Confessions of a casual player

First of all, a bit about myself. Isn't that what they usually do, to give you some background stuff to let you know where I'm from and all that? So to be quick, I got my first computer back in the good, old 80s ZX Spectrum and Tiki 100, before moving on to Commodore 64 and Amiga. Then it was PCs, where I am now. There's also been a few consoles down the road, like the first Gameboy, the occasional Sega and Nintendo, as well as my beloved Playstation 1, 2, 3 and (in a few months) 4. So I guess you can say I've been around a while.

And on top of that, I'm a female gamer. Yes, they do exist. And they have existed a long time. Ever heard of a woman named Roberta Williams? She made a game called Mystery House way back in 1980 with her husband, and she's been a pioneer within adventure-games until she retired in the late 1990s. So yeah, women do play games, too.

Anyway, to get to the point. I've been around for a while, and I was there back in the Wolfenstein 3D days. For all you kids today, that was the first proper FPS - even pre-dating Doom, which is often rated as the first modern FPS. Heck, I was there back in the early 1980s with Ant Attack on the ZX Spectrum, which is often rated the first 3D game. Not 3D as in you-gotta-wear-glasses, but with a 3D world. Today, we call it a 2D isometric world, like in Diablo and those days. Or bird's eye view, if you want. And please hang in there, there's a point in all this.

The point? I'm a very casual gamer, due to several reasons. I've been around long enough to have seen more or less all there is too see (more on that soon), and my body isn't what it used to be. I don't have as quick reflexes as I used to have due to my age (late 30s), and my eyes are a bit crappy. I can't even finish New Super Mario Bros U on Wii U, due to my fingers not being what they used to. But what do you expect after being run over by a car? I'm just glad I'm still alive. ;) But anyway, I quickly loose interest in games if I have to stick to the story, so I prefer wandering off and doing whatever I please. That's why MMOs are my favorite games - or they used to, at least. A MMO doesn't really have a goal, other than the story. I can wander off and do whatever I please, and most of the time, I do just that. Back in SW: Old Republic, I was a lot happer to go dancing with my companion than to chase down yet another set of badguys. In LotRO, I spent more time decorating my house and crafting a new cake, than chasing down the next quest. But so what? That's what MMORPGs used to be all about, back in the good, old days. Now it seems it's all about reaching max level as quickly as you can, just so you can brag about it and move on to another game. What happeend to casual gamers?

As I said, I've seen it all before, too. i have saved the world far too many times to count. I've rescued princess Peach dozens of times. I've defeated the villain over and over. I've even become the villain several times. I don't care about the next alien invasion, or the next world-threatening disaster. Been there, done that. But what I never get bored of is exploring new worlds in new games, and again, that's why MMOs should be awesome. And yet... what use is the perfect MMO, when the community is worse than ever?

Sadly, that's the state of this game for me. There are a few decent people around, but most of the people both in the game and on the forum aren't even worth my time. I always get the feeling that this is a shooter, so if you can't shoot, you're not welcome. Well, I can shoot. I might not hit every time, but I can shoot. And I can have a damn good time doing it, if you let me do it my way. And isn't that what's supposed to be the most important part of the game? Aren't we supposed to be able to have fun? They even put time trials in Defiance, just so we could do something else than just shoot stuff. I really appreciate that, and have had a lot of fun in them. I just wish there was more stuff to do. It's not that I don't like shooting stuff. I know this game is more or less all about shooting stuff, and I enjoy it a lot. But why does it have to be so freakin' competitive all the time?

Take Jackleg Joe, as an example. I've reached that guy twice, but I can't do it. I won't even try anymore. But the real problem isn't that I can defeat him. No, the real problem is all the crap I've received on the forum after asking for advice on how to kill him. A few people does give me useful advice (that sadly didn't help), but most just spit in my face and call me a looser. Why does it have to be like this? Why is it so wrong that I want a more casual approach for casual players? Why does games have to be so hardcore that you are either an expert already, or you're not welcome? The sad thing is we oldies built all this for the kids, and now the kids are kicking us out. Talk about being grateful...

So anyway, I guess I'll end here. I won't be around on the forum much, though I might check in from time to time to see if the game has changed for the better. I have given up on the community as a whole (though there are nice people here, as I said), but I do hope the developers at least can appreciate that there are casual players here too. I guess I'm just trying to tell you all where I'm from and all that, so you can try to act nicer to each other the next time you run into a stranger who's asking for help. The world doesn't evolve around you personally. It evolves around us all.

Im not the raging,insulting type,but im guilty of being more on the hardcore side of the spectrum myself. I have no idea how things have progressed on the gaming scene as a whole toward elitism and the like, but my idea is that the online element has brought gaming to another level.

