I just recently picked up my Nintendo Switch and I have to say: I love it. That is the conclusion and if all you need is re-affirmation of your own console-choice you can stop to read here, but if you want to read what motivation I had to pick up the Switch, why I plan to support the platform (besides the obious, fun), read on - it's quite a complex thinking behind it. Maybe it's just a brainfart...
Games are entertainment. A hobby. Except, for the business people. For those, it's just about profit. Living in a capitalist, growth-driven world, you can't argue with that. Well, you see... I'm an "old fella". Im in my late 30's and I grew up with C64, Super Nintendo and the very first Pentium PCs. I also loved my Gameboy and every other gaming system I ever owned.
I enjoy clever gameplay mechanics, that's why I fell in love with Nintendo, smart tactics and good storytelling - that's why I found so many great games on the PC platform.
When I was young, there was a certain mentality to gaming. It was like... "it's for kids". Those who gathered in their parents garage (I also did something similar) or their basement, to code some game, did it out of love. They were shunned upon. Nerds. The very first "indies" eventually became successful and big businesses. It had some air of magic to it. And while market-research and PR was certainly a part of 90's gaming, I feel like the majority of the development process was built around "what game do we want to make to be better than others" followed by the marketing team's "nice game you have there, let's see how to sell it".
Today it's backwards. The monetization mechanics are the first conceived and will be sugar-coated with the actual gameplay, copied from some other game where it already worked. Gameplay loops are implemented to hook the players, then starve them of the dopamine kick they'd get naturally by playing a well made game and offer them said kick for a fee. A few bucks for a new Outfit for your character, a few more bucks for additional cars, etc…
The worst offender of these practices are certainly the big publishers. Anyone who follows gaming news knows about the big blunders and huge backlashes surrounding EA, Bethesda, Blizzard and a few more. No one would have ever thought, that those giants would get into serious financial trouble. But they did and do. EA botches one game release after another and certain european countries already ruled the lootbox-system to be "gambling" and thus it will be prohibited. Imagine the financial loss for big corps like EA if they can't make money anymore with lootboxes and Fifa Ultimate Team? Wow.
Also it doesn't help, that most publishers push certain political propaganda into their games, undermining the concept of "escapism" that makes gaming so appealing to most of us in the first place. I don't want to be confronted with the (alleged) problems of our society when gaming. I want to feel like a kid again, experience some well crafted adventure and feel like my fleeting time (once you're past the 35 year mark you value your life-time differently... ) is "well spent". I don't want to be caught in grinding-loops only to entice me to shell out some bucks for a shortcut.
I am sick of it.
Big Triple A gaming has, for the most part become perverted. The beancounters and financial experts, devoid of any fun and soul to speak of, have taken over most of our beloved gaming franchises and turned them into storefronts for digital products. Worthless yet expensive.
Enter Nintendo.
I was reluctant when I heard about the switch back in 2017. It screamed "gimick" all over again. But since then I've struggled to recreate the "couch coop" fun I had as a kid with my friends, shelled out lots of money for seemingly "awesome" triple A games, only to feel hollow and tricked afterwards, sticking with PC and PS4.
I realized, while most companies and platforms are somewhat involved in chasing the latest gaming trend, only to flood the market with a game, filled to the brim with micro transaction, in exactly that one genre thats trending right now, Nintendo did, what Nintendo did all along for all those years: cooking their own soup.
I wanted to taste that soup again as the greed-filled gutter-water-soup I got forcefed by other companies didn't taste so good anymore…
I'm well aware that Nintendo is a business too and that not all decisions are sound. Whose are? But compared to what's out there, I feel like Nintendo, with their first party titles and the specific hardware of the Switch seem to be one of the very few still getting what "gaming" should be about.
In the capitalist world we live in, money talks. No secret, nor a surprise, but boy was I smiling (while feeling for the jobs at stake) when I saw how MUCH OUR money can talk. How powerful the "gaming mob" can be if you blindside it like EA, Bethesda and Blizzard. "Vote with your wallet!" is not a mere saying. It does make a difference and is the actual weak spot of that capitalist machine trying so hard eating up everything that's fun and selling it to us bite-sized.
Now, world economy is in the gutter and the debt through the ceiling (exceptions may apply, just generally speaking) so I figured, as much as I try to conciously spend my money on food and products that might have less of a "bad impact" on environment, I should do the same with my gaming-bucks.
And vote with my wallet I did.
Got a Switch and loaded up a few Indies (#supportindies), picked up MK8 Deluxe - because it's the right thing to do. Because it's fun! As a sideffect, I was entranced by the Switches appeal, I like the concept, I like the games… there are so many gems to discover and I found to be true what I always thought back in the day when I was gaming on much less powerful hardware: Limitations bring out the best in creativity. Nowadays huge AAA corps throw out game after game, drenched in polished graphics, but the mechanics or the story are lackluster. I rather have a game, that looks like it's from the SNES-era, with engrossing dialogues and a fun story over the big corporate crapgames. I rather support a few dudes making a game, than a huge capitalist machinery fooling me over and over again.
