As someone who is actively afraid of leaving comments, this is hard - but just wanted to say: love this, good job, hear hear, etc. I’m a woman who plays games and watches videogame essays. Glad you exist ❤
I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable if someone reacts to your comment but I want to let you know that I'm proud of you for overcoming your fear. Especially to let someone know you appreciate what they do. It makes a difference.
Absolutely cracking vid as per usual, elaborated a lot of things I've been thinking for a long time now and made me hate myself in exciting new ways I never thought possible - couldn't be better timed alongside The AAA Games Industry Advertising Event And Also We Throw A Bone To, Like, One Fairly Safe Indie Game Per Year Awards, truly great stuff.
This captures so much of my struggles with video games. My partner and I actually play puzzle games together, but one of us has to stream the game while the other watches on a video call and we talk about it. Our way of playing literally doesn't exist in games research, even though Obra Dinn style games are actually way more fun with multiple people.
Amazing video as always. I'm also somebody that would rather play more games that have unique narratives and gameplay than another competitive shooter. To think I would ever prefer that games will stay the same is something I have never wanted ever. I have always felt that video games is a medium with so much potential that isn't explored because of this industry. I am very happy that somebody like you would also like games as much as I do and I support everyone to be able to play games. I truly believe that games aren't just time wasters, but are a valuable exploration of culture and experience that no other medium has as much potential to explore. There should be mom games too.
22:44 : Have encountered that many, many times. Puzzle games and other "niche" genres are so often excluded or grouped into the wrong category (match-3 or other matching games that aren't quintessential puzzle style games like Baba Is You).
33:40 "... the void where a more unique and special game could've been, if we just demanded it" I always have taken issue with this line of thought. I think the repetition on the chicken and egg problem shows us that, at least when it comes to availability of options, supply creates its own demand (up to a point). Demand rarely creates supply. This is no critique on your essay, or even the point being made. I just am coming to the realization that more often than not the specific things I want in games and software and art I might just need to make myself Edit: 55:02 I should've trusted you, you said basically the exact thing haha
Hi! landed here from a "Wrong Indie Games" recommendation and after checking out "City Levels," and it's super cool the things you're talking about. This video in particular, along with taking that Quantic survey, has me thinking again about what I enjoy from games. These thoughts are still doing the DVD logo thing in my head, but I definitely feel for seeming lack of nurturing and supportive gameplay, especially in multiplayer spaces. I have fond memories of playing support and protecting and enabling my friends in League of Legends, back when I played in high school. I've tried other multiplayer games since with friends, but it feels like there's a trend of "supports and healers ALSO deal damage" as well, in an attempt to combat the typically "boring" support gameplay. I feel like I've been playing multiplayer games less and less, even though I love playing with friends, since it feels like so many try to make all the players on even footing. I'll still play Minecraft on occassion, but it'll be because my friend needs help gathering resources, or even Genshin Impact, if only to leave my world open to join and help any random players I can. These thoughts are really rough, and I can't say I have a particular message to convey, other than that I'm enjoying your videos! I was also having too much fun reading comments, that I reached the less-nice comments, and kind of felt awful reading them, so I wanted to counteract that energy a bit(?) and bring it back(?)? This comment might be more for myself than anything lol. will be checking out more of your videos, and i look forward to any upcoming ones!
Thank you! You're so lovely for making an effort to drop some positivity in here, I really appreciate it :) I haven't minded the negative comments really, most have been supportive and constructive and my community is fantastic so that has far outweighed the negativity. Feel free to please continue spamming nice comments at me though lol
When you bring up the idea of a "Nurturer" or a "Maverick" player type, I identified far more with both than any of the other types they have, despite being fairly close to the stereotypical target demographic.
I think a lot of us have that experience, since I'm pretty sure the stereotype isn't even good at describing young cis white male gamers. Besides, there's probably also some correlation between those player types and the people who watch hour-long meta-essays on the culture of vide games.
I've never heard of your channel before, but after seeing this video, I INSTANTLY subscribed! I also have felt this way about the game industry for a while now and like it's seriously time for a MAJOR shift in the industry. Especially AAA. Incredible work! (Leaving this comment to help boost your video)
This was phenomenal. Well done. Before the end part where you talk about this project brewing for years, I could feel the thoughtfulness and yet vulnerability coming through. It must have been tough to get all these thoughts in order and push them out. I hope you’re happy you made “the thing”. I think it’s important and I enjoyed watching it. 🙂
See I always thought I was quite on top of a topic like this and agreed with everything, but you still managed to catch me out and think "wow - i never thought of that"! Great video, thank you for making it!
Kat, thank you so much for this work. One of your most important pieces and such important things being said here. I’m very proud to have been supporting you and will continue to do so!!
What an incredible video! This was my intro to your channel, and I cannot wait to dig into your back catalogue! Though I anticipate returning to this one again, and I will certainly be pointing friends toward it as well. I have also felt at times like I'm aging out of this hobby. But I'm not left with a sense of dread or the feeling that this will be an inevitability after watching your video! You've so beautifully articulated the case that things can and should be different, and you've left me at least walking away with a sense of hope that they will be. Thank you for advocating for that better future in a medium I'm not ready to age out of just yet.
That's really nice to hear, thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. I have much hope (for the indie scene at least), and who knows what the future will bring!
I wanna show Part 3 of this video to literally everyone with gaming as a hobby. I can't think of how anyone can disagree with it. Once you notice the void, it becomes impossible to ignore. You perfectly put into words how I (and probably many other people too) have been feeling about the industry for a while now.
I feel like we've having the same thing for years now. Your video is probably one of the best about this, but I can't believe so much time has happened and nothing has changed.
this video hits even harder after this year's Game Awards, felt like a single game was announced with 20 trailers, couldn't tell when the trailer for the next one was starting. also the gun shooting was the reason why I couldn't finish Control and Alan wake 2, it felt so out of place, I love these 2 games and their "vibes", but they had to add these boring mechanic(telekinesis was fun in Control), I had to finish them both on youtube. 56:02 - 56:13 this is amazing, you put my feelings for the entire games industry(meaning AAA😉) in this sentence.
I was wondering whether this video would be out of place releasing at a very "let's celebrate games being wonderful" time of year... but then yeah, The Game Awards were so horrid maybe it highlighted these problems? lol I don't know. I share your feelings about the Remedy games 100%
@@PixelaDayyes, it highlights the problems even more, they were like "we wanted to make something unique" and than show the most generic looking shooter ever.
I only finished Control because I maxed out telekinesis and powers. Throwing rocks at enemies is so much fun. I hardly ever used a Director's gun, and it was a good walkthrough without struggles.
I didn't finish Control because it crashed all the time and performance was crap on PS4. But I would have abandoned it anyway, it was really boring. For telekinesis, I think Scarlet Nexus is way more fun
I watched a playthrough of Control because it looked too bogged down with repetitive combat to be fun for me. Nice vibes and oh do I dig the SCP feelings, but I would have wanted to play it if the combat had been drastically scaled back and instead of that there was a mechanic for freeing the captured agents from the Hiss. How satisfying that would have been!
I feel like I can't properly put into words all my thoughts and emotions about this but I'll say one thing. I think what you are saying is extremely important and good, and I think you really should be proud of it.
I've been a gamer since the late 1970s. This video echoes many of the same complaints I have had for a very long time. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, when video games first achieved mainstream popularity, it was relatively inclusive, and in those experimental early years, games weren't held down to genre expectations and demographics. Things changed after the video game crash of 1983, and the gaming hobby became the domain of mostly young men. For decades, it seems like the vast majority of prominent games have featured a lot of action, a lot of fighting, and the fanciest graphics that the technology of the day could achieve. On rare occasions, something different would appear and take the gaming world by storm, clearly indicating that there was demand for something that wasn't high energy and bloodthirsty. SimCity was one such game, and it inspired a whole group of other city builders and related types of games. This kept me engaged with gaming at a time when some of my favorite genres were in decline or had become extinct. I'm glad I stuck with it, because notwithstanding the train wreck that is the AAA space these days, the indie scene has really blossomed, and for the first time since the late 1970s/early 1980s, there are so many games compatible with my interests that I barely have time to scratch the surface. Action combat is one game mechanic I have never liked, but over the years, I played a few of the games with action combat and even came to regard some of them as among my favorites, but this was in spite of the combat. These games (i.e. Morrowind and Fallout: New Vegas) had so much else to offer that it was worth putting up with the combat. It helps that the combat isn't particularly challenging in these games. Combat is seen as such a basic feature in games that even many of the ostensibly low stress, so-called "cozy games" have combat. Stardew Valley is great in many ways, but having to fight endless hordes of monsters sometimes puts me off. For as long as I can remember, I have had a real hunger for non-violent games. This is what pushed me into the city builders and has led me to look for non-combat "cozy games" and walking simulators, and to play games such as No Man's Sky and Valheim in the peaceful mode. I don't mind turn based combat so much since it feels more like a logic puzzle than a fight when it is well designed. Baldur's Gate 3 is quite possibly the best in this regard out of all the CRPGs I have played since the 1980s. It is one of very few games in which I have actually enjoyed combat. Video games can and should be so much more than fighting. The art form is incredibly flexible, and it is a shame that so many of its possibilities went unexplored for so long. I have little hope for the AAA studios. Like the big Hollywood film studios, they are risk averse corporations that will continue beating to death whatever has brought in the money in the past, and they will do so until it no longer works. Just as Hollywood churns out one action superhero movie after another in tired decades-old franchises, the big companies will continue to churn out action combat games that are flashy and fancy-looking on the surface (and have cash shops and battle passes to hoover up as much money as possible from their customers) but have no depth and little variety. They are the fast food of movies and video games - good for a quick adrenaline fix but offering little else. With very few exceptions, it is the small indie developers and privately held companies not unduly beholden to investors (such as Larian) that will push the art form forward.
Incredible comment! So you witnessed the start of this artform... I listened to a very good podcast/yt vid a while ago (in French unfortunately) that highlighted this turn towards young men in the early 80s, looking at ads before and after... and wow, adults and girls playing games! Didn't last, I wonder what could have been. Not, as you put it well, that we're lacking in cool and diverse games those days!
@@etamr60 It would be nice if there had been better diversity in games between the mid-1980s and 2010s, but gaming is in better shape now. What is this video/podcast you mention? I'm not fluent in French, but I have some basic knowledge, so I might be able to understand it.
@@heatherharrison264 It's "le canard et la plume #3" from Canard PC. The topic is broader, on the representations of videogames in the media and political discourse, but there are interesting observations especially on how the medium was conceived and marketed. Warning : early-covid era sound quality
This came out even better than I imagined when you first mentioned the idea which is unbelievable! You have touched on so many frustrations and a huge potential I truly believe in that games can do. 💜
Huge thanks for persevering and making the video that's been on the tip of your tounge for litaral years - it's a triumph. Part 2 of your video resonated with me especially since I've always felt like an atypical gamer. I just did the gamer motivation test for myself and also found myself a little deflated by the questions as it seemingly tried to pidgeonhole me into a type of player that I'm not. I've got such an appitite for emotionally challenging games that try to do something a little unique with the medium, but they are much rarer than I'd like.
If you think games dont have diversity, thank god you dont watch anime. 99% is the same and its really hard to find good mature stories on that medium.
Accessibility is a big issue. There is no clear way for a person who’s never played games to learn how to play them. I’m glad you brought that up, I rarely see this being discussed. An idea I had is standardizing every game to include an optional tutorial that is aimed specifically for non-gamers and teaches them the fundamentals of that games genre from the ground up. The goal would be to ensure that everyone, gamer and non gamer, has a clear entry point to the game. But the industry currently if you’ve never played a game before? Tosses you a monopoly set thats missing the instruction manual then slaps you on the ass before laughing on the way to the bank.
that song from the ror2 soundtrack always awakens something in me whenever i hear it. it sounds so melancholic yet hopeful such a banger choice for this video
I found your channel through your recent indie game video and am loving the content. I won't repeat all the deserved praise from everyone else, I just want to say I'm like 80% sure the poster from part 3 is from Pathologic 2 and I love it.
