Forum > Gaming Discussion > Are you a Mainstream Whore or a Niche Nerd? Time to line up for the TEST
Are you a Mainstream Whore or a Niche Nerd? Time to line up for the TEST
<< prevnext >>
avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 17223
News Posts: 2807
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:09:22

gamingeek said:

So you played your first game at 5? I can't even remember how old I was when I started gaming. I think my first game was Duck Hunt. What year was that?

 Yup. The game I played was Breakout on the Atari 2600 at a friends house.

Edited: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:10:35

The VG Press

avatar
Country: CO
Comments: 11520
News Posts: 1163
Joined: 2008-06-24
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:16:07
Sweet. Old ass Arkanoid.
First game I ever recall playing was Asteroids. I got quite good at it since I had no more games for months, and the first game my parents bought me after that was fucking ET.
Back to Asteroids.
I remember fondly Yars' Revenge. The weird barrier was all kinds of trippy.
avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 17223
News Posts: 2807
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:20:42

SteelAttack said:
I'm 33, and younger than Raven who probably has gray hair on his nether regions. LOL


LOL Asshole!

The VG Press

avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 17223
News Posts: 2807
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:26:28

SteelAttack said:
Sweet. Old ass Arkanoid.
First game I ever recall playing was Asteroids. I got quite good at it since I had no more games for months, and the first game my parents bought me after that was fucking ET.
Back to Asteroids.
I remember fondly Yars' Revenge. The weird barrier was all kinds of trippy.

 I still own all three of those games. Happy I greatly enjoyed all of them. Honestly, E.T. wasn't that bad once you got used to it. The gameplay kinda reminds me of a very primitive Zelda. You had to find parts in an underworld (the pits) to build a radio and avoid enemies. It would've been better if E.T. had a sword, though.

Edited: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:27:25

The VG Press

avatar
Country: EU
Comments: 9423
News Posts: 9625
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:29:25

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

I do not believe "I know what I like BS", if you don't try you can never be sure. Heck I brought games from genres I never liked, because the reviews and recommendations were good. I brought World of Goo, without really knowing what it was about.

 Well, I've bought a lot of games over the years that did not appeal to me, but others have said they were "teh awesome!!!" or they got fantastic reviews; so I bought them, and hated them. You can believe what you want, but I do know what I like. I've been doing this for a very long time. I won't buy a mainstream or a niche game based solely upon other peoples opinions; it must appeal to me first.

I know for a fact that you also brought games you did not expect to be good and you liked them. I think it was Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean. So it goes both ways. 

The VG Press
avatar
Country: CY
Comments: 7370
News Posts: 30
Joined: 2008-06-24
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:30:18
i can see both sides of the argument.  it's very exciting to "gamble" and strike gold and discover something new and exciting you had never experienced before.  it's also painful to pay 35 pounds  or more to get something based on reviews or impressions only to discover it's just "not your thing".  (a great way to overcome this would be for every game to have a free demo).  i walk a middle path between the two, i will gamble if something i don't know i will like is going on the cheap, or if it's something like a wiiware or VC game where i won't spend a pretty penny, but i will buy a new game if my instinct along with impressions from people here and (lastly) reviews tell me i will enjoy it, and when i feel it is an effort i would like to support.

this is not so much about that though.  it's not so much about whether one knows what they will enjoy before buying it or whether there is a bigger element of risk in one's purchases, it's more about what types of games you enjoy ... and whether those types are enjoyed by the majority of gamers (thus making them mainstream), or a minority of gamers, which would make them niche games.  What Iga said about the terms being relative is true but I will assume GGs original post was referring to the present time, also it doesn't always go by genres.  there could be a mainstream platformer eg a mario game or an obscure one like psychonauts or mushroom men (i understand we are "generally speaking" though).

i guess one could work out an algorithm to come up with a quantitative measure of how far someone is on the mainstream - niche scale based on say their 10 - or better make it 20 most recent purchases and the relative sales of each of those games.  i think i could do that if i had a little time.

___

Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu

The VG Press

avatar
Country: CO
Comments: 11520
News Posts: 1163
Joined: 2008-06-24
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:32:09


Iga_Bobovic said:
So it goes both ways.

Naughty.


Ravenprose said:
I still own all three of those games. Happy I greatly enjoyed all of them. Honestly, E.T. wasn't that bad once you got used to it. The gameplay kinda reminds me of a very primitive Zelda. You had to find parts in an underworld (the pits) to build a radio and avoid enemies. It would've been better if E.T. had a sword, though.

I guess I never gave the game a chance. Although in my defense, in that game you had to carve through endless layers of shit to find a tiny ass pebble of something-that-resembled-gold.

avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 17223
News Posts: 2807
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:36:23

Iga_Bobovic said:

I know for a fact that you also brought games you did not expect to be good and you liked them. I think it was Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean. So it goes both ways. 

 Yes, but the concepts still appealed to me first, which is why I tried both games. Animal Crossing appealed to me because of its real-time world; that was a very interesting concept to me, but I wasn't sure I was going to like the implementation of that idea in a town filled with animals. Endless Ocean appealed to me because I love watching ocean documentaries on Discovery Channel, and the underwater graphics were very convincing.