So… I love my indies. I enjoy what Nintendo is doing.
Why did I write this? Because most of us don't realize, that we have true power in our economy. What we spend our money on, or rather and more importantly, what we DON'T spend it on, may have much more impact than any facebook-group, flash mob or similar action could ever have. If you want to push this idea a little bit further… maybe is making the world a better place as easy as playing Nintendogames and Indies from your couch.
Count me in!
#supportindies
Top 5 Indies I'd recommend you try: #1 Lovecraft's Untold Stories, #2 Moonlighter, #3 Hotline Miami, #4 Inside, #5 Into the Breach.
@Scollurio
Yo! 😀
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My motivation to pick up Nintendo Switch is simple..... Hybrid of Portability and Console gaming.
Also, i knew Nintendo can Always have their Cute / Kiddie / Girlie / Quirky games on their machines, those are my Favorite games from Nintendo. Cute and Kiddie as always despite there are some mature games.
I don't even care with AAA 3rd party games that just only rely on OMG HD graphics and more disgusting rated 18+ contents. I can live without them.
I just only care with games that Really fun, Really interesting yet still have to be Approriate for kids because as a gamer and also a teacher / librarian at Primary School, i should give them good example by playing appropriate games and encourage them to do same thing like me. And i got what i want mostly from Nintendo. Nintendo know how to provide their games for kids and everyone. And also, they like to be different, something that i did also in my real life. That's why i really love Nintendo. 🤓
@Punisher67 It’s the opposite. People praise AAA too much just because they are made by well known developers. Saying “If this console doesn’t get more AAA this year, I’m selling it” is stupid because there are some wonderful indies out there. Besides, AAA is just an idea. There is no widely accepted definition of what makes a game AAA or not AAA.
To be fair I find 90% of indie games are trash but that's just me I am sure there are those that love them and that's cool you know. I have found much more enjoyment in the big first and third party games and classic titles on Switch.
I'd generally define TRIPLE A games as a huge-scope game, published by a big corporation, visually polished with huge marketing backing to fit a certain trend with a production value of several million+.
But that's just my definition.
#supportindies
Top 5 Indies I'd recommend you try: #1 Lovecraft's Untold Stories, #2 Moonlighter, #3 Hotline Miami, #4 Inside, #5 Into the Breach.
@Punisher67 It's not general trashing really. I've been gaming since... omg... 1989... and I've literally seen everything. I agree with you that triple A games are more than just polished graphics. True. But lately I rather see a "webshop for digital goods" with a game built around, than real risk-taking engrossing, new experiences. Indies don't need to serve the corporate greed of a publisher. They have less ressources to work with, thus the scope and graphics often are smaller, but they're forced to cleverly design games to make an impact and for me personally, your mileage may vary, I'm more into those fresh concepts and ideas and a bit of nostalgia when looking at indies!
#supportindies
Top 5 Indies I'd recommend you try: #1 Lovecraft's Untold Stories, #2 Moonlighter, #3 Hotline Miami, #4 Inside, #5 Into the Breach.
@bluemage1989 90% are trash indeed. I agree. But to me, it's like 96% in triple A's that are trash or at least not "different" enough to warrant a 69 bucks pricetag with built in monetization to boot. I rather spend 15 bucks and get my 10 to 20 hours of fun and some fresh ideas. But like you said, tastes are different, and that's fine.
#supportindies
Top 5 Indies I'd recommend you try: #1 Lovecraft's Untold Stories, #2 Moonlighter, #3 Hotline Miami, #4 Inside, #5 Into the Breach.
they say that life’s a carousel, spinning fast you’ve got to ride it well. The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams. It’s heaven and hell.
Definitely some really great stuff on the Switch both of the indie and big publisher variety. Celeste and Breath of the Wild are both gems in very different ways. And yeah, indies have come a long way from being ‘brainless distractions’ like the flash games of yore. I mean, there’s still plenty of fluff, but like... it’s very easy to not buy it.
@Scollurio My story is similar as I grew up with a C64, SNES and first pentium PC's as well.
The only difference is that my gaming money was all well-spent on games that have "Nintendo" written on them somewhere - since 1994.
You're 25 years late with your realisation, but better late than never.
@SKTTR Ahaha. I always had Nintendo consoles too buddy! I had everything except the Wii U. Wish the gamecube had more support. Loved it. The realization, to me, is not that Nintendo is great, it's rather that it truly makes a difference where I spend my gaming dollar!
(and that I enjoy the big corps failing with a fetishlike joy)
#supportindies
Top 5 Indies I'd recommend you try: #1 Lovecraft's Untold Stories, #2 Moonlighter, #3 Hotline Miami, #4 Inside, #5 Into the Breach.
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