Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

@JohnnyShoulder I appreciate the additional take on The Witcher 3. You're right in that there's a certain way to handle mature content, so that it comes across appropriately, even to those who meet or exceed the age rating on the box. I'll try to keep an open mind, but personally I'm getting less and less comfortable with graphic violence, harsh language and adult themes in my entertainment nowadays anyway. Thanks all the same!

The debate progressed along some very interesting contributions from others, and I'd be here all day if I tried to answer every single point, but I will say that I always appreciate when a game has an option to remove blood and swearing, and still don't understand (despite some well-argued points) why many gamers are opposed to including them. If you want them on, switch 'em on, but perhaps games could recognise when they're being played on a minor's account and keep them off by default... but then that'd require always-online, which I hate... argh, it's a minefield. I'm glad I'm not a parent.

Speaking of which, I also apologise to anybody who thought I was assigning blame to parents on the issue of safeguarding children against mature content; I was simply trying to say that education and awareness for parents who aren't gamers would help the wider perception issue whereby non-gamer parents think all games are children's toys. From my limited perspective (since I'm not a parent), good parenting is about knowing your children and knowing what they can handle and when. That makes it an incredibly individual experience and impossible to generalise... and yet, when you're creating a system to protect everybody, you have to make sure it covers everybody, so you've got to set those baselines pretty low. Again, it's a minefield.

I think we can all agree that kids are growing up pretty darn fast nowadays, and whilst I'm a million miles away from making any kind of "playing violent videogames turns you into a school shooter" argument, there is some small degree of responsibility on the part of the entertainment industry, and every little helps.

OH i know i'm going to get it for this one BUT

i think the Old God of Wars had better combat than the new one

hear me out, i love the new game but i think it's combat was better in the older games, more fluid, faster and all round more fun, plus the behind the shoulder camera can make it hard to judge distance at times and as enemies are all around you means you can get blindsided (and no that stupid arrow doesn't really help) where as the old system allowed to to see all the battlefield

Horizon Zero dawn. After reading so many positive posts about the game I was expecting a great game but its seriously let down by basic flaws. The first you have this big open landscape expecting to climb and run free all over the place. Yet even small areas you are unable to climb due to the lack of yellow rope. The 2nd point that seriously lets down the game is the area which enemy can chase/attack you. Once it reaches its limit you can just fire away knowing you will never get hit. Then it returns to its normal area keeping the damage you have done to it. In most games the damage meter would reset once the enemy returns to its starting position but in Horizon zero dawn they do not do that.

@KALofKRYPTON @Rudy_Manchego My son stole my wifes cedit card details when he was younger, maybe 7 or 8 years of age. Used the money to buy Fifa packs. In total he spent over £150.

He knew he shouldnt have taken the card details thats why he didnt ask, when we had a meeting with the cahms team (my sons Autistic) he didnt understand why we never gave him our bank details and viewed our stance as denying him enjoying the game for no fine reason. So he took the details he needed when we were asleep. He didnt understand that it was money we couldnt afford to fritter away and thought of the card details as a conduit to points.

We obviously hit the roof. I complained to EA afterwards as It was the only outlet after my son and they didnt want to know or offer any assistance, even though I explained the situation and the fact he had bought an EA season pass when he had no interest in any other games and the money was taken without consent. Suffice to say we banned him from the game, computer and games with microtransactions.

I know gaming, Im on the Pushsquare forums. I wasnt expecting him to take the card details and we had the settings on the xbox set to protect him as best we could. Its not always parental responsibility if you dont know whats going on in your kids head.

@themcnoisy Just to be completely clear: This is absolutely not intended to cause offence - but we're having a pretty serious conversation, so...

I wouldn't expect EA to refund you.

Your son acted out of a developmental impediment, where at an age that he should know not to act that way, he acted.

Blame and responsibility are different things. Should your son be blamed for acting in way that he was compelled to do so, through a certain inability to properly asses the situation and young age? No, not really. But he, and the situation is your responsibility.

He knew where to get the cards, how to complete the transaction, how to fully operate your Xbox and TV at 7 or 8 without waking anyone? That's absolutely your responsibility - perhaps EA could have cancelled the pass and refunded you as a goodwill gesture - but not from a position of responsibility.

@themcnoisy did you son know your XBL password then, i'll be honest i have never actually brought anything digitally on the XB1 but i know on the PS4 you can set it so you have to input your password in order to make a transaction so i assume that XBL would be the same (and if not it bloody well should be)

@Fullbringlchigo yeah you can set a password before you can buy stuff on Xbox. I know this as I fell foul of my son buying himself the Lego Movie game while I was at work and I found out very quickly where this setting was.

