A few days ago, I was watching a YouTube video where someone was saying that games are not the same anymore, and this got me thinking for a long time. What’s most surprising is that in the comment section, many people, if not all of them, felt the same way: that video games are no longer the same, meaning they’re not exciting anymore, they don’t have that surprise factor that leaves you wanting more, and many weren’t even enjoying playing them anymore.
And to some extent, I could understand it, because I found myself many times in that position where I was pushing myself to play a game like Scott, Fish Taste, and I didn’t enjoy them at all, ending up frustrated, not to mention the amount of money I had already spent.
So, after thinking about it a lot, I understood what was happening, and I want to share this reflection with you, my dear digital legends, because I’m sure many of you have felt this way at least once, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that to solve a problem, you first have to understand where it’s coming from.
Expectations
One of the biggest reasons we think a game sucks is expectations. Many companies present games to us as if they were the best and top of the moment, and when it comes down to it, they leave much to be desired. The industry itself creates impossible expectations in the player, and when they present their game, they end up being torn apart. (I’m looking at you, Cyberpunk!)
It’s the same industry that often ends up destroying its own work, pressuring developers, announcing release dates when the game is far from finished, and creating expectations.
And here I want to talk about Hogwarts Legacy; I’m a big Harry Potter fan. When the book of the Philosopher’s Stone came out, Harry was 10 years old, and so was I, and a new book came out every year, so Harry and his adventure accompanied me throughout my adolescence. I dreamed of receiving a letter from Hogwarts and living the magic that his world offered. So when Hogwarts Legacy was announced, you can imagine the excitement it gave me. It was my chance to live that dream, and like me, there were many others wanting the same thing.
And when the game came out, and I played it… what a huge disappointment. The magical world they created is beautiful, the castle is great, flying on a hippogriff blows your mind, but… that’s it. There’s nothing else, and after a couple of hours wandering around, the hype wears off. Hogwarts Legacy has a pretty boring story, with characters who relate forcedly, and it lacks that “something” that makes it a fantastic game.
I forced myself to play Hogwarts Legacy, almost as a form of punishment, to a point where I ended up hating it, and it’s rare for me not to finish a game, but I never finished Hogwarts Legacy. Maybe if my expectations hadn’t been so high, I might have liked it.
Criticism
Another factor that affects our gaming experience is the predisposition injected by criticism. I don’t blame you at all if you’re one of those people who read reviews before buying a game; here at Joystick, we do it too because we want to give value to the money we invest in games, like everyone else. But many times, we are also influenced by what the press says.
The press can condemn or praise a title before it even sees the light, we’ve seen everything that happened with Cyberpunk, where it was announced as the game of all games of all games, making it sell approximately 13 million copies on its release day, due to all the expectation that the press also injected, making it one of the most successful launches; and it ended up being more broken than your heart when she told you she didn’t want a relationship and went with your best friend.
However, after all the updates, and the release of Edgerunners, which by the way is amazing, Cyberpunk managed to redeem itself a bit to become a decent game.
Another case is Final Fantasy XV, many fans of the saga hate it, and spread that hatred all over the internet, and I don’t blame them for the hate they feel, since FFXV (originally announced as Versus) didn’t have everything it was supposed to have, Square Enix ended up releasing part of the story as DLC, in an anime, and in a bunch of other things because the game lacked context. But is it really that bad to hate it? Many even say that Square Enix scammed them.
I never had expectations with FFXV, in fact, I’ve played very few titles in this saga, and the ones I’ve played have amazed me, and of all of them, FFXV is my favorite, it’s true that the relationship between Noctis and Lunafreya is forced, and we see it little, but the focus of the story is not there, it’s on the gang that accompanies you, on the story of friendship, and on the sacrifice they must make. And added to this, we have that open world where you are free to explore, travel, and enter dungeons when you feel like it and do whatever you want, I thought it was a great game, so much so that I got platinum.
