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RaychelSnr · 07-23-2009, 12:06 PM

Sports gamers are a difficult bunch to get along with -- I would know since I'm part of that bunch. We used to be happy with decent on-field action and a patched-together season mode.

Oh how things have changed.

Now it's almost fitting to compare modern sports gamers to fans of role-playing games. Ardent RPG fans demand nothing less than perfection. Woe is the developer that does not live up to the latest Final Fantasy. Woe is the developer who does not understand the subtle differences between a wood elf and a high elf. You get the idea.

Scoff if you will, but the fact of the matter is that aficionados of sports games are not much better. In fact, I would argue that we have become worse. We demand that our games be authentic, replayable, and somewhere further down this list, enjoyable. Sports games have turned us into monsters, highly educated and discerning monsters.

Sp let us take a look at what the modern sports game must include, as well as some of the culprits that have raised our expectations to these heights.

Read more - Who is to blame for sports gamers being so picky?

ChicagoSparty · 07-23-2009, 01:09 PM

I'd add "Father Time" to your list. Video games had just come around when I was a kid. 30-some years later and you expect something more. And, I should add, we are getting much, much more.

Logic Doctor · 07-23-2009, 01:21 PM

Well written. We are pretty picky bastards, but only because we want the best.

Meaty Dynasty's 4 life!!!

elgreazy1 · 07-23-2009, 01:58 PM

I think the consumer has EVERY RIGHT to demand excellence out of sports games, especially since unlike any other genre of gaming, we are subjected to yearly releases of said games. NFL, NCAA's, NHL's, NBA's, etc are merely nothing more than roster updates from year to year with a few new bits of programming, maybe a half-hearted new game mode, and bits of polish added with each installment. That's it. Yet the consumer is expected to shell out $60 each year for a game and if they don't, they end up with no one to play with on online servers (many dev's do discountinue server services for older sports games).

You don't see this with any other line of gaming, in fact, look at the backlash Left 4 Dead 2 is getting. That spectrum of gamers is downright irrate at the fact that they're being force-fed a new installment of a game within a year when normally they expect 2-4 year life cycles of games mainly because: A) the content is not worthy of a new game, B) little to no additions to the gameplay & C) litte to no additions to game modes. Doesn't that sound familiar? Sports gamers, unfortunately, pay 3 to 4 times the amount than any other genre of games and so we should demand the best bang for our buck.

TreyIM2 · 07-23-2009, 02:38 PM

Don't have the time to read through your blog but 2 quick things - WOOOOOWWWWWWW, at the NHL screenshot from the Genesis. That did something to me, deep down. My friends and I used to play that game RELIGIOUSLY and to see that shot sent shivers down my spine. I don't play the NHL series like I used to and haven't bought one in a very long time but I plan to get NHL 10. Looks GREAT!

And, 2, I just think real life makes people demand more of their vid games. Art imitates life, right? There ya have it. I remember ALWAYS wanting the MOST out of sports games and even wrote EA when I was in middle school with suggestions and constructive criticisms of Madden, back then. They actually responded to me but with some generic letter but whatever.

I will read this when I get more time then give feedback. Peas.

Phoenix29 · 07-23-2009, 02:39 PM

I find its not just sport gamers, but think about it, if someone was playing WOW, and all of a sudden there was a glitch in the game that stopped them from enjoying a part of the game they would complain to Blizzard, and then Blizzard would make a patch. A game that was supposed to be game of the year, Two Worlds, got killed in the market because the game turned out to be horrible because of many different glitches. It is just that sport games involve almost everyone because most people at least have one sport they are interested in, sometimes more than one.

GreenGlen · 07-23-2009, 02:53 PM

Who Is To Blame for Sports Gamers Being so Picky?

The marketing department. If you market a game as a simulation or realistic representation of the sport, then you have set high expectations. Maybe they should market a game as an arcade or hybrid sim/arcade if they can’t tolerate the critical reviews.

Naednek · 07-23-2009, 03:13 PM

I blame operation sports. There, I said it.