Many thanks for this Kat - you covered a lot of ground there, and I'm pleased for you that you managed to finally make this video! The timing is beautifully fortuitous; a great counterpoint to the massive and unavoidable hype around the GTA VI trailer in the last week or so. Nothing against GTA, but there's so much more this industry could and should be, and so much more we should be excited about. A lot of progress has been made, but there's still so much further to go. Yours is an important and unique voice - keep going. If I may, I'll also take this opportunity to say I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Excellent video. I liked the numerous examples in Part 1 and Part 2. It really helps to understand this Blind Spot when you see it in action. Also, your comment about growing out of Video Games hit home for me. It's not that I am getting too old for video games, Video Games as a medium fail to grow with me (with some notable exceptions, of course). It's not that I don't want to game anymore, it's just I don't want another AAA game with some boring chosen one storyline and crafting system, I have done that long enough. Games like Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Signalis and even Death Stranding on the other hand are an auto-buy.
This is an incredible essay. When you mentioned the gaming survey I took it and similarly didn’t feel like it described my reasons for playing games. It ended up giving two different types that were almost opposites, Bard/Gladiator, and neither really fit. Something I’ve noticed in myself is that the stereotypes and blindspots in the games industry and the way games are talked about has made it difficult for me to figure out what I actually like in games. I don’t enjoy most AAA and got started playing more puzzle, narrative, and simulation type games. I tried playing CoD and Halo once or twice with family, but struggled with reacting quickly and dexterity/skill with a controller, and always ended up being too anxious and frustrated to enjoy playing them. Because of that, I assumed I just didn’t like action or FPS and stuck to more laidback games. But then a friend of mine convinced me to try playing Borderlands 2 in co-op mode with her and I ended up having a lot of fun. It turns out I just needed some time to learn where I wouldn’t immediately fail and end up panicking and getting frustrated, and then I could have fun and even get pretty good. More recently, I’ve been discovering that I enjoy hack and slash games despite avoiding them for similar reasons as FPS. I decided to try out Hi-Fi Rush because it being a rhythm game felt more approachable, and really enjoyed it. Or two games that are now in my top five favorites, Lucah: Born of a Dream and Death of a Wish, which I bought on a recommendation because of the queer themes and storytelling even though they were souls-like action rpgs, and ended up falling in love with the combat mechanics as well as the story. I’m only now starting to find that I can enjoy more fast-paced, challenging action games because all the ones I had tried previously were standard AAA titles that didn’t give me a chance to learn how to play them and didn’t have any emotional resonance to keep me from just giving up when I got frustrated.
This is so incredibly valuable. There are so many stories untold because the people who have the decision making power prefer stories in their own demographic. And so the world stays small, the stories stay stale, and the gaming community stays insular. I can't wait to see a future where "gamers" is a truly inclusive term
Still, even among the most well-educated, there are some errors so pervasive that that the petty quasi-prescriptivist in me just has to give up on caring about. So it's soothing to hear. :)
Thank you for making this video. It's nice to hear smart people talking about these things I feel, and helping me find words to describe them. I particularily liked the rise to colour at the end :-)
I always hated it when people tell me that those companies are "taking risks" to earn their money, yet it seems they always try to play it safe to appeal to as wide audience as possible.. Even though it has been proven many many times that people love more experimental games, movies etc. but as u said all of these are thought of as exceptions, and with that mindset dominating all those industries it feels bleak huge thanks for this essay it feels so good to finally be understood and find many people who share my beliefs, not to even mention how much it broadened my understanding of the subject thanks for all ur work
Amazing video as always! I can imagine it took a lot to put this out there, especially considering how critical gamers/gaming community can be when the issues within the industry/community get pointed out. A lot of what you said made clear to me some nagging feelings I've had about games for a long time. Like why I've become so bored with new AAA games when I used to love that style of game. And you also made me see some of my own blind spots, like groups who are left out this conversation that I never even thought of before. I'll definitely be thinking about this video for a long time and I'll have to come back and watch it again. As always, thank you for what you do, I really love your work and your insights.
I basically never comment on youtube videos because the comment section is, well, we all know, BUT thank you for making this video. I feel genuine glee whenever I see a new one from you and this was an important video to share with everyone.
Thanks a lot for doing this. It absolutely helps to talk about this collective blind spot we have, all thoses things that could have been (and could be). So important!
I cant really offer more than the verbal encouragement that your voice is unique and important among video essayists covering games, and that i truly hope that you'll continue your work.
Ive been trying to write a couple different video essays for a while, im not sure if i will ever get them done or not, maybe they might be kinda doodoo but youre definitely one of the channels i hope to match! thank you for all your hard work and good thoughts!
Thank you for making such a thoughtful video, and for posing questions I'll be thinking about for a good while. iamerror included your work in her 2023 round-up list, and rightly so.
This video is so important! Thank you so much for having the courage to make and post this. I watch a lot of video game essays and every time I stumble upon a channel made by a woman or a minority, it makes me so happy! We should be able to tell our stories in video or video game format. There is an audience for it, for real!
The idea of not just noticing, but *staring* at the lack of something is genuinely affecting me in a way I can't really describe. To the point that after 4 chapters building on that idea, Carmen Maria Machado's quote actually made me skip a breath.
You did an outstanding job with this video and this makes me want to try checking out games that are trying unique ideas and different perspectives. Regardless of the amount of views this gets, this is a very well crafted piece of art. Awesome work!
It's been a handful of years now that I started (at first playfully) rolling my eyes when a new AAA shooter game got announced in a big games event. I usually watch these with my older brother, to whom I mostly owe my love for gaming. Nowadays, it's gotten to the point where even he's just loudly sighing when another new and interesting aesthetic is revealed to be an excuse to shoot some guys with guns. There are literally so many other verbs out there!!!! Like, just as an example: what if you HUGGED guys with guns? Duck in and out of cover, close the distance and go for a big hug. Or sneak up from behind and do a stealth hug. At least in the movies space I've seen it work before... On the flip side, events have gotten so big we don't really complain about a dedicated shooter segment anymore: gives us a neat bathroom break where we can be sure we won't miss any interesting announcements.
This is a wonderful message. I've been sharing it around to all my industry networks. I've been in the games biz since the mid 90s when virtually all studios were basically frat houses, and it's been amazing watching the evolution, yet frustrating how slowly the demographic change of the workforce has manifest in the levels of leadership that could actually steer the industry out of our current stagnant water. I truly believe videogames can be the most powerful artform humans have created, but first it's gotta break free of the teen boy edgelord phase we've been trapped in for over 3 decades! Thanks for your admonition and testimony. Keep up the great work!
You're doing very important work. I think you speak for a very wide audience with the sentiments you've expressed here, and your summary of existing gamer-type research was especially illuminating - you just made the rationale behind decades of ill-fitting marketing decisions make sense to me! I always look forward to your insightful discussions :)
Opinion -> Altering AAA industry is almost impossible, since it's driven by money and not by innovation/art. Mainly indie as you said is where gems are from and which occasionally change the larger mainstream industry. It's a nice dream to have a more diverse AAA industry, but I don't believe there's a world where that happens without some indie blowing up (which would probably bring in only a one genre to AAA). I work in the gaming industry and do game porting to consoles - the idea that a cool and largely innovative project will come out of AAA is almost unthinkable for me. The teams are large and often are separated by place/time - multiple time zones, countries/cities, soit's difficult to get across/communicate new ideas. The development is slow due to bureaucracy and a lot of leadership/execs are looking at the potential money, they look at trends and so new ideas just get shut down due to a potential risk. Maybe I have blinders on and it's always good to have a discussion about things and criticize, but it's very difficult for me to see a potential change there. Ouroboros feels like exactly what you're fighting. Niche -> I don't find it atrocious that certain games are niche and have a very dedicated player base, which is not representative of whole industry. I think there's a certain beauty in it. There are bonds, which are tighter than anything that could happen ever in AAA space (I'm exaggerating, but I do also mean it). Industries will keep chasing trends, but there will be always an indie scene which is amazing/innovative/weird. What I find amazing about your channel is that it celebrates games like Outer Wilds, Celeste, Rain World, Undertale, Citizen Sleeper, Edith Finch, Venba and other awesome ones which I don't even know of. (I know I've added a game not covered ^^) PS: Great video and I'm looking forward to seeing the discussion this video brings
The movie industry went through this (probably needs to again) and it began the rise of the indie film makers. Same thing with the game industry. I've always held to the philosophy of "do a good job, the money will come". Rather than chase the money and have neither money nor a good product.
This was a great video. I needed someone to say everything you put forward. Despite being the general target demographics that games companies and media is targeted tward, I have felt like I am not being focused on, and I wondered why. Then your description of a theoretical "Maverick" gamer hit me like a lead brick. While I am not that style of gamer all the time, a lot of my time looking for games media has been focused on seeking small indie projects that are artistically unique and emotionally resonant. Maybe it is my autism, but I am finding it harder to like games based on traditional game play, and I just want experiences that affect me mentally in the way any other artistic medium would, with interactivity deepening the connection even further. Thank you for making me see the gaps in experiences I have been missing, so that I now know where to look for. I don't have much hope for AAA gaming, but I believe that the Ouroborus is "in fact" eating it's self, and that is opening doors. The gaming industry is starting to self destruct due to these toxic cycles mentioned and it is driving more gamers, non-gamers, and media to seek what they actually want from the indie scene. I can say I feel hope, not for what is currently here to be fixed, but for what comes after to be better. I hope to see more form you in the future. Thank you for this video, it meant a lot to me.
This is an amazing comment to receive, thanks so much for leaving it. I'm so happy to hear the video resonated! I also wouldn't mind if the whole thing ate itself - not sure how likely that is but I'm joining you in the hope that things will be very different one day
Damn Kat, this video is so impressive and meaningful to me as a woman and mother who has often felt alienated from the games industry. I am honored to have even a small role in this important work. (also, I now want to make a game where you breastfeed a baby)
Thank you so much. This was great! I imagine someone might have already mentioned this, but We Happy Few has a distinct mothering section. It's mechanical and the infant you take care of is more like a timer than a living being, but added something I'd never experienced before.
@@PixelaDay It's somewhat of a frustrating game, but worth it (I think) to make it through the first section of the campaign to see that mother/child dynamic.
really good video and about playable game moms, i can only think of Saga Anderson from Alan Wake 2 but her parenthood is not as prominent as with the dads, but still a step in a good direction i think also, hyper light drifter score detected based
6:25 , I just wanna point out that Returnal also came out before this video, and is *incredibly* about a mother, and (spoilers) the protagonist's mother as well. Your point still stands and I agree with it, I just wanted to add that Returnal counts and is also incredible!
I'm a MUDder and remember the discussions about the limitations of the Bartle test back in the day. It was a good start but really only scratched the surface. It feels like that new test actually took some steps back by narrowing focus to AAA games, rather than expanding to the full range already on display (not to mention the even greater possibilities.)
I remember these too! Love the dear doctor's work of course, but we recognized then the need to expand on it. Some did (much later)! Yee for instance? But yes, much more is needed.
Creating a cultural shift is very, very difficult. The necessary shift cares not for how needed the change might be. Recycling, voting, overworking for underpay, etc. Historically telling and retelling the narrative with a view on perspective has been the solutions that have had some success (Martin Luther, Woman's Suffrage, Arab Spring, etc). It really does not help that a lot of these are framed as the individuals problem despite the system being in control of it. You are correct, it is a two way street. But the power is not on the individual, but rather the organized (please unionize!). When both parties are organized, mediation actually occurs. So I am commenting in the hopes that the algorithm reads this data point and juts it out towards someone who'll listen.
