Why gaming has changed

[Guest Valkyrie321]

I want to tell you all a little story about how the gaming community has changed, and how this relates to FSX. At the current time I am working several jobs, one of them being a part time seasonal job at a local GameStop store. For those not familiar with the store, it is a gaming specialty store that carries popular gaming systems (consoles) and games as well as PC games.The story starts today (day of post) at 11:30AM. We had received a shipment of Microsoft's newest game for the XBox 360 called "Gears of War." Well two versions of the game were distributed, the collectors addition and the regular addition. Unfortunately Fed Ex botches up the delivery and only delivered the regular version, leaving anyone that purchased the collectors edition out and dry. I figured it wasn't our fault, and as a store we were doing everything we could but alas it was a regional problem... either way, it wasn't our fault directly, as it rested squarely in the lap of FedEx. Boy was I wrong.After a full shift I was nearly ready to quit my job. I received several phone calls of dissatisfies customers who were angry they would have to wait a day. THAT IS RIGHT, A DAY! They could pick up their collectors edition in the morning with $5 smackos knocked off for the inconvenience... Even with everything said, the game coming in the next day and a discount I was cursed at violently for 8 hours. Four letter words seemed to be the order of the day, and they were all directed at me. Several customers cancelled their orders dooming them to a pickup of the game days later (since prepurchasing gave them the ability to get the game SEVERAL days before release.) I had at one point called the police because a customer wanted to have a fist fight with me in the middle of the store after accusing me (while cussing) of negligence and "getting in his face..." *sigh* Ok buddy.It didn't really hit me until later tonight. The gaming industry and the people who are customers in it has changed. I remember in the old DOS days when any tidbit of information was shared throughout the community. We were all geeks together, and we cared for each other. "I have to wait a day? Aww shucks... can't rush perfection I guess. See you tomorrow with money in hand." These values no longer hold true anymore. It is amazing to me that customers can become irate babies, cussing and stomping their feet like children in a playground that don't get their sucker, or a chance on the teeter totter. These people are "supposed" to be adults.I think this has infected the MSFSX community as well. I remember spending hours in FS5.0 tweaking and playing around with the settings, creating boot disks and working with QEMM386. It wasn't until I got a Pentium chip that things turned around for me, but back then we COULDN'T return games and HAD to work things out! Today, if people can't get things to run on a dual monitor with 5.1 speakers and their custom made butt kicker seat they get angry and violent. I have seen these actions in this forum, The Elder Scrolls Forums, as well as a plethora of others. Frankly, I am up to my ears with the stomping of feet. If you don't like the product, return it. If you can tweak it, tweak it. If it runs well, let it run well. For everyone's sake, stomping your feet and acting like a child does nobody good. We are all gamers here, and most of us adults. Lets start acting like mature gamers.I personally like FSX, and I hold no grudges to anyone that doesn't. I do however think it is a bit rude to stomp, ravage, rave and act like a lunatic if you didn't bother to do your homework. There are thousands of review sites, friends and/or/even a demo you can trial. You have NOBODY but to blame but yourself if you purchased the product on day one and found it to not be what you expected. People, please seek the appropriate avenue to voice your complaints, #### about it on an internet forum is like being a paraplegic playing soccer. Please, return it and move on. You will feel much better if you do... Lastly, one hour after returning it don't tell us about your adventure to the store to return it. I, nor anyone else cares, even if we agree that FSX might not have lived up to our expectations.If you read this far, thank you. I am only voicing my concern because I am tired of the way the internet community, and gamers in general now treat each other. I really feel ashamed to call myself a gamer sometimes, and I certainly feel moreso as a flightsimmer. It is hard to believe how times have changed, and I feel sorry for people who are new in this cold hearted gaming world.-Cody

[Guest Tingoose]

Sorry to hear about your crap day Cody. Good thing the Avsim forum is around to allow you to let off steam. Sounds like you needed it. You're right about asking people to do their homework. There was plenty of opportunity to try out FSX before committing the money. In my case I didn't get on with the demo so I didn't buy it. However, it doesn't stop me having strong feelings (negative) about FSX. We should separate those complaints between those that offer constructive criticism and those that are hopeless rants. The latter probably help the poster's mental health but the former should help the Aces team identify problem areas. There's probably a need for both.

[ahinterl 1]

Yes, it's a shame to see everything going worser and worser. Look at people's faces, how many carry a smile?! Ellbow technique, brute force and brain-off-egomania rule in our current times. The best of it is that most people don't bother 'cause they're completely part of that game, world ends at their nose tips.The real poor people are those who recognize there's something badly wrong, unfortunately only a small and depressed minority...Andreas

[aerdt 0]

The Internet and mobile communication has changed all of our lifes towards a more fast-paced, demanding and increasingly impatient customers. We're expecting everything on a minutes notice and as structured and logical as a CPU. Unfortunately, that doesn't work that way. We have to remember that we're talking about a game, not a 2-weeks cruise across the Carribean.It would be amazing to find out what drives those customers to react so harshly from a psychological point of view that makes a computer game/simulation this important.

