Unpopular Opinions about Video Games

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

so why did it only become a problem when yellow paint became a new example of the same convention that's as old as the medium itself?

Because of how blatant and devoid of creativity it is. Blatant in that it simply makes no sense for yellow paint to be there, making it extremely obvious that this is a device placed there for the sake of the player, not a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment. Devoid of creativity in that, instead of thinking of a solution (for the problem of making the player notice that they can interact with object X in way Y) that is thematically appropriate, sensible, not too blatant, etc, they went for the laziest possible first thing that came to mind.

Compare a roadblock in a game that makes sense lorewise and settingwise versus a transparent glowing sign saying "Unlocks at character level 13"

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Because of how blatant and devoid of creativity it is. Blatant in that it simply makes no sense for yellow paint to be there, making it extremely obvious that this is a device placed there for the sake of the player, not a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment. Devoid of creativity in that, instead of thinking of a solution (for the problem of making the player notice that they can interact with object X in way Y) that is thematically appropriate, sensible, not too blatant, etc, they went for the laziest possible first thing that came to mind.

Were cartoonishly spinning, flashing, and glinting items creative or "a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment"? Did it "make sense lorewise" to find, for example, flashing pirate treasure chests in Resident Evil 4?

 

[The Ugly One]

Were cartoonishly spinning, flashing, and glinting items creative or "a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment"? Did it "make sense lorewise" to find, for example, flashing pirate treasure chests in Resident Evil 4?

What, you mean you've never been in a military facility where the doors had red, blue, or yellow rings of lights on them to let you know which key would work?

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

Were cartoonishly spinning, flashing, and glinting items creative or "a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment"? Did it "make sense lorewise" to find, for example, flashing pirate treasure chests in Resident Evil 4?

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

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Okay, please let me know why yellow paint is so self-evidently absurd but cartoonish flashing, spinning items "make sense lorewise".

 

[VasonJoorhees]

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A shiny glint around an object of importance is not taking away from a videogame experience compared to an out of place modern piece of technology invading a high fantasy medieval themed movie. Comparing the two is pretty disingenuous.

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

Okay, please let me know why yellow paint is so self-evidently absurd but cartoonish flashing, spinning items "make sense lorewise".

Cartoonish flashing and spinning items have been mostly phased out within the past 20 years, they were a limitation of the time.
Many games use more sophisticated techniques, especially regarding level design, to solve this problem.

However, when it comes to yellow paint specifically, I think the big problem is how "photorealistic" and overly detailed game worlds are, to the point where everything has so much clutter and you can't tell what you're supposed to focus on or notice. Compare collectibles in GTA San Andreas - a relatively lowpoly world, with collectibles spinning in place - and collectibles in GTA V, in which there is a fuckton of detail and decoration.


Horseshoe (GTA San Andreas)

Letter scrap (GTA V)

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

However, when it comes to yellow paint specifically, I think the big problem is how "photorealistic" and overly detailed game worlds are, to the point where everything has so much clutter and you can't tell what you're supposed to focus on or notice. Compare collectibles in GTA San Andreas - a relatively lowpoly world, with collectibles spinning in place - and collectibles in GTA V, in which there is a fuckton of detail and decoration.

I thought your argument was that it's not thematically appropriate or compatible with the "lore".

This is exactly what I was talking about in my post - accepting "muh yellow paint bad" axiomatically because someone told you it was bad and then inventing weak post hoc arguments and just hoping one of them sticks.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

We need more holiday themed games, indies kinda do it, but I miss that content in bigger games too.

Played the Christmas Duke Nukem 3D expansion a few years ago on Christmas. Killing Santa was fun. 10/10

Were cartoonishly spinning, flashing, and glinting items creative or "a sensible and appropriate detail of the environment"? Did it "make sense lorewise" to find, for example, flashing pirate treasure chests in Resident Evil 4?

I liked how Sly Cooper did it. Every indicator is only visible if you're part of the Sly gang or a Cooper because ancient master thief secrets. It's stupid, but it fits the goofy comic book/Saturday morning cartoon tone Sucker Punch was going for.

Don't care about yellow tape. Do like when games do things like what Sly Cooper did, though.