Edited: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:42:10

The VG Press

avatar
Country: CY
Comments: 7370
News Posts: 30
Joined: 2008-06-24
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:39:59

SteelAttack said:
I'm 33, and younger than Raven who probably has gray hair on his nether regions. LOL

Do we even have a type 1 Niche Nerd?

Edit: VGPress eating my posts.

I think Spirit_Of_87 is almost  type 1 i think.  wish he would come post here at the VGpress ... so much insight and knowledge on obscure and awesome japanese shooters and other such.  someone needs to get him here

___

Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu

The VG Press

avatar
Country: EU
Comments: 9423
News Posts: 9625
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:43:06

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

I know for a fact that you also brought games you did not expect to be good and you liked them. I think it was Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean. So it goes both ways. 

 Yes, but the concepts still appealed to me, which is why I tried both games. Animal Crossing appealed to me because of its real-time world; that was a very interesting concept to me, but I wasn't sure I was going to like the implementation of that idea in a town filled with animals. Endless Ocean appealed to me because I love watching ocean documentaries on Discovery Channel, and the underwater graphics were very convincing.

Well d'oh. Niche does not mean that it does not appeal to you at all. Just means that it is not popular. If only we were all rich than we could try it all, if only.

I really want to try Superman 64 once, just to see how horrible it really is.

The VG Press
avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 17223
News Posts: 2807
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:51:21

Iga_Bobovic said:

Well d'oh. Niche does not mean that it does not appeal to you at all. Just means that it is not popular. If only we were all rich than we could try it all, if only.

I really want to try Superman 64 once, just to see how horrible it really is.

 Not on this site. Whenever you guys yell about some new niche title, I evaluate it and decide if it appeals to me or not. If it doesn't, then I say so; and then I'm called an "asshole" or I get blacklisted. LOL 

Edited: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:52:17

The VG Press

avatar
Country: EU
Comments: 9423
News Posts: 9625
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:55:06

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

Well d'oh. Niche does not mean that it does not appeal to you at all. Just means that it is not popular. If only we were all rich than we could try it all, if only.

I really want to try Superman 64 once, just to see how horrible it really is.

 Not on this site. Whenever you guys yell about some new niche title, I evaluate it and decide if it appeals to me or not. If it doesn't, then I say so; and then I'm called an "asshole" or I get blacklisted. LOL 

 You got blacklisten on all sites. 

The VG Press
avatar
Country: CO
Comments: 11520
News Posts: 1163
Joined: 2008-06-24
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:02:38

Iga_Bobovic said:

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

Well d'oh. Niche does not mean that it does not appeal to you at all. Just means that it is not popular. If only we were all rich than we could try it all, if only.

I really want to try Superman 64 once, just to see how horrible it really is.

Not on this site. Whenever you guys yell about some new niche title, I evaluate it and decide if it appeals to me or not. If it doesn't, then I say so; and then I'm called an "asshole" or I get blacklisted. LOL

You got blacklisten on all sites.

And are pretty much an asshole in all of them as well. LOL

avatar
Country: CA
Comments: 654
News Posts: 6
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:35:05
I don't see any difference between 5 and 7, so I guess I fall somewhere between those. I mostly go by ratings and hype, but Yoda has often said that it is impossible to know whether I will like a certain game or not. Anything with over-the-top absurdity will usually get my vote.

avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 48386
News Posts: 59781
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:17:06

bugsonglass said:

i guess one could work out an algorithm to come up with a quantitative measure of how far someone is on the mainstream - niche scale based on say their 10 - or better make it 20 most recent purchases and the relative sales of each of those games.  i think i could do that if i had a little time.

You're thinking too hard man.

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

I know for a fact that you also brought games you did not expect to be good and you liked them. I think it was Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean. So it goes both ways.

Yes, but the concepts still appealed to me first, which is why I tried both games. Animal Crossing appealed to me because of its real-time world; that was a very interesting concept to me, but I wasn't sure I was going to like the implementation of that idea in a town filled with animals. Endless Ocean appealed to me because I love watching ocean documentaries on Discovery Channel, and the underwater graphics were very convincing.

Animal Crossing was a complete gamble for me, Nintendo had built up a certain measure of trust so I was willing to give it a go. Really in this world of ebay and trade ins, there really shouldn't be much regret. I can buy a game, see if I like it within the week and before the value drops, put it on ebay and make back either 90% or all of it back. If you're canny you can even make a profit.

Endless Ocean I became gradually enamoured with from the media and then reading GAF impressions. But it was the budget price that made it an instant buy. And I was so glad.

Ravenprose said:

Not on this site. Whenever you guys yell about some new niche title, I evaluate it and decide if it appeals to me or not. If it doesn't, then I say so; and then I'm called an "asshole" or I get blacklisted. LOL

Damned right asshole! *doubles traces over Raven's name on the list*

avatar
Country: CA
Comments: 31773
News Posts: 1717
Joined: 2008-06-22
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:09:17

I started playing at 3 years old, when I got the NES and Super Mario Bros. was my first game.

