Opinions

Three Things That The Elder Scrolls VI Needs to Succeed.

Matthew Roys Opinions , , , , ,

Fallout 4 has just released to mixed reviews and people are already turning their sights toward the inevitable Elder Scrolls VI. Keep in mind that we are unlikely to hear anything about the next instalment in the award winning franchise until 2017 at the earliest as there is still the matter of Fallout 4 DLC to be released, not to mention other big Bethesda games like DOOM and Dishonoured 2.

That being said though, it is a safe assumption that The Elder Scrolls VI is being worked on as I type this. In this article I will be looking at ways  in which a sequel to 2011’s Skyrim could surpass its predecessors.

As I said at the start, Fallout 4 was released with conflicting opinions among gamers. Many were disappointed and underwhelmed by what the game had to offer. I felt that the game was solid enough but should have been so much more. I felt this even more strongly with Skyrim. At least Fallout 4 added mechanics like armour pieces and settlement creation. Skyrim only reduced mechanics from previous games. We were given less armour, less weapons and less skills. A game that was toted as the ultimate RPG offered little in the way of actual role-playing. Most playthroughs ended with you wearing the same armour, using the same weapon and being the leader of every group in the country. There is no diversity or variety that you would expect from an Elder Scrolls game. Continue reading →

Opinion – Games and Anger

Matthew Roys Opinions , , , , ,

Games can make us angry. Whether it is rage quitting, breaking a controller, punching an inanimate object or screaming at the screen, most people who play games will have some experience with the frustration that games can bring out in players. They are competitive and they are challenging. That adrenaline that fills us in a boss battle or a really close multiplayer map is an example of how they affect us emotionally and can trigger chemical reactions within us.

Of late though it feels like gamers have being getting angrier and more violent. We all know of kids screaming insults and swears into the microphone in multiplayer matches, the death threats sent to developers, reviewers and competitive major league players and the new trend of ‘swatting’ (notifying authorities of terrorism to bring armed swat forces to game streamers’ houses). Then there is the ever present perception of gamers as unstable outcasts who are one breakdown away from shooting up a school. Continue reading →

Opinion – Use of the Term ‘Gamer’

Matthew Roys Opinions , , ,

Gamer. It is a pretty loaded term in modern society, isn’t it? Between negative press, dilution into mainstream entertainment and a breakdown within the gaming community, there has been growing opinion that the term ‘gamer’ has become redundant or elitist. I would like to put forward an argument to counter this rising sentiment.

Image result for south park gamer
Outward perception of gamers by some people.

For me, gamer has always been a term of acceptance, a label that applied to me that wasn’t directly insulting. When I first started playing video games it was still seen as a social stigma. Words that are positive now such as geek and nerd were insults back in the Nineties and gamers were outcast basement-dwellers. Games were an escape and finding others who played games was the only way that I could make friends since my social anxiety has always made small talk difficult. Gamers back then were kindred spirits in a hostile world. It was an ‘us versus them’ type mentality so there was no room for infighting. Continue reading →