The situation is becoming dire
The situation is becoming dire
Editorial - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Thu 7 April 2011, 18:54:57
Tags: Scars of WarWhat situation you may ask? The direction in which the mainstream game developers move and the lack of excitement and feeling of reward when playing modern offerings. Let Gareth Fouche, of the Scars of War varporware fame, explain his feelings to you.
In operational conditioning, the subject is given a reward after performing an action associated with a stimulus. A light flashes, the bird pecks a lever, food pops out. Repeat enough and the behavioral response to the stimulus becomes ingrained and is performed even when the reward is removed.
That’s what I’m feeling like, as a gamer. I’ve got a fair amount of disposable income, if there is a game I really want I can buy it without hesitation. And I do. In fact, I tend to feel drawn to buy games I hear about more now than when I was a kid. But the payoff is so rarely there these days. I feel like I’m seeing a light (game trailer), performing an action out of habit (going out and buying the game) and then staring disappointedly at where the reward is supposed to come out from. Occasionally a ‘nugget’ or two of enjoyment is dropped by the game industry machine, but it’s nothing like the emotional payoff I used to receive. If anything, dissatisfaction is growing over time, I become more eager to re-experience that old high with every fresh disappointment. Like a junkie wishing for the rush of that first fix.
Is it me, have I changed?
Gareth apparently wasn't emotionally engaged by Dragon Age 2, and it made him sad. What do we learn from that, Laidlaw? The game wasn't welcoming enough. Obviously.
In operational conditioning, the subject is given a reward after performing an action associated with a stimulus. A light flashes, the bird pecks a lever, food pops out. Repeat enough and the behavioral response to the stimulus becomes ingrained and is performed even when the reward is removed.
That’s what I’m feeling like, as a gamer. I’ve got a fair amount of disposable income, if there is a game I really want I can buy it without hesitation. And I do. In fact, I tend to feel drawn to buy games I hear about more now than when I was a kid. But the payoff is so rarely there these days. I feel like I’m seeing a light (game trailer), performing an action out of habit (going out and buying the game) and then staring disappointedly at where the reward is supposed to come out from. Occasionally a ‘nugget’ or two of enjoyment is dropped by the game industry machine, but it’s nothing like the emotional payoff I used to receive. If anything, dissatisfaction is growing over time, I become more eager to re-experience that old high with every fresh disappointment. Like a junkie wishing for the rush of that first fix.
Is it me, have I changed?
