MAKING A GAME THAT'S PURPOSELY "BAD"(YMMV)

Posts

Pages: first 12 next last
Well, this example isn't an RPG... but I'm saying stuff like Goat Simulator "bad, it's good" The devs purposely didn't remove bugs or anything to make the game 'fun'

This game would be bug free, use decent quality sprites, textures, etc.

The game would ironically be so horrible, it's good. Does this classify as a game that is shit, and would be denied here?

No, I don't plan on doing it. I don't wanna be known as "that one person who submitted a game that's ironically shitty"

Your millage may vary on what you consider bad, shitty, or not worthy of being submitted on this site.
I really enjoy terrible things but I think you have to be very very clever about what you do if you make something like that intentionally and have it work.

I don't see a reason why it would be denied, though.
CashmereCat
Self-proclaimed Puzzle Snob
11638
I would play it.
You can find a few interviews with the designers on google. Here's one:
http://www.indiegamemag.com/igm-interviews-goat-simulator-dev-coffee-stain-studios/

You can look at it this way: video games are art. Whether your game is good or bad is not the point because a piece of art only requires to exist in order to have value as art.

Releasing the game could also have been a big joke. What's interesting though is the outcome: these guys became instantly famous worldwide. Now that they're known, they are more likely to get sales when they release other games.

There is no such thing as bad publicity. No publicity at all is way worse.
The only purposefully bad game I liked so far is ARFENHOUSE!!!3 and that certainly doesn't use decent quality sprites and textures.
We are flexible with joke games as long as they're decent in the writing/screenshot division. Hell, you should check out fucking Winter Sage. Fuck that game. Seriously. I'm still pissed at Decky about that game.

:||||||

Never forget; never forgive.

Ah, in other words, just because you make a troll/joke/whatever game doesn't mean it has to look or be presented as shit.
The trick is to do it so no one can tell whether it was on purpose or not.
Kuso-Ge has its place. Follow your heart.
There are plenty of games like that on RMN. One classic example is Chrono Trigger (not to be confused with that other game).
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=narcodis
There are plenty of games like that on RMN. One classic example is Chrono Trigger (not to be confused with that other game).
Somehow I knew that game was going to be brought up, though personally, I didn't really handle that joke game as well as it should. I made that game annoying for the sake of being bad. I've done better since. :P

Anyway, this kind of brings up a question that's been circling through my mind constantly as an amateur developer: Do bugs/design flaws become excused so long as the game is fun to play? After all, isn't the primary purpose of games is to entertain?

Goat Simulator is an excellent example that was brought up. The amount of glitches and overall nonsense are the kind of things most gamers and game journalist frown upon, but it plays on one fact: rediculous glitches are fun to watch. Not to mention, it doesn't really matter if you get into an unwinnable state in that game, because there are no lives, story progression, or any real objective (other than those self-imposed) to make you care, so the game is actually a lot better designed than it appears to be, and it satisfies that core objective: being entertaining.
author=Liberty
We are flexible with joke games as long as they're decent in the writing/screenshot division. Hell, you should check out fucking Winter Sage. Fuck that game. Seriously. I'm still pissed at Decky about that game.

:||||||

Never forget; never forgive.

Ah, in other words, just because you make a troll/joke/whatever game doesn't mean it has to look or be presented as shit.


I wouldn't mind seeing more ironically bad games, even if they aren't saying it on the games page itself. I do agree you gotta be quite clever with it, and I agree you shouldn't straight up say "I made this game purposely shitty, enjoy!"

Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
The problem with making "bad game" is that someone may mistake it for actual level of your skills unless you have track record of good games. So I'd suggest to make some quality games first before you'll make this project.

Note that I don't know whether OP has quality games on his/her record, but even if s/he do, it's generally still good advice if someone want to make such joke game.

Heck, even though I have quality game on my record (Darkhog is my name for non-RM things, MyCrossSoft for online games, if you don't believe, PM me on Kong and I'll confirm), my joke game still wasn't taken kindly.
author=RyaReisender
The only purposefully bad game I liked so far is ARFENHOUSE!!!3 and that certainly doesn't use decent quality sprites and textures.


Never seen that before, looks pretty funny. :P
pianotm
The TM is for Totally Magical.
32347
It would merit notice just for being successfully done. It's hard to make something deliberately bad on purpose. Generally, when an epic phail is so bad it's good, it was totally unintentional, like this movie:

author=Rave
The problem with making "bad game" is that someone may mistake it for actual level of your skills unless you have track record of good games. So I'd suggest to make some quality games first before you'll make this project.

Pretty much, yeah. If your very first game is basically 'IRONIC BAD FUNE EVIL DRAGON GETS BUTTFUCKED BY RAPH W/ BDA GRAMR' 2014, saying it's purposefully bad will likely sound like a b.s. excuse without proof that you're legitimately skilled.
Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
author=pianotm
Generally, when an epic phail is so bad it's good, it was totally unintentional, like this movie:


Or Big Rigs.
A bad game is bad, regardless of intent. Anybody can throw up a bad game and then get defensive about it and claim intent when faced with critical feedback. What you're likely to see is people will review it badly, and then somebody will chime back that that was the game's purpose.

Unless the developer has a proven track record for good games, as others have mentioned, I'm not going to buy the "it was purposely bad" excuse.

Doesn't mean others may not like it, but I don't sugarcoat feedback or reviews because of a mistaken intent.

That said, if you're clever enough to make a good game appear bad by means of satire or parody, then it will show through in the final version for the most part. I've seen and played some games that do well to mock some of the commonalities of the industry, and life in general:

Tales of the Drunken Paladin
Cliche Quest
Bob's Big Adventure

These are a few games that I think were clever in their attempt to mock bad games without being utterly bad themselves.
I think there are various ways in which a game can be bad. Some of them depend on who the players are, of course; I may be in love with JRPGs so even if there's a shitty dungeon crawler full of cliches I might love it, but it would be unquestionably a bad game for most people.
Bad is also a term which leads to various possibilities. A game can be boring, full of bugs, have a price-slays-dragon-gets-the-girl storyline... in every case it's a bad game.

If you are to make a game that is supposed to be bad from the beginning, you have to make it clear to the player. In my opinion, those are extremely difficult to make, but if you have the skills, I can't see why you couldn't do it.

joke games are unfunny and boring. it is the same joke repeated ad naseum and if you're watching something intentionally bad you're already in on the joke and the creators are in on the joke so whats the point. it's the same punchline too "oh hahaha i added in no effort that's funny right"

the "chrono trigger" game basically stole the idea from "final fantasy 7" lp'd by some dude. it's the same punch line.
Pages: first 12 next last