Now, i've been trying to think of good subjects for games articles, i want to learn more about gaming in a serious way and think i need to relay a bit about what i learn to you, you may learn a think or two and i just know it will make you a better gamer (unless you already know this stuff as ur higher on the ladder than me, in which case, fuck it, this is revision)
Upon writing my "why i hate casual games"blog post i wanted to find something positive to say (not because i was going to force myself to or in the interest of fairness, but because there was definitely something there i couldnt quite grasp) and i came up with the following.
I play a vast number of games from all genres (except sports, heck i played the quidditch world cup game in uni for longer than i played fifa in the past 5 years) and as a veteran gamer (shut up, i can call myself that) i find it incredibly easy to pick up and play a game, no matter what it may be. I don't have to look at the controller to confirm im pressing the correct button, and for the most part it's like the controller isn't even there, and i'm playing the game with my mind. Do you drive? well then i'm guessing you don't need to look to see what gear you're in as you can operatie the car by feel alone. This is an example of the conditioning we all recieve through gaming.
There is a reason why all first person shooters use dual analogue sticks or the wasd keys on a keyboard - theyr'e the best possible configurations with the hardware available to us. Every gamer who plays often knows exactly how to hold a controller or where to place his fingers, likewise most gamers can predict where a jump button will be for a platformer, which button fires the gun or simple stuff like which buttons will be used to navigate menus
***A quick aside here on that issue. Westerners tend to use the X button on a playstation pad as the OK button and circle as the cancel button, this is because we naturally asssume that the ok button will be the one closest to the bottom, but the face buttons on a playstation have actual meanings. The playstation's triangle, circle, X and square buttons were created in japan and like our "tick" or "check" mark for positive and "cross" for negative (think of a teacher marking a test paper) the japanese have a system. The thing is that instead of check and cross, they use a "circle" for positive and a "cross" for negative so that's why in japanese-made games like the metal gear solid series and final fantasy 7, the circle button is used as the OK button. As we don't use that method we assumed they meant nothing so made our own rules, and are occasionally thrown by games that use japan's system***
Similarly, a seasoned gamer can take a look at any given game's HUD (heads-up display) and guess what most of the symbols mean. Most of the time(and in no particular order) there's a compass or map, a health bar and magic bar, a stance indicator, an ammo indicator, arrows pointing to objectives, the screennames of other players, a chat log, a score indicator, a leaderboard, a position indicator (for racing games), a speed counter, status indicators or for other games on-screen effects to show your character's current state like blood on the screento show you are wounded and need to get to safety.
My point is, these things are learned and built into a gamer through experience but actuually may have taken me many years to learn. Right now i find it an alien concept to pick up even the simplest of games and not know what to do or what the symbols and numbers mean. It is here that i think back on simpler days when i would play sonic games and all i needed to know was how many rings i had and how many lives were remaining.
It seems obvious that HUDs today are much more cluttered and complex than years ago, with some exceptions of course where the designers make an effort to simplify. If a new player were to be thrown into a first person shooter today without this inbuilt conditioning, the game's ins and outs might as well be in a different language, it is here that casual games that are generally simpler shine.
You see, a casual game is usually centered around performing one particular task, be it repelling zombies orknocking down structures. By offering more straightforward objectives, less gameplay mechanics need to be explained, so if the only thing constantly onscreen at a given time is a score counter, it won't be long before a new gamer can recognize one in another title and know what the game requires. Other examples are simple things like a health bar or a timer that tell the player that there will be conflict or that speed will be required, once gamers have been exposed to game mechanics in steady bite-sized chunks they will build a repertoire of videogame knowledge that they can apply to other titles
Whilst for me it was games on the megadrive/genesis today's gamers often have to begin with the relative complexity of a dozen-buttoned controller with knobs on instead of one with just a d-pad and three buttons. It's understandable why people prefer casual games on things like the iphone (which can customize the number of buttons needed or remove them entirely for swipes and tilt) it's because they're simpler, more approachable. As someone (i forget who) once said, a controller might as well be the control board for a jumbo jet for all it means to a new gamer.
So i admit i was wrong to think casual games weren't as important for hardcore gamers, the thing was that what they had to teach i ALREADY knew, so it all seems so backwards and pointless to me.
My point still stands tho, they may be wonderful for getting people to lnow more about game mechanice, but they still PISS ME OFF if it's all you want to play! come on, you accidentally learned a lot about gaming, why not use that knowledge to experience something monumental? I can see people using the judgment for trajectory they learn through angry birds for a serious game of worms, just replace the birds with grenades and the pigs with a rival team who throw 'em back
-On a personal note-
I'm glad i figured this out, it reminds me i still have an introspective mind and can learn about gaming without prompting, i wasn't actively seeking to learn this. It all started when the guy from extra credits mentioned that gamers know the best way to hold a controller and i took it from there. Maybe i have what it takes to write a videogame commentary, but i still have a long way to go, one day im gonna have to read those academic books on videogames (shame theyre like university books so cost 30-60 pounds each)
there are a great deal of topics id like to touch on, the thing is coming up with an appropriate angle.
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