Sunday Thoughts: Losing
Describing failure.
Published: 17:00, 16/10/2011 by Kris [Halbpro].
13I used to have this odd misconception about people who wrote about games. I had always assumed that if you wanted to write about games, or even be involved in the games industry at all, you had to be insanely good at games. I mean obviously if you wanted to write about a game you had to be the best, to be able to beat just about any title effortlessly. For some odd reason writing ability never actually entered into the equation in my young mind. Perhaps this is why I’d never really considered writing until Peter asked me one fateful day over two years ago now. I expect he still regrets the decision.
See, I’m not particularly good at games. I’m not awful, I mean I’m capable of playing pretty much anything you put in front of me with different levels of success. However, that’s more competent than good; a far more important skill in reviewing games. You need to be able to force your way through a game, no matter what it throws at you. There are a handful of times we haven’t given a game a formal review because we couldn’t beat them, most notably Super Meat Boy, but those are games which require you to be far more than just competent; in fact they require a level of skill that glimpses ‘good’ as a distant speck in its rear-view mirror.
My tackles in FIFA are a little dirtier than this.
That’s not really to say that I really identify any game as being something I can breeze through. I adore Halo, but I’m hardly the best player in the world. I can happily have a laugh with friends but I get easily frustrated if you put me in a competitive situation. Gears of War? Again, it’s fun to play when no-one’s taking Horde too seriously, but I fall to bits when people try to get me to actually play like it matters. Some of you may even remember my brief foray into the world of Killzone 2 for the King of Killzone competition. That didn’t go so well.
Of course I do have a tactic if I’m playing badly and people seem to be caring a little too much. If you’re one of the very small circle of people who’ve ever had the joy of playing FIFA with me you’ll be familiar with my particular tactic in a footballing situation; essentially it boils down to getting bored and trying to get as many players sent off as possible. This is highly amusing for me, although people seem to get terribly annoyed when they’re playing on the same team as me; I can’t imagine why.
I do wonder what it is that frustrates me so much in multiplayer gaming though, my lack of skill is hardly contained to multiplayer sessions. Perhaps it’s because you actually lose in a multiplayer session, when you’re going through single player you just have another go at it. Or maybe it’s because if you die in single player you have a motivation to keep going, there’s a story to work through; when you lose at multiplayer you’ve lost and that’s it.
A better response to all of this would probably be to try and get better, but my hands just won’t let me. They’re horrible, clumsy things, and I doubt I’ll ever make them any more accurate. For now I’ll just content myself with blindly flailing through single player games, and occasionally mucking about in multiplayer. But taking things seriously? Never.
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16/10/2011 at 17:15
Member since: Feb 2010
I’m pretty good at the majority of games I touch, but I’ve played games near my entire life on a daily basis. I don’t mind so much losing in a game, but if I’ve played badly personally and I know I can do better, I beat myself up over it, same in real life situations.
Highlights for me are Bad Company 2 and Uncharted 2, first games I really heavily hammered the multiplayer on consoles, I’ve lost plenty of matches on both but I don’t mind as long as I’ve been pulling my weight on my team.
16/10/2011 at 17:19
Member since: Oct 2009
Ah good, I’m not entirely alone then? Bit of a pain when the brain says I’m good at this, do this, then that & the hands go ‘eh? What?’ by which time it’s all to late!
16/10/2011 at 17:24
Member since: Jul 2009
I’m pretty good with games and if we ever have a zombie apocalypse, feel free to make it to Cardiff as there’s a high chance of survival (unless you see me approaching a petrol pump with a chainsaw). :-)
However, I always want to enjoy the game (as well as playing to a decent calibre) so try not to worry about things too much.
One of Hanny’s friends was so competitive we couldn’t get him to let it go and just relax, enjoy, etc.. It was a real shame as he’s a top guy but just couldn’t be anything but ultra-competitive.
17/10/2011 at 01:38
Member since: Jul 2009
Cardiff’s not my first choice, but I’m stuck here for another year anyway so my zombie apocalypse plans had to be rethought. Cardiff’s helpful, because not only is it against the sea thus one less side to defend, but half the population on a night out are like zombies anyway, so I’m well trained!
