The Mass Effect series was first released in 2007. The first two games in the series received critical acclaim and were considered to be a new standard for video-game story telling. While the third game in the series was mostly well-received, its ending was not. Many fans felt deceived by an ending that felt inconsequential. It left many fans so upset that they complained to the FTC, and formed an internet campaign called "Retake Mass Effect" that generated $80,000 in a couple weeks. Bioware also released a new ending that expanded the epilogue.
Regardless, these events affected the series negatively.The next game in the series, Mass Effect Andromeda, will exist in the same universe as the previous games, but will not reference them. The game will be open world, already has gorgeous graphics, and will continue to use dialogue trees, choices, and romantic relationships. What does the series' next chapter need to do to repair the negativity created by the ending? Will being "open world" massively improve the series? What should be added to the series? From what has been revealed so far, do you think that Mass Effect Andromeda will be better than its predecessors? Why?
I forgot to write that I edited your topic. Hopefully that's helpful. – Tigey8 years ago
I think if anything, the ending that felt inconsequential will have to literally be inconsequential to a sequel game that promises not to reference it which might just be salt in the wound. To many fans, Commander Shepard is their access point to the franchise and to be successful, the protagonist of Andromeda will have to be just as endearing and yet not a carbon copy of what worked before. I feel that it will be the difference in Andromeda - the setting, the tone, and fresh faces - that will make or break the game. – scrook8 years ago
An in-depth look at the far reaching effects of the newly released mobile AR game, factoring in the sociological implications of a game that requires people to explore the world and interact with each other, the benefits and dangers of said interactions, and the lasting power of nostalgia.
I bet you could find an interview with the Pokemon GO producers and what they wanted the game to do for people in terms of getting them outside. – LaRose8 years ago
CNN just released a newsclip on this topic. – Munjeera8 years ago
Pokemon Go has definitely been in the new a lot lately, with police departments issuing safety warnings and a Holocaust museum asking players not to visit if they're just going to play the game. It might be hard to look at the far reaching effects since the game hasn't been out that long, but it would definitely be interesting to see what these effects could be. – S.A. Takacs8 years ago
Pokemon Go was a fun experience at first, it's a shame the hype died down when it did. – Analyzion8 years ago
At first the games one could find on a smartphone were relatively small games to waste time like candy crush and angry birds. Then those games became extremely popular, one even getting a movie. Now you can find in depth rpgs, detailed world builders and tons of unique games as well as the smaller games. Having games on your phone has been possible and common since before the smart phone (snake anyone?) but now it's almost as if smartphones are attempting to be there own gaming console. Thoughts?
I have certainly seen quite a few people within my own social setting making a move to "smartphone gaming" (I suppose we can call it that, for now). This seems to be for a couple of reasons: 1) these games can be played on the fly, which is ideal for busy individuals and 2) it functions like a handheld console with limited controls. In addition to this, I have seen some job listings specifically geared towards smartphone apps/games. It would not be surprising to know that some companies (old and new) are attempting to break into a "smartphone" gaming market. With that being said, I do see one major drawback. Games are extremely taxing on battery life. This makes it difficult to play a game for any extended period of time, without being connected to a wall. – b8153b8 years ago
Nice topic! I think this has to do with the ease of smartphones. Smartphones are already addictive so gaming became an obvious next step. Phones have evolved from just making calls to being mobile computers many would feel lost without. Now we have access to an assortment of cool games at our fingertips at all times. It's a far cry from my days playing GameBoy Advance under lamplight because screens weren't backlit or waiting until I got home from school to play PS2 on my parents' TV. I agree with what b8153b is saying about battery life being a drawback. Another drawback I've noticed while playing games on my smartphone is that higher quality games often take a long time to load, glitch, or just altogether crash on me. I do like smartphone games, but I think they're unlikely to altogether replace more traditional game consoles in my heart. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic but lately, I've gotten back into playing on my old PS2 (in today's world of toss-away tech, it amazes me that the dinosaur is still alive and kicking). – aprosaicpintofpisces8 years ago
Smartphone video games gained popularity because of the introduction of the iPhone 3,the app store and the integration of apps. The world had already been moving toward more portable gaming consoles with the release of the original Game Boy in 1989. I think it's important to mention how restrained gaming was on portable consoles because there was a price for each game cartridge whereas the app store had plenty of free titles and allowed creators to profit through advertisements and donations. – AndrewSatoLi8 years ago
Using The Stanley Parable, look into the tropes used and satirized by the Narrator and game designers to give a unique user experience. How did breaking the fourth wall, the illusion of choice, and the use of comedy challenge the notion of traditional gaming narratives?
