GAMES AND WHY YOU PLAY THEM

I feel like in the past few years the amount of quality games being developed has dropped greatly. This could be due to the fact that people are abandoning Rm2k3 and trying to create scripts and crazy customized stuff for other makes that in all likely hood will not be finished.

Something I have noticed is whenever I see a game in the scene that makes me want to play it, it often never actually gets finished, or not even a demo. For example, Fates of Alerha, or Sion's game (whatever it is called) These games looked great, and when I watch the trailer for Fates of Alerha it makes me wish the creator had not abandoned their efforts.

So for me, I like to see effort. This means dedication, updates, and creative thinking. Of course, I am a sucker for good mapping and cool graphics (I still love REFMAP when used properly). I think trailers are pretty sweet. A good minute video with some cool scenes gets me pumped.

I believe this topic is of extreme importance, but I'm not sure how this discussion can lead to more games being played. I mean... that could only happen if developers use what they read here as guidelines for making their games. Not sure if that'll happen.

As for why I play games...

In my mind, I think I should play a game just because someone had the effort of making it, and that alone deserves the effort of playing. I really try not to be too picky about games, but I know I am. I think I got tired of RPGs, or at least of the most common RPG elements. And people say originality is overrated, but I don't think it is. I've played zillions of standard RPGs in my life (fantasy, dragons, fire spells, swords and shields, wizards, demons, levels, dungeons), and I really don't want to play any more of them... mostly because I know gaming has SO MUCH MORE to offer, especially in the amateur gamemaking community, because there's no commercial or market restrictions, in theory people can create whatever they want.

I'll try to answer this question in a more concrete fashion, and list every single game from RMN I've played, and why I played them, being as honest as I can.

Complete Chaos: Two things attracted me in this game: Being a modern game, and using photos as faces. That's all.
Elegy's Eve: I played it back when it was released, and I just wanted to try every entry from the contest. I guess it won the contest, which made me more curious.
Jelly School: This falls into what I mentioned earlier, but I played because Melchior asked me to. And because I believed I could give helpful criticism to the game.
Kinetic Cipher: Again: I don't remember why I played it. Maybe because people said good things about it.
Professor McLogic: Played it because I like logic games.
Project DOAD: Contest entry.
Paradise Blue: I don't know why I played this, but I guess I missed old-school RPGs at the time.
Tales of Exile: Act 1: Awesome graphics, nice-looking custom systems, and I love TBS.
The Longing Ribbon: People said the game was really scary. I didn't know how could a rm2k3 game be scary.
Vanilla Villain: Everything about it looked cool.
A Blurred Line: Played because of the hype.
Alter A.I.L.A.: I searched for high rated games, read a review, and decided to play it.
Befuddle Quest 4 Dead: Played it because it's a sin not to play a community game.
Dhux's Scar: Read a review, got interested.
Fat Schwombo's Castle: It seemed like a short fun game, and lacked a review.
The Blue Contestant: I liked ABL, decided to play this one too.
Block Escape: I like puzzles like this.
Biggles on Mars: Contest entry (could have played it for other reasons).
DOTPlus: I like puzzles.
Gravity: Puzzle!
Lost Universe: Contest entry.
The Assassination of Michael Gower: I like Adventure Games, this one looked short, and I think I wanted to play a game from Shinan.
Too Many Kittens: I wanted to know if catmitts' games are cool and weird or just weird.
Valthirian Arc: Daybreak: Interesting concept, plus being a flash game makes it easier.

I guess my patterns are: I like puzzles, I play over-hyped games, I play games that look intriguing, I play games that look simple and short enough to worth my time even if they're bad.

Another problem with RPGs is that I know they're games meant to be played to the end. I wouldn't download an RPG that looks not-so-good and say "I'll play 15 minutes of this game and see if I like it". I only download and start playing an RPG is I'm willing to beat it. Not the same with other types of games, because you and enjoy them even if you play just a little.

I could also make a list of games I HAVEN'T played and why.

These are great points, but calunio go ahead and list a few examples of games you haven't played and list your reasons, this can be helpful too.

Something that I was wondering, was what exactly can I do? Should I review some games, or what? There doesn't seem to be any new releases that are for 2k or 2k3.

Backlog of commercial games I have to play, a lot I haven't even started. Then there's working on my own game, working on sprites (not just for myself but for other projects), so between that and work, I don't find the time. Plus many just don't appeal to me. I have verrry few amateur RPGs that I'm actually looking forward to their release. I try some games on a whim, but mostly to give feedback which I want to do if I played a game.

I usually am referred to a game, either because it's a contest entry, a community project, something short and silly, or has something interesting that makes me curious about it. I really don't mind playing through a game and giving feedback to the developer but the issue is time. Sometimes I'll just try a random new persons project, that no one else has commented on.

And I just got FF13, so any hope that I might've stopped to play something recently is out the window.

It's a few things for me.