16/10/2011 at 17:27
Member since: Forever
I don’t have enough free time to lose.
16/10/2011 at 17:33
Member since: Jul 2009
Then you have already lost. :)
16/10/2011 at 20:20
Member since: Jul 2009
Nice one.
16/10/2011 at 17:39
Member since: Jun 2009
And that’s why I always play on the easiest setting, I just want to kick back,relax and forget about the world for a hour.
16/10/2011 at 18:09
Member since: Aug 2009
Never more than now have I just wanted to leave one word. This.
16/10/2011 at 18:48
Member since: Jul 2009
*subscribes to train of thought*
The moment I take it too seriously is the moment the game starts to let me down.
16/10/2011 at 20:12
Member since: Mar 2009
Same here, I’ve never understood higher difficulty levels, I always play on the easiest setting (or second easiest on games where the lowest difficulty gives you crazy amounts of advantages (like Gurumin on PSP)).
I played Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time on Hard on a whim once, but that’s it. It wasn’t all that tricky, so maybe I should try harder settings more often, but I’d probably just end up getting stuck on a final boss or something and get bored.
16/10/2011 at 21:22
Member since: Jun 2009
And that’s what stops me Billsmug, I’m all happy for a challenge but when it comes to bosses and the relentless slog they can be at times I just haven’t got the time or patience. It’s that escapism I want just like a movie or a book, I mean you wouldn’t read a book in another language you didnt understand or watch a foreign film with the subtitles off.
16/10/2011 at 17:41
Member since: Jun 2009
Random, delete away mod
16/10/2011 at 18:07
Member since: Aug 2008
Games, as with any entertainment are what you make of them. Regardless of accomplishment, as long as you enjoy your time with the game; you’re winning.
16/10/2011 at 20:21
Member since: Jul 2009
It’s the Charlie Sheen way.
16/10/2011 at 23:33
Member since: Aug 2008
Is there any other?
16/10/2011 at 18:16
Member since: Mar 2009
For me it depends what game I’m playing. If it’s FIFA/Pro Evo and I’m playing with mates then we’re all fairly competitive, so losing is irritating. But if it’s just in my career/offline league then losing the odd game is just part of the realism for me.I guess I like it to be realistic, winning ev ery game of the season on the easiest setting I wouldn’t enjoy!
Then there’s games like Dark Souls. I’ve played it for 26 hours and probably lost/died about 500 times! Crushingly hard, but also very rewarding when you win.
16/10/2011 at 18:21
Member since: Nov 2010
I study Game Design and I’m absolutely terrible at most games haha. I’m so uncompetetive that I actually giggle when I’m losing and people sometimes have to tell me to “Stop looking at the pretty scenery and pay some attention cause we’re dying here Han!” I really don’t mind losing and winning is fun, but I’m more into just having fun together. I prefer having a good game and losing a million times over an unsatisfying win any day.
16/10/2011 at 22:13
Member since: Jul 2009
Which makes you more evil than most. We’re being torn, ripped and smashed to bits and you’re frolicking along shouting “I have a frying pan!” as the blood is smooshed from every hole in our beaten bodies and you have a fully loaded gun that’s untouched and never to be used because you want to retain its shiny-shiny resale value.
We’re dying, bitch. We are DYING!
16/10/2011 at 22:17
Member since: Nov 2010
And he’s not even started yet about how I am as an Infected guys, somehow I think you don’t fully appreciate the way I play with you bunimomike :p
16/10/2011 at 22:18
Member since: Jul 2009
THERE IS NO ACHIEVEMENT FOR CHARGING A TREE!
*dies a little more inside*
16/10/2011 at 22:19
Member since: Apr 2010
Or for being a woman! You have a frying pan because you have to, woman!
16/10/2011 at 18:32
Member since: Jul 2010
The vast majority of games I buy and play, I buy for single-player, to relax and immerse myself in whatever world, it’s what got me gaming.
There’s one big ugly exception though, Uncharted. Really can’t put the multiplayer to rest, it’s so addicting and good fun. And I have very high demands for myself, and complain about 80% of my deaths (“bullshit” is the common reason to these deaths). I don’t like losing in that game, but in others it’s fine alright.