Why I Love Penny Arcade

The comics are awesome, but the quality of writing is by far what makes Penny Arcade unique in its retro-flections of the Gaming Community and Industry. It's stunningly concise, whilst being gorgeously extravagant. It's like someone took my very opinions from the netherworld inside my head and made them interesting to read. I remain in awe. This weeks subject: Troll's.

I suppose this makes me a hypocrite retroactively, but I'm not saying that people shouldn't troll. That's a natural law, and I recognize its supremacy. What I'm suggesting is that they shouldn't troll in such an idiotic, transparent way.

Gabriel tells me such things are common, and we must endure these creatures until they molt into adulthood, but I wonder if a savage chop to the trachea would not accelerate the process.

The maturity with which the games industry is viewed is hampered by many things

  A childish obessession with ultra-violence for one, compiled by an intricate web of internet locations where people are allowed free reign to spout whatever nonsense they see fit. (Forums). Developers often seem to be playing to these facts rather than trying to redistinguish them. Often information is witheld to "stop the forum kids going crazy", which drives me fucking insane. By all means filter the information you choose to pass on to the wider public but it's very frustrating how narrow minded this approach is. As someone who very rarely posts in forums but is deeply involved in the Gaming Community both as a consumer and aspiring developer, It fucks me off that forum kids are considered a primary concern.

Sometimes I think the industry needs a wake-up call, someone to break free from the immature foundations. It's quite ironic that the games we consider to be the most Adult orientated (Anything with an M or 18+) like Gears Of War 2 are often the most childish in their simplified perception of both warfare and reality. I'm cynical enough to digest a sizable chunk of hollywood bullshit, but the crap these designers and developers seem to think is acceptable as mature content is ridiculous. In terms of provoking intelligent manipulation and exploration, the breeding plans of Pokemon Platinum are by far more mature than the Chainsaw slicing of Gears Of War 2. The content is mature, but the design is not.

I've blogged before, about the feeling of being treated like an utter moron by developers, but I guess the fault lies with the users. While the target market is being catered to teenage males, developers cannot progress mature designs efficiently. The ball seems to lie with Indie developers to go out on a limb and risk creating something truely groundbreaking and revolutionary. It's just a shame that the majority of people who are going to know about and constructively support it's existance are still waiting for their balls to drop.