# Why I'll Never Work on First-Person Shooters Again



## bigduo209 (Apr 27, 2013)

Does the FPS genre and the publishers who insist on making them have a problem?

Should developers and publishers try to make a financial success off of other console games that don't always involve shooting?

Are most people asking for these kinds of games getting too demanding? Maybe not us per-se, but people who get too wrapped up and ask developers for too much.

Hopefully this saturation of shooters is just the industry going in cycles where publishers ease off this idea, and start back focusing on other game genres instead.


----------



## Unlosing Ranger (Apr 27, 2013)

I would be fine with just with 5 of those things a year.
Unless it's something like Vanquish.


----------



## Deathbringerpt (Apr 27, 2013)

The genre isn't the problem, it's the publisher as usual. There's still plenty of good FPS out there.



Unlosing Ranger said:


> Unless it's something like Vanquish.



Play FEAR.


----------



## Unlosing Ranger (Apr 27, 2013)

Deathbringerpt said:


> Play FEAR.



You mean that boring game?
Not different enough.


----------



## Deathbringerpt (Apr 27, 2013)

Unlosing Ranger said:


> You mean that boring game?
> Not different enough.



Oh, wow. Nice taste, champ.

I'm sorry, go play Metroid Prime. Because that's obviously the only FPS that matters. NINTENSPLERGATION.

Jesus Christ.


----------



## martryn (Apr 27, 2013)

Can someone sort of sum up what the article was about.  I scanned it and saw references to Superdad, but still don't understand why he won't work on a FPS.  Is it because he hates violence?


----------



## Lamb (Apr 27, 2013)

martryn said:


> Can someone sort of sum up what the article was about.  I scanned it and saw references to Superdad, but still don't understand why he won't work on a FPS.  Is it because he hates violence?



It's a dude having a crisis of conscience over producing a shooter in an attempt to maintain the status quo, while ignoring the fact that he personally doesn't condone the acts depicted in the game and wouldn't know how to explain to a child what is happening in the game. Furthermore, he's talking about the conception of game production as a super-creative process versus a super- competitive one, where most companies are semi-forced to create games that appeal to the largest market share, instead of games that reflect their ethos. 

It's a fairly self-righteous piece and a far less convincing argument than the "hey, if you buy a realistic shooter, you're supporting gun manufacturers" argument. While I understand the difficulty of finding success in a competitive market, that has always been the case. Yes, a lot of people, heck the majority, in the games production industry are going to end up making games that probably reflect less what embodies them personally and more what they think people want. That's just how capitalism works, a lot of people gotta sell out in order to survive.


----------



## The World (Apr 27, 2013)

A little too self-righteous, a little too late my gaming friend


----------



## Mael (Apr 27, 2013)

Someone made a game exactly for this quandary.  It was a third-person shooter.  It was called _Spec Ops: The Line._  It was one of the most clever and brilliant pieces of video gaming narrative and symbolism in ages.

Late to the party, man.


----------



## Gunners (Apr 27, 2013)

Lamb said:


> It's a dude having a crisis of conscience over producing a shooter in an attempt to maintain the status quo, while ignoring the fact that he personally doesn't condone the acts depicted in the game and wouldn't know how to explain to a child what is happening in the game. Furthermore, he's talking about the conception of game production as a super-creative process versus a super- competitive one, where most companies are semi-forced to create games that appeal to the largest market share, instead of games that reflect their ethos.
> 
> It's a fairly self-righteous piece and a far less convincing argument than the "hey, if you buy a realistic shooter, you're supporting gun manufacturers" argument. While I understand the difficulty of finding success in a competitive market, that has always been the case. Yes, a lot of people, heck the majority, in the games production industry are going to end up making games that probably reflect less what embodies them personally and more what they think people want. That's just how capitalism works, a lot of people gotta sell out in order to survive.



Thank you for the summary.


----------



## bigduo209 (Apr 28, 2013)

I didn't post it purely because I support his words, I did it to get your opinions on the subject matter itself.

Even the comments on the blog are disputing this issue.


I guess I was hoping for more of a actual response from you guys, and I guess that kinda happened...


----------



## Unlosing Ranger (Apr 28, 2013)

Deathbringerpt said:


> Oh, wow. Nice taste, champ.
> 
> I'm sorry, go play Metroid Prime. Because that's obviously the only FPS that matters. NINTENSPLERGATION.
> 
> Jesus Christ.


How about you give a better example than FEAR; a franchise that ended up being nothing but another shooter. 
Portal is a better FPS than FEAR


----------



## Buskuv (Apr 28, 2013)

Wow, yeah, Lamb nailed it.

There's so much fluff in it, so much retreading and backtracking, to say "Gosh, there's a lot of FPS games on the market, and they're kinda violent.  Kids shouldn't play them.  And that's why I won't make them any more."

Then he goes on to praise RTS, because when you're an omniscient, disembodied god who sends people to their death, it's OK because you don't pull the trigger.

Good heavens, what?


----------



## Deathbringerpt (Apr 28, 2013)

Unlosing Ranger said:


> How about you give a better example than FEAR; a franchise that ended up being nothing but another shooter.



I'm talking about the first game exclusively, genius. Second game was passable and the third is shit. First one is one of the best FPS ever made.

Funny, pretty similar to MP.



Unlosing Ranger said:


> Portal is a better FPS than FEAR



Le epic troller m8 XD


----------

