So I've come to find that the modern gaming landscape is more like a second job and in not the ways you might think. We tend to think of work or employment in a couple of ways mostly. As in it's a "job" because you need to pay bills or it's a "career" because you have a long term goal. If you think of it as a job it's usually because it's something you need to do to make money so it's a trade. I do my job, deal with the frustrations of getting up in the morning and all of the frustrations of that job because they pay me well enough to make it worth my while.
Video games have become a job that you pay for the privilege of being frustrated with nothing in return other than more of those frustrations. I discovered this recently when going back to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch. I found myself smiling and laughing. Just having a good time and enjoying myself. I kept thinking to myself that this was odd. "Why am I having so much fun"? I just didn't grasp what was happening at the time. Then I went back to playing The latest Call of Duty and it hit me, all at once. This is work and not in anything resembling a good way. It's a collection of chores that is meant to frustrate and annoy with nothing in return aside from the occasional new weapon or skin. Nothing close to an even trade especially after having purchased the game at full price.
Back to Breath of the Wild and I'm smiling again. Even though I'm collecting weapons and outfits that equate to the same old collectibles in COD the fun is there in BotW but why? It doesn't feel like a fucking JOB. I'm playing the game, having fun and the collectibles are just there as an added incentive. Where as in COD the collectibles are the game. They are the reason to "suffer" through the mods/hacks and shitty design in the way of your enjoyment. Modern gaming has become so many shitty design elements or piss poor menus that just slow you down or distract you from having fun the way you would if they were not trying to funnel you through the microtransaction, store fronts and other nonsense. Well at least that's the way it felt to me.
I have resigned myself to find more true "fun" in my gaming sessions going forward. Gaming has always been my way of spending time with friends or distracting from the trials of life to raise my overall enjoyment levels. Developers today seem to make games that become another trial in life. Bringing more frustration and annoyance while raising the price of admission along the way. I for one am tired of paying companies to piss me off, punishing me for the crime of wanting to enjoy myself.
What used to be my happy place has become the frustrating job doesn't pay me and wastes my time.
Captain Dev of Fagatron said:
So I've come to find that the modern gaming landscape is more like a second job and in not the ways you might think. We tend to think of work or employment in a couple of ways mostly. As in it's a "job" because you need to pay bills or it's a "career" because you have a long term goal. If you think of it as a job it's usually because it's something you need to do to make money so it's a trade. I do my job, deal with the frustrations of getting up in the morning and all of the frustrations of that job because they pay me well enough to make it worth my while.
Video games have become a job that you pay for the privilege of being frustrated with nothing in return other than more of those frustrations. I discovered this recently when going back to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch. I found myself smiling and laughing. Just having a good time and enjoying myself. I kept thinking to myself that this was odd. "Why am I having so much fun"? I just didn't grasp what was happening at the time. Then I went back to playing The latest Call of Duty and it hit me, all at once. This is work and not in anything resembling a good way. It's a collection of chores that is meant to frustrate and annoy with nothing in return aside from the occasional new weapon or skin. Nothing close to an even trade especially after having purchased the game at full price.
Back to Breath of the Wild and I'm smiling again. Even though I'm collecting weapons and outfits that equate to the same old collectibles in COD the fun is there in BotW but why? It doesn't feel like a fucking JOB. I'm playing the game, having fun and the collectibles are just there as an added incentive. Where as in COD the collectibles are the game. They are the reason to "suffer" through the mods/hacks and shitty design in the way of your enjoyment. Modern gaming has become so many shitty design elements or piss poor menus that just slow you down or distract you from having fun the way you would if they were not trying to funnel you through the microtransaction, store fronts and other nonsense. Well at least that's the way it felt to me.
I have resigned myself to find more true "fun" in my gaming sessions going forward. Gaming has always been my way of spending time with friends or distracting from the trials of life to raise my overall enjoyment levels. Developers today seem to make games that become another trial in life. Bringing more frustration and annoyance while raising the price of admission along the way. I for one am tired of paying companies to piss me off, punishing me for the crime of wanting to enjoy myself.
What used to be my happy place has become the frustrating job doesn't pay me and wastes my time.
Not to mention companies promoting free content that ends up being nothing more than just an unskippable advertisement for a future game, such as COD's Shadow Siege. What a crock of shit. Games are no longer for the entertainment of the player, but just enough stimulation to get you to buy more.
Spank said:
Not to mention companies promoting free content that ends up being nothing more than just an unskippable advertisement for a future game, such as COD's Shadow Siege. What a crock of shit. Games are no longer for the entertainment of the player, but just enough stimulation to get you to buy more.
The carrot that is just out of reach but promises you'll be able to grab it if you just pay out a little bit more money.
