Don't be anxious; Bloodstained's future is in our hands
May 19, 2019 23:12:15 GMT -6
hyugakojiro likes this
Post by purifyweirdshard on May 19, 2019 23:12:15 GMT -6
I have palpated some undertone of anxiety in the community. Does this situation worry you - you're on the receiving end of exactly what you wanted, Ritual of the Night is an amazing game, but review scores and wider perceptions weigh it down and in turn negatively impact your time with the game and the future of the franchise? I think a lot of people have this in the back of their mind. I have good news for you, though, and I intend this post to be somewhat of a rally as I make the point. This is ported over from a conversation I had with others in the Discord.
I think the reception of fans that care about a thing are received with more respect than actual reviews these days. Its success may lie squarely with us, and a potential show of when we are not discouraged when critics may act like they don't like it. Let's not say one thing about how we don't care about reviews and then out act the opposite, letting them guide the direction of things we love. That's in our hands now.
Bad reviews affect sales, they certainly do, but that shouldn't stop you from being passionate about something and helping it how you can. Core voices of respected people who are followed in circles small and large shape the perception of media very strongly now. I really think that often, even the way that games are reviewed are merely a reflection of what the largest amount of people seem to think about them, anyway. If the core of a community is and remains positive about something, that's better advertising than even the most objective of scholars, and I think on conscious examination we know that reviews of things don't approach such a pinnacle of exquisite impartiality and whatever academic measurement is even possible.
Don't misunderstand me - I'm not saying I would ever advise having faith in "the internet". But certainly faith in people who are like-minded who care about something that you do. I'm not talking about just Youtube influencers, some kind of grassroots blogging thing, or even some kind of organized fan campaign - I just mean your casual words and attitude carry more weight than you might imagine, and when the opportunity presents itself to say something good about the game - to do it. We are so often afraid to simply act on sharing the opinions of things we like, rather tearing down whatever we do not. "I think x is good" so often is immediately attacked with the counters of "no it is not, because y". Do not be scared of that. You don't need to defend liking things that you like, slowly or quickly destroying your enjoyment of them. Speak up that you enjoy what you enjoy, and leave that to stew in the headspace of those that are negative. Denying them the opportunity to tear you down puts yourself in the advantage - be secure in your joy, and they must either examine it for themselves or the situation remains: one positive, one negative, rather than two negatives.
The industry has changed a lot, game communities have changed a lot, and we sit ourselves in a very unique position. I feel it's at least a situation that we can participate in rather than wait and be affected by, as it used to be - the release, reviews, the severely local word-of-mouth.
The unique position we sit in that I speak of - I'm where I am here in this forum because I cared about the game a lot, and I'm presently influencing people positively about it. We live in a time where people like myself can become administrator of an official forum and discord in partnership with the game's actual publisher. That's super cool. I think situations like this bode well for the future, even if it's an exception.
Maybe it doesn't have to be an exception, and maybe if you really like something and are determined to share that you do, your fear of that thing's perception melts away, as bit by bit you're doing something about it as the grim possibilities become ever more slight. We have a good thing here, and every right to be confident in it, and proud of how far along we've come.
I think the reception of fans that care about a thing are received with more respect than actual reviews these days. Its success may lie squarely with us, and a potential show of when we are not discouraged when critics may act like they don't like it. Let's not say one thing about how we don't care about reviews and then out act the opposite, letting them guide the direction of things we love. That's in our hands now.
Bad reviews affect sales, they certainly do, but that shouldn't stop you from being passionate about something and helping it how you can. Core voices of respected people who are followed in circles small and large shape the perception of media very strongly now. I really think that often, even the way that games are reviewed are merely a reflection of what the largest amount of people seem to think about them, anyway. If the core of a community is and remains positive about something, that's better advertising than even the most objective of scholars, and I think on conscious examination we know that reviews of things don't approach such a pinnacle of exquisite impartiality and whatever academic measurement is even possible.
Don't misunderstand me - I'm not saying I would ever advise having faith in "the internet". But certainly faith in people who are like-minded who care about something that you do. I'm not talking about just Youtube influencers, some kind of grassroots blogging thing, or even some kind of organized fan campaign - I just mean your casual words and attitude carry more weight than you might imagine, and when the opportunity presents itself to say something good about the game - to do it. We are so often afraid to simply act on sharing the opinions of things we like, rather tearing down whatever we do not. "I think x is good" so often is immediately attacked with the counters of "no it is not, because y". Do not be scared of that. You don't need to defend liking things that you like, slowly or quickly destroying your enjoyment of them. Speak up that you enjoy what you enjoy, and leave that to stew in the headspace of those that are negative. Denying them the opportunity to tear you down puts yourself in the advantage - be secure in your joy, and they must either examine it for themselves or the situation remains: one positive, one negative, rather than two negatives.
The industry has changed a lot, game communities have changed a lot, and we sit ourselves in a very unique position. I feel it's at least a situation that we can participate in rather than wait and be affected by, as it used to be - the release, reviews, the severely local word-of-mouth.
The unique position we sit in that I speak of - I'm where I am here in this forum because I cared about the game a lot, and I'm presently influencing people positively about it. We live in a time where people like myself can become administrator of an official forum and discord in partnership with the game's actual publisher. That's super cool. I think situations like this bode well for the future, even if it's an exception.
Maybe it doesn't have to be an exception, and maybe if you really like something and are determined to share that you do, your fear of that thing's perception melts away, as bit by bit you're doing something about it as the grim possibilities become ever more slight. We have a good thing here, and every right to be confident in it, and proud of how far along we've come.
Now that you mention it, you do bring up some good points I hadn't thought much of before. I think it's possible that high and sustained backer enthusiasm could influence the reviews in their own way. If media reviews keep saying the game is bad, but the actual fans--especially those who put money into the project 4 years ago--are still excited and happy about it, that might make reviewers rethink any negative assessments. Enthusiasm certainly does go a far way, and we may yet see just how far it goes with Bloodstained ;D
