Patreon Q&A #24

The Great Leveler Asks
What's your least favorite genre or genres of games and what would it take for you to enjoy them?

Definitely MMO's. Even in my younger days with loads more free time, I couldn't get into the heavy grind of games like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, or Everquest. That's not to say I don't like the idea of an MMO. I love reading stories of epic battles on EVE, interactions on Star Wars Galaxies, or coordinated attacks in Guild Wars, but the investment to get to that point isn't worth it to me when the moment to moment gameplay mostly consists of holding the mouse to move and clicking on a respawning gremlin.

What it would take for an MMO to hook me lies in that core-gameplay, which is probably why MMO-lites like Warframe, have taken the most time from me.

What I really want is immersion though, which is nearly impossible for an MMO. Its visuals need to be toned down, because of the amount of live-players potentially on-screen. It needs to have a large amount of reading due to the sheer volume of material. It needs gameplay that isn't so taxing, players are too drained to play for 4+ hours.

However, I am speaking with a bias, and understand that MMO's are a genre that just doesn't appeal to my preferences, and in-fact, a lot of aspects in modern gaming that people enjoy were born in the MMO space.

Ferenc Viczmándi Asks
If you could erase a video game franchise from history, which would it be? How would it affect the video game industry?

I was just asking a friend this question last week! In the past, I'd be really mean, and say Dead Space. However, while those games don't click with me they do for millions, I very much respect their polish and presentation. So I wouldn't cast Dead Space aside, especially as EA already did that to its creators.

Genuine answer? That's tough. Instinctively, as one game, I want to say Saints Row: The Third, as it's personally a game I detest, but Saints Row IV, a game that I love, would never have happened if it weren't for that third installment.

FIFA's tempting, because of all the damage that's spawned from EA and other publishers copying its greedy exploits of the world's largest sport. Though, it's hard to imagine that the success of Madden, NHL, or NBA2k wouldn't have ignited that change in the industry.

Selfishly, I could abolish Final Fantasy as I've never held any close attachment to it, but then SuperButterBuns would murder me.

Far Cry 3's a game I enjoy despite it being the game Ubisoft have made since then. Call of Duty's got several great games. Deus Ex's world is awesome. Alright, time to be mean.

Serious Sam or Lost Planet.

Admittedly, I'm saying this as someone whose hardly an expert on either franchise, playing just a couple hours between them. But while cultivating a small niche, I've never believed these games became what they could've been, consistently outclassed by their competition.

I guess the reason I'd pick one of those is because, if they did disappear tomorrow, I'm not sure if the industry (not the players, but the industry) would notice.

Great question though!

DaCody Asks
What is the nerdiest thing you've ever done?

Stop playing Skyrim because of sword's sound effects.

OzarkTempses Asks
Do you think Kickstarter still has a place in today's gaming development scene or has customer cynicism settled in?

I think it absolutely has a place, but definitely didn't live up to the hype it initially set, which isn't surprising. There's still some great indie projects that have stemmed from crowd funding, but the idea it'd single-handedly publish all these niche games like Space Sims, CRPGs, and Platformers was too much weight to put on one's shoulders.

Thankfully, there's been a new wave of mid-market titles and publishers to carry that mantle instead, which for all I know, might've spawned from those initial Kickstarter projects, proving that sector of the market still existed when big-publishers believed it to be obsolete.