There’s an anthem being sung quite regularly these days. Have you heard it? Hard not to if you’re paying attention. Gaming is evolving. Right before our eyes, we’re becoming something different from what we were a few years ago. Sadly, the direction we’re headed towards isn’t where we should be going. The way I see it, is however way you slice it, we’re all gamers. We all share the same roots from this big tree of ours. But for some reason, some of us think we’re entitled to a lot more fruit. That their time and money is more valuable than someone else’s and that they have a right to complain and whine and throw developers in the gutter for not making them happy. Look, we’re all guilty of it in some form or another, I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But the fact is that it’s becoming a culture now and that’s where it’s bad.
The issue today is that there’s a tremendous inability to satisfy certain types of gamers. And that’s about the nicest way that I can say it. For the sake of this argument, let’s call them Gamer Zero.
Gamer Zero is not the majority of gamers, but they’re sure as hell the loudest, so it’s a blurry line to decipher. They want you to know when they’re not happy and when developers make all the wrong decisions. No, it’s not wrong to disagree with something. Opinions, as they say, are like assholes. And the need of critics to promote and push creative milestones is obvious in this industry. But these types of gamers seem to think their dollar is worth more than say, the casual gamer’s dollar. Gamer Zero is full of all types of people – parents, college students, millennial hipsters, the 12-year old’s who curse you out in Fortnite – they come in all shapes and sizes. But for the most part they all share the same, unquenchable thirst that seemingly prohibits them of being satisfied with what they get. If this offends you in any way, then I’m sorry. Someone really should have told you about yourself sooner.
The culture that is being created before our eyes, is that Gamer Zero feels as if game developers owe them something.
Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying being unsatisfied is evil. It’s human to not be happy with certain things and expect more from some aspects in life. But the issue I’m seeing, and the culture that is being created before our eyes, is that Gamer Zero feels as if game developers owe them something. Prime example, that one dude from BlizzCon who crapped all over something that a world-renowned development team worked on for who knows how long. All because they announced something that wasn’t what he was expecting, nor what he desired.
That wasn’t what lit my fire though. The thing that grinded my gears was BioWare’s Anthem and the backlash they’ve been receiving. Primarily from streamers and content creators (i.e., influencers), who I must say seem to be at the forefront of GZ’s strike force. Get on YouTube and search “Anthem”. As of this writing you’ll find a nice chunk of the videos that pop up. All of which have 60k – 100k+ views, and are overly dedicated to telling you how Anthem has a content problem, how it’s not looking good, how you need to avoid it, how it’s not ready and the microtransactions are disgusting. Anthem apparently is in dire need of fixing a multitude of problems a mere week and a half before it’s slated to release. Poor BioWare, I bet they never even knew. The worst part is that most of them are upset about the lack of end game content because that just means in order to appease their fanbase, they’ll have to go back to playing Fortnite a lot sooner than what they were hoping.
Which by the way, between writing this and posting it, BioWare has released part two of their This is Anthem |Gameplay Series videos, where they go into detail about what the endgame for Anthem will be. Hint, it sounds promising. Part one covers story, progression, and customization, for those curious.
The “shared world looter shooter” (Shworld Shlooter?) is a haven for Gamer Zero streamers these days. Destiny, Warframe, The Division, and now Anthem, they all share the same fundamentals when it comes to gameplay and structures. And that is totally fine. You know me, I had a ton of fun with Destiny despite having to face my addiction with it and ultimately stop myself from playing. But falling off that wagon didn’t stop me from pre-ordering Anthem, which I’m very excited for.
But no, GZ is all over YouTube, telling me I shouldn’t be excited for it because the endgame of Anthem is not up to their standards. “There’s only 3 strongholds to replay during the endgame. THREE!! The nerve of BioWare, launching a game with so little to do [AFTER YOU ALREADY BEAT THE GAME]. Sure, there’s legendary contracts, and other experiences, and of course, more stuff coming out down the line but guys, DON’T FALL FOR IT!! The endgame out of the box is so lackluster, I’m cancelling my pre-order and you should too! Three strongholds, OMG. BioWare, you should have asked me, I would’ve told you that wasn’t enough.”
Dinner was enjoyable and fulfilling, but you’re going to say it was terrible and you demand a refund because the crust on your cheesecake for dessert is not meeting your standards.
