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shandog137: Vox Pop Winner September 2012
Posted on Friday, October 5 @ 17:48:41 Eastern by Nicholas Tan
The idea of boycotting a game due to a publisher's perceived business practices isn't a new one, but we all know that it's kind of self-punishing: Why sacrifice your own pleasure of playing a great game when it's the publisher who is at fault, and really, your $60 is just a drop in the bucket in the face of a franchise that sells more than a million copies?
Instead, as shandog137 suggests, make a delayed purchase. Many times anyway, a Game of the Year Edition of some kind usually comes out at a later date. This allows you to grab the game in its entirety with all the DLC, particularly if you believe that the DLC should have been in the game in the first place, and at a lower price tag. Buying the GotY edition new also delays or cuts out the used game market (as long as you don't sell it back).
Of course, delaying the purchase might be hard especially if all your friends are asking you to play with you at the game's launch (many times I feel like that's a part of the reason why everything has multiplayer now). Still, it's a good all-around solution to many problems facing video game consumers nowadays, as opposed to say purchasing the ridiculously overpriced Leon Kennedy Jacket Resident Evil 6 Special Edition that maca2kx mocks in his blog.
I also want to give a shout-out to LinksOcarina for taking the tough role of defending EA, who has become the whipping dog of the Internets. It's not entirely undeserved, but many haters have jumped on the bandwagon of flogging EA even if they decide to do something positive (like taking a stance on gay characters in games).
Meanwhile, wildmario dissects the annoyingly persistent idea that a realistic game needs to be gritty and dark. Usually, it's just unnecessary and approached like window-dressing. But there does come a point where dealing with mature themes rooted in reality is dark at its core especially when compared to nostalgic childhood games. The video games we grew up with (probably Nintendo titles) paint the picture that life is bubbly and optimistic, but we eventually come to know that reality is much more complicated than that. In this sense, almost every game is by comparison gritty and dark.
There is a disconnect: We want games to be fun but we also want games to be accepted as an artform capable of dealing with war, hardship, suffering, and complex ideas. Right now, the sadistic rush of violence seems to satisfy both needs, but it's a precarious balance point and is ultimately a solution that has already become repetitive and boring. Comedy frequently helps ease the tension, but declaring it as a requirement limits video games from ever dealing with mature themes seriously and on the same footing as other artforms.
I'll leave it at that since it's a lengthy subject, and this Vox Pop is about you guys, not me. But I would certainly like to know how you would resolve this conflict between fun and maturity. Maybe even write a Vox Pop about it. *wink, wink*
Want your thoughts featured in Vox Pop? Write a blog via your profile page and you're automatically entered!
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 Winner: shandog137
Title: The Sleeper Game Phenomena And A Diabolical Way To Use It
Excerpt: "Also note, I didn't say boycott the games in their entirety—simply delay the purchase. With numerous other video game options available, how soon do you really need the blockbuster."
Runner-Up: LinksOcarina
Title: Fiction Over Fact: Why EA Is Destined To Lose When It Doesn't Deserve It
Excerpt: "...it is quite easy to stack the house of cards against the corporate entity and erode its foundation with spewed hatred ad-nausea. It’s like it’s hip to be a hater of a game company on the internet, and because of that perception, EA will always be fighting a losing battle."
Runner-Up: wildmario
Title: Dark and Gritty Themes: Do Video Games Really Need Them?
Excerpt: "Just like how video game environments have become very dank and depressing, the characters themselves seem to have been hit with the darkness bat and now they must display as many variations of the serious and brooding mood as they can. For the love that is all of chocolate, why do they have to be this way?"
Runner-Up: maca2kx
Title: Special Editions
Excerpt: "No, the most expensive special edition this year (and probably most, if not all, other years too) is the Resident Evil 6 Leon Leather Jacket Edition."
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[ Editor's Note: As Nick Olsen is a writer for Theory of Gaming, this won't be counted in the monthly Vox Pop prize. However, it is very much a worthy read. ]
By Nick Olsen
Co-founder, Theory of Gaming
In 1985 Nintendo started a revolution when it...
Jonathan_Leack
Joined: Jan 2012
Now let's head home and celebrate!
LinksOcarina
Joined: Nov 2005
wildmario
Joined: Jan 2007
tinymhg
Joined: Jun 2011
shandog137
Joined: Mar 2007