I've gone so far as to not describe what i'm working on, and hoping for, as a "game". I simply call them "experiences". Afraid it might be difficult to get this to catch on. Not going to stop trying though (at least until someone suggests something more useful for me to latch onto)! Thank you so much for laying these sets of problems out, with much needed intellectual and emotional depth. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💖
Hey, I'm a dad. And I love how you talk about fatherhood. For me, fatherhood has nothing to do whatsoever with violence. If anything, being a father has made me more peaceful, understanding, cuddly and soft. Fatherhood, like motherhood, is an expression of love.
I still come back to the Paradise Killer video occasionally. The story of rat universe 25 added such great context I would not have found otherwise thanks for raising it Pixel. I really wish more games had reading lists / Civilopedia styles of teaching in them so you could directly use them as a step to further knowledge.maybe it would nudge them into more real world concepts.There are so many interesting technologies and social relations that never seem to be modeled, compared to the amount of shooting simulators ove seen
Absolutely fantastic video. It's well written, articulate, and while you're calling for action, you're not disparaging what already exists. Honestly, you'd think that this all would be bare minimum for youtubers, but it's remarkably rare. It's really funny to me, the section of this video where you brought up the player types, because I went to school for Game Design and Development and we spent some times talking about these types, but in an incredibly un-critical fashion. My professor, who was a woman, presented these as fantastic tools to find and cater to our intended audience. The reason this is so funny is because, when reflecting on them even a little, it's so obvious that they don't really hold any water. The same week we learned about these player types, we also learned that the average gamer is a middle-aged woman because of how popular mobile phone games had become, and most of those games don't really factor into these player types. On top of that, there are so many obvious player types that aren't accounted for, like the person who is waiting in line and wants to distract themself, the person playing purely to spend time with a loved one, a player who games to improve motor skills or brain function, and of course the gamers that act differently based on the kind of game they happen to be playing. All of that is just to say that, i can't believe this is the first video I've seen critiquing this, and it's fantastic to see you not stop there, but continue to illuminate the flaws we currently have in how games are thought of, let alone created. Why do we believe that games should be a certain way, when art has shown us time and time again that it has no restraints. it's too bad not enough people will see this video, but i'm so glad I started following you so I could. Don't ever try to be like other creators, I don't need 10 channels all telling me the same thing.
Amazing to have a comment from someone who actually did game design studies! I wonder where you're writing from and if there's a strong AAA industry there that college is seen as sort of a direct pipeline to? I've been reading Brendan Keogh's wonderful book The Video Game Industry Does Not Exist and my favourite chapter has been how game design courses are positioned and taught. There seems to be a disconnect between how these courses are marketed (targeting largely traditional Gamers, many of whom lack critical thinking about their favourite hobby) versus the sort of critical mindset and open mindedness that will actually help one succeed in this very unreliable field. At least here in Australia where we basically don't have a AAA industry any more, the lecturers in these courses seem to be aware of this and do their best to embed flexibility (and often also critical thinking) in their grads.
@@PixelaDay Actually, my experience is probably fairly unique in the grand scheme of things. I went to UCCS where they have a Bachelors of Innovation program, and in this program, one of the 12 disciplines is "Game Design and Development". For better or worse, there is exactly zero pipeline from that program into the AAA industry. In fact, I had to work fairly hard and get lucky to even have a chance to work in the industry after graduating, and I currently do not work as a game developer. I do use the majority of what I learned in my current job, and I think the program at UCCS is probably one of the best when it comes to making you think like a good developer. Most of the Game Design focused classes have extremely open ended assignments where the whole goal is to make you think like a game dev (and in some cases work like one too). One of the first assignments in my first course, prior to even learning programming, was to create a short game (maybe 5 minutes long) and I created a Zelda like dungeon with enemies from different games. In my final semester, one of the classes I had was for each student to think of, create, and officially release a full game to the world. The professor would grade your game at the end based on literally how good of a game it was. I ended up making a Bejeweled style game, but rather than moving a piece in one of the 4 cardinal directions to create a match, I had you swapping pieces with a set of gems in your "hand". I also made it so you could rotate the whole board so you could decided which direction the gems would fall in. While not an incredible game by any stretch, I did have to create a whole game and release it within about 3 months of time (a single semester) and, for me at least, I found this process to be incredibly inciteful and useful, even though I don't create games presently. In general, most colleges that have "Game Design" degrees are exactly like what you stated above, and it's a real issues as it doesn't generate good game developers, it just generates useful code monkeys for the industry, and usually for the worst parts of the industry. Most of the marketing for these degrees and colleges promise that each year the students create a full game that you can put on your portfolio, the issue is that this process doesn't really teach the students much and instead just prepares them to take orders. To make a good game, you actually have to critically think at every stage in the process. You have to consider what you want to create, then deal with set backs, what your team is capable of, deadlines, bugs and other unforeseeable issues; but you still need to create something fun in spite of all of this. This means that you constantly have to make decisions about what to change, what to continue focusing on, when and how to pivot development, and the whole time you have to make your employees happy and your customers happy. Game Development is often marketed as this holy grail style job that is perfect for people who like to play games. Enjoying a game and making a game have almost nothing to do with each other. I mean, it's like saying that, "You love watching movies? Well then you can become an amazing director just like all your favorites! Sign up today and join your classmates in making a movie over your 4 year college education!" Just because you like movies doesn't mean you can act or direct or write a good script, it just means you like movies. In the same way, enjoying video games has nothing to do with creating enjoyable video games. To really give you an idea of how difficult making a game really is, here's an interesting stat for you. In my degree, about 150 students joined the Game Design and Development program at the same time as me. Not a ton of people, but a pretty healthy amount based on how little known the degree was at the time. When I graduated, there were 11 other people who graduated with me, and most of them came from the year prior to mine as they needed extra time to get enough credits. The hemorrhaging rate for people out of the program was huge, and it's not because the classes sucked or the teachers were terrible (actually my teachers were pretty fantastic) it's because a ton of gamer bros joined the program thinking that they could make games since they liked playing them, and then they discovered how difficult the process actually was. Most people that started the program ended up switching to either cyber security or software engineering because they were easier. I had one class senior year where we had to design, develop, and show off a game each week that was not only enjoyable, but also something that could possibly teach a simple skill to the player. That class started with about 30 students and ended with about 6. Bottom line, you hit the nail on the head, but I luckily had a great program, but even this program didn't guarantee a job in the industry . Sorry for long response
Thank you so much for making this video. As someone currently looking through games data and player research, it's incredibly frustrating to see such limited categorizations of players and de-emphasis on where the industry can improve to bring in those with much more limited game knowledge into the medium. Games are great and we've come a long way in even the past 10 years, but there is still so much work to be done.
Appreciate the thoughtful take on the opportunities we're missing! I, too, remember Razbuten's series with his wife being a shock to my system, as I'd taken for granted so many of the basic mechanics and UI conventions of modern gameplay. Accessibility, diversity of tone and focus, and a broadening of the "culture" of gaming can go along way. Forbidden City, Outer Wilds, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Witness have been some of my favorite experiences without a hint of FPS ultra-violence among them...
Excellent video! I too, hid my face, specifically as I knew I wouldn't be taken seriously as a non-white creator. I was able to leverage my accent and voice in a faceless way that enabled me to get the views I did and what I wrote about to be taken seriously without prejudice.
Amazing essay! The only thing I would add is that, as a recent father, I find the 'dadification' of games quite disturbing, because all we've got are 'great games about being a (horrible) dad'. It's not just all the "guns and violence", but also because the emotional examples shown on screen are largely toxic and abusive. Children and family threatened as property, subjective, skeved views sold as universal truths and, as you pointed out, there is a total lack of the mother's perspective (when this is not directly "fridged" off-screen). It's not that I want a game about sharing house chores (even if that could be an idea worth exploring) but to see comments, reviews and essays that threath those psychos as "relatable" it's something quite concerning.
A wonderful video again! The whole topic is something I noticed in many ways and layers since I started playing games (Which was in the mid 1990s, when I was 4 years old. With C&C and Civilization 2. Yeah don't ask about my family dynamics lol); and while I do like many conventional game formulas, I'm also always in for new experiences, different experiences, innovation, subversions, evolutions and revolutions. Or just jumping off the axis of ideas and think in a completely different direction. I have some thoughts to add; 1. One sub-topic of all that might also be what people focus at while playing a game and how most people talk about the game. As said, I started early with C&C, and when I finally met, in my early teens, others in my age, I was so excited to talk about the game! However, it did turn out that their motivations and my motivations where completely different. I loved the singleplayer campaigns, the cutscenes, I marvelled at the maps, particularly in Tiberian Sun, and wondered about the acutal civilian life, the wider context, or the changing ecology of earth within the series lore and all that. These other teenage boys looked at me like I was an alien and the most polite reactions were along the lines of "uh... I didn't play the campaign, I just play skirmish". I had such moments often, and I do think this is also a phenomenon adding to the Ourobourus you described in your video. It's not just that new games are missing, but also new perspectives on old games. Games can be played in different ways, even if someone thinks there is an optimal way to approach any given title. Does this make sense? 2. To a degree, I also noticed a big cultural difference between games from/made for the USA (and wider anglosphere to a degree) and games not targeted at the USA; Here in Germany we had for long years a middle class games market with titles which are basically unknown west wof us, but cult classics and popular here and in Eastern Europe. Or more well known games like "This War of Mine", from a Polish studio, which shed new light on the really old topic of war from a different perspective. It's bewildering it took so many decades for that! When I remember the German "Gothic RPG" they surely do many typical things for the male-dominated Action-RPG genre, hwoever, some things are certainly different. I remember when someone in a video mentioned, that it's one of the few games in which conflict can happen without anyone being killed at the end. In fact, one feature was that you had to delibaretly make an extra gameplay move to murder a defeated human NPC, otherwise they would just lay on the ground and get up after a while. You could even talk to these NPCs again and yes they were pissed at you, but it wasn't a black & white "kill or be killed situation" like which is common with combat in so many RPGs. And if you would murder someone, it had really big consequences, including negative reactions of bystanders, friends of the NPC, etc. This is, in my eyes, SUCH A TINY difference, such a non-revolutionary thing, but it feels like a gigantic difference in philosophy and view on violence behind it. And I have to admit, somehow I think this is a sad statement about the Gaming culture as a whole.
Thanks for your amazing comment! I'd love some recommendations of those weird non-Anglo games you describe. I'm aware of the ones that kind of broke through a bit like Ice Pick Lodge's games, also Vangers and Mundaun, but throw some more titles my way if there are some you treasure.