@themcnoisy I was thinking of you when I wrote my comment as I remember you had shared this with the members. I hope I caused no offence.

My feelings are that that publishers and tech companies should put as much protection as possible for young or vulnerable users. I also think there should be an element of consumer protection as well, in the case of EA, while legally they don't have that responsibility, I think it is good customer service to protect that. This doesn't abdicate parental responsibility, but I think it helps parents do the best job possible.

@FullbringIchigo There was no card on the system so when he input the card details he wasnt asked for the password. Bear in mind this was 6/7 years ago.

@KALofKRYPTON Absolutely it was our responsibility for him having access to my wifes bag. The truth is that was the last thing we expected to happen, creeping in and swiping card details for a computer game he was playing in the morning. And boy did he realise that when we found out. The systems in place now are better but still not perfect bear in mind this was around 2012 or so and the My club section of Fifa had only started so I cant really compare this to todays issues of the same nature. I questioned EA on how they could allow £150 worth of micros in such a short window and also my wifes bank as it was my wifes card with zero history of related transactions, both important points and there should be a limit for these transactions within game - similar to whats happened to roulette games in gambling shops. But there isnt. Whats also important is that Apple set aside millions of pounds to compensate parents who had succumb to similar situations when the security in place was inadequate. The compensation would have gone to generally normal families. Its different now of course but I dont think its as simple as blaming parents when most parents are actually caring and considerate parents. If a kid spends £700 on fortnite something else is as play. Thats a significant amount of money for the average household and as most fortnite players are kids should have additional safeguards in place.

@Rudy_Manchego Thanks bro Im not offended in the slightest. Back then you had zero consumer rights. The whole situation has made me super aware of that side of the industry going as far as writing emails and hand written letters to publishers, starting petitions online and even got kids charities involved. There was literally no protection. Its changed a bit, I would go further especially on games for under 15s - limit micros to £20 a day, have a few days grace (similar to paying be cheque) so out of character gaming related payments within games can be challenged and noticed by parents etc.

@Kyroki still hammering Smite?

Lovely! Where do I start!

• I detest Japanese games and JRPG's and anime etc. Does nothing for me whatsoever.
• I detest turn-based combat. What's the point? Who would stand still and let their enemy have a free shot at killing them?? So unrealistic
• I hate FPS's mainly because I'm awful at them. Never played CoD before.
• I'm getting really bored of the genre of games that get released because they are all the same! They feature either zombies, military, futuristic or fantasy. The reason why I enjoy GTA is because it's actually set in a world that I can kind of recognise, with clothes I may wear and buildings I way drive past. I want more modern set games please.
• I think games need to be getting shorter not longer. If a game is going to take me 100 hours to complete, I can't be bothered. I like quality over quantity.
• I like 8-bit indie games on the PS4 (not all of them).
• I hate playing games online.
• I like FIFA, but hate FUT. There should be more 'arcade' sports games like Super Mega Baseball. Why can't someone do a port of Sensible Soccer on playstation?
• I can't stand QTE games like Quantic Dream games and Life is Strange, Telltale etc. That's not a game.
• I have so far not enjoyed The Witcher 3 or MGSV. Don't get me started on Bloodborne.

I just realised that was pretty much all negative! haha

@tomassi So you don't like games then?

@ApostateMage Haha, it would appear so! I'm selling my PS4 now I've realised!!!

Seriously though, there are many games I enjoy, but the trouble is I don't really get much time to play them so I never get invested into a game enough. A lot of the time I can barely remember the controls next time I play it!! Maybe that's my problem. Still, you will never get me liking Japanese games and all those annoying spiky hair protagonists!!

God of War games are seriously overrated, including the last one, but the original trilogy much more.

Xbox UI is much better than PS4 UI.

PES18 is better than FIFA18.

Can't remember any more now.

@tomassi QUICK! everyone send him pictures of spiky haired protagonists

@NecuVise "PES18 is better than FIFA18."

Pes 18 is a true return to form on the pitch since the glory days of pes 2-6 13 years ago. So I can get behind that. I just wish the AI tackled more as you never get free kicks.

Horizon was one of the most over rated games of all time

@FullbringIchigo

Come on man, way to ruin my morning!!!

@themcnoisy on the pitch pes 18 rules. Everything else fifa kills it.

@tomassi sorry but it was too easy of a target not too