Community and Video Games

The Annual Music and Gaming Festival

This prior weekend, I attended MAGFest, the Music and Gaming Festival. This is the second MAGFest I have attended, and I have also attended a couple other gaming conventions and pop culture conventions. Game conventions truly show something magical that very few other things can, that being the sense of community that can be created through gaming. 

People who are truly passionate about games are, in many cases, looked down upon by people who don't play games or who can't understand the passion. That is far from warranted, but that is a discussion for another day. When you are at these conventions, you feel opened up, you aren't afraid to strike up a conversation with a stranger because you know that the people you're with have the same hobby. Everyone there is a nerd for something, even if it isn't games, as it serves as a hub for other pop culture staples as well, such as anime, movies or other things of the sort. There is a mutual respect that everyone has for others, and no matter what you love, you will not be judged for it, and there is almost certainly someone else there who shares that love.

Now, regarding my personal experience, I can say with confidence, this year was truly enriching and fun. The previous time I went was excellent, but I decided to spend the majority of my time playing games in the arcade and console lounge and I only attended 2 official events. This year, I attended a number of concerts as well as what are known as "MAGES Panels."  These are each 1 hour gatherings with a host or group of hosts that lead a discussion regarding a topic, ranging from Therapeutic uses of Games to the place of LGBT subjects in games. The hosts begin the conversation, but it is largely open to the crowd to discuss things.  I attended 6 of these and I would consider most of them greatly beneficial, and they all opened my mind to new perspectives and made me begin to think about new things in the industry that I really hadn't until that point, and some of their subjects will definitely make an appearance on this site as I share my thoughts on them.

It was fascinating, as a number of people shared their personal experiences, and in some ways, they would likely be ridiculed by many from the general masses, but in these rooms, not only did people just accept them, but in many cases, people there shared their experiences. Many people felt great comfort in knowing that people had similar pasts to them and that they could help them with any troubles they may have had.

Popular Comedy Rock Band, Ninja Sex Party

Ninja Sex Party is a Comedy Rock Band that has found a good amount of success on the internet, with the lead singer being Danny "Sexbang" who is one of the two lead members of another internet sensation; Game Grumps. Because of their great popularity with the video game community thanks to Game Grumps, they played at MAGFest this year. I had the great fortune of attending their joint performance with Tupperware Remix Party, another band of internet fame, and being only 5 rows away from the stage. I have attended a couple of stadium concerts before, and they did not reach the amount of energy (and volume) that this crowd of 4500 did at the NSP show. Everybody in the entire room was getting each other excited for the hour leading up to show. During the show, I would easily believe that literally every single person in the room was screaming after each song, the volume was truly crazy. After the show, it appeared that everybody was smiling and laughing with all the people that they hadn't known just 2 hours ago. Everybody shared a mutual respect as they had enjoyed this great show together.

Speaking of mutual respect and understanding, another concert I attended was the Journey Live show by the original composer, Austin Wintory. Everybody in the room, which was a couple thousand people, were completely silent during the show.  The show itself was the premiere of the nationwide tour, and it was brilliant, if you have the opportunity to see it at any point, I can't recommend it enough. With both of these shows, I experienced very different crowds, yet very similar crowds. One was far louder than the other, but the mutual feelings in both crowds were very similar, both there to see something they love and showing their love for it in different ways, one being extremely loud and the other being silent. I have never been in a place where such a large number of people shared passion for one common thing, and it was truly wonderful.

Not much more can be said regarding the impact of the sense of community on any individual other than myself, as I don't have any knowledge of the psychological effects of a sense of community, all I can really say is that it is wonderful and the presence of it within gaming is enormous and stronger than I have seen in most other fandoms.

How do you feel about gaming's ability to provide a sense of community? What is your best experience with this community? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.

Have a tremendous day.

