Tim Cain says debates around video games have become far more aggressive in recent years – and it’s hard to argue that things haven’t escalated.
We don’t know when the very first argument about a video game happened. But in recent years, the overall tone has deteriorated significantly, and Fallout co-creator Tim Cain devoted a large portion of his latest video to the topic of controversy around games. He acknowledged that there is no single “correct” way to make games; during development and even for years after launch, people argue endlessly about optimization, which features are necessary, which aren’t, and how things “should” be done.
In the video, Cain points to RPG romance systems as a clear example. Whether you enjoyed the erotic content in Baldur’s Gate 3 or not, it’s obvious that romance-ready companions are just as popular as they are divisive – and Cain explained that he was once pressured to include such elements in a game even though they weren’t aligned with his personal taste.
He also highlighted the problem of malicious criticism. Nobody wants a game to fail, yet Cain believes that when bugs frustrate players, some are quick to condemn not only the developers but even the fans. In his view, the intensity of today’s online arguments is partly the result of how rapidly the industry has grown: tastes have become more fragmented, and games increasingly end up being shaped by conflicting feedback coming from groups that want fundamentally different things.
Consolidation, Cain argues, has pushed money and attention toward games that must generate massive returns and attract as many players as possible. As a result, publishers aim for broader and broader audiences – audiences that often contain people with radically different priorities. That tension, he says, fuels anger in every direction, including toward him and other developers like him.
The video then moves on to Cain’s thoughts on the impact of this constant online vitriol. He believes it contributes to developers leaving the industry, while players gravitate toward indie games and even turn away from anything tied to the broader business (which he considers a fantastic decision). He also claims that arguments themselves are increasingly weaponized as a way to make quick money. Given how the attention economy has reshaped the internet, it’s easy to see what he means.
“People have always had different tastes, and they’ve always wanted different things. I think each one of you knows what you want. The problem is that you don’t seem to realize or recognize that there are a lot of other people out there, and they all want different things. This isn’t just gamers; developers do this too. All the different types of gamers out there want different things. A lot of the arguing I see online is gamers arguing past each other. There’s an opportunity to make a lot more money. We used to be excited if a game sold 10,000 units. Then it was 100,000, then a million. Now, we want 10 or even 100 million.
The desire for more money has caused the gaming industry to consolidate into fewer companies that can publish games. They want to make more money. This changes how games are made. You should acknowledge that other viewpoints exist, but you don’t because you either don’t want to, or doing so would undermine your argument. Not all gamers, but a lot of them. Or, I should say, loud gamers. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere with a forum group where developers aren’t called stupid, lazy, or greedy. People make money off of getting eyeballs and clicks. So, people out there have a monetary reason to keep the arguing going,” Cain said.
In the end, Cain suggests that players should vote with their wallets rather than fight other players on social media. He doesn’t mention it directly, but it’s hard not to think about the sales success of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows in contrast to the right-wing social media campaign launched against it. While massive AAA games aren’t swayed by a single individual buyer, Cain says this is the only solution he can realistically see – and he hopes more people will choose that path.
Source: PCGamer