Look guy, I appreciate you trying to look out for me. It’s why I look up these videos on YouTube, I’m curious about people’s opinions and I want to take in as much information as I can. But this is what I mean about no one being satisfied anymore. It happens all the time in the Shworld Shlooter genre (that doesn’t feel like it’s going to stick). It’s as if this genre attracts people who want to do absolutely nothing in their lives except play the game. Ignoring responsibilities, and jobs, and families, everything, for the sole purpose of reaching the end game only to have something to complain about. “Where’s the content?” “I’ve done this already.” “It’s like [insert dev here] is not even paying attention.” “Look, another level 239 shotgun.” “I can’t believe I spent all that time grinding to get screwed by RNGesus.” “What a waste of $60.” On and on. Forever. Why? Because GZ is never happy. Zero happiness. Gamer Zero. I didn’t name them that by accident. Seriously, it’s called the “endgame” because it happens at the end of the game. Which means you played the game to completion to get to that point. But that wasn’t enough, was it? Dinner was enjoyable and fulfilling, but you’re going to say it was terrible and you demand a refund because the crust on your cheesecake for dessert is not meeting your standards. GTFO.
Why does this upset me? Because I’m a gamer. And like I said, I like to enjoy these types of games when I can. But the problem is I’m a casual gamer and I can’t dedicate countless hours of my life to trying to unlock the next best gun. Oh, I’d like to, don’t get me wrong. But I’d rather have fun and enjoy it, rather than trying to hurry past everything just to get to the end. Playing the game, going through the story, taking in what it has to offer. Call me old fashioned but I don’t judge a game by how long it’s going to keep its hooks in me after I already beat it. Gamer Zero is too preoccupied thinking games like Anthem were created just for them. They treat it as if it’s the only game coming out for the next 5 months and they won’t have anything else to play because they only have $60 to spend on one solitary game and spending it on Anthem would be a complete waste because THREE STRONGHOLDS YOU GUYS.
Personally, I’m excited. I pre-ordered, like I said. And I did so without touching any demo. I regret not playing the VIP demo now though, since I’ll miss out on those skins but that’s neither here nor there. My faith in BioWare and wanting a Shworld Shlooter (one more try!) in a world they created was enough to get me to bite. The negative backlash I’ve seen made me feel like something had to be said. Mind you, the technical issues that you’d expect from a pre-launch demo and whatever other bugs that have been discussed have nothing to do with my argument here. This is strictly concerning the endgame backlash. Lots of outlets have picked up on this, asking BioWare for comment and I’m sure that’s why they released their video I linked to a bit ago. I also read an article Variety wrote a few days ago, describing BioWare’s views on their endgame content and how they’re hoping to hook players. Let’s see here…
“Mark Darrah (the game’s Executive Producer) believes that “Anthem” differs from “Destiny’s” appointment-style gaming, which is a barrier for some players. He says there’s flexibility for players with time on their hands waiting for friends to come online.
BioWare doesn’t want to fall into the trap that some games fall into in the endgame. While “Destiny” does have options for productive thumb-twiddling, many other games with raid-type experiences don’t. You’re instead stuck waiting for the entire party to be ready to set out.
“The experience is more in the way people actually live their lives,” Darrah says. “It’s available for those moments when you get everyone and everything clicks and everyone is able to play, but it’s also possible to experience the game and have fun around those moments, when things aren’t quite the way that you would ideally have them.”
Do you know how absolutely glorious that sounds?! It’s music to my ears! It was always my beef with Destiny, how everything revolved around raids and you needed to dedicate a straight 1.5+ hours that you HAD to coordinate with 5 others to make it work. Even then, you were never truly guaranteed anything in the game, as it was all up to RNG if you were getting something substantial. Hearing BioWare is actively trying to avoid the same dead end for players like me and make it more inviting gives me the tingles.
BioWare has been laying a lot on the line with the demos and being so upfront about everything. Not to mention the whole EA thing in a post-Battlefront II world. There are a lot of people still sour about all of that, so coupled together with Gamer Zero’s GLOWING disapproval, it seems as if someone had to say something positive about Anthem. So here it is:
As a casual gamer, I cannot wait to explore and discover all the treasures Anthem has in store. I’m looking forward to diving in and grouping up with friends (both Future Monkeys have pre-ordered and are ready to go on Xbox!) and seeing what it has to offer. The end game is integral to this type of genre, yes. But everyone needs to remember you must “get through” hours and hours of thought-out and crafted story, enticing voice acting, gripping cut scenes, intriguing lore, and fun, addicting gameplay, in order to have the privilege of grinding for your tenth machine gun.