With the emergence of pvp shooters/rts/etc we have the advent of clans and gaming leagues to give them a place to compete in (CPL,MLG,WCG,etc). Heck, we even have people (Fatal1ty,Walgy,T Squared) and teams (comPlexity,Final Boss,Str8 rippin) known in some circles as celebrities.

With the pull of MMORPGs and other MMOs (including the odd MUSH) we have elitism in the form of competing guilds(EVE Online<havent played but researched it>),guilds with huge ambitions that end up expanding exponentially(the Syndicate), and alot of other guilds and players who just have to get that top tier gear (shinies,purples,oranges,etc).

Single Player games have some people being competitive but usually in the form of achievements/trophies that are tied to online profiles in a way or in some regular game-related feat that is based on the gaming culture which has still been heavily influenced by the online scene

I'm impressed you decided to type so much. I didn't read it as I was vastly overwhelmed... and too lazy. I did read a little bit of it, the more important part and it appears you are taking a break from the game due to the way the community treats you.

I've learked around before deciding to finally sign up on the forums and noticed that the majority are not very nice. However, I suspect that to change as the game develops. Those people who are rude and such will finally fall off the edge of the earth and we will be left with the nicer portion with a couple trolls here and there.

I also recommend finding a clan the fits you.

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Originally Posted by Digital Tetsuo

Im not the raging,insulting type,but im guilty of being more on the hardcore side of the spectrum myself. I have no idea how things have progressed on the gaming scene as a whole toward elitism and the like, but my idea is that the online element has brought gaming to another level.

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Originally Posted by Clown

I'm impressed you decided to type so much. I didn't read it as I was vastly overwhelmed... and too lazy. I did read a little bit of it, the more important part and it appears you are taking a break from the game due to the way the community treats you.

I've learked around before deciding to finally sign up on the forums and noticed that the majority are not very nice. However, I suspect that to change as the game develops. Those people who are rude and such will finally fall off the edge of the earth and we will be left with the nicer portion with a couple trolls here and there.

I also recommend finding a clan the fits you.

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The gaming scene has definitely changes, yes. But why does it have to get more and more narrow? People have always loved to compete against each other, and people have always wanted to be the best. That's why we chase the best jobs. That's why we worship professional athletes, and that's why we love celebrities. But just because people want to be the best at something, it doesn't mean we should forget to have fun. And even more important, it should not mean there aren't any room for those who aren't "good enough". I am not a hardcore player, and definitely not an elite player. But why does that mean there are less games for me to enjoy now? Why does "shooter" always have to mean competitive games, or games for the hardcore only? I was around when shooters were born, with games like Wolfenstein and Doom. Back then, first-person shooters used to be a lot of fun. Sure, we had our competitive deathmatches already back then, and yes, I sucked as much back then as I do now. But back in those days, each match always ended the same way: One person won, one person lost - and yet both have an awesome time. That's why we played in the first place. We had fun. Now it seems we only have fun when we are on the winning side, and even then it's usually more work than it's worth. Basically it comes down to getting angry because you're loosing, or not enjoying winning, because someone else will take the leading positiing away form you if you relax a bit. Where's the fun in that?

The irony of it all is that people gets frustrated all the time because games gets more mainstream. This doesn't quite make sense. Even Defiance is a good example of that. If you don't think it's aimed at the mainstream audience, consider this: It's on console. If it was for the hardcore only, it would be on PC only. The entire reason why we have consoles are because they are aimed at the mainstream audience. But again, if games get more and more mainstreamed and "simplified", why, then, are there less and less "acceptable" people playing them? Take Heroes of Newerth, as an example. When I first started it, I had the nerve to spent two whole minutes getting used to the controls and my skills before deciding on what to do. In those two minutes, I got so much crap from both teams that I quit and haven't looked back. That my own team got angry because I didn't do anything is one thing, but the other team too? They should be happy I was giving them an easy victory, but I was the "wrong" kind of player, apparently. I fear this is getting more and more common, and sadly, I see a lot of that in Defiance too.

Yes, I could find a clan, but what's the point? I thought MMOs were meant for lots of people? If I have to join a clan, it means they are not for everyone. They are for a small group of friends, and that's it.

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Originally Posted by SonicBoom

Yes, I could find a clan, but what's the point? I thought MMOs were meant for lots of people? If I have to join a clan, it means they are not for everyone. They are for a small group of friends, and that's it.

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This just hurts me.

İpek Yavuz (and her husband) gave me Mount & Blade, for that I'll always be grateful to female gamers. If you're in a coop mission with me, I wouldn't mind if you just stood there staring at the pixels of a cave wall, or reciting the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. If you provide the least damage, or the most. If you revive the most people, or the least.

I'm here to be a part of the story of your life, just as you are part of mine. Forget keycodes and purple drops, I'll be there to lift you by the armpits, pop you back on your feet and keep my back to yours for the rest of the instance.

