Are video games BAD?!



Sir Nathan talks through his thoughts on video games, his opinions on some of the recent issues found in the industry and tries to shed a light on the importance of game design.

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31 thoughts on “Are video games BAD?!”

  1. I understand that some people enjoy this, but I really don't like when I find out a game adjusted to my inability to play it. I like overcoming the challenge, and if they made the challenge easier that undermines it for me and makes it so nothing was actually achieved.

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  2. Who is this video made to? It's obviously not for gamers, or for non – gamers. Maybe use the green screen you are sitting in front of at least? Jumping from non relatable topic to other topic, thinking ''golden age of gaming'' is 2021. My mate, google the word ''golden age''. You don't even know what the phrase means.

    Do we have abundance of novels too? Such a weird way of looking at anything in life.

    When ''some people'' critique Dark Souls, they couldn't care less about the game itself, they critique the concept of the game. And they are not going to stop because you said ''we have a lot of other games'' or ''make your own game''. When anything goes against an ideological persons view of life, they will work to destroy it, manipulate it or poison other people's minds about the principles of whatever that art form stands on.

    When someone is talking about video games, no one is thinking about the ''games'' military has. Started the video with a language appropriate to a farmer, talked about publishers buying indie games and ended with ''go make your own game, you critic''.

    Pick 1 topic, ''effects of big publishers and game developers with 1-2 employee's '', make a video about that, add humor & tragedy. What was this?

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  3. 10:31 "Not every game has to be socially critiqued, you're allowed to have your guilty pleasures"

    You know, it's easy to forget that considering how media constantly bash videogames for violence and sex appeal as a scapegoat whenever some tragedy happens.

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  4. I was 100% with you up until the end for one reason. I think I agree with your overall point, but I do think it's worth criticizing some games for their game loop. Games that are designed to be addictive for exploitative reasons cough most mobile games cough are games I would call bad, regardless of the overall quality of the game. Games that are designed to get kids to get their parents to pay for stuff would be another example of what I would call bad, regardless of the quality of the game (also heavy overlap with mobile games). Just because people enjoy a game doesn't make it good – people also enjoy gambling, and many lives are destroyed thanks to that. I really do think in order to qualify a game as worthwhile or good it has to have some form of benefit to the player without creating damaging neural loops. I would say RPG's excel at this on the whole. Many older shooters do as well, but many modern ones are designed for addiction. I don't mean to say all addictive games are bad, but they can't be addictive for bad reasons, they should be addictive simply because the game is that enjoyable (Skyrim – almost 10 years later and it's still popular). If a game is that enjoyable and it isn't designed just to exploit certain responses in the brain, you can virtually guarantee you are learning something or practicing some skill valuable to your life while playing it.

    I am a game developer myself BTW – I thoroughly enjoyed this video.

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  5. Games are as variable as other forms of media, like music, books, films or paintings. Saying all are bad/boring/good/… because one is, is as saying i find this one book/film bad, there for all are bad.

    Games can do so many things, like teach you skills (e.g. languages, social skills, spatial awareness, reaction time), help you overcome problems (e.g. fears, social problems) or simply let you do or try things you would never do in the real world (e.g. be a rogue, be rich or poor, see and feel how the world was, might be in the future or in another reality). And the best thing is, you can try it as often as you like and may get better at it (e.g. if you die or lose in game you can simply start again).

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  6. It's funny you bring this up because the other day I was watching a video and someone basically commented "Does anybody really care about this series?" I guess I just really don't understand these people who take time out of their day to comment on something they don't care about. My response is the classic: "Shhhhh, let people enjoy things."

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  7. CoD "So many years to polish mechanics of the games" up to recent Modern Warfare most of the CoD installments were AAA asset flips really and now seems like with Cold War it kinda goes back to this trend, studios have only 3 years to throw out a game and because there are more than one studio is the only reason why it's not yearly clutch like FIFA games from EA, but to be honest yeah CoD games have decent gameplay design, that even if a bit stale holds up quite well

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  8. As a game designer this video makes me happy

    I might even add: just like there are tons of different players that like tons of different aspects of games;
    there are tons of different designers that like working on different aspects of games, and sometimes they do so in wildly different ways.

    For example you have the "systems-focused" designers that have way more empathy towards game systems and how they work than they have empathy towards the players themselves; and this attracts players that love complex systems.
    And on the opposite end of the spectrum you have the "experience-focused" designers that always have the player in mind when designing their mechanics and systems; and this attracts players that love being taken on an adventure and/or just want to relax.

    And in the middle I'd say we have the "rational game designers", that approach game design in a facts-oriented way and try to break down everything to facilitate discussion but always with the player in mind.

    But something's for sure: very few people knows what game design even is. Most people assume it's related to graphics or programming.
    And when you tell them that you're not a programmer or an artist, but that your job is writing documentation about game mechanics and making excel sheets about game systems for integration and balancing, they look at you funny.

    However, I found that it's way easier to talk about this with people that play board games more than video games.
    I suspect that it's because board games are a more "direct" form of game design, from the mind to the player with little interference from presentation.

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  9. Feels kinda weird to get a video essay about something so modern like video games from a person wearing a breastplate and gambeson with a katana on his desk.

    I'm ok with this.

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  10. I just play Mount and Blade Warband, and it's still my favorite game. To me, games are a way to relax, escape the reality and feel myself like a mighty emperor/khan. Also, I see games as a form of art, somewhat similar to movies.

    I don't play Bannerlord cause my PC is old

    Reply

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