Being an Informed Gamer: Good or Bad?

getmyrunon

getmyrunon

CAGiversary!
I've recently been trying to figure out why gaming has lost its luster with me. And I think it's because I see and know too damn much. I'm curious if anyone shares the same opinion.

My story: I just finished a year working as a video game/digital entertainment correspondant for a newspaper. As such, I had to spend a fair amount of time looking at forums/blogs/etc. to make sure I was "in the know."

But I've started to realize that the more I see and read, the less entertaining gaming is. There just aren't any more surprises - between all the previews, sneak-peek gameplay videos, trailers and target renders I pretty much know exactly what I'm getting before I play a game. And this is anywhere from 1-3 months before the thing hits the shelves!

I think video footage is especially to blame, given the visual nature of gaming. How much more exciting would it have been to discover the chainsaw blood spatter from Gears of War in my own living room, instead of seeing it for the first time on some blurry shaky-cam youtube video? Developers seem anxious to show off the coolest parts of their games to the public before they even go on sale, hoping to generate more interest.

I think that detracts from the exciting experience of sitting down, popping in that disc (or cartridge), and wondering just exactly what you're going to get. Anyone agree?
 
I almost completely ignore previews (for every kind of media). If it's something that looks like it's going to be poorly made or that won't interest me, I don't have a reason to see it. If it's something that looks interesting, I don't want to know too much about it, aside from the basics, and if it's any good or not.

I'm definitely an informed gamer, but I don't let previews ruin stuff for me.

That said, gaming, and most everything isn't as fresh as it used to be, but I think that's mostly just because I've seen so much already.
 
I hear you man! It's what I call the 'Internet Effect'-tm With so many sources of media bombarding us with videos, previews, etc. It is nearly impossible for a game to 'surprise' us anymore. -Besides story based twists (MSG2)

Anyone remember when all we had to go on about upcoming games were screenshots from EGM? The anticipation of waiting to get the game into my hands was excruciating, but more often than not, well worth the wait.

Too much stimulation now. I try to avoid all the hype as much as possible. But I guess some people love to be 'spoiled'. I dont!
 
This topic reminds me of the insane flood of screenshots leading up to the release of Quake 3.

I don't have much time for gaming, so I find that even just reading reviews makes me a little concerned about which game I should be playing. Oh, this game got a complaint or two, so maybe I should play something else instead. It is getting to the point where I should just pick a game and play it without reading anything about it online. Kind of like the old days when I would stop at the video rental store and just grab a game almost at random and play it for 3 days.
 
I think the problem is that we spend too much time researching to jsut get crap results. It may be that the old gen just ended and the new gen hasn't gotten any games yet.
 
I keep tabs on what games are in the pipeline, but I dont delve too deeply into them until they are released. Before a game comes out, I dont look at videos, or screenshots, or even read previews. But once its out, and I can actually get it if I want, then I read ALL the reviews and opinions I can find.

I hate getting hyped up for a game thats still months away. I did this once with GTA San Andreas, where I checked out every new screen that came out, and was anticipating the game for months before it came out. By time the game did hit retail I was exhausted from talking about it and following every detail of it, etc.

Nowadays I just keep a mental note of what games Im interested in, and then when I see reviews for them I know that they are out, or about to be out. I like it much better this way, cos if I hear about a great game, I dont have to wait 6 months to play it.
 
I don't look at screenshots or trailers, other than what I see in Game Informer. I would rather read a 5 page preview than see 5 pages worth of CGI screenshots. Although, there are games that I intentionally try to deprive myself of information towards, like Rogue Galaxy, simply because I am 100% sure I will love it.
 
I still dig on games as much now as I did back in the day. It's tough to remember a time not being in the industry -- it's been over 7 years now. Before that, I still read a few mags and talked the talk.

I think the key to keeping into the hobby is to do more playing and less researching. It's easy to keep looking ahead and forget the games you have at home and haven't played/beaten. Sometimes I'm like, "Why am I talking games or looking for deals when I should be beating R6 Vegas or FF XII?"

And think of it this way: If you play less games, you're probably doing more productive things. Nothing wrong with that!
 
[quote name='furyk']We on the moon or allergic to water or something?[/QUOTE]


I think video footage is especially to blame, given the visual nature of gaming. How much more exciting would it have been to discover the chainsaw blood spatter from Gears of War in my own living room, instead of seeing it for the first time on some blurry shaky-cam youtube video?

Plus talking about "surprises"

made me think in my head..

"WHAT A TWIST!"
 
Yes, it can ruin the experience I think.

They do the same thing with movie trailers, you pretty much see all the cool parts, or the funniest parts of a movie before you even see it!
 
well if one is constantly reading about the new games coming out and watching previews, looking at screenshots, etc. of course it will sap the "newness" from a game.

if i'm interested in a game i'll watch some gameplay footage and then wait for reviews on metacritic. if it's a game i know i'll like i'll refrain from doing even that.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']I keep tabs on what games are in the pipeline, but I dont delve too deeply into them until they are released. Before a game comes out, I dont look at videos, or screenshots, or even read previews. But once its out, and I can actually get it if I want, then I read ALL the reviews and opinions I can find.

I hate getting hyped up for a game thats still months away. I did this once with GTA San Andreas, where I checked out every new screen that came out, and was anticipating the game for months before it came out. By time the game did hit retail I was exhausted from talking about it and following every detail of it, etc.

