Introduction
Imagine for a moment that PC gaming were a missing loved one – what would you do? Would you send out a search party, or issue a statement? Would news coverage be global, or in days be forgotten? And if all seemed lost forever, what then? We PC gamers find ourselves suddenly left with this cold realization, the threat of disappearance becoming all-too-real: it’s happening to us right here, in the very same industry we’ve helped grow from infancy. PC gamers, consider this our amber alert. Read on for part one of our three part guest editorial series.
Casual Gamers – Gaming for the Clueless
You know the type: the oxygen-depriving mouth-breathing capslock-using facepalm-inducing buy-before-you-try simpletons, content to watch a reel of car explosions and “cool FX” while remaining absorbed in unbridled glee. Whether their attention be drawn by billboard or forum-board, they exclaim with open wallets of anything new: “Ooh! Shiny!” Superfluous sequels and gaudy graphics makes these cruft-connoisseurs salivate enough to have Pavlov taking notes, and should their favourite game append a “2″ to its title – or god forbid any form of transition metal: “Silver”, “Gold”, or the almighty “Platinum” – you can consider last week’s paycheck spent or mommy’s credit card charged in their efforts to be first on the digital block with a gold-plated avatar (maybe companies will eventually drop the charade and just sell forehead tattoos labeled “Stupid”). What’s more, their dumb-struck love of everything corporate is returned in kind by gaming companies who absolutely love these daft chumps… and why wouldn’t they? With all the consumer prowess of a socialite at Tiffany’s (credit card in hand), gaming companies can literally ‘bank’ on these vapid corporate puppets all the way through their ill-conceived franchises. It’s a match made in corporate heaven, or rather gaming hell… a place game-hating, innovation-quashing,Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will surely take our industry, given enough revenue (and souls) from his “Hero” franchises and the casual gaming populace.
We All Know One
So how do we recognize these indiscriminate anti-pundits in the wild? Chances are you already know a few: they’re friends, classmates, co-workers, peers, relatives, in-laws, and even little brothers; however first and foremost, when it comes to gaming, they’re clueless. Sadly, they are not in the minority either. Seemingly overnight, these Average Joes, Homer Simpsons of the gaming world, have dauntingly become the new consumer majority. Sure, they may refer to themselves as “gamers” or “gaming enthusiasts”, but simply owning many games no more makes you a gaming enthusiast than purchasing several kilos of gravel makes you a rock enthusiast. Years of critique and community, and genuine interest in the pastime, have reserved this term to mean something just a little more; “Gamer” implies the informed consumer with a certain savvy, a discretionary keenness – a knack – for sensing what makes a good game, and what sets it apart from just ‘another game’. In an industry fraught with overwhelming ‘yet-another’-ness, this kind of critical ability has become a first line of self-defense in recognizing and weeding out the tired, played-out memes that have long-outlived their entertainment value and are simply being recycled and regurgitated by lazy developers looking to turn a quick profit. And if nostalgia permits us to reminisce a while, we’re reminded of a time when the critic prevailed and such gaming ‘casualties’ barely made it past beta; instead however, in today’s era of ‘critical’ failure, these unbecoming misfits slip by unscathed, and into the fodder tray of the casual gamer.
The Problem with Casual Gamers
Mostly, it’s that they’re unaware. Unaware of what their promiscuity towards gaming is doing to the industry. Unaware that rewarding developers despite poor performance and workmanship encourages further erosion of quality. And unaware that supporting stagnant platforms merely diverts developer resources away from pushing the technology forward. In many cases these dubious dupes are oblivious to the recent increases we’ve seen in developer loftiness. With an over-abundant supply of consumer obedience, devs no longer fear failure, or an obligation to duty or loyalty; it seems these virtues, along with the sensible consumer, have gone the way of the trackball in our industry. Sadly, inquiring about a game beyond its website, promo-videos or over-hyped reviews is beyond today’s casual gamer; instead they rely on word-of-mouth and popular opinion (sans fact or details), with typical justifications ranging from “it has cool graphics” to “everybody’s playing it!” But their lucid logic doesn’t end there: attempts at further reason (perhaps to avoid a game that in no way deserves recognition for shoddy work – Infinity Ward’s latest farcical port being a prime example) are often met with aloof replies of the like: “I don’t care”, “I’m getting it anyways”, or the all-informative “Whatever”. If ever the age-old adage was in question, this lot have certainly put it to rest: ignorance is bliss, and admittedly, casual gamers seem fairly blissful.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for part two of this three-part series: Consoles and the Commodification of Gaming.
Click here for part two and here for part three of this series.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Nice, can’t wait to read parts 2 and 3
November 9th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Here’s part 2:
http://pcgamingcorner.com/wordpress/?p=1862
And here’s part 3:
http://pcgamingcorner.com/wordpress/?p=1872
Enjoy.