Quality Isn't What We Need [reblog]

by Raycevick  2021

It's pretty common for people to say they prefer quality over quantity. Often it's said because it even sounds nice. It sounds "proper" to wait for a gourmet meal than shoveling down another Big Mac, but there's a component to this bullshit food analogy which many ignore.

Look how much better the latter is doing than the former.

Transferring the topic to video-games, with the release of Elden Ring, I've seen a lot people pointing to it and saying "See!? If you just make a good product, it will do well."

The issue isn't that Elden Ring secretly isn't a great game, I've not played it, I've got no opinion of it as of right now, but I do know even without playing that summarizing its success with "because its good" is to distort reality.

According to the NDP Group, the two bestselling games in the US of 2021 where Call of Duty Vanguard… and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War. The third place game was Madden. The fifth place game was Battlefield 2042.

If games just need to be quality to be successful, why do so many unpolished and broken releases garner more success?

Lots would say, it's because consumers are stupid, with the tacit implication they're smarter.

Lots of these people also have Doritos for Breakfast.

There's a much better explanation I think.

Couple weeks ago, I was venting to my therapist, about how frustrated I was that I couldn't pick up and maintain the same amount of motivation to work as I did before. That even though, I know the steps to making videos, completing chores, and taking care of personal health, I (like I did last month) find myself just sitting around, even though I get angry when I sit there and don't do anything.

She said, that lazy side is giving something you need.

We sleep in, because we need rest. We eat Ice Cream, because we need comfort. We punch a bag, because we need to exert our rage.  

For many people, playing video-games is going to have a similar motivation. Whether it's relaxing from work, catching up with friends, being powerful, or a million other causes, we play video-games to satisfy some part of us, and that part rarely has anything to do with quality.  

From where I'm setting, Elden Ring is a quality game that happens to satisfy several other things that people are looking for. Whether it's exploring a new world, given a challenge, or just being a part of a much bigger conversation and community, there's several player motivations which combine to it successful.