Very interesting blog entry, Pared, and I do agree with Seamless. I also have never let what others' opinions say affect how I feel about a game. Granted, I'll always visit forums in case I'm stuck in a rut or even to maybe get a pointer on something I'm not doing right, but I usually ignore all the bashing-badmouthing, all that junk. Of course, if I notice something about a game that is not right but DOES affect the gameplay, I will bring it to light in the forums to A) see if anyone else is encountering it, and B) in case it is just me maybe someone has a fix for it. Other than that, that's it. I look at the forums as someplace to have a lil more fun in the games talking about something we all enjoy, not to trash every aspect of it. Honestly, in my game, I couldn't care less if this player rating is a 90 but this one is an 82, if you get my drift there.

I agree about the monotaneous mentioning /reiterating of something that "might be" bad or broken in the game. Most if not all the cpmplaints come about ebcause of poor online play(which I have no care in) and the fact that sometimes percentages are not right...

I will agree that these boards at times ruin the experience from a game. A lot of people on the forums are far to stubborn to take any suggestions and then attack you if you express an opinion. This is why I stay from Madden and NBA 2K forum.

The overblown problems with alleged "gamekillers" has gotten out of control. I personally found this to be very true with NCAA '09. I thought some posters had lost their minds. I stay out of any glitch threads myself just to avoid knowing things I haven't even seen.

Three words....AVOID BUGS/GLITCHES THREADS! Actually that's sorta 4 words but you get the point.

As TJ suggested, I tend to stay out of those threads. I look more for the gameplay tips/strategy, although I don't find time to implement most of the stuff.

I completely agree with this blog Pared- great job.

Today's generation of gamers are a generation of complainers. I was rasied on an NES, and I enjoyed the living bejesus out of any and all sports games that I was lucky enough to get my hands on.

People simply do not play games for enjoyment anymore, they just want the next quick fix. It's like people will buy a game, point it's flaws out, and then move on to another game within 2 weeks. There's just a culture of negativity surrounding the gaming industry today, and it is sad. I long for the days where games were enjoyed by the masses for what they were-stress relievers and an opportunity to laugh.

Good stuff, Pared. There have been many times where the discussion of bugs/glitches brought stuff to my attention that I probably never would have noticed. However, it's worth mentioning all the times I found something out through OS that enhanced my enjoyment of a game...

Pared,

I think that you have hit on several valid points in your blog post. I think that, for me personally, I have found that my fellow OS'ers have actually helped me understand the games better as well as gave me plenty of insight into how they think the games are.

I think that you have some very hardcore gamers here at the OS forums who want their experience to be perfect down to the very last detail, whether it be sliders, uniforms, player accessories, or even how players look. I think that there are plenty of people like me and many others who actually sit down and play for the enjoyment and fun that these games can bring.

nope, if i like a game i could care less who else does

Good post Pared, and I TOTALLY agree with your comments Bumble. I'm tired of the culture of negativity, too (uh oh, is that negative?). I'm all for playing nad enjoying myself.