@@PixelaDay The last two games I played were "Roadwarden" made by a single guy from Poland; a mixture of RPG, Visual Novel and Text-Adventure; A wonderful mixture with a slow pace. It focuses very much on human relationships, both with each other and with nature. Another one was "Signalis" from two queer EastGermans (one is half-chinese) and.... I think it's best enjoyed with at most watching a trailer and nothing else, it's a piece of art. "Red Strings Club", and anything else by Deconstructeam from Spain! They're often combining the social and technological aspects of cyberpunk with very empathetically written, personal stories. "The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature" is a French game from the perspective of Frankensteins Monster and a little heartbreaking. "Conarium" is, IIRC, from a Turkish developer and while I expected a classical horror game it turned out to be more of a mixture of a horror game and walking sim with dark atmosphere. It's set within the Cthulhu Mythos but utilizes it to tell a more introspective story than just "evil monster hunts me" "The Longest Journey" -> "Dreamfall: The Longest Journey" -> "Dreamfall Chapters" by a Norwayen devloper is one of the most wonderful experiences I ever made. And really "Longest Journey" fits. The same developer also made "Draugen", a rather short story set in a forsaken village set in a remote Norwayen ford. "INFRA" from a Finnish developer was a way more indepth, and interesting experience than initially thought. A first person adventure from the perspective of a structural engineer. The game is often also rather weird, but not in a bad sense. I just can't describe Finnish weirdness xD "If ona a Winter's Night Four Travellers" is a free, short pixel-art adventure by "Dead Idle Games", it's a collection of short stories about personal tragedies. "Death and Taxes" by an Estonian developer, it's short and rather fun. "From Earth" is a free HL2 mod, a total conversion; you're a woman sent to an alien planet and you have to get familiar with the environment and the locals. One big gameplay mechanic is learning their language; you have to actually try to figure out what their words mean and their grammar; the game never tells you if you're right or wrong; you just have to figure out what makes sense. "Orwell" by Osmotic Studios is a cautionary tale about digital surveillance. I also enjoyed "Layers of Fear", made by a Polish studio, in which you play a troubled artist; in the DLC "Inheritance" his daughter. The 2023 "remake" also added a chapter for his wife, a pianist. And beyond the facade of a "spooky horror game" lies a heartbreaking tale of a family unable to cope with tragedy, trying to be good for each other and failing at it miserably. I didn't play it yet, but "Industria" is an FPS in which you play an Eastgerman woman on the search for her lost co-worker, and I'm really curious about it. That's all I could spontanously think of, but there are probably more :) Idk which all of them count as "weird" or not, but I certainly liked those above and think they make atleast some things different than games from or for the USA. Idk about other nations, but I also noticed that city builder and management games are in generaly popular here in Germany and equally liked by women and men. (Which lead to comparatively accepting and mixed communities already in the 2000s) I could also list countless Point & Click adventures particularly from Europe, particularly France or Germany...
I was so confused at the opening when you made the statement "This is not a GMTK video" because it sounded like a sort of disparagement or indictment of the channel itself. Then I got to part 5 and realized "Oh it's cause of how others have been treated by not being that. Yeah that's dumb." Oddly enough this is one of your videos I actually agree with more than any other with ease and have little difficulty believing compared to some of your own takes on video games. I think, if anything, that just illuminates that your critiques are a representation of those opinions and perspectives on games that are largely being ignored by the Ouroboros and maybe I'm just a little suspect to that as well. Good video!
Great points. The bad survey got me thinking about Myers Briggs and similar psych inventories. One thing that could be done, that would at least get some sort of clarity on the gamer classes that actually exist in the wild rn would be to do some sort of cluster analysis on the steam libraries that folks have + playtimes etc. Of course, this excludes the mobile space, or the libraries folks have on itchio or other services, and it of course fails utterly to see what isn't there atm, but it could at least advance us past the silliness of that survey. Great essay!
@@PixelaDayyeah, just invented from whole cloth, whereas say big five comes from a more 'let the data speak' approach. So, how would you do that with games is I guess the question that survey made me think about. But its valve and apple and google who would have the biggest, beefiest data sets. Maybe gog or itchio would be more amenable. And that could only map the terrain that is, not the terrain that could be, that you're gesturing towards.
This is awesome. I just found your channel and I'll be looking forward to your future content. I've been trying to find where my effort is best utilized in the game development space (as a generally solo developer on the side of my unrelated full time work). I feel like the exact points you bring up here about underserved games is not only a way to broaden the culture but also build games as an industry into a new vision. All the best and I look forward to future insights!
I took the motivation survey and also got the Slayer type and I thought yeah maybe it kind of it fits, but your description of the Seeker was way more accurate to how I play games.
I'm looking over the servey at 13:55 and I have to admit this might be a blind spot. My first impressions is that there aren't really any theme genres in there. Like no sci-fi, or fantasy, there is a horror section, and Visual Novels often are romance themed but not always. I suspect that isn't the answer. I did also note that there are no regular adventure games, of witch I would consider Life in Strange a modern iteration of, and there are also no Time Management or the Lost Object games? Not sure if that's the correct term but it's the one where you have to find lost things in a messy environment. They also often intersect with visual novel elements.
This!!! Oh god this! I've watched pretty much all the essays from the people you mentioned, both on political and gaming topics, but never before has one seemed so personal to me. I always struggled describing the games I like. And every time I try, it starts with an exclusion - "I like games that aren't mainstream 3D shooters with a lot of violence" - and then I move on to my list, but there is very little in common between the games in it. Even something as basic as genres - I have never been able to say that I'm a fan of any specific one, because every new game that catches my eye doesn't correlate with the genres of games before that, to help define my tastes. And I only now realized why. The games that I like can't be easily classified because... I love experimentation. I love unique mostly non-combat game mechanics. I love recognizable and distinctive non-photorealistic art styles. I love games with free progression, focused on giving the player the options and freedoms of what to do. I love games with atmospheric music and captivating sights that make me feel something beyond simple immersion. Of course my favorite games aren't similar - or if they are, it mostly vibes, rather than actual substance - because if I'm impressed by a game, I don't want to play a clone of it. I want to play something as good as it, with the same passion, but applied to a different idea. It seems so simple now, but then your preference is "novelty" mixed with "quality", it's not something you can pin down and concretely describe. It's by definition vague and elusive, something you know only when you see it. I like games that fill in the gaps. And it's stupidly fitting because... I write stories that fill in the gaps. That's what I do, that I pride myself in - I explore all the popular ideas in my specific area and then create stories out of missing pieces, out of everything I didn't see during my research. I just do it in a different medium. And there is always this initial fear when I upload, that my Ideas are too niche, that if someone wanted them, then they would have written it already. But... No. As it turned out - and shock me in the process - I have an audience much larger than I ever expected, and many of them told me that my stories were something they either always wanted, or never knew they wanted. I just was the first one to actually implement it, to actually capture it in the text. And many said that that's what made my creativity stand out, leaving an imprint in their minds to a point, that other works didn't impress them anymore. Because everything around was too samey, and I have effectively set a new standard. It's strange, to be honest - to get compliments like that. It's always feels like a guilty pleasure, like I didn't do anything special and didn't deserve that much praise, no matter how stupidly happy I am to hear it. But this video, this whole talk of yours... It made me realize much more than just my tastes in games. It's empowering and reassuring in ways I can't describe. The only thing I can do is wholeheartedly agree. There is a lot of trends, and a lot of gaps they inevitably leave behind. Following a trend is eazy. Exposing a gap takes some effort, but generally possible. But finding what to fill these gaps with - that's the actual challenge, that is criminaly underappreciated. But when someone does it, it's never a waste of effort. It's risky, it's hard, it takes immense creativity and passion. And results are rarely a success in metrics we recognize. But for people like me, the existence of such works is essential! And I would always advocate for more! Thank you for this essay. Really. It has finally put into words this series of confusing thoughts and feelings of mine, transforming them into something understandable and meaningful. You filled the gap in my soul I didn't know was there.
You don't know what it means to read this! It really fills my heart to hear my video resonated so much. Thanks and all the best for your very valuable and important creative work!
This was a fascinating and fantastic video. Really appreciate what you had to say, and it was also very helpful to as someone who wants to make games in the future. Also just as an aside, I couldn't stop thinking about the game Death Stranding throughout this because it does mostly everything you said most AAA games aren't doing, and that definitely explains why there were a significant amount of gamers complaining about DS when it launched.
The thing that worries and frustrates me is: the Games Industry was built after 2nd wave feminism started, and after the Civil Rights Movement had won some victories. Hollywood kinda gets a pass, imho. Maybe it *is* hard to change people's minds, given that the studio system underpinning it was built around the 1920s-40s . But the Games Industry was mostly built in my lifetime and it's really tough seeing such an exclusionary system grow, when we all know better
Reminds you how shit things still were even as late as the 90s. The industry really messed up making gaming so aggressively "for boys" and we're still feeling the pain.
I too would like to see more considering how many humanitarian movements have come and gone. But, honestly, there are many more extreme hurdles for humanity to sermount than video games that are more inclusive and representative of the diversity and needs of humanity. This is especially because most humanitarian movements have only made small corrections to the trajectory of humanity as a result of colonization, capitalism, and class warfare(caste system) hampering and confusing the intent of every one of them in one way or another. So, INHO, the video game industry, from that vantage point is a great example of humanity's immaturity when it comes to human rights and inclusivity.
Without indie games, I probably would have quit the hobby years ago. I believe it was somewhere around the financial crisis of 2007/08 - and up until 2012 or so? During that time, I felt like all the games were multiplayer shooter sequels, with even beloved franchises of the past being "re-imagined" as first-person shooters. While other games (and series) got cancelled for "putting the focus on the core business" reason, and the entire AA-tier of games almost died out entirely. I really, really struggled to find anything interesting to play during those times - and it was only the indie boom brought about by crowd-funding, digital distribution and the rise of let's plays - that turned things around for me. It was that indie boom that invented new genres and gameplay types, and revived long abandonded/discarded older types, that the AAA-industry and the big video game journalism completely ignored.
It will get missed in the excellence of the rest of the video, but I love that your example for "people the AAA industry doesnt bother to represent" was "adults". I watched Jacob Gellers top ten kist just before this, and as much as I loved hearing about all these interesting games, it mad me sad and kind of angry that so many wonderful experiences are locked behind 40+ hours of game play: AAA Will Never Die, But You Will
Love this video so much! Your breakdown of the gamer survey and types was so brilliant. I have always been a gamer who didn't define myself as one because I don't like triple A games. But you make it so clear the holes in the medium that explain why I've felt left out. I've stopped midway through playing RDR2 despite loving so much of it, because I don't want to be Arthur. (Sorry, Arthur)
Sorry not sorry :) I also don't like to define myself as "a gamer" and actively avoid telling people I don't know very well that I play games, coz they instantly jump to conclusions that are entirely incorrect and then I have to spend forever correcting wrong impressions lol.
If you like what I do please consider throwing me a bit of money on Patreon, check out the tiers and benefits here: www.patreon.com/pixeladay
Thanks Kat - very important video
As someone who is actively afraid of leaving comments, this is hard - but just wanted to say: love this, good job, hear hear, etc. I’m a woman who plays games and watches videogame essays. Glad you exist ❤
I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable if someone reacts to your comment but I want to let you know that I'm proud of you for overcoming your fear. Especially to let someone know you appreciate what they do. It makes a difference.
I appreciate it, thanks for commenting and for watching!
Absolutely cracking vid as per usual, elaborated a lot of things I've been thinking for a long time now and made me hate myself in exciting new ways I never thought possible - couldn't be better timed alongside The AAA Games Industry Advertising Event And Also We Throw A Bone To, Like, One Fairly Safe Indie Game Per Year Awards, truly great stuff.
They should rename it that way XD
If at least one indie award winner doesn't make me angry is it really a game awards event
Wake up babe new Pixel a Day video dropped
This captures so much of my struggles with video games. My partner and I actually play puzzle games together, but one of us has to stream the game while the other watches on a video call and we talk about it. Our way of playing literally doesn't exist in games research, even though Obra Dinn style games are actually way more fun with multiple people.
I played both The Witness and Obra Dinn with my boyfriend and both experiences were *chef's kiss*
Hbomberguy, Joseph Anderson, Pixel a Day, what an amazing end of the year for video-essay believers
Who are those other guys, don't know em
ad revenue in december go brrrrr
@@PixelaDay
Just some guys who also like Dark Souls
Just need a Noah Caldwell-Gervais as a little dessert.
We only need an action button review
This video was really magnificent, so informative and important. I deeply hope this video spreads and gets seen by a larger number of people.
Amazing video as always. I'm also somebody that would rather play more games that have unique narratives and gameplay than another competitive shooter. To think I would ever prefer that games will stay the same is something I have never wanted ever. I have always felt that video games is a medium with so much potential that isn't explored because of this industry. I am very happy that somebody like you would also like games as much as I do and I support everyone to be able to play games. I truly believe that games aren't just time wasters, but are a valuable exploration of culture and experience that no other medium has as much potential to explore. There should be mom games too.
