#these are games I LOVE
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Alrighty, everyone mute me here cause I'm about to go on a tirade.
Look, I've been playing video games since I was young. Very young. Probably too young, if we're being completely honest. We had an old Nintendo 64 from my step-dad's youth that I used to play religiously. I played my ps2 for hours and hours a day as a way to cope with a.. shall we say unstable household. I had Gameboy Advanced, Gameboy color, all the way up to Nintendo DS to the switch. This is something I've been doing since I was barely old enough to speak. I used to get games at Blockbuster, okay? I played the OG Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights on a clunky old computer. Even when we were flat-busted ass broke with absolutely no money to spare, I would play at friend's houses. I would play old AV consoles on those fat ass TVs. It's my oldest hobby besides reading, is the point here.
My point is I'm old enough to remember when gaming was a niche hobby that you could actually get bullied for. It was back when studios made games mostly out of passion, and not to sell to a broader audience. There wasn't really even such a thing as microtransactions. You bought a full and complete game. Blizzard released good products, actually (unbelievable, I know.) Games knew their audience, and there wasn't necessarily an assload of money in it, so it was mostly made out of love for the games and their community.
Gaming has grown in popularity over the last 10-20 years, and that can be an excellent thing! Really! It can be! But Baldur's Gate 3 winning game of the year brought something to my attention that has been driving me mad for a few days now. It's a concept I've found myself repeating for a long time, but barely just sort of sat down to analyze it:
Not everything is for you.
The last few winners of GOTY have had some... sour people be very upset. Not that this is uncommon, but especially the last few years. People saying Elden Ring is 'too hard,' people saying that Baldur's Gate 3 is nothing but pedantic dice rolls, etc. People who, in general, were very unhappy that these games did not appeal to them in particular, and they were very vocal about how these games should be changed to appeal to them personally.
What I'm saying is that these people, along with most others, were not there during the days of niche gaming, where when you didn't like a game, you didn't necessarily throw a tantrum and stamp your feet and demand that these games aren't good and that they need to change, but rather, you just... didn't play them. They weren't made for you.
We live in an age where absolutely everything is being scraped for every last dollar. Games that used to be made out of passion for their communities are now being made to sell, sell, sell as many copies as physically possible to everyone. If it won't pander to every last person, it's not going to be made. Things are being 'streamlined' to make the games appeal to anyone and everyone who might play them.
'Streamlined' in this case, means 'dumbed down.' As Bethesda famously says, KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.
Games that used to be a little bit more 'niche' and 'complex' like Morrowind, are now games like Skyrim, that are dumbed down to sell to everyone. They remove a lot of the aspects that made them beloved in the name of 'garnering a new and broader audience.' Older folks, adults, children, everyone. But this attitude of inclusivity isn't as great as it might seem initially. It isn't done out of community. It is done to get absolutely every last person possible to empty their wallet at the altar. To get every last fucking dollar out of everyone.
Games are passionless money pits. They sell you a half-baked, simple product that insults your intelligence. It's impossible to fail quests, because God forbid one person doesn't like that and asks for their money back. They won't touch on complex topics, because they don't want to cause a controversy that might drain their prospective bank account. They can't make things so intricate that God forbid a toddler might not understand them. They are milquettoast, miserable little games that appeal not even to people who enjoy games, but rather, people who don't.
Yes, they are making games to try and get money from people who don't even like them. They can't make anything nuanced or put a learning curve or put any actual work or fun into the game, because people who don't actually like playing games might realize "Hey, actually, I'm not enjoying this at all." and not give anymore money.
I'll get to the point.
Games being disliked by certain people is a good thing. It means those companies were unwavering on their vision and their loyalty to their fans. It means it was a game made from passion, and not just to be marketed and sold to literally every living person. They were made with their communities in mind, and no offense, but if you aren't one of the people that likes the things those communities stand for, maybe you should seek it elsewhere rather than trying to change something someone loves to suit you instead. You are not the demographic here.
You hear people that hate turnbased saying that Baldur's Gate 3 should not have been turnbased. Guess what? That's literally DnD. It's a DnD game. Don't like the lack of day cycles? Again, that's long resting in DnD. Pedantic dice rolls? That's fucking DnD, baby. Maybe you don't like it, but just because the game got popular does not mean it was made for you. Too much gay? Go away. Baldur's Gate was not made to sell copies to everyone. In fact, it was a relatively niche prospect that gained massive popularity near the end because of a scandal. I've been with them since Patch 2 of Early Access, and it very much was a passion project by people who loved DnD and TT games. They did not think it was going to hit this level of popularity, and they stuck to their guns even when it did. I cannot tell you how rare and remarkable that is.
Dark Souls is too hard? Maybe it's not the game for you. If you don't like certain design aspects, that's fine and okay! But Miyazaki and Fromsoft should not be forced to change their vision of their passion project because you personally do not like it. It was around before you, and they have a loyal community that does love the game just how it is. If you want a game with a difficulty slider, maybe you should play a game that has one. I'm sorry if you don't like the fundamentals of the game, but they exist for a reason, the community likes it, and no, it's not just for elitist reasons like I see all too often. You just do not understand because you don't like the game and do not like being told no for once by a company that has integrity.