Do you think I would have played this game if I had read all the hate out there? Probably not, and I would have deprived myself of one of the friendship stories that touched my heart the most, I think about this game and I swear to you my eyes get watery. You can read my opinion of FFXV right here.
Ourselves
Another important factor why we don’t enjoy games is ourselves. Just like in a psychologist session that cost you a month’s salary where you already know they’re going to tell you that you are the origin of all your problems, here we do the same for much less.
When we face a new adventure, many times we are the harshest critics, the most ruthless, without even being objective about the game we are about to play. Is it a game aimed at us? Is the subject something we would like to explore right now? Are we even in the mood to play?
The emotion (or lack of emotion) with which we approach a game is going to affect it. And if we come from a bad day trying to remedy it with a game that takes us out of reality, we’re not going to be very kind.
In the video I saw on YouTube, which I mentioned at the beginning, the creator said that he was extremely excited to play Princess Peach Showtime, and that when he played it, he found it too childish. What did he expect? It’s a game for a children’s audience, and we’re talking about a creator who’s already in his 30s if he hasn’t turned them yet.
Time doesn’t forgive, and we’re going to grow up, we’re going to take on roles and responsibilities in our lives that will make us change the way we think, act, and interact with the world, and it’s going to change the way we handle our emotions and reactions. The excitement that a game like Princess Peach can give us will never be the same excitement that it can give to a 10-year-old child who is more energetic and with much more energy and zero responsibilities.
It’s not a game aimed at adults, and with this I don’t mean that because we are adults, we will never be able to enjoy a children’s game, I adore Crash Bandicoot and I enjoy it a lot, but we can’t expect a more serious or adult theme when the game is not intended for that.
Another way we ruin a game is by looking for guides to pass them on the first try without suffering the puzzles, or spoiling ourselves just because we played for 2 hours and already want to know everything.
We ruin the surprise factor without realizing it, so when we play again, it no longer causes us that excitement because we already know what’s going to happen, or we’re already very powerful and armed, and playing is no longer a challenge.
How to overcome it…
There’s a very simple reason why remakes are so successful: there are no expectations. Everyone already knows what it’s about, everyone already knows what’s going to happen within the game, so the surprise factor is purely in that visual and graphic update, in the new mechanics, textures, ray tracing, etc. And maybe that’s why we’ve seen a wave of remakes in recent years.
Of course, there’s a remake of Snake Eater coming out, and I have expectations, but they’re only about the aspect and mechanics of the game, nothing to do with the story or character development, because I already know very well what happens in this title.
The trick, my dear gaming legends, is that if we want to play something that is 100% new to us, let’s try not to read reviews or opinions from other people, because what may be garbage to many, is treasure to others, and whether they like it or not, someone else’s opinion will influence their decisions when it comes to playing. Stick with the initial excitement that a title gives you, and be objective when creating your own expectations, because if it’s a game for children, that’s exactly what you’re going to get.
Have you heard that saying that says don’t judge a book by its cover? Well, don’t judge a game by someone else’s opinion, that Hogwarts Legacy disappointed me doesn’t mean it will disappoint everyone, maybe for many, it’s the best game in the magical world (although we have to be clear about one thing, this is the best game in the magical world, GOTY!)
Let yourselves be the ones to decide if a game is worth it or not, and if you like a game, keep playing it, just don’t ruin it by looking up things on the internet, keep the surprise factor, and you’ll see how your gaming sessions will be much better.
I hope you liked this reflection, and if you’ve experienced this, please leave it in the comments, I love reading what you think.
If you liked this reflection, you may also like: Videogames That Teach Us What Redemption Is
What’s up, gamers! I’m Andrea Villasmil, the one weaving magic behind Joystick Latino. From the glorious era of Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 to today’s RPGs, video games have me hooked. Besides being the boss around here, I’m an editor and translator on this wonderful website. I’m also a music teacher, delving into the world of dubbing and voice acting.
Between psychological thrillers, RPG sessions, and delicious pasta dishes, I have a great time sharing my obsession for games on Joystick Latino. See you in the game, friends!