There are some, just not in the AAA space!
Thanks, essays like yours are needed.
Pixel a Day: 1 Hour video about what the game industry is missing
Game Industry: More Live Services !!
WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME
22:44 : Have encountered that many, many times. Puzzle games and other "niche" genres are so often excluded or grouped into the wrong category (match-3 or other matching games that aren't quintessential puzzle style games like Baba Is You).
sokoban variant should be its own checkbox tbh
33:40 "... the void where a more unique and special game could've been, if we just demanded it"
I always have taken issue with this line of thought. I think the repetition on the chicken and egg problem shows us that, at least when it comes to availability of options, supply creates its own demand (up to a point). Demand rarely creates supply.
This is no critique on your essay, or even the point being made. I just am coming to the realization that more often than not the specific things I want in games and software and art I might just need to make myself
Edit: 55:02 I should've trusted you, you said basically the exact thing haha
Thank you so much for making this! I think the world has become a little bit better, because this video exists.
Hi! landed here from a "Wrong Indie Games" recommendation and after checking out "City Levels," and it's super cool the things you're talking about. This video in particular, along with taking that Quantic survey, has me thinking again about what I enjoy from games. These thoughts are still doing the DVD logo thing in my head, but I definitely feel for seeming lack of nurturing and supportive gameplay, especially in multiplayer spaces. I have fond memories of playing support and protecting and enabling my friends in League of Legends, back when I played in high school. I've tried other multiplayer games since with friends, but it feels like there's a trend of "supports and healers ALSO deal damage" as well, in an attempt to combat the typically "boring" support gameplay. I feel like I've been playing multiplayer games less and less, even though I love playing with friends, since it feels like so many try to make all the players on even footing. I'll still play Minecraft on occassion, but it'll be because my friend needs help gathering resources, or even Genshin Impact, if only to leave my world open to join and help any random players I can.
These thoughts are really rough, and I can't say I have a particular message to convey, other than that I'm enjoying your videos! I was also having too much fun reading comments, that I reached the less-nice comments, and kind of felt awful reading them, so I wanted to counteract that energy a bit(?) and bring it back(?)? This comment might be more for myself than anything lol. will be checking out more of your videos, and i look forward to any upcoming ones!
Thank you! You're so lovely for making an effort to drop some positivity in here, I really appreciate it :) I haven't minded the negative comments really, most have been supportive and constructive and my community is fantastic so that has far outweighed the negativity. Feel free to please continue spamming nice comments at me though lol
When you bring up the idea of a "Nurturer" or a "Maverick" player type, I identified far more with both than any of the other types they have, despite being fairly close to the stereotypical target demographic.
I think a lot of us have that experience, since I'm pretty sure the stereotype isn't even good at describing young cis white male gamers. Besides, there's probably also some correlation between those player types and the people who watch hour-long meta-essays on the culture of vide games.
ok, ok, I admit, I might be binge watching your channel, it's soooo good
I've never heard of your channel before, but after seeing this video, I INSTANTLY subscribed! I also have felt this way about the game industry for a while now and like it's seriously time for a MAJOR shift in the industry. Especially AAA. Incredible work! (Leaving this comment to help boost your video)
This was phenomenal. Well done. Before the end part where you talk about this project brewing for years, I could feel the thoughtfulness and yet vulnerability coming through. It must have been tough to get all these thoughts in order and push them out. I hope you’re happy you made “the thing”. I think it’s important and I enjoyed watching it. 🙂
You're the best Dave
See I always thought I was quite on top of a topic like this and agreed with everything, but you still managed to catch me out and think "wow - i never thought of that"!
Great video, thank you for making it!
Kat, thank you so much for this work. One of your most important pieces and such important things being said here. I’m very proud to have been supporting you and will continue to do so!!
Joe you're a gem and I'm so proud to have you as a supporter!
What an incredible video! This was my intro to your channel, and I cannot wait to dig into your back catalogue! Though I anticipate returning to this one again, and I will certainly be pointing friends toward it as well. I have also felt at times like I'm aging out of this hobby. But I'm not left with a sense of dread or the feeling that this will be an inevitability after watching your video! You've so beautifully articulated the case that things can and should be different, and you've left me at least walking away with a sense of hope that they will be. Thank you for advocating for that better future in a medium I'm not ready to age out of just yet.
That's really nice to hear, thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. I have much hope (for the indie scene at least), and who knows what the future will bring!
Thank goodness for the indie scene!!
I wanna show Part 3 of this video to literally everyone with gaming as a hobby. I can't think of how anyone can disagree with it. Once you notice the void, it becomes impossible to ignore. You perfectly put into words how I (and probably many other people too) have been feeling about the industry for a while now.
Thank you, that means a lot.
I feel like we've having the same thing for years now. Your video is probably one of the best about this, but I can't believe so much time has happened and nothing has changed.
this video hits even harder after this year's Game Awards, felt like a single game was announced with 20 trailers, couldn't tell when the trailer for the next one was starting.
also the gun shooting was the reason why I couldn't finish Control and Alan wake 2, it felt so out of place, I love these 2 games and their "vibes", but they had to add these boring mechanic(telekinesis was fun in Control), I had to finish them both on youtube.
56:02 - 56:13 this is amazing, you put my feelings for the entire games industry(meaning AAA😉) in this sentence.
I was wondering whether this video would be out of place releasing at a very "let's celebrate games being wonderful" time of year... but then yeah, The Game Awards were so horrid maybe it highlighted these problems? lol I don't know. I share your feelings about the Remedy games 100%
@@PixelaDayyes, it highlights the problems even more, they were like "we wanted to make something unique" and than show the most generic looking shooter ever.
I only finished Control because I maxed out telekinesis and powers. Throwing rocks at enemies is so much fun. I hardly ever used a Director's gun, and it was a good walkthrough without struggles.
I didn't finish Control because it crashed all the time and performance was crap on PS4. But I would have abandoned it anyway, it was really boring. For telekinesis, I think Scarlet Nexus is way more fun
I watched a playthrough of Control because it looked too bogged down with repetitive combat to be fun for me. Nice vibes and oh do I dig the SCP feelings, but I would have wanted to play it if the combat had been drastically scaled back and instead of that there was a mechanic for freeing the captured agents from the Hiss. How satisfying that would have been!
I was recommended this video, and I really appreciate how you direct attention to other innovative artists.
I feel like I can't properly put into words all my thoughts and emotions about this but I'll say one thing. I think what you are saying is extremely important and good, and I think you really should be proud of it.
I've been a gamer since the late 1970s. This video echoes many of the same complaints I have had for a very long time. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, when video games first achieved mainstream popularity, it was relatively inclusive, and in those experimental early years, games weren't held down to genre expectations and demographics. Things changed after the video game crash of 1983, and the gaming hobby became the domain of mostly young men. For decades, it seems like the vast majority of prominent games have featured a lot of action, a lot of fighting, and the fanciest graphics that the technology of the day could achieve. On rare occasions, something different would appear and take the gaming world by storm, clearly indicating that there was demand for something that wasn't high energy and bloodthirsty. SimCity was one such game, and it inspired a whole group of other city builders and related types of games. This kept me engaged with gaming at a time when some of my favorite genres were in decline or had become extinct. I'm glad I stuck with it, because notwithstanding the train wreck that is the AAA space these days, the indie scene has really blossomed, and for the first time since the late 1970s/early 1980s, there are so many games compatible with my interests that I barely have time to scratch the surface.
Action combat is one game mechanic I have never liked, but over the years, I played a few of the games with action combat and even came to regard some of them as among my favorites, but this was in spite of the combat. These games (i.e. Morrowind and Fallout: New Vegas) had so much else to offer that it was worth putting up with the combat. It helps that the combat isn't particularly challenging in these games. Combat is seen as such a basic feature in games that even many of the ostensibly low stress, so-called "cozy games" have combat. Stardew Valley is great in many ways, but having to fight endless hordes of monsters sometimes puts me off. For as long as I can remember, I have had a real hunger for non-violent games. This is what pushed me into the city builders and has led me to look for non-combat "cozy games" and walking simulators, and to play games such as No Man's Sky and Valheim in the peaceful mode. I don't mind turn based combat so much since it feels more like a logic puzzle than a fight when it is well designed. Baldur's Gate 3 is quite possibly the best in this regard out of all the CRPGs I have played since the 1980s. It is one of very few games in which I have actually enjoyed combat.
Video games can and should be so much more than fighting. The art form is incredibly flexible, and it is a shame that so many of its possibilities went unexplored for so long. I have little hope for the AAA studios. Like the big Hollywood film studios, they are risk averse corporations that will continue beating to death whatever has brought in the money in the past, and they will do so until it no longer works. Just as Hollywood churns out one action superhero movie after another in tired decades-old franchises, the big companies will continue to churn out action combat games that are flashy and fancy-looking on the surface (and have cash shops and battle passes to hoover up as much money as possible from their customers) but have no depth and little variety. They are the fast food of movies and video games - good for a quick adrenaline fix but offering little else. With very few exceptions, it is the small indie developers and privately held companies not unduly beholden to investors (such as Larian) that will push the art form forward.
Incredible comment! So you witnessed the start of this artform... I listened to a very good podcast/yt vid a while ago (in French unfortunately) that highlighted this turn towards young men in the early 80s, looking at ads before and after... and wow, adults and girls playing games! Didn't last, I wonder what could have been.
Not, as you put it well, that we're lacking in cool and diverse games those days!
@@etamr60 It would be nice if there had been better diversity in games between the mid-1980s and 2010s, but gaming is in better shape now. What is this video/podcast you mention? I'm not fluent in French, but I have some basic knowledge, so I might be able to understand it.
@@heatherharrison264 It's "le canard et la plume #3" from Canard PC. The topic is broader, on the representations of videogames in the media and political discourse, but there are interesting observations especially on how the medium was conceived and marketed.
Warning : early-covid era sound quality
Thanks as always for your wonderful and important take :) I wish we had a lot more people like you in the hobby!
You are one of my favorite creators in the platform. Thank you for everything you create, especially this video.
This came out even better than I imagined when you first mentioned the idea which is unbelievable!
You have touched on so many frustrations and a huge potential I truly believe in that games can do. 💜
Huge thanks for persevering and making the video that's been on the tip of your tounge for litaral years - it's a triumph.
Part 2 of your video resonated with me especially since I've always felt like an atypical gamer. I just did the gamer motivation test for myself and also found myself a little deflated by the questions as it seemingly tried to pidgeonhole me into a type of player that I'm not. I've got such an appitite for emotionally challenging games that try to do something a little unique with the medium, but they are much rarer than I'd like.
If you think games dont have diversity, thank god you dont watch anime. 99% is the same and its really hard to find good mature stories on that medium.
I used to watch a LOT of anime. Guess why I stopped! XD
Wonderful, thank you so much for this! Voices like yours give me hope for the future of this medium.
Accessibility is a big issue. There is no clear way for a person who’s never played games to learn how to play them. I’m glad you brought that up, I rarely see this being discussed.
An idea I had is standardizing every game to include an optional tutorial that is aimed specifically for non-gamers and teaches them the fundamentals of that games genre from the ground up. The goal would be to ensure that everyone, gamer and non gamer, has a clear entry point to the game.
But the industry currently if you’ve never played a game before? Tosses you a monopoly set thats missing the instruction manual then slaps you on the ass before laughing on the way to the bank.
that song from the ror2 soundtrack always awakens something in me whenever i hear it. it sounds so melancholic yet hopeful such a banger choice for this video
I found your channel through your recent indie game video and am loving the content. I won't repeat all the deserved praise from everyone else, I just want to say I'm like 80% sure the poster from part 3 is from Pathologic 2 and I love it.
