Note: Just a quick note. I'm going to reference the Last of Us Part 2, and I imagine the comments below will talk about the game, but this post isn't just about that game. It's about gaming culture in general. So, please avoid talking about spoilers. There are other threads on here for those conversations.
I'm curious what you guys think about this topic. I'm curious in it because, in my job as a mental health therapist, a big part of my life revolves around what motivates behavior. But some behaviors are easier for me to understand then others. And even when I logically understand some motivations, I can't fully understand them. This has all come about based on some of the responses I've seen to the Last of Us Part 2. It has been intense, at least by those who care to react and post online, and it's been so on all sides. Those who like the game and don't all the same have had some pretty dramatic responses and in turn responses to each other. This response I don't think speaks to this game in particular, but to aspects of gaming culture.
Yes, other cultures are plagued with vitriol. I imagine vitriol is a part of the human experience and we can all engage with it for a variety of reasons. But since this is a gaming forum and most of us know gaming pretty well, I'm curious what you all think motivates vitriolic responses in gaming culture be it to specific games, genres (I'm looking at you walking simulators), gaming personalities, the press, publishers, developers. All and more have seen some intense responses.
For me, with regards to the Last of Us 2, I was one of those folks that liked the game and its story. So when I saw dramatic responses, I found the start of vitriol brewing in me. In fact, I may have expressed that response in these forums. In my own spoiler thread about the game I essentially said that people who think differently than me lack empathy. Yikes. That's clearly not true, obviously. So what motivated me to have that response to those that disliked the game? I think for me it came down to disappointment. I want gaming to continue to evolve and part of that involves game stories that make people have a myriad of reactions. Which the Last of Us Part 2 does, but I also want to make sure those games continue to exist and I suppose I worry the lesson learned from some intense negative responses will be 'don't make games like this anymore because people don't like or want them.' So I was disappointed and scared of gaming becoming stagnate.
But vitriol isn't just about games, like I said. We could just as easily talk about vitriol in regards to 'sjw' comments or how women or queer people are treated. Unfortunately, from my perspective, we're spoiled for choice. So what do you all think? What motivates vitriolic responses in gaming culture? Is there one clear cut answer or is on a more case by case basis? If you've had an intense reaction, what has motivated that reaction in you?
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