The Power of Nostalgia

Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts

There are three series from my childhood that I still an active fan of: Ratchet & Clank, Pokemon, and Kingdom Hearts. These are not the only series I played as a kid and continue to play now, just the three the I most actively kept up on since first playing them many years ago. I have more than a little nostalgia for the games that got me started on the mentioned series', but none stand out quite as much as Kingdom Hearts. I have an emotional attachment to that series, it's one of the strongest I can recall from my childhood, not just from video games. It's quite easy to see why; I never stopped loving it. I can go back and play the earliest entries and feel the nostalgia, but I also get a rush of it if I play new entries in the series that I have no experience with. I think that appealing to nostalgia is less about serving up the same exact thing over and over, and more so about appealing to the emotions that one had when they first played the game. Nostalgia is an appeal to one's association with a past memory.

I'm not really here to discuss the impact of nostalgia on game publishers and how they sell games, as I feel my piece on hype in the industry sufficiently covered that. Today is more about nostalgia in my own life and how it changes my perspective on games, as well as the challenge of bringing myself to move past it in some places.

Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank for the PS2

Nostalgia is truly fun. It is a calling back to a good time, a call back to the games that were my favorite activity as a reserved child. Replaying a great moment in those games now fills me with that amazing feeling that I can't explain, but that you almost certainly have experienced at one point or another yourself. There's also the alternative nostalgia where it is a whole new experience, being a game in a series you have a connection to or something of the sort, yet it calls back to your past, and the mix of old and new is something simply wonderful.

With the case of Ratchet & Clank and Kingdom Hearts, anytime I return to the originals (especially the same games with upgraded HD Visuals) or play any entry in the franchise that is new to me, I get this sense of excitement, one like when I was a child, and it feels simply wonderful. Its near impossible to capture this sensation any other way for me. Gaming is the greatest medium for carrying my past with me today. I still remain in an objective position though; when new games in the series or of a similar genre release, I still make sure to hold it to the highest of standards and expect progression instead of just a recycling of the same sort of content. 

Sega's Massively Loved Sonic Adventure

Nostalgia is something that many claim is a blinding force, but it does not have to be that way. If you genuinely enjoy anything, that is what truly matters. The key is that you enjoy objectively. When discussing things, you need to make sure you are not speaking solely on the behalf of your nostalgic feelings. And, as sad as it may be, there are times where it is important to judge a game critically if it truly does deserve it.

I played Sonic Adventure DX on the Gamecube when I was younger, and I adored that game. Recently, upon spotting the game at a convention, I decided it was a good time to go back and experience some good nostalgia. I was let down quickly. The game was not the great time I remembered so fondly from my childhood. The game is a technical mess in a great number of places, and some of the mechanical and game design choices were confusing and, objectively, bad. I was sad to see it, but I went in looking at the game only half through nostalgia goggles and the result was truly disappointing. I didn't want to dislike the game, but I couldn't lie to myself. The game didn't just have a couple flaws (all older games do, including the others mentioned above), it had more negative qualities than redeeming ones. It is (in my opinion, as well as through some objective viewpoints) bad.

I'm sure that there are other games from my childhood that would suffer the same, and I do feel bad trashing on a game so many people hold close to their hearts with fond remembrance, but I still do insist upon viewing games objectively, regardless of the association you have of them. I don't say this in order to reduce the amount of fun you have with a game, I say so in hopes that you can look into the future without expecting developers to fill that nostalgia hole. If you ask for a new game to fill the nostalgia you have for an older, objectively-flawed game, developers can't do much: They'll either produce another flawed game that is clearly not enjoyable, or they'll try something new and fail to fill the expectation. Burdening them with this expectation can completely hinder all games in that series or genre, and none of us should want to impose any sort of stagnation in the progression of games.

Atlus' Persona 4

Now that I shared my thoughts on nostalgia for the games of our past, I would like to share with you a phenomenon I have experienced more as of late. Typically, when people think of nostalgia, they think of it as an association from a long while ago, usually your childhood or your younger years. However, in a few cases, I have experienced a step out of that rhythm. I begin to experience that nostalgia almost as an immediate turn-around after finishing a game. One recent example for me is Atlus' Persona 4, which I played on the PS Vita. I played it about a year ago, and I began feeling nostalgia for it only one month after completing it, and the feeling has not wavered in the slightest over the course of a year.

