[Rant] Fed up with purely violant video games

[TeddyRuxpin]

Sure, I like to go on virtual rampages every so often like anyone else but I'm a bit fed up with the cesspool of first/third person shooters, horror games, war games and the like...

But enough already!! x_x

*grabs bullhorn*
Hello out there game designers and the publishing company they work for, make some decent "E" rated games and quit milking the violant video game market for all it's worth!
*tosses bullhorn to the side*

There's been plenty of great adventure ames in the past with a minimal amount of violance: Mario, Sonic, Banjo, Spyro. And then there's puzzle games, racing games, real time simulation (ie: flight, city, etc) and even some of those are getting teen ratings these days (usually racing) just due to the soundtrack and foul language. Do we really need pixels saying to "F" off to make a good game? I think not.

It seems that, just like the rest of the entertainment industry, gaming has gone down the ol' flusher, to join 'reality' shows, rap for 3 year olds (yes, such a thing exists), and so-called 'comedy' movies, TV shows, and even commercials with nothing more than groups of brain-dead skin sacks acting (and I use the word 'acting' loosely) like idiots. :/

[Poofta!]

well, i would really like for you NOT to take this the wrong way, but if you dont like it, dont buy.

its easier to avoid something than to buy something that isnt produced. and as long as people buy these games (i do, in fact, my fav genres are FPSs and war games), they will be around.

so simply dont purchase them, remember, as a consumer you vote with your wallet. if you dont like the content, then you wont be losing anything by not buying it. different stroke for different folks =]

[TeddyRuxpin]

well, i would really like for you NOT to take this the wrong way, but if you dont like it, dont buy.

its easier to avoid something than to buy something that isnt produced. and as long as people buy these games (i do, in fact, my fav genres are FPSs and war games), they will be around.

Who said I buy them? I don't. I get fed up from hearing about them on TV and seeing them at stores. For every single good "E" rated game, I'd say 10 crappy "T" or "M" games come out. I'm not attacking ALL "T" and "M" games. I know they do have a place in the market but it's just insane how much there is!!

How many real world war games have come out in the past year? While I don't have an actual number, I know there's been a lot. Do we really need 3-5 games to reinact a war? I mean why would you want to even recreate something as horrible as a real war anyway? Takes some pretty sick minds to do that. I mean creating a fake virtual war is one thing but to take a REAL war and make money from it. Truely is a sad thing to witness.

[NeoZeedeater]

"T" rated games are pretty tame anyway, like PG movies. I would expect them to be the most common.

I don't see a problem with the number of violent games right now since there are plenty of non-violent games that are high quality. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Kirby Canvas Curse are two of the best games this year.

[Poofta!]

so... you want the industry to cease creating fun, entertaining and profitable games... because you dont like looking at the boxes?

alright. just checking.

[TeddyRuxpin]

I don't see a problem with the number of violent games right now since there are plenty of non-violent games that are high quality. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Kirby Canvas Curse are two of the best games this year.

Part of the problem is too many platforms (but at least 3 are by the same company, Nintendo) and not enough good ideas. And even nintendo re-uses old ideas often (GBA Classic NES series, Mario 64 DS)

Sadly, Nintendo stuff gets labeled as a 'kiddie system' for often having good original ideas that don't rely on the cheap idea of violance. It's a cheap, easy way out of making good games.

And since there's enough mindless zombies out there (both virtual and real..) to gobble up anything with a gun and/or blood why should they put much effort into originality? if they do it might not sell very ell.

It's much easier to just throw in some thin plot line (such as with reinactment war games) that takes about 15 minutes to come up with, have the designers do some generic 'seen it before many times' situations and let the (seemingly) majority of buyers gobble it up.

[TeddyRuxpin]

so... you want the industry to cease creating fun, entertaining and profitable games... because you dont like looking at the boxes?

alright. just checking.

I could have swore I said I have nothing against the genre of shooters, horror and generally violant games as a whole. Or am I just imagining things?

Gotta love how when people don't agree with you, they twist what you say around to suit their needs...

[Poofta!]