I'm not trying to insult you. I'm being honest when I say that it's an attitude that is expected in the current climate where everything is changed when people complain the loudest because changing it means more money, and more money is the goal. These people are not your friends. Do not forget that. They are not changing it because they care about you. They are changing it because they think they can con you out of another dime.
People have a masochistic relationship with these companies. They have gotten used to being pandered to. They have gotten used to being sold a shitty game that everyone from their grandmother to their toddler niece and nephew can beat. And no, there's nothing wrong with games for everyone. But it's not because they wanted to make a game for everyone. It was because they wanted everyone's money.
People make hour long youtube videos about how Baldur's Gate would have been better if it was real time, and if it was more like this game and that game (namely games that pander to everyone) and then, in the same week, release a video bewailing that all games are so bad now and they don't understand why. They grasp that greed has a part in it, but they don't understand that they are directly contributing to the problem.
Games are bad because when everything is for everyone, nothing is truly for you. You won't have a chance to be passionate about anything, because on the off chance you find something you love, you will inevitably watch it die the same way that those of us who have been here forever did, because someone outside of the community doesn't like it, so it has to go because Christ forbid they don't sell two more copies.
And no, I am not talking about 'woke' or 'political correctness' so you alt-right weirdos can keep the fuck off of this post. I am talking about things like a lack of quest markers. Complex puzzles that you can fail. Political nuance. Things that take brainpower and are fun but not everyone likes.
Maybe not everything is for you. Maybe a game is allowed to exist even if you don't like it. Maybe communities are allowed to have their thing while you have yours. Maybe you have gotten so used to being pandered and catered to with every game being this blase, half-baked experience that is sorta liked by most, but... beloved by none. It's a forgettable, boring experience that garners no real loyalty, but at most a "Ha, that was alright." And then you put it on the shelf never to touch it again.
It means these companies aren't thinking of money; they are thinking of their communities. They are thinking of their fans and the people who love their games. Every time Miyazaki says 'no' to changing the formula that we love about his games, he is thinking of his loyalty to his community and his passion to the game. When Sven refuses to change aspects of the game to suit people who don't like DnD, he is staying loyal to the DnD community.
More companies should be doing this. Not less.
But consumers need to remember that one little creedo: Not everything is for me.
It can exist and I can exist. I do not have to play it and I do not have to enjoy it. It doesn't mean that it's bad. It means it's not for me. And that's fine.
#morgana and friends#im going nuts here I just had to say it#so many people whining about bg3 and dark souls and like#these are games I LOVE#and if you don't like them DON'T PLAY THEM#not everything has to be for you#this is a good thing#it means these studios CARE about the people in their community!#it means they aren't thinking with their wallets!#they are making games out of PASSION#something larian is actually famous for#and ill be damned if I have to sit and listen to another whiny toad whinge about how 'they don't like it so it should be changed'#im not tagging this cause I'm not railing for popularity points#I just had to get it out#back to your regularly scheduled filth
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Katniss is such an unreliable narrator. She says "Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don't think of District 12 as a place that cares about me" girl you deliver strawberries to the Mayor, you hunt and trade for the district, when you fell at Prim being chosen someone caught you, when you went to Prim people parted for you, when you volunteered EVERYONE stopped. Idk how to tell you but I think you're a pillar of the community.
#katniss everdeen#the hunger games trilogy#the hunger games#primrose everdeen#hunger games#batcavescolony reads the hunger games#suzanne collins#'now it seems i have become someone precious' NOW? GIRL BFFR you're their hunter girl#and this isn't negative just bffr girl#your WHOLE DISTRICT did the three finger salute that you yourself says means admiration thanks and goodbye to someone you love and on top is#old a rarely used. your WHOLE DISTRICT decided in that moment that they needed to bring back this sign of respect for YOU
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reminder to myself and whoever else needs it to stop feeding the machine. I'm aware I'm yelling into the void but look at the past couple years of games. They're pushing $70, $80, $100!!! for games that are completely unfinished, unpolished, and sometimes completely unplayable. Yes the game showcases were cool. The doom game looks sick and I don't even go there, but they're shaking the shiny keys to distract you and get you swept up in the hype. They're going to push so much fomo marketing to get you to jump for it full price.
Wait for sales. Wait and buy a used copy. Hell, wait a couple days (even hours!!!) after launch and reviews and breakdowns will start coming out. Our game backlogs are already packed, and mr big AAA studio can deal with some of us waiting to see if they actually delivered what was promised.