Iga, well obviously it goes both ways, I am sure all of us have bought a game they were not sure about cause of word of mouth or whatever. Still I dont buy this whole thing that you get surprised at games, or you buy things as a gamble. We live in an age where its possible to know everything about practically everything. I know about most games coming out, I watch videos, play demos, read impressions and reviews. I dont care how niche the game is, I probably know enough about it before buying it to have any idea if I would like it or not. LKS is not a gamble for you guys, you are not discovering a little niche game, you have reasearched it to death and you like the idea. That goes the same with probably every game you have bought. Unless you guys are disconnecting yourself from the internet and walking into videogame stores and buying games off of what you read on the back cover you are not really taking a gamble.

You know what you are buying.

660896.png
avatar
Country: UN
Comments: 48386
News Posts: 59781
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:16:48

Dvader said:

I started playing at 3 years old, when I got the NES and Super Mario Bros. was my first game.

Iga, well obviously it goes both ways, I am sure all of us have bought a game they were not sure about cause of word of mouth or whatever. Still I dont buy this whole thing that you get surprised at games, or you buy things as a gamble. We live in an age where its possible to know everything about practically everything. I know about most games coming out, I watch videos, play demos, read impressions and reviews. I dont care how niche the game is, I probably know enough about it before buying it to have any idea if I would like it or not. LKS is not a gamble for you guys, you are not discovering a little niche game, you have reasearched it to death and you like the idea. That goes the same with probably every game you have bought. Unless you guys are disconnecting yourself from the internet and walking into videogame stores and buying games off of what you read on the back cover you are not really taking a gamble.

You know what you are buying.

No in all honestly I have barely any idea what to expect from the World Ends with you, nor did I really have any idea I would like Endless Ocean (though I watched some vids and saw a couple of reviews). Or the first warioware. Or animal Crossing, I didn't research it at all. It was an impulse buy.

avatar
Country: EU
Comments: 9423
News Posts: 9625
Joined: 2008-06-21
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:23:02

I took a few gambles, I never paid attention to the Advance Wars mechanics. So I read the review, but I never played a game like that. I did not think about the mechanics, there is a difference between reading and understanding a game. The same goes for World of Goo, read it a little, but never really paid attention to it.

I hate doing too much research, because they can ruin your game. I already knew almost everything about Twilight Princess before I owned the game. So I read some reviews, but not too much. I almost never have any expectations before I play a game. No hype, no disappointment. And I am hardly surprised by anything. 

Oh and LKS is not niche, it will sell billions! Believe it!

The VG Press
avatar
Country: CA
Comments: 31773
News Posts: 1717
Joined: 2008-06-22
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:25:57

gamingeek said:

Dvader said:

I started playing at 3 years old, when I got the NES and Super Mario Bros. was my first game.

Iga, well obviously it goes both ways, I am sure all of us have bought a game they were not sure about cause of word of mouth or whatever. Still I dont buy this whole thing that you get surprised at games, or you buy things as a gamble. We live in an age where its possible to know everything about practically everything. I know about most games coming out, I watch videos, play demos, read impressions and reviews. I dont care how niche the game is, I probably know enough about it before buying it to have any idea if I would like it or not. LKS is not a gamble for you guys, you are not discovering a little niche game, you have reasearched it to death and you like the idea. That goes the same with probably every game you have bought. Unless you guys are disconnecting yourself from the internet and walking into videogame stores and buying games off of what you read on the back cover you are not really taking a gamble.

You know what you are buying.

No in all honestly I have barely any idea what to expect from the World Ends with you, nor did I really have any idea I would like Endless Ocean (though I watched some vids and saw a couple of reviews). Or the first warioware. Or animal Crossing, I didn't research it at all. It was an impulse buy.

I wouldn't know what to expect from World Ends either, except that I know its a sort of RPG and its excellent. Which is enough, you probably knew it was an excellent game before you bought it as well. You had a reason for buying it is all I am saying, I understand that your probably didn't know what it would be like but you knew it was quality.

660896.png
avatar
Country: CA
Comments: 31773
News Posts: 1717
Joined: 2008-06-22
 
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:27:46

Iga_Bobovic said:

I took a few gambles, I never paid attention to the Advance Wars mechanics. So I read the review, but I never played a game like that. I did not think about the mechanics, there is a difference between reading and understanding a game. The same goes for World of Goo, read it a little, but never really paid attention to it.

I hate doing too much research, because they can ruin your game. I already knew almost everything about Twilight Princess before I owned the game. So I read some reviews, but not too much. I almost never have any expectations before I play a game. No hype, no disappointment. And I am hardly surprised by anything.  

Oh and LKS is not niche, it will sell billions! Believe it!

The way I see it, if the game is so weak that it gets hurt by overhype it wasn't that good to begin with. So I hype everything. Happy

660896.png
<< prevnext >>
Log in or Register for free to comment
Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
Login @ The VG Press
Username:
Password:
Remember me?