IT IS!
Many thanks for this Kat - you covered a lot of ground there, and I'm pleased for you that you managed to finally make this video! The timing is beautifully fortuitous; a great counterpoint to the massive and unavoidable hype around the GTA VI trailer in the last week or so. Nothing against GTA, but there's so much more this industry could and should be, and so much more we should be excited about. A lot of progress has been made, but there's still so much further to go. Yours is an important and unique voice - keep going.
If I may, I'll also take this opportunity to say I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Happy Christmas and NY!
Excellent video. I liked the numerous examples in Part 1 and Part 2. It really helps to understand this Blind Spot when you see it in action. Also, your comment about growing out of Video Games hit home for me. It's not that I am getting too old for video games, Video Games as a medium fail to grow with me (with some notable exceptions, of course). It's not that I don't want to game anymore, it's just I don't want another AAA game with some boring chosen one storyline and crafting system, I have done that long enough. Games like Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Signalis and even Death Stranding on the other hand are an auto-buy.
Thanks so much for the comment!
I watched this on my TV and forgot to comment. Absolutely fantastic video, mate. Really important topc and something we should be actively addressing.
This is an incredible essay. When you mentioned the gaming survey I took it and similarly didn’t feel like it described my reasons for playing games. It ended up giving two different types that were almost opposites, Bard/Gladiator, and neither really fit.
Something I’ve noticed in myself is that the stereotypes and blindspots in the games industry and the way games are talked about has made it difficult for me to figure out what I actually like in games. I don’t enjoy most AAA and got started playing more puzzle, narrative, and simulation type games. I tried playing CoD and Halo once or twice with family, but struggled with reacting quickly and dexterity/skill with a controller, and always ended up being too anxious and frustrated to enjoy playing them. Because of that, I assumed I just didn’t like action or FPS and stuck to more laidback games. But then a friend of mine convinced me to try playing Borderlands 2 in co-op mode with her and I ended up having a lot of fun. It turns out I just needed some time to learn where I wouldn’t immediately fail and end up panicking and getting frustrated, and then I could have fun and even get pretty good. More recently, I’ve been discovering that I enjoy hack and slash games despite avoiding them for similar reasons as FPS. I decided to try out Hi-Fi Rush because it being a rhythm game felt more approachable, and really enjoyed it. Or two games that are now in my top five favorites, Lucah: Born of a Dream and Death of a Wish, which I bought on a recommendation because of the queer themes and storytelling even though they were souls-like action rpgs, and ended up falling in love with the combat mechanics as well as the story. I’m only now starting to find that I can enjoy more fast-paced, challenging action games because all the ones I had tried previously were standard AAA titles that didn’t give me a chance to learn how to play them and didn’t have any emotional resonance to keep me from just giving up when I got frustrated.
This is so incredibly valuable. There are so many stories untold because the people who have the decision making power prefer stories in their own demographic. And so the world stays small, the stories stay stale, and the gaming community stays insular. I can't wait to see a future where "gamers" is a truly inclusive term
On top of everything else, you use "comprise" correctly as a transitive verb! We need dozens more hours of this.
I didn't spend four years getting a PhD for nothin
Still, even among the most well-educated, there are some errors so pervasive that that the petty quasi-prescriptivist in me just has to give up on caring about. So it's soothing to hear. :)
Thank you for making this video. It's nice to hear smart people talking about these things I feel, and helping me find words to describe them. I particularily liked the rise to colour at the end :-)
I always hated it when people tell me that those companies are "taking risks" to earn their money, yet it seems they always try to play it safe to appeal to as wide audience as possible.. Even though it has been proven many many times that people love more experimental games, movies etc. but as u said all of these are thought of as exceptions, and with that mindset dominating all those industries it feels bleak
huge thanks for this essay it feels so good to finally be understood and find many people who share my beliefs, not to even mention how much it broadened my understanding of the subject
thanks for all ur work
Glad the video hit! Thanks for the lovely comment!
Amazing video as always! I can imagine it took a lot to put this out there, especially considering how critical gamers/gaming community can be when the issues within the industry/community get pointed out. A lot of what you said made clear to me some nagging feelings I've had about games for a long time. Like why I've become so bored with new AAA games when I used to love that style of game. And you also made me see some of my own blind spots, like groups who are left out this conversation that I never even thought of before. I'll definitely be thinking about this video for a long time and I'll have to come back and watch it again. As always, thank you for what you do, I really love your work and your insights.
Thank you so much for your support too!
I basically never comment on youtube videos because the comment section is, well, we all know, BUT thank you for making this video. I feel genuine glee whenever I see a new one from you and this was an important video to share with everyone.
Thank you!
Thanks for opening my eyes to this.
Thanks a lot for doing this. It absolutely helps to talk about this collective blind spot we have, all thoses things that could have been (and could be). So important!
I cant really offer more than the verbal encouragement that your voice is unique and important among video essayists covering games, and that i truly hope that you'll continue your work.
That means a lot, thank you so much
Ive been trying to write a couple different video essays for a while, im not sure if i will ever get them done or not, maybe they might be kinda doodoo but youre definitely one of the channels i hope to match! thank you for all your hard work and good thoughts!
Thanks for all your support over the years
Thank you for making such a thoughtful video, and for posing questions I'll be thinking about for a good while. iamerror included your work in her 2023 round-up list, and rightly so.
This video is so important! Thank you so much for having the courage to make and post this. I watch a lot of video game essays and every time I stumble upon a channel made by a woman or a minority, it makes me so happy! We should be able to tell our stories in video or video game format. There is an audience for it, for real!
I believe this too!
The idea of not just noticing, but *staring* at the lack of something is genuinely affecting me in a way I can't really describe. To the point that after 4 chapters building on that idea, Carmen Maria Machado's quote actually made me skip a breath.
You did an outstanding job with this video and this makes me want to try checking out games that are trying unique ideas and different perspectives.
Regardless of the amount of views this gets, this is a very well crafted piece of art. Awesome work!
It's been a handful of years now that I started (at first playfully) rolling my eyes when a new AAA shooter game got announced in a big games event. I usually watch these with my older brother, to whom I mostly owe my love for gaming. Nowadays, it's gotten to the point where even he's just loudly sighing when another new and interesting aesthetic is revealed to be an excuse to shoot some guys with guns. There are literally so many other verbs out there!!!!
Like, just as an example: what if you HUGGED guys with guns? Duck in and out of cover, close the distance and go for a big hug. Or sneak up from behind and do a stealth hug. At least in the movies space I've seen it work before...
On the flip side, events have gotten so big we don't really complain about a dedicated shooter segment anymore: gives us a neat bathroom break where we can be sure we won't miss any interesting announcements.
This is a wonderful message. I've been sharing it around to all my industry networks. I've been in the games biz since the mid 90s when virtually all studios were basically frat houses, and it's been amazing watching the evolution, yet frustrating how slowly the demographic change of the workforce has manifest in the levels of leadership that could actually steer the industry out of our current stagnant water. I truly believe videogames can be the most powerful artform humans have created, but first it's gotta break free of the teen boy edgelord phase we've been trapped in for over 3 decades! Thanks for your admonition and testimony. Keep up the great work!
Ah, thank you so much for sharing with your people, that's a huge compliment! It's so great to hear from people who feel the same way
Just found your channel after watching your SOMA review. Love your work.
This is so important! The AAA space is beyond stale.
btw Returnal is a beautiful game about mothers, but it is also very action-oriented.
You're doing very important work. I think you speak for a very wide audience with the sentiments you've expressed here, and your summary of existing gamer-type research was especially illuminating - you just made the rationale behind decades of ill-fitting marketing decisions make sense to me! I always look forward to your insightful discussions :)
Lovely comment
Why is this channel getting so few views? this is criminally underrated
Opinion -> Altering AAA industry is almost impossible, since it's driven by money and not by innovation/art. Mainly indie as you said is where gems are from and which occasionally change the larger mainstream industry. It's a nice dream to have a more diverse AAA industry, but I don't believe there's a world where that happens without some indie blowing up (which would probably bring in only a one genre to AAA).
I work in the gaming industry and do game porting to consoles - the idea that a cool and largely innovative project will come out of AAA is almost unthinkable for me. The teams are large and often are separated by place/time - multiple time zones, countries/cities, soit's difficult to get across/communicate new ideas. The development is slow due to bureaucracy and a lot of leadership/execs are looking at the potential money, they look at trends and so new ideas just get shut down due to a potential risk. Maybe I have blinders on and it's always good to have a discussion about things and criticize, but it's very difficult for me to see a potential change there. Ouroboros feels like exactly what you're fighting.
Niche -> I don't find it atrocious that certain games are niche and have a very dedicated player base, which is not representative of whole industry. I think there's a certain beauty in it. There are bonds, which are tighter than anything that could happen ever in AAA space (I'm exaggerating, but I do also mean it). Industries will keep chasing trends, but there will be always an indie scene which is amazing/innovative/weird.
What I find amazing about your channel is that it celebrates games like Outer Wilds, Celeste, Rain World, Undertale, Citizen Sleeper, Edith Finch, Venba and other awesome ones which I don't even know of. (I know I've added a game not covered ^^)
PS: Great video and I'm looking forward to seeing the discussion this video brings
Yeah!
You're not the first person to yell at me on here about playing Venba XD I'll make sure I get to it over my summer break
The movie industry went through this (probably needs to again) and it began the rise of the indie film makers. Same thing with the game industry.
I've always held to the philosophy of "do a good job, the money will come". Rather than chase the money and have neither money nor a good product.
This was a great video. I needed someone to say everything you put forward. Despite being the general target demographics that games companies and media is targeted tward, I have felt like I am not being focused on, and I wondered why. Then your description of a theoretical "Maverick" gamer hit me like a lead brick. While I am not that style of gamer all the time, a lot of my time looking for games media has been focused on seeking small indie projects that are artistically unique and emotionally resonant. Maybe it is my autism, but I am finding it harder to like games based on traditional game play, and I just want experiences that affect me mentally in the way any other artistic medium would, with interactivity deepening the connection even further.
Thank you for making me see the gaps in experiences I have been missing, so that I now know where to look for.
I don't have much hope for AAA gaming, but I believe that the Ouroborus is "in fact" eating it's self, and that is opening doors. The gaming industry is starting to self destruct due to these toxic cycles mentioned and it is driving more gamers, non-gamers, and media to seek what they actually want from the indie scene. I can say I feel hope, not for what is currently here to be fixed, but for what comes after to be better.
I hope to see more form you in the future.
Thank you for this video, it meant a lot to me.
This is an amazing comment to receive, thanks so much for leaving it. I'm so happy to hear the video resonated! I also wouldn't mind if the whole thing ate itself - not sure how likely that is but I'm joining you in the hope that things will be very different one day
Damn Kat, this video is so impressive and meaningful to me as a woman and mother who has often felt alienated from the games industry. I am honored to have even a small role in this important work.
(also, I now want to make a game where you breastfeed a baby)
"breastfeeding simulator" is now immortalised in my search history for all time
Also I can tell you that I now know there is a gap in the market here
@@PixelaDay Good to know!
Thank you so much. This was great! I imagine someone might have already mentioned this, but We Happy Few has a distinct mothering section. It's mechanical and the infant you take care of is more like a timer than a living being, but added something I'd never experienced before.
Ooh, I own this but haven't played it!
@@PixelaDay It's somewhat of a frustrating game, but worth it (I think) to make it through the first section of the campaign to see that mother/child dynamic.
Fantastic work, one of the best video essays in a month stacked with great video essays!
6:45 Drakengard 3 is an mc about being a mother figure towards her dragon.
really good video
and about playable game moms, i can only think of Saga Anderson from Alan Wake 2 but her parenthood is not as prominent as with the dads, but still a step in a good direction i think
also, hyper light drifter score detected
based
6:25 , I just wanna point out that Returnal also came out before this video, and is *incredibly* about a mother, and (spoilers) the protagonist's mother as well. Your point still stands and I agree with it, I just wanted to add that Returnal counts and is also incredible!
