So this is sexist, huh? Funny... why weren't we lighting torches over Purna's "Gender Wars" ability? (Overlooking, of course, the fiasco with the programming name.) Is that not inherently sexist? Where were you then, moral crusaders?
@l777l I disagree with Baka; I actually think this is a very well-reasoned, cogent argument. I happen to agree with you, and find it disgusting that developers are buckling to the pressure of a whiny minority. We're teaching consumers that if they band together and complain loudly enough, they can always have their way. Extrapolate this to it's reasonable end (not trying to "sound" smart), it will lead to a generation of games that all look exactly alike for having a "least common denominator" flavor of appeal.
"If creators are willing to change the fundamentals of their art just because the audience didn't like it, then clearly those creators didn't care all that much about what they were doing or saying in the first place."
Justify this statement, because I find it completely without warrant. I follow your slippery-slope argument. I share your concern for "lowest-common-denominator" developing. But to accuse developers of not caring about their craft when they lend credence to fan reaction is absolutely asinine. If it proves anything at all, it shows that they are attentive to the notoriously fastidious consumers to whom they market. To say that this is stifling creativity flies in the face of recent genre-bending games; cite Dark Souls, Arkham Asylum, and Dead Space, just to name a few.
If anything, I'd say this is the first step in striking the balance between consumer desire and artistic integrity. I don't hear anyone arguing that the gamer is always right, because no two gamers share the same preferences. But when a developer, like Bioware, makes certain promises (ie. your choices throughout the series will lead to drastically branching outcomes) and fails to make good on them, why shouldn't they be forced to reckon with fan discontent? If id wants to repackage their game to reach a new audience, why shouldn't they address the complaints? Does good intention really justify the price tag? If so, I think we all owe M. Night Shyamalan an apology.
Well-said, Cage; well-summarized, Eddie. I'm really not looking forward to buying the next system. I could give a crap about better graphics or the gimmicks they're trying to pass off as the "future of gaming."
This article seems like it's written with a bit of animosity toward the U.S. (or at the very least, gamers from the U.S.). In one breath your saying "don't look at Australia like it's the only country with censorship," but in the next you act as though all of us "Americans" look down upon your country just because there are a few people who snicker at censorship articles YOUR website posts. I /am/ sympathetic to Aussie gamers (because Mortal Kombat is awesome), but I actually agree with your ratings board. I believe there should be an 18+ rating, to allow games like MK through. Since there isn't one as yet, I fully support them keeping ultra-violent games out of the hands of impressionable high schoolers.
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