When I'm not lurking around here on Daily Kos, working or watching MSNBC, I'm spending my time playing and studying video games. Gaming has been a hobby and passion of mine ever since I was 2 years old, and I have no intention of stopping. As I grew up with video games, the storytelling techniques and the technology therein, I have borne witness to a number of social turning points in the gaming community. So, here I bring you a non-political rant (for once). Time to change up the conversation a little bit.
Cross-posted on my personal blog: Danger Combo 2012
Ethnicity doesn't matter. Gender, ideally is not a factor. Format, whether it be pen-and-paper or PS3, there's only one thing that is at the heart of the matter. Being a gamer is about having fun, solo or with a crowd of thousands. It's about having fun, it's about taking the hype and sharing it with others. Hell, games are ideally designed for that very purpose, I would think. Right? Console games, in particular. No matter what game it is... Could be GodHand, could be Soul Calibur 5, could be freaking Bratz, for all I care. No matter the game, units generally sell for one of two reasons: Marketing the Hype and Fun Factor. I may hate on SC5, which I most certainly do, but there's SOMEONE out there that is having fun with the game, and I won't hold that against anyone. It ain't my thing, but someone else likes the game. That's just the law of averages.
To get even more specific, I want to touch on console exclusive video games. Now, I honestly have no problem with games that are exclusive to certain consoles like the Wii, PS3 or XBox360. I mean, a good roster of exclusive games can really determine the outcome of deciding which system to buy. For example, the PlayStation 3 has exclusive titles like Metal Gear Solid and God of War. The XBox 360 has the Halo and Gears of War series. X360 is also the exclusive console of choice, at least Stateside, for two incredible RPGs: Tales of Vesperia and Magna Carta 2. For the Nintendo Wii, you have games like Metroid Prime, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Samurai Warriors 3 and (most recently, released today, in fact) Xenoblade Chronicles. It is with the later 3 games I list that I have one small gripe. That gripe being that these games are good, but I wish there were a chance of a cross-platform port.
In mentioning that one personal gripe I have while conversing with an acquaintance, I think I may have touched a nerve or something, because this dude almost lost his mind!
Now, I can understand loyalty and attachment to a particular game system that's been good to you as far as reliability and game releases. I can understand if one has the opinion that cross-platform ports may weaken the roster for the console of first release, thus weakening the sales and shelf-life of the console. Those points can be made pretty cogently. However, here's where I take not just issue, but where I take offense. This is a direct quote from him:
"Ports with extra goodies are a slap to the face of owners of the original and those who own the new release get this sense of over-entitlement..."
Wait. Excuse me? Like I mentioned earlier, I don't mind console attachment and loyalty. Yet you want to bitch at me about wishing that good games, good
THIRD PARTY games could see the light of day on more than just the one system? Then you have the nerve to try and even tangentially call me and others like me over-entitled when we actually do get ports of games with additional content (i.e. No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise) and have the opportunity to enjoy the game without having to shell out the extra money to buy the system for it? What makes this even worse is that no more than 30 minutes prior to this, the acquaintance in question was complaining about how expensive it was to rent a game ($2/night from RedBox) when I recommended renting Soul Calibur 5 before making the decision to buy, in order to simply determine if the drastic changes and omissions from the game were small potatoes compared to how much he could still enjoy it.
Bitching about the dirt cheap rental from RedBox, yet you expect people who don't own a Wii, like myself, but want to play your precious third party Wii-exclusive, like myself... To shell out between $100-150 plus the $60 cost of the game? That's hypocrisy of Republican proportions. Let me put it like this:
Games can still thrive as console-exclusives. However, not everyone in the console gaming public owns the same systems. There is no 100% market saturation for the PlayStation 3. Not for the X360 and most certainly not for the Wii. So, if a game from a third party developer (Capcom, Ubisoft, Aksys Games, etc) is exclusive to one console, the potential user base is drastically reduced if for no other reason than people do not want to spend more money on a system for which they will only play one or two games. Period. Full stop. It's a matter of accessibility. So to say that you want to deny me access to experiencing a decent game and call me over-entitled for wanting a good game to be shared all across the gaming market... Well, I have a few choice words for you.
You really aren't really a gamer, then are you? In fact, you're exactly what gives console/video gamers like myself a negative reputation. If someone wants a game you've got and they can't play it, take pride in the fact that you've got something good! Then, after your split-second of justifiable gloating, share the fun. That's what helps games get sold and what helps expose more gamers, current and potential, to what may be a damn fine product.
~ Nintendo-thumb 'til the Day I Die
Danger Combo 2012