I'm a MUDder and remember the discussions about the limitations of the Bartle test back in the day. It was a good start but really only scratched the surface. It feels like that new test actually took some steps back by narrowing focus to AAA games, rather than expanding to the full range already on display (not to mention the even greater possibilities.)
I remember these too! Love the dear doctor's work of course, but we recognized then the need to expand on it. Some did (much later)! Yee for instance? But yes, much more is needed.
Creating a cultural shift is very, very difficult. The necessary shift cares not for how needed the change might be. Recycling, voting, overworking for underpay, etc.
Historically telling and retelling the narrative with a view on perspective has been the solutions that have had some success (Martin Luther, Woman's Suffrage, Arab Spring, etc). It really does not help that a lot of these are framed as the individuals problem despite the system being in control of it. You are correct, it is a two way street. But the power is not on the individual, but rather the organized (please unionize!). When both parties are organized, mediation actually occurs.
So I am commenting in the hopes that the algorithm reads this data point and juts it out towards someone who'll listen.
I've gone so far as to not describe what i'm working on, and hoping for, as a "game". I simply call them "experiences". Afraid it might be difficult to get this to catch on. Not going to stop trying though (at least until someone suggests something more useful for me to latch onto)!
Thank you so much for laying these sets of problems out, with much needed intellectual and emotional depth. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💖
Excellent analysis! You hit the nail on the head again and again. Now where is that Patreon link…
Hey, I'm a dad. And I love how you talk about fatherhood.
For me, fatherhood has nothing to do whatsoever with violence. If anything, being a father has made me more peaceful, understanding, cuddly and soft. Fatherhood, like motherhood, is an expression of love.
I still come back to the Paradise Killer video occasionally. The story of rat universe 25 added such great context I would not have found otherwise thanks for raising it Pixel.
I really wish more games had reading lists / Civilopedia styles of teaching in them so you could directly use them as a step to further knowledge.maybe it would nudge them into more real world concepts.There are so many interesting technologies and social relations that never seem to be modeled, compared to the amount of shooting simulators ove seen
Absolutely fantastic video. It's well written, articulate, and while you're calling for action, you're not disparaging what already exists. Honestly, you'd think that this all would be bare minimum for youtubers, but it's remarkably rare.
It's really funny to me, the section of this video where you brought up the player types, because I went to school for Game Design and Development and we spent some times talking about these types, but in an incredibly un-critical fashion. My professor, who was a woman, presented these as fantastic tools to find and cater to our intended audience. The reason this is so funny is because, when reflecting on them even a little, it's so obvious that they don't really hold any water. The same week we learned about these player types, we also learned that the average gamer is a middle-aged woman because of how popular mobile phone games had become, and most of those games don't really factor into these player types. On top of that, there are so many obvious player types that aren't accounted for, like the person who is waiting in line and wants to distract themself, the person playing purely to spend time with a loved one, a player who games to improve motor skills or brain function, and of course the gamers that act differently based on the kind of game they happen to be playing.
All of that is just to say that, i can't believe this is the first video I've seen critiquing this, and it's fantastic to see you not stop there, but continue to illuminate the flaws we currently have in how games are thought of, let alone created. Why do we believe that games should be a certain way, when art has shown us time and time again that it has no restraints.
it's too bad not enough people will see this video, but i'm so glad I started following you so I could. Don't ever try to be like other creators, I don't need 10 channels all telling me the same thing.
Amazing to have a comment from someone who actually did game design studies! I wonder where you're writing from and if there's a strong AAA industry there that college is seen as sort of a direct pipeline to? I've been reading Brendan Keogh's wonderful book The Video Game Industry Does Not Exist and my favourite chapter has been how game design courses are positioned and taught. There seems to be a disconnect between how these courses are marketed (targeting largely traditional Gamers, many of whom lack critical thinking about their favourite hobby) versus the sort of critical mindset and open mindedness that will actually help one succeed in this very unreliable field. At least here in Australia where we basically don't have a AAA industry any more, the lecturers in these courses seem to be aware of this and do their best to embed flexibility (and often also critical thinking) in their grads.
@@PixelaDay Actually, my experience is probably fairly unique in the grand scheme of things. I went to UCCS where they have a Bachelors of Innovation program, and in this program, one of the 12 disciplines is "Game Design and Development". For better or worse, there is exactly zero pipeline from that program into the AAA industry. In fact, I had to work fairly hard and get lucky to even have a chance to work in the industry after graduating, and I currently do not work as a game developer. I do use the majority of what I learned in my current job, and I think the program at UCCS is probably one of the best when it comes to making you think like a good developer. Most of the Game Design focused classes have extremely open ended assignments where the whole goal is to make you think like a game dev (and in some cases work like one too). One of the first assignments in my first course, prior to even learning programming, was to create a short game (maybe 5 minutes long) and I created a Zelda like dungeon with enemies from different games.
In my final semester, one of the classes I had was for each student to think of, create, and officially release a full game to the world. The professor would grade your game at the end based on literally how good of a game it was. I ended up making a Bejeweled style game, but rather than moving a piece in one of the 4 cardinal directions to create a match, I had you swapping pieces with a set of gems in your "hand". I also made it so you could rotate the whole board so you could decided which direction the gems would fall in. While not an incredible game by any stretch, I did have to create a whole game and release it within about 3 months of time (a single semester) and, for me at least, I found this process to be incredibly inciteful and useful, even though I don't create games presently.
In general, most colleges that have "Game Design" degrees are exactly like what you stated above, and it's a real issues as it doesn't generate good game developers, it just generates useful code monkeys for the industry, and usually for the worst parts of the industry. Most of the marketing for these degrees and colleges promise that each year the students create a full game that you can put on your portfolio, the issue is that this process doesn't really teach the students much and instead just prepares them to take orders.
To make a good game, you actually have to critically think at every stage in the process. You have to consider what you want to create, then deal with set backs, what your team is capable of, deadlines, bugs and other unforeseeable issues; but you still need to create something fun in spite of all of this. This means that you constantly have to make decisions about what to change, what to continue focusing on, when and how to pivot development, and the whole time you have to make your employees happy and your customers happy. Game Development is often marketed as this holy grail style job that is perfect for people who like to play games. Enjoying a game and making a game have almost nothing to do with each other. I mean, it's like saying that, "You love watching movies? Well then you can become an amazing director just like all your favorites! Sign up today and join your classmates in making a movie over your 4 year college education!" Just because you like movies doesn't mean you can act or direct or write a good script, it just means you like movies. In the same way, enjoying video games has nothing to do with creating enjoyable video games.
To really give you an idea of how difficult making a game really is, here's an interesting stat for you. In my degree, about 150 students joined the Game Design and Development program at the same time as me. Not a ton of people, but a pretty healthy amount based on how little known the degree was at the time. When I graduated, there were 11 other people who graduated with me, and most of them came from the year prior to mine as they needed extra time to get enough credits. The hemorrhaging rate for people out of the program was huge, and it's not because the classes sucked or the teachers were terrible (actually my teachers were pretty fantastic) it's because a ton of gamer bros joined the program thinking that they could make games since they liked playing them, and then they discovered how difficult the process actually was. Most people that started the program ended up switching to either cyber security or software engineering because they were easier. I had one class senior year where we had to design, develop, and show off a game each week that was not only enjoyable, but also something that could possibly teach a simple skill to the player. That class started with about 30 students and ended with about 6.
Bottom line, you hit the nail on the head, but I luckily had a great program, but even this program didn't guarantee a job in the industry . Sorry for long response
Thanks for the extremely insightful reply!
Thanks so so much for your video ! Hope you will be heard by the gaming industry !
Thank you so much for making this video.
As someone currently looking through games data and player research, it's incredibly frustrating to see such limited categorizations of players and de-emphasis on where the industry can improve to bring in those with much more limited game knowledge into the medium. Games are great and we've come a long way in even the past 10 years, but there is still so much work to be done.
Heyyyy thanks and thank you so much for helping out with the video! Let me know if I can help out with your project
Appreciate the thoughtful take on the opportunities we're missing! I, too, remember Razbuten's series with his wife being a shock to my system, as I'd taken for granted so many of the basic mechanics and UI conventions of modern gameplay. Accessibility, diversity of tone and focus, and a broadening of the "culture" of gaming can go along way. Forbidden City, Outer Wilds, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Witness have been some of my favorite experiences without a hint of FPS ultra-violence among them...
Excellent video! I too, hid my face, specifically as I knew I wouldn't be taken seriously as a non-white creator. I was able to leverage my accent and voice in a faceless way that enabled me to get the views I did and what I wrote about to be taken seriously without prejudice.
Sid!! It's been a minute!
Amazing essay! The only thing I would add is that, as a recent father, I find the 'dadification' of games quite disturbing, because all we've got are 'great games about being a (horrible) dad'. It's not just all the "guns and violence", but also because the emotional examples shown on screen are largely toxic and abusive. Children and family threatened as property, subjective, skeved views sold as universal truths and, as you pointed out, there is a total lack of the mother's perspective (when this is not directly "fridged" off-screen).
It's not that I want a game about sharing house chores (even if that could be an idea worth exploring) but to see comments, reviews and essays that threath those psychos as "relatable" it's something quite concerning.
This was a pretty great essay! Hopefully it does really well!
theres 'Undying' where you are a mother, raising/teaching your child. It's a few years old now I think.
Thank you for making this video
What a breath of fresh air this video is…
Thank you for making it
A wonderful video again!
The whole topic is something I noticed in many ways and layers since I started playing games (Which was in the mid 1990s, when I was 4 years old. With C&C and Civilization 2. Yeah don't ask about my family dynamics lol); and while I do like many conventional game formulas, I'm also always in for new experiences, different experiences, innovation, subversions, evolutions and revolutions. Or just jumping off the axis of ideas and think in a completely different direction.
I have some thoughts to add;
1. One sub-topic of all that might also be what people focus at while playing a game and how most people talk about the game. As said, I started early with C&C, and when I finally met, in my early teens, others in my age, I was so excited to talk about the game! However, it did turn out that their motivations and my motivations where completely different. I loved the singleplayer campaigns, the cutscenes, I marvelled at the maps, particularly in Tiberian Sun, and wondered about the acutal civilian life, the wider context, or the changing ecology of earth within the series lore and all that.
These other teenage boys looked at me like I was an alien and the most polite reactions were along the lines of "uh... I didn't play the campaign, I just play skirmish".
I had such moments often, and I do think this is also a phenomenon adding to the Ourobourus you described in your video. It's not just that new games are missing, but also new perspectives on old games.
Games can be played in different ways, even if someone thinks there is an optimal way to approach any given title.
Does this make sense?
2. To a degree, I also noticed a big cultural difference between games from/made for the USA (and wider anglosphere to a degree) and games not targeted at the USA;
Here in Germany we had for long years a middle class games market with titles which are basically unknown west wof us, but cult classics and popular here and in Eastern Europe.
Or more well known games like "This War of Mine", from a Polish studio, which shed new light on the really old topic of war from a different perspective. It's bewildering it took so many decades for that!
When I remember the German "Gothic RPG" they surely do many typical things for the male-dominated Action-RPG genre, hwoever, some things are certainly different. I remember when someone in a video mentioned, that it's one of the few games in which conflict can happen without anyone being killed at the end. In fact, one feature was that you had to delibaretly make an extra gameplay move to murder a defeated human NPC, otherwise they would just lay on the ground and get up after a while. You could even talk to these NPCs again and yes they were pissed at you, but it wasn't a black & white "kill or be killed situation" like which is common with combat in so many RPGs. And if you would murder someone, it had really big consequences, including negative reactions of bystanders, friends of the NPC, etc.
