October Video Game News Highlights
Our monthly commentary recap proclaims it is certainly the year of threequels
Contests and player input is becoming more prevalent
There's also been an interesting surge in competitions to actively involve the player in parts of the game development process. Just recently, Team Ninja put out a casting call to anyone who felt they possessed enough acrobatic fortitude to create moves for the new Dead or Alive game.
I'm a big fan of the series and not too shabby a player either, however judging from some heated on line gaming experiences, the exertion from hammering the buttons caused audible wheezing from my opponents, and that was in between handfuls of cheetos they furiously stuffed in their mouths.
However, I do wait in anticipation as to what the populace can produce and it appears to be one of the most active calls to arms from a company, which is not a bad thing. If all goes well Team Ninja will have some truly unique move sets for characters, and if not, they can have a good laugh when some kid attempting a flying kick tears out a light fixture.
Opinion: Player Metrics Vs. The Vocal Minority
Here's an interesting article on player feedback and complaints that is an increasing issue in a games development.
What you can take away from it is that people are angry, and people complain, it's like a drug to some. The dizzying and euphoric heights of venting unbridled and vitriolic rage are a pastime that has existed since we evolved to possess vocalisation. This need to shake our audible fists is perhaps more prevalent today than ever, take a look at a random YouTube comment section to witness Olympic levels of awkward, inane and idiotic displays of this.
Gamers have always been vocal about their dislike for particular games and the elements contained within, one players love is another's hate, and forums and chat rooms are the Mecca that we flood to express these opinions.
It's the nature of the world that we can't please everyone, and we have to make choices that we perceive as the 'right' ones when developing a game, and, as an undeniable law of the universe there is always someone who has something to say about it.
Sometimes it's grounded in reality, say, a poor mechanic that affects shooting calibration, which is a problem that needs to be fixed. On the other hand, matters can be puerile and trivial with a player whining about a speck of dirt that is rendered in such low definition they fail to cut their eyeballs on the visuals.
Companies are requesting more feedback from players, that's basically the whole premise of beta testing, you need someone with an outside view to take a gander at mechanics and playability. However, with the flood of feedback, you can't entertain every crackpot notion a gamer has, it'd be like getting a committee to design a horse, they end up envisioning a camel because not everyone can have their way.
Like life, everyone complains about everything. I propose that we deal with serious complainers in the industry by abducting that person in the night and dropping them in a remote forest infested with deadly wildlife. We bestow on them only a spork for defence (and sporting) purposes to give them a chance to reflect on what really is important in life.
If they survive, they have learned valuable life lessons and attained clarity on their fragile place in the universe. If a disgruntled jaguar eats them or some nightmarish nest of beetles creates a home in a bodily orifice and they unfortunately pass to the other side, then let that be a lesson to the rest of them.
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