Pokemon Go! is a revolutionary gaming app that has taken the world by storm. Many say the app is a positive influence on our lazy society; the app gets people outside and active, as well as encourages conversation and interaction between strangers. However, some say the craze is having a negative effect on communities with obsessed Pokemon Goers trespassing on property, getting hit by cars and even causing accidents while playing behind the wheel. Is this app truly a benefit to the gaming world or is it too much of a hindrance on everyone else?
^^^ummm, maybe I should learn how to "world," ( which should be word) my comments more concisely :-) – danielle5778 years ago
Interesting topic! You might want to mention the new update, which makes it impossible to play the game while in the car (or even running, to an extent). If you go faster than a moderately paced walk the game now freezes and says "You're going too fast! Are you a passenger?" and restarts. – Lauren Mead8 years ago
There's great concern about video games influencing today's youth in becoming worse people. My questions are, what are the good games, and how do they teach good behavior and compassion?
A few notes. "The Good Ones" is far too vague of a topic sentence as it doesn't really say what this topic is about. "Good" is also far too subjective since the concept of good changes from person to person. It might be a good idea to focus the topic on say... games that encourage good behaviour and compassion (or don't) through active choices (Life is Strange, Bioshock, ect.). Maybe look at the percentages of what people pick which options? Also, as a more personal and less professional side note, it is sort of offensive to gamers to make a sweeping statement that games are making people bad and there are such thing as morally "good" and "bad" games. You might step on a few toes with that. Games don't need to be morally good to be a mechanically fun game. – LondonFog8 years ago
Maybe a good idea would be to pose your question from the viewpoint of a bystander that would like to do an assessment comparing the "good," versus the "bad," games and see if there really is a difference on gamer's behavior? In doing so, it is NOT you stating what is good and what is bad, but doing a bit of research in the composing a list of the most often mentioned good/bad games; and then devising research on the supposed effect these games, whether positive or negative, these games have on individuals. When conducing research such as this, you are not the one stating the "hypothesis,"therefore you have nothing to gain, nor lose, and you cannot be blamed for posing such questions. You are basically just highlighting conceptions and misconceptions that are continuously disseminated. – danielle5778 years ago
Munjeera, that's exactly why I posed the question. If my changes aren't adequate, please let me know. I appreciate your help. – Tigey8 years ago
Somehow my new title disappeared. It's supposed to be "The Games of Life: How Binary Code and Pixellation Makes Me More Humane." I will email misagh regarding my error. Also, the thanks was for more than just Munjeera. – Tigey8 years ago
Hi Tigey,
uw : )
Quick turnaround for the revision. Kudos! Looks really good now.
Could you also list 3-5 games with the age appropriate target audience that in your opinion are the "good ones?" – Munjeera8 years ago
Munjeera, no I cannot list target games since I know nothing about video games. As I said, I'd like to know for my offspring. I'd also like to know more about the topic since I've heard such good things about "Undertale." – Tigey8 years ago
Wow, you've really reworked this topic significantly. I at first thought I was reading someone else's post. I feel mixed about this reworded question..I guess it does force one to get right to the point in expressing the positive aspects of gaming and describing what exactly these facets are and how they contribute in building up a person's character. I guess with this revision, you are placing whom ever takes on this topic to write with "more at stake." There is not much wiggle room for b.s. I like that. – danielle5778 years ago
I have hope that the topic can be written as it now appears, but I think as a recovering vidiot, my initial bias was showing. I'm hoping video games can improve one's psyche - specifically my kids - but for me they did little more than help store calories along my midsection. Perhaps I'm the exception rather than the rule. – Tigey8 years ago
So many games lately have been focusing on releasing hoards of extra content after the base game's release. Sometimes, there is the season pass system, which doesn't even offer you access to all of the content that will be released (look at Borderlands and Fall Out for two quick examples), or sometimes, the content just really isn't that impressive and makes you wonder why it wasn't included in the base game (look at the new Lego Games and Batman).
