gaming Gaming, RPGs, and Discovery

[Cakesplat 38]

To start, I do like that pretty much anything I desire can be found online and the resources for enjoying my games after the first playthrough are nearly endless, but I can't help but feel like attitudes towards them have shifted because of it. I mentioned to someone today that I'm replaying an old childhood RPG that I never finished, and they couldn't understand why I wouldn't just look up the ending on YouTube.

 

I know things look different from the perspective of an adult and a child, but I remember playing Pokemon Red/Blue with my friends when I was younger, before all the myths had been debunked and everything had been figured out down to a science, and it was worth it to spend an evening digging up information then meeting the next day on the playground to theorize about it and try to piece the puzzle together. We poured our hearts into our playtime. There was no YouTube, and we were adventurers exploring uncharted territory and immersing ourselves in a game world.

 

I do realize I can still do that, but it doesn't feel quite the same. The rest of the world has already had their way with the mysteries and puzzles in the games I've played recently, most of my friends would rather beat it or be silly than explore it, and many of the rumors have quickly been confirmed or proven false. This isn't a jab at modern gaming or the people who enjoy it (some of my favorite titles are pretty recent), just an observation on a shift in the atmosphere that I've experienced and found to be not to my tastes.

 

Thoughts? Recommendations? Anyone feel the same as silly old me?

Edited August 11, 2012 by Cakesplat

[LowfatEnvelope 335]

I totally know what you're talking about. When I was younger and didn't know about the wonders of the internet, my brother and I would spend HOURS in games trying to figure out and do different things (things that were not possible). Those were some great times, as we didn't know that we couldn't do various things. The fact that we thought we might be able to though gave the game(s) much more playability regardless. Now if there's something you want to know and don't want to spend the time playing to figure it out, you just turn to google. I find some of the best times in games speculating with friends and learning new things and making discoveries. Most games now (like you said) seem to sadly lack that same feel

[MidnightStallion 28]

I feel bad for people who simply look up online answers to game puzzles or endings. (I'm guilty of this, but only for portal, shhhh). I still try and do that with many games. Disgaea is my most prominent example as its story is so rich and developed that it would spoil it looking up the ending or how to go around certain battles. The best part is that is a underground game even though it is released on ps3. There aren't many videos about, not that I would watch them any.

[Lost 1,410]

I'm not sure that i agree entirely. Yes with the internet its possible to get all the spoilers to a game on day of release, and yes there are some games that have a poor story line. But there are still modern games that have amazing story lines with a level of interactivity that previous gaming generations didn't have.

 

I'll take one of my old favorites as an example, Pokemon (blue, red, yellow are the best ), i played through those multiple times but every play though is the same. Whereas with modern games there is the technology for games that change on every play though, yes they still keep a main story line, but you decide all the outcomes, you can make the game what you want it to be each time.

 

 

I find the only problem with modern games are the publishers, in most cases the publishers are more concerned about meeting deadlines and making quick money than putting a game out that is just purely enjoyable.

 

But that's just my opinion.

[Planty 1,053]

Me and my friends play wow and dota and sc2 and we talk for hours every day theory crafting about best in game strategies.

 

Remember, there is always something that can be improved or found in these type of games which allows us to thery craft to are herts content

 

I've not really played many other games (appart from D3 which I found awful) so I don't really know if this is possible for RPG type games on Xbox or whatever, I have stayed away from those games because I found little substance there for the ridiculous ammo unit of time I'm on the computer for.

 

I guess this is why people like games like mine raft so much nowadays. You can always make something different and everyone has a different way of building things, you can't just google a walk thought or the answer

[Loona 287]

Oh jeez, I can't even start a game without looking up glitches/walkthroughs first! I guess it's my disability to solve puzzles.

But I get where you're coming from. I feel a bit of guilt whenever I look up endings or spoilers, and to be honest, I'm jealous of those who had the excitement of discovery.

But like stated, it comes from different points of view. I'm probably one of the younger members here... But I totally agree with what you're saying. Most people just look up hacks, etc.

[Sepia-chan 495]

I love that feeling of discovery that a lot of games don't have.

The last time I felt that was like...

I dunno, Oracle of Ages?