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Have you played? Do you enjoy it?

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by
Loony BoB
, 10-14-2010 at 10:37 AM (5141 Views)
This is a (long, now that I finished!) rant about trolling! And also perhaps people who are just easily frustrated by a video game and like to talk about it a lot.

Obviously (for some, not all - but yeah, note the category this blog is in!), this stems from my recent reading of / posting in a few forums throughout the web.

Basically, I'm wondering how many people have a purpose in going to a forum to slate a game they don't like. I can understand people who do like the game but don't like parts of it slating those parts, but a few people here and a massive amount of people at other forums I go to don't tend to point out the parts that make them like the game despite this. My challenge to them is to ask them why they are still posting in that game's forum. Do they post in the forums for all games they don't like, doing similar things, or is there a special reason they feel the need to post in that specific one?

I don't like FFX that much. I've posted in the forum occasionally, sure. I've expressed my dislike for the characters. I've actually enjoyed a lot of the game though, and have also pointed out the things I find good about it. But in the end, I found myself not liking the game much and therefore decided to not post regularly in that forum. If others enjoy it, good for them - they shouldn't have to validate their interest in the game to me, though. They shouldn't have to defend the game. Maybe they can debate specific parts of the game, but some people aren't there for that.

There is the commonly touted "I want to like the game, but..." - no! No no no! This is silly. I'm sure you could want to like every game in the world. Hell, there are few reasons out there to not want to like a game they have access to (the biggest probably being elitism, dislike of an idea behind a game or something the game represents) on some level, but really, if you find yourself not liking the game - wanting to or not - then you just don't like it. It's not for you. Time to move on.

ANALOGY TIME! I mean, I want to like mushrooms, but I don't. Simple as that. Mushrooms are in a lot of meals I otherwise thing I'd really like. Same with asparagus. Still, I can't have them. I want to have them but know I won't like them because of the mushrooms and asparagus. Does that mean I wander about telling everyone they shouldn't like that meal? That they should hate it because it has mushrooms and asparagus? Hell no. If they like it, great. Some people then go on to say "But if I raise hell over the fact that there are mushrooms, maybe the mushrooms will get removed by the chef!" Well, maybe. But then there may well be a lot of people out there who liked the mushrooms wanting the mushrooms back. Perhaps you just need to start focusing on a different meal - one you like! END ANALOGY TIME! Okay, back to where I was. Yes, I edited in this paragraph after doing the rest of the entry. Heh. This may mean I may repeat myself. If so, oops!

"But I have my right to post in this forum and warn people to not buy it!" - Why would you do that? I'm sure I don't like a few games that other people like. I don't think there is any point in me trying to convince others to buy the game. What makes me the master of knowing what others want? If there are people out there enjoying the game then let them do just that.

To me, it's just frustration and trolling. Frustration at buying a game or investing time - even merely investing interest - in a game that they found out wasn't to their tastes. There are games out there which aren't to my tastes. I move on. It's okay, there are other games out there. This is a single game.

Some people then point out that they are trying to change Square Enix's style of gaming, when it comes to FFXIV/FFXIII. But again, what about the other people who like this style? Leave it, man. Stop buying games from Square Enix if you feel they're consistently bad. I sure as hell wouldn't spend money on a series if I felt they were becoming consistently bad. Spend your money on things you feel you'll actually enjoy!

Some people will scoff at a game despite not playing it. This, for me, is the ultimate troll. Just go. Really. I mean, they go "but I've seen how the game works" or "but my friend plays and..." - so what? Let your friend post if he/she wants to. If not, leave it. As for seeing the game, seeing is never the same as experiencing the game first-hand, otherwise none of us would buy a game, we'd just watch someone's replay of it on YouTube. That's stupid. I can't think of a better word for it. It's just stupid. If they have the cash to spare, they want to buy a game, they have access to the game and the system it plays on... they'll buy the game, not watch a YouTube video. Think of your favourite game. Would you have enjoyed it and learned everything about the gaming experience if you had simply watched it on YouTube? Perhaps you should begin posting at IMDb.

Basically, if you like another game better, play that game. If you think there are dozens of better alternatives, play those games. If you feel that you have completed all of those games and want another game to play... and that this is your only option... do something else, play another game genre. Maybe even do something outside of gaming and posting on forums. There's a whole wide world out there, and if you can afford to play every RPG (or whatever genre you prefer) released, perhaps you might consider investing in travel. It may open your eyes to other things and other people you could spend your time with when there are no games released that are to your liking.

If you do like the game, post about it.
If you don't like the game, post about it once or twice and move on.
If you want to like it, but don't, then you don't like it. See above.
If you like the game but don't enjoy the game, trust me, you don't like it. See above about wanting to like it.
If you do like the game but don't like certain things about it, post about the things you don't like but also post about the things you like.

Yeah, I suppose I'm about done now. Can't quite think of anything else to say, really. xD Yay for repeating myself repeatedly.
Categories
Eyes on Final Fantasy , Final Fantasy XIV

Comments

  1. NeoCracker's Avatar
    I will take that long rant you made, ignore the last half of it, and tell exactly why the vast majority of people do this in a simple one sentance response that renders all of your rant moot.

    Bitching is fun.
  2. Loony BoB's Avatar
    Really? I find it a good release if I'm annoyed by something but I rarely find it fun. Why do you think they find it fun? The bitching itself, or the reaction?
  3. NeoCracker's Avatar
    Depends. I like the bitching itself. And the arguments that involve nothing but bitching afterwords.

