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Ten Gaming Myths Debunked
ThinSkin writes "The Playstation 3 will fail. Video games are too violent. Copy protection is the beginning of the end for gaming. These myths and others are the target for Loyd Case over at ExtremeTech as he takes ten gaming myths apart and debunks them. From the article:
'Rumors are partly due to the nature of the overheated coverage that's the rule of the day on Internet sites. Rumors spread, become accepted as fact and remain embedded in people's belief systems long after the actual facts have emerged. There also seems to be relatively little historical perspective among some writers, which can alleviate breathless hype, either positive or negative.'"
How can he know the PS3 will not fail? Is... is he going to give me $600?
Regular Meta Moderators are not more likely to get mod points.
Since when is blog commentary considered myth debunking?
I'm happy to say that with Javascript disabled I didn't give him any ad impressions for that drivel apparently deemed Slashdot-worthy. I have a vertical scrollbar for a reason -- and that reason certainly isn't to click "Next page".
The Playstation 3 will Fail
PC Games are Doomed
You Need a $500 Graphics Card
Console Games are for Twitch Gamers
Handheld Games are for Kids
Console Games are Too Simple
PC Games are Too Complicated
PC Copy Protection is Too Onerous
Games are Too Violent
I'm Embarrassed About Gaming
...but it will sure as hell not do very well. When seriously hardcore gamers, like the Penny Arcade guys, says that no way will they buy it at launch, you have a problem. Sure, the initial batch of consoles will sell out, they always do, but there is no way it can threaten the 360 in dominance. The Xboxs online stuff alone will probably make it more popular (and yes, I know Sony is launching its own thing (PS HUB, is it? or have they changed it?) but I doubt that it will be as good as Micrsofts).
True, the Playstation brand has some cachet in Japan, and even some in the states and Europe. But weighing that against $600 (and even more in Europe) will ensure it a perpetual second or third place in the rankings. I guarantee it.
Myth 11: Breaking up an article into little bitty chunks and failing to provide a printer-friendly view motivates people to read your content.
Blerg.
WHen I saw the headline, I was afrad that someone had stumbled on Henry Jenkins "Video Game Myths Debunked" had been rediscovered once again and posted. (Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the article, but it just gets discovered every once in a while as if it were a new article).
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
So on the first page I read this.
I've been following interactive games for nearly two decades now, both as a gamer and as someone who writes about gear that PC gamers use.
Than I get to the second page and read this.
I'm not much of a Sony fan, and never owned a Playstation 2.
That is where I stopped reading. How am I suppose to take someone opinion seriously when they aren't even a serious counsel gamer. No offense, but there is a very different world between that of a counsel and that of a PC, and a very fine line as well. A fine line that has long been crossed with a 600 dollar price tag and a trail of broken promises. It is very hard to take this artical seriously whatsoever.
This entire article reads like "Here is something no one really believes in the first place, and here is why it isn't true." This isn't "debunking myths", this is taking things that MAY have been true about gaming 10 years ago, and listing common sense exceptions that anyone reading the games section of
From TFA:
I don't know about you, but I've never thought of gaming as an embarrassment. Especially when today, the game industry does more in sales than Hollywood. How many people are embarrassed about enjoying movies (certain prequels of certain sci-fi trilogies notwithstanding)? I, for one, am embarrassed I took the time to read this.
...is not a myth. It's a personal opinion.
For some people, no video game is too violent; for others, even Pac-Man is way too 62% violent.
If you disagree with me on social issues, then it's pretty clear that you are a narrow-minded bigot.
This gets bandied about all the time, and I wonder if anyone saying it ever stops to think.
PC and console games tend to be different because the systems have different capabilities. Your PC's monitor has, traditionally, crammed a lot more pixels onto the screen than your TV's. This has tended to favor genres that need a lot of screen real-estate, like RTS, and the genres that typically go heaviest on the eye candy, like FPS. Furthermore, every PC comes equipped with a keyboard and mouse (spare me the pedantry of your 8086 not having a mouse), which gives a more precise control setup than a typical gamepad. What needs precision in control more than anything? FPS games. Hence, the PC has dominated RTS and FPS, while the console has played to its strengths (or, at least, to minimize its weaknesses), giving us menu-based RPGs, sports, platformers, and the like.
But think about it - HDTV? A 1080p TV is pushing a lot more pixels than most peoples' monitors. Even at 720p, you've got a whole lot of pixels on that screen. And the consoles are taking advantage. RTS is looking more and more feasible on the console. Meanwhile, they've got the "ooh, wow, eye candy!" effect from the resolution increase. So does anyone think it's really a major stretch to see a KBM setup on a console? Hell, the Xbox already has one! And for all we (no pun intended) know, the Wiimote is going to blow the KBM setup out of the water for FPS gameplay.
So, I'm not saying the PC is dying, but looking at this zomg pc gamez r difrent then console games argument: the gameplay experiences are different because of the hardware differences, and the hardware differences are decreasingly significant.
The PC once had exclusive dominion over online play, superior control, superior display, and moddability, at the expense of higher cost and (potentially) having to deal with the headache of PC hardware/compatibility issues.
Now, the consoles have online play. They've got the great displays, and tentatively, even better control, with none of the hassles of PC gaming.
The only thing the PC's got a leg up on, now, is moddability, and with the likes of XBL, how long can we expect that to last, maybe this generation?
If failure means 'fail to utterly dominate the market like PS and PS2', which is certainly a valid criteria, then it does seem like PS3 is definitely going to fail. Note that you can get a 51% market share, which would be plenty good for any companies not named Sony, and still be considered a failure relative to the PS and PS2.
