IV
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