Picture if you will, a busy mall bustling with commerce. The day is Saturday, and there’s not much else to do but go to the mall. You are in desperate need of a new pair of basketball shoes, and decide to walk into the Finish Line across from the food court. Finish Line has an entire section of their store devoted to basketball shoes, and you quickly make your way to that area. Some of the shoes are too small, some are too big, while others do not fit the way you’d like them to. After hours of searching, time stands still on one pair of shoes. The pair is a beautiful color scheme, fitting just right around both feet. You decide to walk a couple of laps around the store, reveling in the amazing comfort the pair provides. Just before deciding to purchase the shoes, you notice that there is a tiny logo that really bothers you. Screaming in frustration you put the shoes back on the shelf and leave the store, only to catch the perfect pair on the clearance rack on your way out. Welcome to commerce and the wonderful world of choice.
You may be wondering why would I introduce my opinion with a diatribe about buying shoes? Well, it’s pretty simple. Video games are the exact same way. Some video games may be too lengthy for you. Others may involve genres that do not appeal to your style. Ultimately, you’ll find games that make you happy and bring you hours of fun.
The wonderful thing about this country is that you have a choice. If it made you so irritated that Zelda wasn’t shown at E3, don’t buy it. If a game has 50 microtranscations that must be purchased to unlock new costumes, pick up another game. What good are you doing going onto massive wars to lobby these complaints? I wrote in a previous article about how things are in today’s gaming world vs the 1990s. As a kid, I sure as hell did not have a lot of choices. But we somehow made due, and if a game didn’t appease to me or my friends, we’d move on with our lives. I can always bring back the old adage about why people can’t use their passion to complain for other things. If you find yourself on a message board tearing down a company for postponing their game a few months, maybe you are better served using that energy towards your job or something productive.
Whether or not you want to hear this, companies make games to make money. It’s big business. Creating games that consumers want to have fun with is 3rd on their priority list behind profits and keeping their employees happy. And when they create a game which took them years to make, it may not have every single detail that you want. The ending might be a bit imperfect. The main character could be bland. The action might have a few hitches that bother you. Just like in the case of the shoes, there are multiple options out there. And this isn’t some article about being at the mercy of corporate companies. If a game truly goes against everything you stand for as a consumer, speak with your wallet. Could you imagine if Sony took every consumer’s complain to heart? It can’t happen. Everyone has different issues with different games.
“Dear From Software, Dark Souls was too hard.”
“Dear From Software, Dark Souls was way too easy once I got the Black Halberd.”
“Dear From Software, please add more story, I didn’t understand what was happening.”
“Dear From Software, I love everything about this game. Don’t change a thing.”
You aren’t going to like everything about a game. Learn to adjust. Some of my favorite games of all time have flaws. MGS4 had cut scenes that lost my attention after ten minutes. Chrono Cross, other than a few bosses (damn you Miguel) was far too easy. Demon’s Souls had some parts that were over-the-top difficult. I do not have entitlement to perfection.
If you are able to let go of the mindset that giant gaming companies need to adhere to the general public, your mind will thank you.