Nowadays I just keep a mental note of what games Im interested in, and then when I see reviews for them I know that they are out, or about to be out. I like it much better this way, cos if I hear about a great game, I dont have to wait 6 months to play it.[/QUOTE]

I do pretty much the same, just skim over some info, mostly just what I can read through in a few minutes a day in the latest egm. I have stopped reading all the previews, getting pumped about whats coming just makes everything dissapointing in the end. I'll read some threads, see what people are saying, and then see what gamerankings says when the game comes out. I just go far enough to get the general vibe to know if it's worth playing or not, then I buy it when it gets cheap. If you don't follow the previews too closely, you will also be less likely to buy a game right when it comes out.

The last game I followed and sucked up every screenshot and video for was Star Wars Galaxies, and I got burned big time. I didn't really care about the Star Wars aspect, but I thought it would be the next big mmorpg. I learned my lesson. I did follow WOW some, but nowhere near how I followed SWG, and I have now lost interest in the whole genre.

But being informed in game pricing and just overall gaming, means I get a lot more value for my money
 
I think the real problem your experiencing is that games are always overhyped. The potential is always greater before a game is released and companies always overpromise and overhype their games.

It's the same thing that happens when you watch too many movie trailers, you've already seen the best the movie has to offer before you walk in the theater.

My suggestion is that you start playing videogames that fly under the radar, games that don't have a whole lot of coverage before release so the experience won't be ruined for you.
 
I like being informed.

I like seeing a preview for a game and getting excited about it a year before it comes out. Its better then walking into a video game store and seeing the new game of a series you've always like. Then paying $60 for and getting it home and realize that it sucks.

OP I think your burned out on gaming because you worked in the field for a year. Something few of us have done here.
 
I don't see how being informed can be bad. Would you rather throw in some game you know nothing about only to find out it's a piece of crap and you've wasted time and money playing it? You have to be informed on SOME level, it's just how much that's a personal decision to make, like how some people use guides and some don't.
 
Sometimes it pays to keep your head buried in the sand. I've seen the MGS4 trailer, and I don't want to see it again until it's on store shelves at a reasonable price and I own a PS3. I would rather be able to appreciate my $25 MGS3: Subsistence or even better yet, Gamestop's $5 copy of MGS2. These are only examples. Sometimes I wish I had not seen anything released after 2000 so I could enjoy Gamestop's $5 copies of Grand Theft Auto 3, Gran Tursimo 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, SSX, and Splinter Cell like they just came out yesterday.
 
I used to read both previews and reviews, but now I save the time I would spend reading previews and play games with it instead. If I had a lot of extra free time, I'd read more previews, but there's no point in spending my time reading about features that may or may not end up in the final version of a game, when I can read a review of the game to see how the final version turned out.

I did recently have a situation where I wish I hadn't read about the game, though. I really enjoyed Guitar Hero, so I did read information on Guitar Hero II, include the songlist. I wish I hadn't read about the last song (
Freebird
); it would have made the moment a lot cooler to hear the crowd chanting the song's name, not knowing I was about to play it.
 
I have to wonder why there's such a preocupation with previews in this industry. Maybe I just don't know of the right sites or magazines, but AFAIK that dosen't exist to anywhere near the same degree with movies or shows or books or whatever. There's news, there's some previews, but not to the point where in the typical game magazine more space is usually given to previews than reviews-which is completely backwards.

Yeah, it is-at best-a waste of our time to read previews, since it's meaningless until the actual review hits. I'm dumbfounded by these blow by blow previews that hit IGN and the like. Why would anyone want to read them? Either you're going to play the game, in which case you wouldn't want to know much about it ahead of time, or you're not, in which case why would you care to know anything about it?
 
Like everything, it has it's pluses and it's minuses. Take Wii Boxing for example. Without question, it is the most popular part of Wii Sports even though anyone deep in gaming is frusterated with the shoddy collision detection and iffy ability to punch at point A or B on a regular basis.

On the other hand, the only shit games I buy anymore are when they're either exceptionally cheap or when they're pretty bad. Furthermore, there's a certain pleasure one can take from introducing their friends to a Trauma Center or a Katamari Damacy of the world. Take the original Super Smash Brothers for example. I was totally stoked about it months ahead of time, but my friends had no idea about it. Besides, a fighting game with Mario and Kirby? How dumb does that sound? So yeah, there are certain perks about being an informed gamer the same way it sucks.
 
Well, working in the "industry" (even on the media side) will definitely burn you out. Your never going to get as excited, because aspects of it are work now. Just because you don't feel like playing games today (or this one) doesn't mean you get the chance to turn it off. If you feel like retro gaming today, you don't have the option. That can suck the fun out as much as anything else.

Previews are iffy. Honestly, I've started avoiding them unless they come out shortly before the game. Screenshots are one thing, but I rarely read blow by blow previews, since so much changes. So, I won't read them.

Honestly though, I'm happy that they are there. I like having lots of stuff to read on a game when I'm making a tough decision over what games to get or wait on. I also don't mind reading reviews/previews for games I have in my backlog, getting me excited to play them (I did that for Unreal Championship II, that I bought for $3 a Best Buy, but didn't start until last weekend, fun so far).
 
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