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BTW, I find it disturbing that this fellow feels that there's no way Sony will lose third party support. It's already happening *before* the console is launched. If they lose much more *after* the console's launch, the console may very well "fail".
As a sweeping statement, I agree that it's too broad. However, I feel compelled to argue that PC Games lack a lot of the popularity and developer support that once existed. Rather than having titles that are uniquely suited to the PC, we're instead faced with titles that are designed to be ported to consoles. The result is that the PC Platform is missing all the fresh titles that would push gaming into new realms. PCs are quickly falling back into business and communications machines with Indie, Web Based, and Casual titles providing less sweeping amusements.
Where did he pull this one from? Hardcore gamers want a $500 graphics card, but I've never seen it advertised that you need a $500 graphics card for your inexpensive gaming machine. NVidia and ATI have budget lines for the occasional gamer.
He thinks Tomb Raider: Legends is an example of a non-twitch game? Um, Civilization? Sim City? The Sims? Methinks this is what is meant by "non-twitch" games. In any case, this idea died with the SNES. (Populous, Sim City, and several other good non-twitch games.) He needs to get with the program.
This "myth" is no longer a "myth". It's blindingly obvious that the PSP isn't targetted at 8 year old Jimmy.
Is it just me, or is this guy REALLY behind the curve? Again, PC Games and Console Games are the same games these days! There are very few PC exclusives anymore. So I don't know where he's getting this idea that people think this. Unless, that is, he's pulling from his 10-years-out-of-date knowledge on PCs vs. Consoles.
This isn't a myth. As games target higher age groups, they quickly gain a lot of "adult" content in the form of violence and sexuality. Max Payne pops to mind as a game that was quite disturbing. Similarly, the new 360 title Gears of War is full of disturbing imagery like corpses hanging from hooks. Just because he's playing the Sims doesn't mean that games aren't getting more violent. Then again, just because violent games exist, doesn't mean that games like The Sims don't exist. My only wish is that there'd be a bit more diversification than there is today. Far too many titles (especially for the 360) target "Mature" audiences.
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None of these are even remotely qualifiable as "myths."
The Playstation 3 will Fail - This is still wild speculation either way, until it is released and either does well or flops. Either way, speculation on the future is not a myth.
PC Games are Doomed - Groundless FUD, not a myth.
You Need a $500 Graphics Card - Not a myth for even the most basic Slashdotter with the slightest grasp on the subject.
Console Games are for Twitch Gamers - See above.
Handheld Games are for Kids - See above.
Console Games are Too Simple - See above.
PC Games are Too Complicated - See above.
PC Copy Protection is Too Onerous - Mostly a subjective argument, and too widely ranged a subject to debate in one chunk. It's an issue, not a myth.
Games are Too Violent - See above.
I'm Embarrassed About Gaming - See above.
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How am I suppose to take someone opinion seriously when they aren't even a serious counsel gamer. No offense, but there is a very different world between that of a counsel and that of a PC
My wife is in counseling psychology. She plays games, so I would consider her a serious counsel gamer and she thinks the PS3 is not going to succeed. Also, you are very correct that there is a big difference between counsel and a PC. However, with the Internet, I get a lot of counsel from my PC, so I guess it really is a fine line.
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Are they trying to say anyone ever believed in these "myths"? I can't pick out anything that any normal person would actually believe.
1. The Playstation 3 will Fail
Huh? What's the difference between this playstation and the last one? This scenario is exactly like when the PS2 was introduced: nothing really ground-breaking, better graphics, new media options, better controllers... and people still bought the PS2. I see no reason the PS3 won't do just as well.
2. PC Games are Doomed
Who the hell ever said that? I can't even fathom where that idea came from.
3. You Need a $500 Graphics Card
When has that ever been true? You need a mid-range ($150-$200) video card for top-notch graphics and performance. That has been true for nearly a decade. As new games come out and need better graphics cards, new graphics cards come out and push down the price of the older ones.
4. Console Games are for Twitch Gamers
Huh? Consoles are for platformers, auto-aim shooters, and RPGs. Where does "twitch" come into play there? The console controller doesn't lend itself to 'twich gameplay' at all. A computer mouse, on the other (twitchy) hand...
5. Handheld Games are for Kids
I've heard "video games are for kids" but nothing about handheld games specifically. Why would handheld games (the majority of which are styled after, or are remakes of, old console games) be treated differently than a TV-based console game?
6. Console Games are Too Simple
Huh? You mean the few console-only games? Most games on consoles are ports of PC games, or vice versa.
7. PC Games are Too Complicated
How is this even it's own entry? Isn't this just the inverse for the last "myth"?
8. PC Copy Protection is Too Onerous
That is true. Just being there is too onerous for my tastes. Strangely though, there's no mention of the extraordinarily more onerous 'console game copy protection'.
9. Games are Too Violent
Is Jack Thompson still alive?
10. I'm Embarrassed About Gaming
I can't imagine anyone being embarrassed about playing video games. Perhaps there's some shame in 14-hour WoW sessions, but with the general "coolness" regarded to video games over the last five years or so, I can't see anyone hiding the fact that they play Mario on occasion.
Unless they meant "myths" like 'believed by a few crackpots who have no idea what their talking about', then yes - these certainly ARE myths.
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11. Duke Nuke'em will actually be finished and brought to market sometime in the next decade.
Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
>> "I'm not much of a Sony fan, and never owned a Playstation 2. But I think the Playstation 3 will do just fine."
Direct translation:
>> "I am an idiot."
Now go click on the sidebar ads, and the pop-ups, and flips through all the pages of that crap so he can get more hits.
I'm not sure someone going by the name Hentai has any ground to stand on there. You'd have been perfectly happy if it were called the Nintendo Tentacle Fuck.