Gaming concepts that irritate gamers
Written by Erik Kubik, kube00 Wednesday, 14 December 2011 06:00
The list of things that irritate gamers is a long one. The guys over at Video Game Hangover had a long list and a lot of the things they brought up are very true. A few examples include yearly release for franchises, achievements and trophies, motion controls, release day DLC, online gaming and gaming culture. And does everything need a collector’s edition?Yearly releases have become the new standard for gaming. Companies see their franchises doing well and decide to milk them, and thus creates the concept that gamers get a new game every year. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. But when the new Modern Warfare comes out every year, the developer is going to run out of ideas sooner or later. Assassin’s Creed is the latest victim, and even though the games in the series are all great, what else can they do to improve on the game? Some gamers are going to stop buying the games every year if they don't feel it is worth it.
Achievements and trophies, they can be fun to some gamers. But sometimes its so irritating when a game gives you a trophy or achievement after every level. Or when that last trophy to get a platinum in a game is unbelievably difficult and requires several hours of frustrating game play. Whether its achieving the perfect score on a nearly impossible mission or combing the game map hunting down collectibles, this can induce gamer rage. And in the end your only reward is sore thumbs and a empty feeling of accomplishment. Yet so many of us try to chase down everything in a game time and time again just so we can feel like a completionist.
Motion controls, some gamers like them, while others cannot stand them. To be perfectly honest they work in some games but I still would prefer to play with a controller and not have to swing it. It would be nice if this was optional in games. By making it optional companies could reach a wider audience and those of us on the fence about buying a game due to motion controls would happily give in.
Every game has a collector's edition these days. Sometimes the stuff that comes in the CE is cheap and uninteresting. We don't need to spend an extra $20-$30 for an art book and day one DLC. Most of us would rather buy the cheaper edition. Or just wait a month or so and the CE should come down in price. Not every game needs a CE, as so many of them end up sitting unsold in back rooms taking up space, waiting to be put on clearance.
Same day DLC, this is not new to this list. I’ve talked about this before. A game is released and before the week is out the publisher announces they have some DLC already out. Most of the time its small stuff which was included on the disc already that gamers have to pay a few dollars to unlock. Why not make it actual downloadable DLC? Better yet, pack it all together in a bundle after the game has been out a few weeks so gamers don’t feel ripped off.
This is probably the most irritating: playing online with others who are being insensitive and discriminatory. By now if you’ve been online in a popular MMO or FPS then you’ve been called the “N” word or maybe the “F” word. There is no reason for this. I understand trash talking but this is just wrong. Ever since gaming has really become mainstream in the last 10 years or so it has gotten worse. How is this acceptable? Not to single out XBL and teenagers but this is where its the nastiest. Want to make it worse? Come into the game, say you are new, and ask for help. Don’t do it, this is not worth the pain. You will be singled out, taunted, and harassed endlessly. Sure, as a gamer one can file a complaint and possibly get the person banned, but honestly something has to be done in the future.
There you have it. Just a few complaints about the concepts in the current gaming industry. Some of these fixable. Some of them like the discrimination while playing online, yearly releases, and same day DLC will probably be something gamers will have to deal with into the next generation of gaming.