This is something that is not that uncommon for me, having felt it for other games I've played recently such as Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles, and most recently, Metal Gear Solid V. I believe that my form of nostalgia, and perhaps yours as well, is not related to when I played a game, but rather what else was happening in my life at the time: What I am looking for a sense of escape from. Games that give me an especially great sense of comfort are ultra effective in making me feel instant nostalgia. When I played Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Persona 4, I was in a place where I was trying to decide where I was going to take my life, a particularly daunting and stressful undertaking, one I was definitely looking to escape the thought of here and there, and all these games did a far finer job than whatever games they were competing with at making me feel better about everything. Metal Gear Solid V was the game I was playing during the transition into the new part of my life I mentioned above, and while everything was going smoothly, it was still a great amount to take in all at once, and it was a relief to be able to escape into another world when I felt the need.

This is week two of going into more personal accounts in order to accurately share my opinion on a matter, and I find that it has been greatly successful. What games do you have the most nostalgia for? Are there any games you like where nostalgia gets the better of you and your opinion? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.

As a reminder, I will be attending MAGfest (Music and Gaming Festival) in Marylnad this coming weekend (February 18th-21st) and writing a follow up piece about gaming and community. I hope you get a chance to read it.

Have a tremendous day.

Gaming as a Hobby vs Gaming as a Lifestyle

Bayonetta's Introduction into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS

Bayonetta was announced to be added as a downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. in a special event in December. She was just released this past Wednesday, February the 3rd. When she was announced, I was in a room full of friends, all Nintendo fans like myself. I got a little bit excited... Okay, I was far more than a little excited when she was shown. I had been harping on that Bayonetta should join the cast of Smash both before the game was released in 2014, as well as the instant that they announced that they would include a character voted on by fans through the "Fighter Ballot" last April. There are more than a few casual Smash fans that did not really react much to the introduction and inclusion of Bayonetta, meanwhile, I couldn't contain my excitement.

The terms "Casual Gamer" and "Hardcore Gamer" are used pretty often, however, I am not really a fan of those terms. I am more comfortable looking at the differences between those who play game as a hobby and those for who gaming is a part of their lifestyle. Obviously I am of the latter, and I am never one to look down on those who only play games just as a hobby (as many "hardcore" gamers like to look down at "casuals" as somehow inferior).

I think that their are potentially less differences between the two groups I'm discussing than many people may believe. Some may say that those who play as just a hobby don't play much, but I don't believe that to be true. They very well may play many hours, and they may even have a large number of games to play.

Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts III, which I have been keeping up with as closely as possible since its announcement in 2013, as discussed below, literally for years.

So when I make that statement, there arises the question of where the distinction between hobby and lifestyle comes from. Well, being as gaming is a lifestyle for me, I will simply list a number of things that make it such: When you don't just buy the newest game, but you keep up on it for weeks or months, or even years in some cases, before its release. When you watch every major publisher event, beyond just E3, and even with E3, you keep up on every thing that is announced even outside the couple hours of conferences. When you collect and keep every game and piece of memorabilia you can afford and know you'll love because its a part of the game[s] and series that you love. When an announcement about a game you love can cause you to feel ecstatic for hours or days. When you talk (or write, like with this) about video games with everyone you can at every opportunity, because its what you love. And that right there is the key word, you really love games, you feel real passion for games and your fellow gamers, you are part of a community, all of the many great things about games keep you running when other things in life may slow you down a bit. They aren't just a fun pass-time, they are one of your favorite ways to spend your precious time.

I apologize for the brevity this week, there is not much I had to say on the subject, but I still felt that what I had to say was very personal and people who feel the same way will feel a connection to the subject. If you would like to hear more about Community in gaming like I mentioned above, come back in two weeks; I will be attending MAGFest (The Music and Gaming Festival) in Maryland for an entire weekend (February 18-21) and writing about the power of Gaming as a community.

Do you think that gaming is a lifestyle for you more than a hobby? How do you feel about everything I discussed above? Let me know in the comments or wherever you see fit.

Have a tremendous day.