One, and I consider this a 'sleeper reason', is interface. There are very few types of games I'm comfortable with playing on the computer. Let me elaborate; I'm a computer gamer, but what types of games I prefer to play on the computer are pretty specific, and they're usually limited to FPS like Team Fortress 2 or whatever that I normally can't get of comparable quality on a console. I don't like playing RPGs and other lengthy games on a computer, because sitting perched up staring at a monitor less than a foot away from my face is something I try to avoid anyway, much less doing it while playing a game for several hours at a time. It's for this reason I own consoles, to play video games on a big screen TV from the leisure of an armchair several feet away, on a bed, on a couch next to friends/brother/girlfriend/whatever, and what have you.

However, there ARE several times where I don't want to miss a gaming opportunity that may be on a PC, like emulating certain older games, old fighting games online (you can't play Street Fighter 3rd Strike online otherwise, for example) or RPG Maker games, or other indie games. So I make accommodations. A gamepad, a bigger, better resolution monitor, or even better, one of those cables where you can play/watch PC media on your TV goes a LONG way towards being comfortable. You'd be surprised how much 'better' an RPG Maker game can be if you're playing it like an actual game, chilled out in front of a TV full screen with a controller in your hand rather than perched up at a monitor.

It sounds silly, but it's a big mental thing to me, and I think that's fine. If I'm going to look at RPG Maker games or any other indie games as a legitmately enjoyable experience and not as an obligation or a chore, comfort goes a long way in that.

Also, at the risk of Karsuman's beckoning to the chariots, I can sometimes say I do not have the time. I try to stay away from sitting at a computer for a long time and when I do, it's usually working on my own game or actual work. However, I can make time, and doing the above helps a lot towards that.

I don't feel any 'I don't play anything because a lot of shit sucks' because well, that's any media ever, really. Come on, when you go to a movie, music, or a video game store and you're looking for what to buy and you're just browsing, how much of that shit are you actually sure you're going to enjoy out of all of those racks? Not much. At all. So what do you do? You look. If you want to find something that you'll enjoy, you have to look for it, and this philosophy applies from everything to movie browsing to amatuer game making. Yes, a lot of it sucks, like every media ever, but there ARE gems there, and going 'derp everything here looks boring nothing jumps out at me life sucks' doesn't mean that the media isn't fun, it just means that you didn't look hard enough (or, that the good shit out there isn't doing a very good job of catching your eye, but that conversation is for the Hype topic.)

When it comes to the games of others, I want to see some effort put into the game as a whole. Consistent visual style, fun gameplay mechanics that go beyond stock JRPG(maker) conventions, and a story and/or characters I can enjoy.

Unfortunately, none of the current games I'm looking forward to in this community that fulfill these criteria are out, so it's mostly just playing the waiting game for their release!

On the other hand, since none of the games I want to play are out, I'd then rather spend my time working on my own things rather than playing 'Ralph and Bennet's Excellent Adventure!!' by Joe Blow, which I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy.

However on the other, OTHER hand, I may play a random game out of mere curiousity now and then, but that seems to happen once in a blue moon.

So yeah.

i don't like games very much so when i download something it's usually out of a uh MORAL OBLIGATION to check out something which appears to have genuine creativity involved rather than a way to have fun or whatever. sometime this can be a nice experience in itself but mostly i regard actually playing games as something of a chore. i am kind of bad with this and there's a ton i've meant to GIVE PROPS TO but never gotten around to it but in terms of what ones i'm at least interested in then it's just ones that seem like they've had more thought/inspiration involved than just trying to rip off whatever stupid horseshit the developer played last week. it's kind of an arbitrary thing to judge but really so many games are so alike and so derivative on every level that it really stands out to see something even marginally different.

post=132962
EDIT/OFF TOPIC OBSERVATION: I'm noticing a trend where like, nobody uses contractions anymore in their sentences. I see more 'I am/I am not' so many times it's crazy. It's weird and it makes everyone sound like bots or something/unnatural in my head, Am I the only one who uses 'I'm', or any other contraction anymore?

Solitayre is a robot sent from the future to kill us all.

i honestly don't have much of a problem with entertainment for entertainment's sake at all! i am not gonna throw out uh DIE HARD or whatever and i still do play some old snes games despite the fact that they're basically children's toys. but i think it's important to bear in mind just what these things are and to also try to respect genuine quality and originality of vision etc. i don't expect people to give up doing things for fun but i think it's too easy to fall into a rut with this stuff and become like those 40something comics nerds subsisting oin the equivalent of junkfood every day. strive to improve the self....... ~ dwayne johnson "the rock"

post=132968
I think it's less of that and more of "I play games by people I like and respect BY THE WAY THAT'S NEXT TO NONE OF YOU"

I mean you can't be surprised for someone to take ill with that comment. I mean on behalf of everyone else who may be wondering; what's wrong with us exactly? Especially since the majority active community around here is pretty intelligent, competent, and friendly.

I think you mistake "this community" for "RMN".

I'm certainly not going to be the martyr that goes to download all those horrible games people shit out at RRR, hbgames and rpgmakervx.net.

If you want to do that, be my guest.