[1mikel151 71]

Cody it's not just the gaming crowd, it's everyday life. Our society has become one of instant gratifictaion and also one of self gratification. I work in retail managemant and I see the same thing, along with the same mentality of "the customer is always right BS" taken to the extreme as well. Look at how many complain when an addon is not avaiable for d/l and only in box form, same deal.When I read the title I thought this was going to be about how stupid consoles were taking over PC gaming, LOLRegards, MichaelKDFW

Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 / AMD

[Guest tn_prvteye]

Been there, done that.I was a Sales Associate at Babbage's during College (94-96). Loved it. PC gaming's Golden Era. I could talk Flight Sims to just about anyone who shopped there.A few years ago I got back into the biz and was a Manager at EB Games.Wow...BIG difference.I had 10 year olds cussing me out because I wouldn't sell them Vice City. THEN their mom would cuss me out for being rude to their "little angels"I've since left the industry for good.And yes, this attitude seems to be everywhere now. People are just "meaner" it seems. Common decency has left building ladies and gents...and it's only getting worse./rant over

[FTD1949 0]

Right on Cody!!!! Craig (one of the old DOS gamers)

[Jimmy Angel 19]

I worked retail in the 80's and people acted like idiots back then. I think gaming is just more mainstream now than in the DOS days so there's a much higher mainstream idiot factor.That said, I don't really understand people pre-ordering games. When has it been hard to find a game on release day? With all due respect, there is a bit of a "you made your bed now lie in it" factor with EBGames and GameStop and their heavy focus on preorders and used games and other sales tactics.Not excusing the idiots, but I would argue that EBGames and GameStop have also gone much more mainstream. They aren't fun places to shop anymore, and they aren't targeting the savvy customers--they are targeting the mainstream ones who don't know better.Sorry you had a bad day. I remember it well. That's why I got the heck out of retail.

[Forkboy2 27]

This is just a problem with society these days. It all goes back to the mentality that any time something goes wrong someone needs to be blamed and pay the price. I guess we can thank the lawyers and judges for that.Everyone needs to just relax a bit and realize that life isn't always fair.Matt

[KERNEL32 497]

Edited for spelling..Hah! Yah so true. Oh but I too work in retail mgt, and I can say both sides are guilty (although not ALWAYS, but usually one or the other approx 90% of the time).If most of these "customers" grew up in a world that didn't HAVE COMPUTERS, instead REAL PEOPLE when hobbies were telescopes, model trains, and a Saturday morning spent with your Dad going to the hobby shop to pick up a cool thing for the weekend, only to be helped by a courteous, knowledgeable and patient person who works there.Those were the days when both customers and shop clerks TOOK their time, knew their stuff, and if they didn't know something the two parties would actually share and acknowledge the fact that they didn't know that - and a "thank you"!?Then the telephone came lol...and the World started to change into what we see today.(wipes tear off desk)

[cklink 0]

Unfortunatly, you are very right.I did some reflecting of this yesterday, as I thought about how long it took us to get FS9 to where it is, and were all trying to have fsx "done" in under two weeks ...Personally, I still miss my 4Dboxing, and remember feeling like a god as I could tweak my autoexec.bat/config.sys so Falcon or F117 would load (with info help from a bbs or compuserve). I remember us as being the same tweakers then as we are today, but the pulse was a little friendlier. Younger generation story? - just like my dad says about me, and his said about him etc. Not sure, all I know is I'm getting close to 40, and I still haven't reached maturity ;)oh and I really miss Harpoon ...RegardsGarettOh I forgot the best part - Having the guys at Radio Shack give you the newest 5-1/4" games to take home to TRY!! Ahhh, but I never did tell them I hooked up a second bay drive on my TRS-80 III . he he he he That was my first Flightsim experience - Sublogic.

[acmem 0]

Well our western society has gradually, over many years, produced what we have today. It is the whole mechanics and foundation of our society. Produce more for less and maximize profits.It is the very companies that produce market and retail the games that have slowly done their share in increasing this narcotic behavior we all observe in ourselves.As I say too many of my friends, what makes you think that you are any better or have magically changed from not too long ago, a generation that enslaved, tortured and did anything possible to other human beings, all in the name of Power and Money!The only difference nowadays, is that the slave masters of today have redirected, optimized and have generally mastered how to use you, us, others to continuously feed an endless greed for power and money.Do you really think that the producers of entertainment (gaming industry) really care if we lose our dignity, sanity and values over a game so long as we continue to buy their product? Come on! As they find out that people were cussing and literally about to physically hurt people like

[Guest]

People are just plain tired of incompetence. I am the same way myself. I see nothing but incompetence and mistakes made on a daily basis. People have lost all sense of accountability for their screw-ups. Fedex screwed up and they should be held accountable to the point of refunds of large sums of money to the people that they caused this to happen to. The little guy is tired of corporations (and our government for the past 6 years, although i degress) screwing them on a daily basis and it makes them mean and you get the kind of behavior that you got today. Factor that in with the fact that both parents have to work these days to own a decent place in the suburbs and little johnny raises himself with video games and tv. Basic socioeconomics at work here. Don't take it personally. I worked retail when i was young and people were jerks then too. They just get a little worse each year.

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

Excellent post Cody. Puts the current situation nicely into perspective.Gary

[Forkboy2 27]

>Oh I forgot the best part - Having the guys at Radio Shack>give you the newest 5-1/4" games to take home to TRY!! Ahhh,>but I never did tell them I hooked up a second bay drive on my>TRS-80 III . he he he he That was my first Flightsim>experience - Sublogic.>I remember being about 15 and subscribing to a Commodore 64 magazine called Compute that used to print programs in the back of the magazine that you'd have to manually type in. I remember spending hours typing in all the code to create a lemonade stand game. It's amazing I ever had girlfriends.Matt