It's much easier to just throw in some thin plot line (such as with reinactment war games) that takes about 15 minutes to come up with, have the designers do some generic 'seen it before many times' situations and let the (seemingly) majority of buyers gobble it up.

damnit why are you so hellbent on getting flamed? you have NO IDEA what youre talking about. it may SEEM like war games have no plot and that throwing together random crap with violence will make a good game but it cant be farther from the truth. and you dont even buy these games so you have absolutely no authority to label any of them bad or good.

war games like Blitzkrieg, World at War, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires and Empire Earth have to conduct immense amount of research on a historical scale, that is why these games often take years to produce and often employ people with PhDs in History to write. Even non-historic games like Red Alert 1 and Warhammer Dawn of War have long narratives. sure some games are violence without a plot, but those games dont survive in sales, and often you wont even see them in stores for more than a week.

As for FPSs, developers do strive immensly to create a worthwhile game, it is what seperates Counter-Strike from crap like Marine Sharpshooter. FPS genre is one of the most competative genres in gaming, and everyone tries hard to give it a shot, even game gods like Romero cant always get it right (as proved with Daikatana).

so please, before making a gross generalization about our favorite hobby, do some research, and if you dont even buy or play the games, dont speak about them like you know them.

[Poofta!]

I could have swore I said I have nothing against the genre of shooters, horror and generally violant games as a whole. Or am I just imagining things?

youre imagining things, let me help you:

but I'm a bit fed up with the cesspool of first/third person shooters, horror games, war games and the like...

Who said I buy them? I don't. I get fed up from hearing about them on TV and seeing them at stores

do you even proof read what you write?

fyi, this is the 3rd thread where you consistently attack and fight w/ me, just let bygones be bygones.

[TeddyRuxpin]

damnit why are you so hellbent on getting flamed? you have NO IDEA what youre talking about. it may SEEM like war games have no plot and that throwing together random crap with violence will make a good game but it cant be farther from the truth. and you dont even buy these games so you have absolutely no authority to label any of them bad or good.

Errr... sorry. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to have an opinion. :/

war games like Blitzkrieg, World at War, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires and Empire Earth have to conduct immense amount of research on a historical scale, that is why these games often take years to produce and often employ people with PhDs in History to write. Even non-historic games like Red Alert 1 and Warhammer Dawn of War have long narratives. sure some games are violence without a plot, but those games dont survive in sales, and often you wont even see them in stores for more than a week.

Again, I never said ALL war games are bad. Just a large majority of them.

so please, before making a gross generalization about our favorite hobby, do some research, and if you dont even buy or play the games, dont speak about them like you know them.

Did you not notice the [Rant] part of the subject? Rants typically contain strong opinions that can easily offend some people who the rant might be indirectly targeting. That's why I put [Rant] in the subject. So anyone wishing to avoid the drama of one can do so without even opening the thread.

It's like you told me, if I don't like what I see, don't buy it. Or in the case of this, if you don't like what I say about the subject, don't read it.

[TeddyRuxpin]

I could have swore I said I have nothing against the genre of shooters, horror and generally violant games as a whole. Or am I just imagining things?

youre imagining things, let me help you:

but I'm a bit fed up with the cesspool of first/third person shooters, horror games, war games and the like...

Who said I buy them? I don't. I get fed up from hearing about them on TV and seeing them at stores

do you even proof read what you write?

I can't like the genres but be fed up with seeing it 85% of the time? Just because you like to eat a certain type of food doesn't mean you want to eat it 85% of the time. You'd get sick of it after a while.

For me, that's how it is with violant video games. While I admit there's probably a lot more "E" and less violant "T" rated games than are publicized, it can be tedious finding them since due to lack of exposure. Instead, most video game commercials I see are for some shooter or war game. :/

fyi, this is the 3rd thread where you consistently attack and fight w/ me, just let bygones be bygones.

Errr.... YOU started replying to ME here about this. Not the other way around.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hum, sorry Teddy, but I'm just seeing another "waaah people like violent games, boo at devs/publishers for encouraging them" rant with little substance.