This is, in my eyes, SUCH A TINY difference, such a non-revolutionary thing, but it feels like a gigantic difference in philosophy and view on violence behind it.
And I have to admit, somehow I think this is a sad statement about the Gaming culture as a whole.
Thanks for your amazing comment! I'd love some recommendations of those weird non-Anglo games you describe. I'm aware of the ones that kind of broke through a bit like Ice Pick Lodge's games, also Vangers and Mundaun, but throw some more titles my way if there are some you treasure.
@@PixelaDay The last two games I played were "Roadwarden" made by a single guy from Poland; a mixture of RPG, Visual Novel and Text-Adventure; A wonderful mixture with a slow pace. It focuses very much on human relationships, both with each other and with nature.
Another one was "Signalis" from two queer EastGermans (one is half-chinese) and.... I think it's best enjoyed with at most watching a trailer and nothing else, it's a piece of art.
"Red Strings Club", and anything else by Deconstructeam from Spain! They're often combining the social and technological aspects of cyberpunk with very empathetically written, personal stories.
"The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature" is a French game from the perspective of Frankensteins Monster and a little heartbreaking.
"Conarium" is, IIRC, from a Turkish developer and while I expected a classical horror game it turned out to be more of a mixture of a horror game and walking sim with dark atmosphere. It's set within the Cthulhu Mythos but utilizes it to tell a more introspective story than just "evil monster hunts me"
"The Longest Journey" -> "Dreamfall: The Longest Journey" -> "Dreamfall Chapters" by a Norwayen devloper is one of the most wonderful experiences I ever made. And really "Longest Journey" fits.
The same developer also made "Draugen", a rather short story set in a forsaken village set in a remote Norwayen ford.
"INFRA" from a Finnish developer was a way more indepth, and interesting experience than initially thought. A first person adventure from the perspective of a structural engineer. The game is often also rather weird, but not in a bad sense. I just can't describe Finnish weirdness xD
"If ona a Winter's Night Four Travellers" is a free, short pixel-art adventure by "Dead Idle Games", it's a collection of short stories about personal tragedies.
"Death and Taxes" by an Estonian developer, it's short and rather fun.
"From Earth" is a free HL2 mod, a total conversion; you're a woman sent to an alien planet and you have to get familiar with the environment and the locals. One big gameplay mechanic is learning their language; you have to actually try to figure out what their words mean and their grammar; the game never tells you if you're right or wrong; you just have to figure out what makes sense.
"Orwell" by Osmotic Studios is a cautionary tale about digital surveillance.
I also enjoyed "Layers of Fear", made by a Polish studio, in which you play a troubled artist; in the DLC "Inheritance" his daughter. The 2023 "remake" also added a chapter for his wife, a pianist. And beyond the facade of a "spooky horror game" lies a heartbreaking tale of a family unable to cope with tragedy, trying to be good for each other and failing at it miserably.
I didn't play it yet, but "Industria" is an FPS in which you play an Eastgerman woman on the search for her lost co-worker, and I'm really curious about it.
That's all I could spontanously think of, but there are probably more :)
Idk which all of them count as "weird" or not, but I certainly liked those above and think they make atleast some things different than games from or for the USA.
Idk about other nations, but I also noticed that city builder and management games are in generaly popular here in Germany and equally liked by women and men. (Which lead to comparatively accepting and mixed communities already in the 2000s)
I could also list countless Point & Click adventures particularly from Europe, particularly France or Germany...
I was so confused at the opening when you made the statement "This is not a GMTK video" because it sounded like a sort of disparagement or indictment of the channel itself. Then I got to part 5 and realized "Oh it's cause of how others have been treated by not being that. Yeah that's dumb." Oddly enough this is one of your videos I actually agree with more than any other with ease and have little difficulty believing compared to some of your own takes on video games. I think, if anything, that just illuminates that your critiques are a representation of those opinions and perspectives on games that are largely being ignored by the Ouroboros and maybe I'm just a little suspect to that as well.
Good video!
at 33:40 you exactly enunciate why i graduated with a game design degree and have fallen completely out of love with the medium
Great points. The bad survey got me thinking about Myers Briggs and similar psych inventories.
One thing that could be done, that would at least get some sort of clarity on the gamer classes that actually exist in the wild rn would be to do some sort of cluster analysis on the steam libraries that folks have + playtimes etc. Of course, this excludes the mobile space, or the libraries folks have on itchio or other services, and it of course fails utterly to see what isn't there atm, but it could at least advance us past the silliness of that survey.
Great essay!
Those data ain't free... then again, steam is probably not at all reprensentative.
Don't get me started on the Myers Briggs!
@@PixelaDayyeah, just invented from whole cloth, whereas say big five comes from a more 'let the data speak' approach. So, how would you do that with games is I guess the question that survey made me think about. But its valve and apple and google who would have the biggest, beefiest data sets. Maybe gog or itchio would be more amenable.
And that could only map the terrain that is, not the terrain that could be, that you're gesturing towards.
This is awesome. I just found your channel and I'll be looking forward to your future content.
I've been trying to find where my effort is best utilized in the game development space (as a generally solo developer on the side of my unrelated full time work). I feel like the exact points you bring up here about underserved games is not only a way to broaden the culture but also build games as an industry into a new vision.
All the best and I look forward to future insights!
Amazing job. Well done
I took the motivation survey and also got the Slayer type and I thought yeah maybe it kind of it fits, but your description of the Seeker was way more accurate to how I play games.
I'm looking over the servey at 13:55 and I have to admit this might be a blind spot. My first impressions is that there aren't really any theme genres in there. Like no sci-fi, or fantasy, there is a horror section, and Visual Novels often are romance themed but not always. I suspect that isn't the answer. I did also note that there are no regular adventure games, of witch I would consider Life in Strange a modern iteration of, and there are also no Time Management or the Lost Object games? Not sure if that's the correct term but it's the one where you have to find lost things in a messy environment. They also often intersect with visual novel elements.
This!!! Oh god this! I've watched pretty much all the essays from the people you mentioned, both on political and gaming topics, but never before has one seemed so personal to me.
I always struggled describing the games I like. And every time I try, it starts with an exclusion - "I like games that aren't mainstream 3D shooters with a lot of violence" - and then I move on to my list, but there is very little in common between the games in it. Even something as basic as genres - I have never been able to say that I'm a fan of any specific one, because every new game that catches my eye doesn't correlate with the genres of games before that, to help define my tastes. And I only now realized why.
The games that I like can't be easily classified because... I love experimentation. I love unique mostly non-combat game mechanics. I love recognizable and distinctive non-photorealistic art styles. I love games with free progression, focused on giving the player the options and freedoms of what to do. I love games with atmospheric music and captivating sights that make me feel something beyond simple immersion.
Of course my favorite games aren't similar - or if they are, it mostly vibes, rather than actual substance - because if I'm impressed by a game, I don't want to play a clone of it. I want to play something as good as it, with the same passion, but applied to a different idea. It seems so simple now, but then your preference is "novelty" mixed with "quality", it's not something you can pin down and concretely describe. It's by definition vague and elusive, something you know only when you see it. I like games that fill in the gaps.
And it's stupidly fitting because... I write stories that fill in the gaps. That's what I do, that I pride myself in - I explore all the popular ideas in my specific area and then create stories out of missing pieces, out of everything I didn't see during my research. I just do it in a different medium. And there is always this initial fear when I upload, that my Ideas are too niche, that if someone wanted them, then they would have written it already. But... No. As it turned out - and shock me in the process - I have an audience much larger than I ever expected, and many of them told me that my stories were something they either always wanted, or never knew they wanted.
I just was the first one to actually implement it, to actually capture it in the text. And many said that that's what made my creativity stand out, leaving an imprint in their minds to a point, that other works didn't impress them anymore. Because everything around was too samey, and I have effectively set a new standard. It's strange, to be honest - to get compliments like that. It's always feels like a guilty pleasure, like I didn't do anything special and didn't deserve that much praise, no matter how stupidly happy I am to hear it.
But this video, this whole talk of yours... It made me realize much more than just my tastes in games. It's empowering and reassuring in ways I can't describe. The only thing I can do is wholeheartedly agree. There is a lot of trends, and a lot of gaps they inevitably leave behind. Following a trend is eazy. Exposing a gap takes some effort, but generally possible. But finding what to fill these gaps with - that's the actual challenge, that is criminaly underappreciated. But when someone does it, it's never a waste of effort. It's risky, it's hard, it takes immense creativity and passion. And results are rarely a success in metrics we recognize. But for people like me, the existence of such works is essential! And I would always advocate for more!
Thank you for this essay. Really. It has finally put into words this series of confusing thoughts and feelings of mine, transforming them into something understandable and meaningful. You filled the gap in my soul I didn't know was there.
You don't know what it means to read this! It really fills my heart to hear my video resonated so much. Thanks and all the best for your very valuable and important creative work!
This was a fascinating and fantastic video. Really appreciate what you had to say, and it was also very helpful to as someone who wants to make games in the future. Also just as an aside, I couldn't stop thinking about the game Death Stranding throughout this because it does mostly everything you said most AAA games aren't doing, and that definitely explains why there were a significant amount of gamers complaining about DS when it launched.
The thing that worries and frustrates me is: the Games Industry was built after 2nd wave feminism started, and after the Civil Rights Movement had won some victories. Hollywood kinda gets a pass, imho. Maybe it *is* hard to change people's minds, given that the studio system underpinning it was built around the 1920s-40s . But the Games Industry was mostly built in my lifetime and it's really tough seeing such an exclusionary system grow, when we all know better
Reminds you how shit things still were even as late as the 90s. The industry really messed up making gaming so aggressively "for boys" and we're still feeling the pain.
I too would like to see more considering how many humanitarian movements have come and gone. But, honestly, there are many more extreme hurdles for humanity to sermount than video games that are more inclusive and representative of the diversity and needs of humanity. This is especially because most humanitarian movements have only made small corrections to the trajectory of humanity as a result of colonization, capitalism, and class warfare(caste system) hampering and confusing the intent of every one of them in one way or another. So, INHO, the video game industry, from that vantage point is a great example of humanity's immaturity when it comes to human rights and inclusivity.
We need more perspectives like this in the video game space.
Great video! Commenting for engagement
Without indie games, I probably would have quit the hobby years ago.
I believe it was somewhere around the financial crisis of 2007/08 - and up until 2012 or so? During that time, I felt like all the games were multiplayer shooter sequels, with even beloved franchises of the past being "re-imagined" as first-person shooters. While other games (and series) got cancelled for "putting the focus on the core business" reason, and the entire AA-tier of games almost died out entirely.
I really, really struggled to find anything interesting to play during those times - and it was only the indie boom brought about by crowd-funding, digital distribution and the rise of let's plays - that turned things around for me. It was that indie boom that invented new genres and gameplay types, and revived long abandonded/discarded older types, that the AAA-industry and the big video game journalism completely ignored.
It will get missed in the excellence of the rest of the video, but I love that your example for "people the AAA industry doesnt bother to represent" was "adults".
I watched Jacob Gellers top ten kist just before this, and as much as I loved hearing about all these interesting games, it mad me sad and kind of angry that so many wonderful experiences are locked behind 40+ hours of game play: AAA Will Never Die, But You Will
Love this video so much! Your breakdown of the gamer survey and types was so brilliant. I have always been a gamer who didn't define myself as one because I don't like triple A games. But you make it so clear the holes in the medium that explain why I've felt left out. I've stopped midway through playing RDR2 despite loving so much of it, because I don't want to be Arthur. (Sorry, Arthur)
Sorry not sorry :) I also don't like to define myself as "a gamer" and actively avoid telling people I don't know very well that I play games, coz they instantly jump to conclusions that are entirely incorrect and then I have to spend forever correcting wrong impressions lol.