While I certainly find programs like Minecraft and Blockade Runner enjoyable, I think it would do them a disservice to refer to them in their current states as "games". Perhaps the reaction would be less acerbic if they marketed themselves as building toys first and games second, as this seems to be the function at which they're most adept. They realize something we've all thought about--the potential for the application of computers to products like LEGO, which have grown increasingly irrelevant as they focus more and more on gimmicks and IP tie-ins. While programs like Terraria and Ace of Spades might be better games and we can rag on Notch all day for being pompous, unprofessional, and having a terrible fanbase, we can't deny that he made this program before we did, and that since then we haven't been able to produce a more complete "LEGO-sim" (for lack of a better word) than he has. The only substantive criticism I can level at his development process is that he really should release the source code once he loses interest. Unfortunately I think he is reluctant to open source as Minecraft is the cash-cow keeping the bloated money-sink that is Mojang afloat (he really needs to trim the fat by firing everyone who isn't a programmer).
This idea might be entertaining if he drops the MMO/subscription model as he is in no way competent enough to run one, but only time will tell.
They represent the commercialization of the actual people who play games themselves.
They are also painfully boring and unoriginal, but that is neither here nor there.
What? You mean people other than developers/publishers/"journalists" making money of video games? In a game like minecraft where even the base game is a confusing mess for a new player I don't see how instructional videos are "The worst aspects of the video gaming community." Especially in the light of the recent ME3 drama and most major gaming journalists turning on their readers like rabid attack dogs, the whole Jennifer Helper hate mail campaign that recently occurred, the rampant homophobia/racism endemic in the gaming community, etc.
I mean, going by what you said, surely people who play in organised competitions or leagues are MUCH worse, because they're doing nothing but playing the game. Yogscast at least create content. Startcraft/Street fighter players literally just play the game. So how are Yogscast worse exactly?
Most of the hate directed at Hepler was over bad writing (note: there are two mistakes in the video--at 4:00 the image to which he shows is not M.I.T.H. but an unrelated book and at 4:37 he cites the "old white guys" quote which is often falsely attributed to Hepler). It was EA, IGN, Kotaku, and other advertising sites that decided to smear any criticism as the product of homophobia and racism. The majority of the gaming community is older, intelligent, and well-educated, but for some reason gaming media still belittles us at every turn, as the stranglehold on publications means that gaming is one of the few industries where you can repeatedly insult your audience without repercussions.
As for Yogscast, while I personally don't enjoy their work it's no excuse for the way Notch treated them.
Guys, you can stop bashing the monthly fee. That's for an optional persistent multiplayer universe. Single player will be a single payment for what will probably be an enjoyable sandbox.
We're aware of this. We just think that given the inevitably glitchy and unfinished nature of the game it would be more suited to player-run servers akin to Minecraft than a Mojang-run central server.
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Topic: 0x10^c: Notch's Game In Space (Read 107918 times)