I think it's more a commentary on outrage culture in general.
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People asking to take part in a subculture, being welcomed in with open arms, and then shrieking and trying to tear the hobby/game/subculture apart when it's not done exactly the way THEY themselves want it.
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That was my take-away from it, but seeing as I'm not the artist can't say for sure
Ok- so her tantrum is (hopefully) obviously way extra- but “this is how things have always been and it worked for us...” isn’t really a good reason either is it? Boomers did things one way their whole lives just fine- and from environmental issues to jobs to how school works or even to using physical punishment on kids- most people will agree “it’s been this way for years...” is a poor justification to keep things that way.
But here’s an idea- instead of her throwing a tantrum over it being “too hard” and instead of the response “it’s been this way for years...” what if.... what if she thought about it and articulated what her specific issues were- and perhaps the two player groups could discuss what their goals are- what they want to get out of the game to make it enjoyable?
I mean- if they’ve played that way for years- how do they know there isn’t a better way to play? A way they might enjoy- and a way she might enjoy too? What if there is a way to improve the game for EVERYONE? Her tantrum isn’t constructive dialog but neither is dating you refuse to consider changes without hearing what those changes are- or trying them if there’s no logical objection to them other than that they are different from what you are used to?
Look at games in general- the original Mario games, the original Metal Gear games on Nintendo- Doom, Far Cry, Blah blah- these games have kept some things the same completely or in spirit- but they’ve also changed A LOT over the years. If they were still the same as they were decades ago they probably wouldn’t still be so popular. So change can be good, or can be bad, and sometimes it can take a few tries to get it right- but saying you won’t consider change because it is different isn’t really a winning attitude.
The changes these types want are usually to make games simpler and easier. Which sounds good on paper but it removes individuality, complexity, lowers the skill ceiling, and generally is trying to make the game something its not; which is not something the players who already love the game want.
As far as games like Sekiro or Dark Souls the whole community is based around the shared experience of overcoming the difficulty. If you remove the difficulty you might as well play the game as there's little to no actual story except in item descriptions. The joy is in overcoming the difficulty and the feeling of brotherhood you get with other souls players because of it. There's no game without that but because its popular people want to be able to say they played/beat it without putting the effort in and experiencing the actual game.
I have mixed feelings. I started on pen and paper, and early videogames in RPG style or exploration- really any with depth- still required pen, paper, and sometimes supplementary print materials. I loved classic J RPGs and games like Wasteland or later Fallout 1. I am a fan of comely and deep games. Loved Neverwinter, the coast series, Elder scrolls... Hitchikers, Zork, princess in amber.... before achievements I still ground out secret levels and summons, bred gold chocobos when the Internet wasn’t so helpful, went for perfect runs etc. and I was disgusted by “casuals.”
The older I got the more I saw there was more to it. Work, family, school, projects, learning, and as much as I still love my 200+ hour games- I can linger master 4 fighting games at once while running through a couple side games. The day I realized that 100 hours on a game would take maybe a year or at least half vs a month or a couple months was a sad day.
So I can’t say I blame people anymore wanting an easier game, or a faster game, or a game that doesn’t involve as much grinding etc. that said- there are plenty of ways to accommodate that without taking that away from other people.
We used to do it all the time on pen and paper games when we’d have a “special guest player” or when we’d let someone’s kid sibling or not so savvy significant other join in. With modern technology it isn’t hard in a multiplayer games either- to give one player a handicap or a slightly different play experience without taking anything from any other players.
Giving someone items that can only be equipped by someone on their difficulty so they can’t unbalance the item pool- blah blah. Single player games are of course far easier to adjust so that people can have an experience that fits them and their lives- as nothing you do really effects anyone else- or you can easily make it so that it doesn’t in games where single player games have some type of shared instance.
What do I care if someone else is “playing wrong” or “not getting the right experience” or whatever? An audiophile night try to tell you that if you aren’t watching your favorite movie on Dolby 400 Chanel surround in full 3D VR 100000000P with force feedback then you shouldn’t watch it at all. I’m sure it’s a heck of an experience but if it’s fine on my regular old tv in stereo or simple 5.2 for me. I’m rather glad that film makers don’t just release their films one way- that if they shot in 60mm and intended it for a 300 foot imax they don’t say “not gonna port it. You’ll lose the experience I intended...”
But I get the other side too, and I get that it can be hard- especially for small teams or for really tightly crafted games- that extra modes etc. add complexity and dev time and QA time and costs and might take fixed resources from another area of the game that could have been better.
I’m just saying I’m general- and in the comic above- there’s no reason not to consider change and listen case by case as opposed to assumptions on what a generalization of a group usually wants- and decide the merit- and if possible try to accommodate as many people as practical.
As far as table top, if you want a different game, theres one out there for you, theres an insane number of tabletop games with the slightest variations of each other and of course, house rules exist too. Just don't expect a group to cater to your will after they welcome you in and try and introduce you to the game.
"I don't want to learn how the magic system works" means you're excluding yourself and maybe this hobby isnt for you and you can leave it alone.
As far as dark souls, not having the difficulty isn't just the wrong experience, there is no experience. For real, dark souls is actually a really shallow game if you look past the challenge. It would be actively not fun and boring without that challenge. It's the well crafted challenge that makes everything more interesting. Dark souls would be LAME on any easy mode they could implement and thats what people who dont play them don't get. You WON'T have fun, you think you will but you won't.
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People asking to take part in a subculture, being welcomed in with open arms, and then shrieking and trying to tear the hobby/game/subculture apart when it's not done exactly the way THEY themselves want it.
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That was my take-away from it, but seeing as I'm not the artist can't say for sure
As far as games like Sekiro or Dark Souls the whole community is based around the shared experience of overcoming the difficulty. If you remove the difficulty you might as well play the game as there's little to no actual story except in item descriptions. The joy is in overcoming the difficulty and the feeling of brotherhood you get with other souls players because of it. There's no game without that but because its popular people want to be able to say they played/beat it without putting the effort in and experiencing the actual game.
"I don't want to learn how the magic system works" means you're excluding yourself and maybe this hobby isnt for you and you can leave it alone.
As far as dark souls, not having the difficulty isn't just the wrong experience, there is no experience. For real, dark souls is actually a really shallow game if you look past the challenge. It would be actively not fun and boring without that challenge. It's the well crafted challenge that makes everything more interesting. Dark souls would be LAME on any easy mode they could implement and thats what people who dont play them don't get. You WON'T have fun, you think you will but you won't.