I had a bit of a revelation this morning. I was thinking about all the games that I enjoyed recently, to include Max Payne 3 and the newly released Orcs Must Die! 2. I began to ask myself some interesting questions. When it comes to gaming, I am above average in my experience with the hobby. I am not talking about skill in my ability to be good at games, but rather just my experience with games themselves. I play a lot of games. I tend to study even more games that I won't ever play. I frequently check new releases, I look at trends, I read news, and I do all of these things. When it comes to how informed I am about games, how "in the loop" I am when it comes to the industry, I am probably on par with most publications and commentators. Basically, I -know- games.
Due to this, I began to find it oddly intriguing how I tend to enjoy games that the majority of my peers do not. Obviously, there are the universally liked games. Skyrim, for instance. Even TB states that Skyrim is a good game. He doesn't agree with the reasons why other people like it, but he likes it for what he thinks it is. It's one of the rare times the community is in agreement on something. What I find intriguing, though, is that my taste in games is not so inclusive as my taste in other forms of entertainment. When it comes to movies, I tend to enjoy good and bad movies alike. I just like movies. When it comes to music, I tend to enjoy good and bad music with some special exceptions. (I don't like country music, nor most rap.) I just like music.
I would like to think that I also like games. Obviously I do, otherwise I wouldn't be so ingrained in the hobby. So it makes me ask the question -- Why is it, then, that I don't play the most popular games in the world? Let me make some comparisons, and I think you'll see what I'm trying to say here.
The #1 movie right this moment is The Dark Knight Rises, according to box office reports. I have seen this movie and I loved it. I would say that when it comes to movies, at any one time with very few exceptions, if a movie is #1 at the box office, it is a movie that I have either seen or I am interested in seeing.
The #1 song right this moment is Call Me Maybe, according to the billboard charts. I have heard this song, and I enjoyed it. It's not my favorite song, and I wouldn't say I love it. But it's fine, it sounds good. (Though, it has so permeated pop culture at the moment I am quite sick of it, to be honest.) Regardless, I have heard it and I didn't hate it. Generally speaking, if a song is #1 on the billboard charts, I have heard it and I probably like it, with a few exceptions.
Now, it's a bit difficult to determine the #1 game at the moment.
If I go by Steam, which is not a good indicator, then the top selling game right now is Arma II. We all know this is because of Day Z. Regardless, I hate Arma 2 and I hate Day Z. If you go by players, then I would venture to say it's League of Legends. I don't like LoL. And if you go by the current player count on Steam, it's Dota 2. I don't like Dota 2, either.
So why am I so different?
The simple answer is because I don't need what Day Z, LoL, and Dota 2 provide. Well, don't need, don't want, don't like, don't give a rat's ass about is a more accurate and overly wordy explanation, I suppose. What is it they provide, you may ask? Why, that's simple: The ability to prove your superiority over others.
Perhaps playing competitive horseshoes for ten years has exhausted my need to prove I'm better than anyone else, but I just can't for the life of me find enjoyment out of it any more. Don't get me wrong, I fully respect the people who truly get a thrill out of out-duking someone, and I fully recognize the skill that it takes to do that. I am not attempting to take anything away from players there. I also understand it. I am just different. I do not care.
I think this is why I hate those communities so very much. (Because let's face it, that's the real reason why I don't like LoL or Dota 2. It's not the actual gameplay itself, it's the mentality that it creates within its players.) When I used to play LoL and get frustrated with it, it wasn't because someone was playing better than I was. I didn't care about that. I would get frustrated because everyone else DID care.
I would get frustrated because they seem to have this misconception that their better skill at the game actually means something in the complexities of the universe. Like they won some kind of prize. And it would baffle me. Are they so insecure with themselves that they must boost their self-esteem by belittling a complete stranger? Were they bullied in school? Did their mother not love them? Did someone run over their kitten?
What it comes down to for me, sadly, is that playing LoL or Dota 2 or Day Z makes you feel like the whole community is one big clique that you're not a part of, nor welcome to join. So with me already not particularly thrilled with the games themselves, why should I even bother with them, then? Simply put, I shouldn't. So I don't. I am in the minority there.
And that's okay.
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