But then there's games like the new The Witcher – where the add-on content adds almost a whole new game onto what has already been released.
Why is there such a huge range in terms of what game development companies are doing? Are some truly just attempts to get more cash out of consumers for their products? Is content like The Witcher's expansions a sign of more dedicated developers? Why are so many games seeming to cost more and more, with less value being added?
Definitely a topic worth writing about. As you stated, there's such a wide margin for what qualifies as DLC and what qualifies as a completed game. I think the mentality for developers has become "Well, if we don't finish this before release, we'll just make fans buy a Season Pass for content that should've been in the main game!" Speaking personally, I think the quality of games has gone downhill a lot in the recent decade. You used to be able to count on that you were getting what you paid for, and I understand development is a time consuming process but...at least give me a game that's not in pieces at the end of it all. – Nayr12308 years ago
I'd like a layer of real-world research in this piece, exploring rate of production/speed of release and number of costly DLC's. To better explain: are companies forcing games into the public's hands before they're fully complete, knowing that the skeleton structure of a game will demand a DLC? Or are they flushing out fully realized games, taking their time in creation, writing and production, and then providing additional outlets for further exploration. – Piper CJ8 years ago
Check out the game Evolve, and how it's undergone a complete resdesign in its philosophy concerning DLC. Also, talk about "On-Disc DLC," where content is already in the game, just gated behind a paywall to unlock it at a later date (like the latest Street Fighter installment). – Tarben8 years ago
Don't get me started on Starwars Battlefront and how it changed the way we play video games; for the worst that is – Riccio8 years ago
Riccio, I think you just came up with a great topic. – Tigey8 years ago
On a deeper level than selling an important item or getting the wrong upgrade, what about actions in gameplay that cause regret and or shame in the player? How can developers use this to further the emotional connection between the player and the game? When is it effective and when is it frustrating?
A good example of a game with this theme would be "Spec Ops:The Line", where the horror of the game comes from forcing the player to endure uncompromising and increasingly meaningless combat, difficult and no-win choice scenarios, and the violent shift in tone in the characters.
One challenge is making gamers regret choices they actually made; not actions they took as part of the plot. I don't know if a gamer can really regret, for example, killing Andrew Ryan in Bioshock and trusting Atlas. The player had no choice in the matter. RPGs, due to their emphasis on player choice, are much better at eliciting regret than a linear shooter in my opinion. Take Mass Effect. The player must choose either Tali or Legion, and unless the player has high enough karma to defuse the situation, must watch as one of these colorful fan-favorites die. Suddenly, the player regrets not trying harder to make Tali see Legion as an ally, or Legion see Tali as a refugee. Sometimes these regrets are smaller too. For example, should you really have spent money on Oblivion's horse armor? So, my point is: the author should show a difference between scripted "choices" and if the resulting regret should be considered lesser in some way than regret elicited from a real choice the player made earlier on. – Hunter8 years ago
Also using Bioshock as an example, I've heard that of the people who chose to harvest the Little Sisters, some felt intense shame and regret later on in the game. When Jack is in Tenenbaum's sanctuary, those who harvested the Little Sisters would be treated with fear and caution; the girls in the sanctuary are clearly afraid of him. Some players felt so ashamed at this point that they quit the game in order to start over from the very beginning. – DankileLin8 years ago
Games like "Heavy Rain," "Until Dawn," and "Indigo Prophecy" rely on this sense of making the "right" choice as well. – Tarben8 years ago