 

[The Ugly One]

Cartoonish flashing and spinning items have been mostly phased out within the past 20 years, they were a limitation of the time.

Yellow paint seems like an improvement compared to spinning, glowing question marks, though.

 

[Slap47]

The online debate over "yellow paint" is one of the weirdest and dumbest talking points I've ever seen related to video games.

There have always been conventions to indicate items or other interact-able objects in games - whether it was spinning, flashing, glinting, highlighted with some kind of border, whatever - that made no sense within the context of the game and existed entirely for gameplay purposes, so why did it only become a problem when yellow paint became a new example of the same convention that's as old as the medium itself?

It feels like the kind of artificial anger where one person pointed it out and an army of retards who understand nothing about anything reflexively agreed because "MODERN GAMES BAD" therefore this innocuous visual indicator must be bad too.

I do not see the issue with it either.

Many games have the luxury of assuming their players know basic concepts, but AAA games do actually need to assume that they are getting people who know little.

Alot of visual indicators used in the past (and now) were blunt, but now are not even noticed by experienced players. Giant arrow is pretty blunt, but we take that as a given in many games.

 

[Day of the Cope]

The game took the piss out of the yellow paint meme before it was even a thing.

Okay, please let me know why yellow paint is so self-evidently absurd but cartoonish flashing, spinning items "make sense lorewise".

Explain this shit.

Many games have the luxury of assuming their players know basic concepts, but AAA games do actually need to assume that they are getting people who know little.

Bullshit. Assassian's Creed, released nearly two decades ago, didn't have yellow paint smeared everywhere and people didn't have any issue playing that game. This is a fake problem cooked up as a cope by lazy developers. This idea that "we need to design games around people who are too fucking stupid to play them" is just retarded. If someone "doesn't know how to play a game", then they have two options: get good or fuck off.

I suggest people play Portal 1 with the developer commentary turned on.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Explain.
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Hahaha, how silly and immersion-breaking. Modern games are so terrible!



Oh.

 

[Day of the Cope]

Hahaha, how silly and immersion-breaking. Modern games are so terrible!

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Oh.

Ah, yes. The save point in the original FF7. Released in 1997.
Comparing the abstraction of a concept of a function to save your progress when gaming was only starting to enter the third-dimension to the illogical painting of cliff ledges over two decades latter is just grasping at straws.
Not to mention that, over the years, game developers have largely done away with save points and either a) use some form of logical asset like Yakuza 0's payphones or b) simply allow you to save anywhere. Yes, there are games like Mario with save boxes, however these exist in a highly stylised world where a rainbow cube isn't out of place and games like Undertale where one of the save points is used as a trap for the player.
Meanwhile, level design just slap yellow paint (and it's always yellow) onto ledges after years of game like Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, and BotW.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

Comparing the abstraction of a concept of a function to save your progress when gaming was only starting to enter the third-dimension

"Graphics are more sophisticated now, which means games should get worse at communicating things to the player."

these exist in a highly stylised world where a rainbow cube isn't out of place

It's a remake of the same game, bro.

 

[Day of the Cope]

"Graphics are more sophisticated now, which means games should get worse at communicating things to the player."

You argue like a women.

It's a remake of the same game, bro.

Are you talking about FF7? Because the 'remake' is fucking fanfiction with how many liberties it takes with the story.
Also, like I said, my point was that abstract save points work in a game like Mario with a cartoon aesthetic.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

You argue like a women.

And you argue like a miserable, joyless autist who thinks video games should be serious business.

Also, like I said, my point was that abstract save points work in a game like Mario with a cartoon aesthetic.

Why is that okay, but abstractions indicating an interact-able ledge are not?

 

[Day of the Cope]

And you argue like a miserable, joyless autist who thinks video games should be serious business.

Thanks for proving me right.

Why is that okay, but abstractions indicating an interact-able ledge are not?

How would you feel if you didn't eat breakfast?

 

[popnloch ness monster]

humanity figured out pointing out directions to players a long time ago, yellow paint on surfaces is stupid

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

humanity figured out pointing out directions to players a long time ago, yellow paint on surfaces is stupid
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I'm really struggling to understand why one contrived pointer for visual clarity is better than another contrived pointer for visual clarity.