For that "for every good E game 10 crappy T or M games" statistic of yours, that's wrong, wrong, wrong. You're just looking at platformers and other 'traditional' console games, so you're ignoring all the tons of children's software (I do believe I know what you're thinking) and some of it's good, but a lot of it's not. For all those crappy T or M games (that you say exist, I'll have to just make believe) there are more than enough great T and even M games to counterbalance them.

I agree with everything Poofta says here, too.

Also, I liked Crash Bandicoot (which isn't really violent, but is more slapstick stuff) but the control and play was...just another platformer. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and indeed I've got to play it again, but it was a very simplistic game, good or not. In my experience, "E" games have been too "safe" in not only content, but also their presentation. They don't push the boundaries of gaming much, and that's part of their target (they don't want to frustrate younger audiences). If there's something wrong with the industry, then, all games are affected by it.

[TeddyRuxpin]

Hum, sorry Teddy, but I'm just seeing another "waaah people like violent games, boo at devs/publishers for encouraging them" rant

Read the subject line:
[Rant] Fed up with purely violant video games

...with little substance.

Isn't that what most any 'rant' is?

I thought this forum was for expressing your thoughts and opinions, no matter how dramatic they might be, as long as you don't troll around purposely trying to annoy and piss off people. That was not my intent with this topic. Quite the opposite. It was to bring out the (few?) people here who agree with me.

It's not my fault that you opened a CLEARLY marked rant about violant video games (knowing when you clicked it, it would be AGAINST them to a certain degree) and that you can't handle someone having a negative opinion on the genre you hold onto dearly. It was your choice to open the thread. You can't blame me for that.

[Poofta!]

I can't like the genres but be fed up with seeing it 85% of the time? Just because you like to eat a certain type of food doesn't mean you want to eat it 85% of the time. You'd get sick of it after a while.

actually, following your 'game genre analogy' youd have to SEE the food you love to eat 85% of the time, not eat it, and didnt you say earlier that you dont like the genres at all and dont buy it at all (you did, dont make me look for quotes again), making your analogy broken to begin with.



my finale for this thread:
but basically we all get what youre saying, you hate seeing games you dont play get more press, retail and development attention than games you do play. you want the industry to cater to only your need, but youre not alone, which brings me to my original statements, as long as there are people buying them and loving them, youll keep seeing them, nothing you can do about it. (but rant, and start this viciouse cycle )

[Ed Oscuro]

Hum, sorry Teddy, but I'm just seeing another "waaah people like violent games, boo at devs/publishers for encouraging them" rant

Read the subject line:
[Rant] Fed up with purely violant video games

Amazingly enough, sometimes the "rant" tag is used to cover up intelligent discussion, imagine that! :P

I thought this forum was for expressing your thoughts and opinions, no matter how dramatic they might be, as long as you don't troll around purposely trying to annoy and piss off people.

In the FAQ, it mentions that being a "cheerleader" for your favorite systems is great, but bashing everything else is not. I think if you'd just look around you'll see that things aren't half as bad as you (and many others) make them out to be. You're cutting yourself off from games, for one.

It's not my fault that you opened a CLEARLY marked rant about violant video games (knowing when you clicked it, it would be AGAINST them to a certain degree)

If this isn't the weakest shit I've seen all day Are you asking me to just ignore you? I think it's my right to come by and defend good games when you're just blowing them off, you know.

Of course, nothing you write here really defends your original post and the various assertions you've made. So, I've got a bit of alcohol in my system but I'm still doing better than you, what's that tell us about your post?

Post better next time!

[Gamereviewgod]

Isn't the statistic that about only 10-15% of games are released with a M? That's hardly a staggering statistic. As for T, Street Fighter II recieved the same equivalent when it was released (MA-13). Hardly violent.

There are plenty of games out there if you don't enjoy violence. I, for one, am a huge gore fanatic. The more, the merrier.

I also love Mario.

If you choose not to play a section of the industry, don't. It's that simple. There's little reason to spend time ranting about it. Do we NEED the F-bombs? No. Do people speak like that? Yep. Would the story in GTA seems as real if the mass murder said "Oh darn, I'm late for my job." Uh, no. Games are advancing, they're following movies, and this is just one way they're moving. At times it's unneccesary and immature (Guy Game), other times it makes the game stronger (God of War).