#I am whining to myself but preorder culture drives me insane#I love waiting ~2years after a game comes out and getting it for like $10#and all the patches are done! the updates are all there! dlc's out!#but feel free to reblog if you vibe#personal
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blehhh...
i made an aa/lawyersona of @snapscube :3 we all know and love the lawyer+silly girl duos of ace attorney but it's about time the silly girl became the lawyer
#that animation kicked my ass#SUPER fun though. i love ace attorney sprite work#i want to make my own aa ocs now...#but n e wayz hi olivia if youre seeing this i hope u have SO much fun with the rest of the games :]#i Will be keeping up with the aa liveblogging it helps keep me insane about ace attorney#bug art#snapcube#ace attorney#bug animated
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#this is so beautiful#i love the chinese languages and characters so much#from my understanding this would not be in a modern language that i could possibly read with standard chinese knowledge though#makes me wanna study chinese history and language history so bad ngl#language#art inspo#asia#games#peklo ref#fav
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1.6 is coming—see you march 19th!!! 🥹🌱
#stardew valley#can you imagine pouring blood sweat & tears into a game#releasing it for like $15#and then working for 8 more years to add more content without asking for a cent more#for what could have easily been several dlc packs#i love you stardew valley i love you concernedape i love you indie games thank you for being my home all these years#EDIT: added image ID in the alt!!
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It's a rough world out there for people who were teenagers during the exact slice of gaming history where indie video games had become feasible to develop and distribute globally, but the definition of "indie" didn't yet encompass corporate studios and million-dollar budgets. They'll tell you their favourite game when they were a kid was, like, a point-and-click visual novel whose protagonist dreams they're a vast formless sea monster that learns about the concept of colours after finding a discarded helium balloon, or a hypertext fiction/precision platformer hybrid exploring gender as a mechanism of social control, and you think they're either being pretentious or deliberately fucking with you, but no, that's just what the indie gaming scene was like for a couple of years there. The sea monster thing got a front-page feature on the same site that made Bloons Tower Defense a household name – it was literally played by millions of people.
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Wolverine being a confirmed boy kisser by Hugh Jackman.
#I’m a gaslighter I know. I’m trying to change my deceiving ways#I love how actors stay in mind of their characters and he’s like ‘with my boyfriend’ sir stop PLAYING MIND GAMES with me ughh#hugh jackman#he did it audience dude and HE’LL do it again#deadpool 3#deadpool and wolverine#logan howlett#wolverine#xmen#poolverine#deadclaws#Interviewers is just like me hmm hmm#Fanboy: Don't do it Wolverine!#WOLVERINE: YES
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ROBLOX PRESSURE FAN GAMERS UNITE !!!!
#I LOVE THIS GAME ALOT#BUT IT RUINED ME CUZ I CANT LOOK AT FLICKERING LIGHTS THE SAME.#my art#art#digital art#artwork#digital illustration#digitalart#digital drawing#drawing#artist#my artwork#roblox pressure#pressure roblox#roblox#roblox games#fanart#sebastian solace#Sebastian#sebstanedit#eyefestation#shark#digital doodle#doodles#meme#art meme#anglerfish#monsters#silly#illustration
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Somwhere before God Games
#I love these two so much#Telemachus deserves nice things and nice things only#epic the musical#epic the musical fanart#odyssey#jorge rivera herrans#epic musical#epic the wisdom saga#athena#telemachus#god games#art#wisdom saga
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miku.
#she lost my patreon poll by ONE VOTE so i took pity and drew her too#she so cute#love her#hatsune miku#vocaloid hatsune#hatsune fanart#hatsune#miku hatsune#vocaloid#fanart#illustration#art#digital art#artist#my art#anime#gaming
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my favorite genre of games is the one where you can gather a team of idiots and wander around with them doing sidequests
#this game is like everything i love in dragon age but mooore#and it also has a sexy elf with a tragic background and a funny mage with a proneness to blow up#baldur's gate 3#bg3#bg3 astarion#bg3 karlach#bg3 gale#bg3 lae'zel#bg3 shadowheart#bg3 halsin#bg3 tav#bg3 fanart#baldurs gate 3
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#bg3#bg3 memes#baldur's gate 3#i feel like everytime i start a new game i need to make memes for it lol#anyway i love every companion so far#i'm sorry jaheira and minsc i have not gotten that far yet :( and i know nothing about minthara lol
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hecate
(print)
#my art#i love old woman angst#i love her#and baby meli was so fun to draw#im still pretty early in the game btw i havent beaten chronos yet i hope this isnt inaccurate in some way#hades game#hades 2#hades ii#hades spoilers#hades 2 spoilers#hades fanart#hades supergiant#hecate#melinoe#melinoë
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There’s a good man within you Arthur, but he is wrestling with a giant
#he’s gritty and an asshole but not much different than his high honour counterpart#the cutscenes are pretty much the same#but it gives me a different perspective on him and the game#idk I love him#red dead redemption 2#low honor arthur morgan#arthur morgan#rdr2 arthur#rdr2 fanart#rdr2#high honor arthur morgan#red dead redemption fanart#red dead redemption two#I love low honour Arthur
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