And I've not even a clan.

The vocal and insulting are part of any community, but there are many more people who will help and support you wherever they are able, and within reason.

These two threads have most information about that particular mission if you ever want to try and beat it again in the future. 1 2

I recommend doing so, because there are some interesting cutscenes you've yet to see. Unless you prefer to youtube it. I've done that with whole games before. God of War and Castlevania make for good movies, if you cut out the many minutes of hack & slash inbetween cutscenes.

A rather humbling post from an extremely levelheaded individual. With that said hopefully you reconsider your departure from the forums a while longer. We could really use more of your type around here.

I am a casual gamer as well, but you are so much more the pro than I think I'll ever be :) My gaming days started with original nintendo, and I've never played on a pc. I love video games, but I've never felt part of the gaming community for all the reasons you have so eloquantly described. I've always been a solo player, and Defiance is my first MMO. (first shooter as well). I've always avoided them because I'm shy by nature, and I've never wanted to deal with the elitism that plagues the gaming community. I read a thread today started by a woman who was ridiculed because she voiced the fact that she thought the final boss was hard. This is not what gaming should be.

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Originally Posted by Ensu

The vocal and insulting are part of any community, but there are many more people who will help and support you wherever they are able, and within reason.

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Yes, insults are part of any community, sadly. But does it have to be? I'll be the first to admit there have been a few words not quite suitable for children around here from time to time when I get stuck in a challenging part of a game, and not only at the game itself. Playing a fighting game offline with friends can sometimes be a bit loud, and if someone keeps winning, I let them know what I feel about it. I'm not exactly perfect. But the thing is, I only talk like that to my friends who will talk back the same way, and we never meant anything by it. It's just part of the game, so to say. But I don't talk like that to strangers, online or offline. It doesn't matter if it's in the game, on the forum or in "real life". Put it this way: When you meet someone, you have both made up an opinion about each other within 15 seconds. After that, it can be difficult to change the opinion either way. How, then, would you feel if the first you met me, I was yelling at you and calling you names for whatever reason? This happens a lot in games, sadly. If we had both accepted right from the start that we are both nice people with similar interests (in ths game the game), we would have a much easier time to get along and be real friends down the road. Wouldn't that be better than me knowing you as rude, and not even trying to be nice in return because of it? It's really that simple.

I'm not going to go into religion and all that, but a wise man once said we should treat other people the way we want them to treat us. Why is cyberspace an exception to that rule? The best answer I've heard is that its' easy to hide behind a username, but we are still real people with real feelings. When you go on vacation, do you suddenly act like a major a-hole to everyone meet, just because you know you'll never see any of them ever again? No? But it's the sam thing. The only difference is that if you're on vacation, you see the people right in front of you, but if you're online, you only see the username. So based on that, isn't bullying people in the game and on forums cowardice? I mean, would you have the guts to bully me the same way if I was standing in front of you in line in the store? Hardly. ;)

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Originally Posted by K A S H I H A R A D

A rather humbling post from an extremely levelheaded individual. With that said hopefully you reconsider your departure from the forums a while longer. We could really use more of your type around here.

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Thanks, I appreciate it. :)

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Originally Posted by northstar84

I am a casual gamer as well, but you are so much more the pro than I think I'll ever be :)

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Hehe, that depends on what you mean by pro, I guess. I guess you can call me a "professional casual". :) I do play a lot of games, and I have done it all my life. But as I said in the first post, my health isn't what it used to be, and that affects my gaming style. My mind can be set on killing as many enemies as possible in as little time as possible in games like Defiance, but what use is that when my hands won't cooperate? The same goes for platformers. I do enjoy them a lot, but if I have to do too many things at once, I get in trouble. The mind is there, but the hands... not so much.

Ironically, the health issue is more or less the main reason for one of my best moments in recent years in MMOs. I was playing Lord of the Rings Online and struggled to find a class I could play. They all were fun, but which one to pick? So I ended up with the minstrel, or healer. It was fun solo, but when I later got into dungeons (usually a bad idea), I had a blast. Oh, sure, people tried telling me how to play, but I ignored them and did it my own way. What works for me, and all that. The nature of the minstrel is mostly to just stand there and heal the others, and that I got good at. I used the mouse to click on their portraits and two buttons to heal, for the most part. The result was I kept healing them with minimum effort and maximum effect, and everyone in the group loved it. That's how games should be. Not everyone are equally good at everything, but it shouldn't matter. It should to figure out what you are good at and what you want to do, and then focus on that stuff. A group can't survive long without a healer, yet the healer can't survive without the group. Everyone has their place in the group and need to work together to succeed. So why are shooters elite-players only? Why can't we all get along and work together for the better good here too?

Nodding yep, yes, all sad but true. If people need a hand or have questions I'll help when available. GT Piegon