[Fuyukaze]

I agree with some of the points made from both sides. Problem is, some games will sell well with or without my purchase. Take a game like Grand Theft Auto 3 and all its ilk. Personaly, I hate the series and think its garbage. Yet somehow its gone off to sell millions of coppies. Now I could say my opinion is valid because it is my own, but its no more valid then the millions of people who did choose to buy the game. Some Genres become popular and companies want to cash in on them. FPS, RTS, horror, and racing are rather popular these days. Getting mad about whats curently popular wont do a thing, and neither will ignoring it. If you enjoy gaming (I'd like to believe you do) then just be patient and wait out the trend. Eventualy even the casual gamer will grow tired of whats curent and want something else. Game companies will stop making them and make something else. In the end everyone will get what they want. Personaly, I dont like the way things are, but frankly I could care less as there are so many games to play on my backlog of games. I just dont have time to pay any attention to games I dont care for. Dont even have time to enjoy those I want to.

[TeddyRuxpin]

In the FAQ, it mentions that being a "cheerleader" for your favorite systems is great, but bashing everything else is not. I think if you'd just look around you'll see that things aren't half as bad as you (and many others) make them out to be. You're cutting yourself off from games, for one.

I didn't name any names, nor did I even mention any game titles. So who/what did I 'bash'? I even stated that I like some of the genre so really I didn't even do any genre bashing either.

If this isn't the weakest shit I've seen all day Are you asking me to just ignore you? I think it's my right to come by and defend good games when you're just blowing them off, you know.

Seems to me you're doing the bashing towards me for having an opinion that you don't agree with. And yes, if someone says something you don't like, and it's not directly aimed at you and isn't casuing you harm, you should probably ignore it. Or at least have the decency not to take it personally if you do reply.

So, I've got a bit of alcohol in my system but I'm still doing better than you, what's that tell us about your post?

... Not gonna even touch that. I'll get flamed for sure if I do.

Interesting how your misguided rant-like replies have ruined this thread that wasn't even intended for people who are obsessed with the shooter/war/horror genre in the first place.

[Raedon]

Mario is pretty violent if you think about it..

Crazed plumber just smashing bricks like a meth head. He runs around quiet communities jumping and killing the good people.. Takes their coins. In the end he kills Bowser.. Judge and executioner..

[Ed Oscuro]

I didn't name any names, nor did I even mention any game titles. So who/what did I 'bash'?

EVERYTHING, and that makes you look uncouth (OK, stupid/ignorant). Bashing games for violence would be like bashing movies for violence: There's always bad examples to choose from, but by doing so you ignore good stuff. Unsavory generalization = bad.

Seems to me you're doing the bashing towards me for having an opinion that you don't agree with. And yes, if someone says something you don't like, and it's not directly aimed at you and isn't casuing you harm, you should probably ignore it. Or at least have the decency not to take it personally if you do reply.

Taking it personally...I don't really, I'm just trying to show you that you're selling "mature" games short (and as Gamereviewgod says...there aren't all that many, which is also true of E games). So some good conversation can come out of this topic, but I feel put-upon when I have to explain something that should be obvious (i.e. you're making generalizations about a huge category of software so stop that, ok?).

I'm not frustrated by it or anything, just perplexed as usual that people feel the need to harp on issues they haven't really studied. "WOW there was this awful game called Manhunt, we are flooded by crappy games with F-bombs, Mature games are the worst!!!" seems about as intelligent as "Enter the Matrix was crap and I didn't like Castlevania 64, 3D adventure games are horrible!" Hell, pick your own flavor of argument, and pull a fake statistic out of your arse (1 out of 10 games are satanist and should be banned, 1000% of people who played Tamogatchi are GAY), complain that these games are harming the industry (nevermind that they're popular), and you're all set!

Either you haven't looked at a wide variety of "mature" (and you lump in "violent" games, so it's anybody's guess; I'm not big on Mature either) games, or you just don't like non-kiddie games (yet your post says much more).

As for drunk...nope, god, I'm just reaffirming the observation that I really don't like liquor Decided it was time to find out the difference between sherry and cognac :P