07-23-2009, 12:06 PM	#1
RaychelSnr Executive Editor OVR: 57 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 4,846 Blog Entries: 490	Who Is To Blame for Sports Gamers Being so Picky? Sports gamers are a difficult bunch to get along with -- I would know since I'm part of that bunch. We used to be happy with decent on-field action and a patched-together season mode. Oh how things have changed. Now it's almost fitting to compare modern sports gamers to fans of role-playing games. Ardent RPG fans demand nothing less than perfection. Woe is the developer that does not live up to the latest Final Fantasy. Woe is the developer who does not understand the subtle differences between a wood elf and a high elf. You get the idea. Scoff if you will, but the fact of the matter is that aficionados of sports games are not much better. In fact, I would argue that we have become worse. We demand that our games be authentic, replayable, and somewhere further down this list, enjoyable. Sports games have turned us into monsters, highly educated and discerning monsters. Sp let us take a look at what the modern sports game must include, as well as some of the culprits that have raised our expectations to these heights. Read more - Who is to blame for sports gamers being so picky?

07-23-2009, 02:39 PM	#6
Phoenix29 Rookie OVR: 5 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Canada	Re: Who Is To Blame for Sports Gamers Being so Picky? I find its not just sport gamers, but think about it, if someone was playing WOW, and all of a sudden there was a glitch in the game that stopped them from enjoying a part of the game they would complain to Blizzard, and then Blizzard would make a patch. A game that was supposed to be game of the year, Two Worlds, got killed in the market because the game turned out to be horrible because of many different glitches. It is just that sport games involve almost everyone because most people at least have one sport they are interested in, sometimes more than one.

07-23-2009, 02:53 PM	#7
GreenGlen Pro OVR: 7 Join Date: Nov 2002	Re: Who Is To Blame for Sports Gamers Being so Picky? Who Is To Blame for Sports Gamers Being so Picky? The marketing department. If you market a game as a simulation or realistic representation of the sport, then you have set high expectations. Maybe they should market a game as an arcade or hybrid sim/arcade if they can’t tolerate the critical reviews.

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07-23-2009, 01:09 PM	#2
ChicagoSparty MVP OVR: 13 Join Date: Jun 2003	I'd add "Father Time" to your list. Video games had just come around when I was a kid. 30-some years later and you expect something more. And, I should add, we are getting much, much more.

07-23-2009, 01:21 PM	#3
Logic Doctor Banned OVR: 23 Join Date: Jul 2009 Blog Entries: 17	Well written. We are pretty picky bastards, but only because we want the best. Meaty Dynasty's 4 life!!!

07-23-2009, 01:58 PM	#4
elgreazy1 MVP OVR: 28 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Austin, TX Blog Entries: 8	I think the consumer has EVERY RIGHT to demand excellence out of sports games, especially since unlike any other genre of gaming, we are subjected to yearly releases of said games. NFL, NCAA's, NHL's, NBA's, etc are merely nothing more than roster updates from year to year with a few new bits of programming, maybe a half-hearted new game mode, and bits of polish added with each installment. That's it. Yet the consumer is expected to shell out $60 each year for a game and if they don't, they end up with no one to play with on online servers (many dev's do discountinue server services for older sports games). You don't see this with any other line of gaming, in fact, look at the backlash Left 4 Dead 2 is getting. That spectrum of gamers is downright irrate at the fact that they're being force-fed a new installment of a game within a year when normally they expect 2-4 year life cycles of games mainly because: A) the content is not worthy of a new game, B) little to no additions to the gameplay & C) litte to no additions to game modes. Doesn't that sound familiar? Sports gamers, unfortunately, pay 3 to 4 times the amount than any other genre of games and so we should demand the best bang for our buck.

07-23-2009, 02:38 PM	#5
TreyIM2 MVP OVR: 30 Join Date: Apr 2009 Blog Entries: 24	Don't have the time to read through your blog but 2 quick things - WOOOOOWWWWWWW, at the NHL screenshot from the Genesis. That did something to me, deep down. My friends and I used to play that game RELIGIOUSLY and to see that shot sent shivers down my spine. I don't play the NHL series like I used to and haven't bought one in a very long time but I plan to get NHL 10. Looks GREAT! And, 2, I just think real life makes people demand more of their vid games. Art imitates life, right? There ya have it. I remember ALWAYS wanting the MOST out of sports games and even wrote EA when I was in middle school with suggestions and constructive criticisms of Madden, back then. They actually responded to me but with some generic letter but whatever. I will read this when I get more time then give feedback. Peas.

07-23-2009, 03:13 PM	#8
Naednek Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Jul 2003	I blame operation sports. There, I said it.