    I do admit, the reaction is sometimes amusing, but it's not really a factor in if I'll bitch about something.
  4. Loony BoB's Avatar
    Fair enough. I don't like bitching for the sake of bitching. I bitch to vent - pretty much like the above blogpostthing. But once I'm done, I'm usually done. Unless someone starts a debate out of it in which case I'm never done because nobody wins a debate on the internet.
  5. NeoCracker's Avatar
    Depends entirely on how you define winning a debate.
  6. Loony BoB's Avatar
    Making the other person apologise and send me a gift hamper with a note talking about how wrong they were. Why, how do you define winning a debate?
  7. Yeargdribble's Avatar
    I can't help but suspect I'm partially to blame for the inspiration of this blog entry. To a large degree I agree with you. I too am frustrated by those who want nothing more than to rain on others' parades. That quote from "The Dark Knight" is so applicable. "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

    I've resigned myself to the fact that there are a lot of people who really delight in causing misery in others or being miserable themselves or both in concert. This frustrates me to no end that some people just like to stir the pot. This is far from relegated only to games and tends to be much worse in other discussions. That's why I like EoEO so much. People who want to be silly or antagonistic for the sake of it... can't.

    I'm with you in that I don't actively seek out forums of games I dislike just to complain (though I see it often). If people are enjoying it, that's fine by me and I'm glad they are. Of course, I wonder where your dichotomy lies in regards to people having issues with games. My recent posts to the FFXIV forum may seem counter to what I've said here, but if you look at it, I'm not really talking about the game (something I think a lot of people keep missing). I'm talking about SE as a company the same way I would talk about being frustrated with a politician who didn't follow through on something... or about bigoted Americans who haven't learned through years of history that discriminating against gay people is no different than having done so to women and people of color before them.

    I think there's always room for dissenting opinion, because it makes us grow to face ideas that don't match our own. But that brings the question of how fruitful such a thing can be in the face of a game that's already been produced... Well how fruitful is it to fret about politics of the stupidity of people in general? Probably even less so.

    Sadly, I don't think (at least I hope not) your post is referring to those who want to have reasonable discussion, but more about those who just want to s**t on a game they don't like. Most of them want to be smug and superior because they think they are better people for hating it and want to express how much better they are than you because they don't like it. They are like hipsters of gaming with more of a douchey bro-jock attitude.

    Once again... "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
  8. Loony BoB's Avatar
    There are those such as yourself who criticise FFXIV (and/or SE) a lot at EoFF, but I assure you, it's about a hundred times worse at places like Core. I read the forums there to keep up with news and whatnot but it's like wading through crap looking for dirt. Very difficult to find what you're after and most of the time it's still got crap running through it anyway. There are some great people there but they're largely outshadowed by the trolls, the fanboys (both Blizzard and Square-Enix fanboys, that is) and of course the lack of action done towards those that blatantly troll or flame each other. I'd appreciate the place more if it had better moderation, I think. I like EoFF because we're largely reasonable here.
  9. Yeargdribble's Avatar
    Oh no doubt. That's why I like EoFF and EoEO in general. I spend a good deal of time on other forums but don't even try to have reasonable discussion. Gaming boards are the worst. Most often it feels like the lowest echelon of the 13 year-old XBL players infest these places just to tell everyone else how stupid they are and throw in pejoratives as often as possible.

    I used to visit Core regularly, but haven't in some time. It turned into a horrible place. BG (Order of the Blue Gartr) is much better. It's a very old and far more mature board originally of FFXI players. They don't take as much crap, but even there you can find problems. Also, BG, being what it is, is a very elitist place, so it's hard to discuss anything on the ground floor, but at least you know all of the discussion will be largely intelligent.

    I'd suggest you at least check them out if you're frustrated with Core.
  10. Raistlin's Avatar
    I generally ignore the the forums of the games I don't like (which means FFX and FFVIII have very, very few posts from me over the years). But I also enjoy discussions, and there may be games where I like some parts but don't like others.

    I think you're drawing too strict a line between "liking" and "not liking" a game. It's not that simple. For instance, FF7's writing is really, really crappy. I have ranted about it in the FF7 forum before. But I enjoy the characters and gameplay and parts of the story.

    I guess what I'm trying to say is: there's a difference between just talking bad crap about a game (the recent troll seifer in the FFXIII forum comes to mind) and discussing/criticizing specific parts of the game. The latter should never be discouraged.
  11. Loony BoB's Avatar
    I'm not drawing a strict line between them. That's why I have that little bit at the end which includes "If you do like the game but don't like certain things about it, post about the things you don't like but also post about the things you like." Basically my rant is about people who clearly don't like the game and scoff at the game at every turn, constantly going on about everything they can possibly find bad about the game and even turning what most people see as a good thing into a bad thing. Basically, trolls.
  12. Jessweeee♪'s Avatar
    This post made me realize that I use food analogies when talking about different Final Fantasy games too much. "Tomatoes are enjoyable. Potatoes are enjoyable. Some people only like one of the two, some like both, some like neither. If someone decides to stop selling tomatoes and start selling potatoes, a few of their customers will stop buying, and some new ones will be like 'Yeah. Yeah I like potatoes. Gimme those.'" Everyone who wants tomatoes will just have to accept the fact that potatoes are not tomatoes and look elsewhere to buy their tomatoes.