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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6353958" data-attributes="member: 4937">We aren't talking about single examples.&nbsp; This isn't even something that is controversial in the cRPG world.&nbsp; Plenty of designers have observed it.This is probably the single most abused phrase in all of the English language, but these really are exceptions that prove the rule: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis.&nbsp; We are able to distinguish the rise of retro-gaming in both cRPGs and PnP precisely because it is distinguishable in features from the larger trend in mainstream gaming.&nbsp;&nbsp; If games weren't generally being made easier, with fewer controls, more explicit help, simpler puzzles, and less ability to get stuck then we wouldn't recognize the exceptions like Dark Souls as exceptions.&nbsp; Dark Souls stands out because it has features we no longer expect to find in mainstream titles.&nbsp;&nbsp; Dwarf Fortress isn't a mainstream title.&nbsp; It's basically applying modern computation to old school design.&nbsp; You don't even mention what is probably the premier example of that - Minecraft.So no, I don't think that the dumbing down of games means that the audience is getting dumber, or even that the designers are (in general, I'd suggest the reverse).&nbsp;&nbsp; It means that the big budget titles with 100+ million dollar production budgets don't feel that they can take risks and must appeal to the lowest common denominator in the least risky way.Journey's company went bankrupt releasing it.&nbsp; And Journey in particular is closer in my opinion to interactive art or an electronic toy, rather than a game.&nbsp;&nbsp; Smart I'll grant you, in the sense that the people who made it were clearly deep thinkers, but it's almost in a different category.&nbsp; It certainly doesn't require a smart person to play it, so in that sense, it's also 'dumbed down'.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 6353958, member: 4937"] We aren't talking about single examples. This isn't even something that is controversial in the cRPG world. Plenty of designers have observed it. This is probably the single most abused phrase in all of the English language, but these really are exceptions that prove the rule: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis. We are able to distinguish the rise of retro-gaming in both cRPGs and PnP precisely because it is distinguishable in features from the larger trend in mainstream gaming. If games weren't generally being made easier, with fewer controls, more explicit help, simpler puzzles, and less ability to get stuck then we wouldn't recognize the exceptions like Dark Souls as exceptions. Dark Souls stands out because it has features we no longer expect to find in mainstream titles. Dwarf Fortress isn't a mainstream title. It's basically applying modern computation to old school design. You don't even mention what is probably the premier example of that - Minecraft. So no, I don't think that the dumbing down of games means that the audience is getting dumber, or even that the designers are (in general, I'd suggest the reverse). It means that the big budget titles with 100+ million dollar production budgets don't feel that they can take risks and must appeal to the lowest common denominator in the least risky way. Journey's company went bankrupt releasing it. And Journey in particular is closer in my opinion to interactive art or an electronic toy, rather than a game. Smart I'll grant you, in the sense that the people who made it were clearly deep thinkers, but it's almost in a different category. It certainly doesn't require a smart person to play it, so in that sense, it's also 'dumbed down'. [/QUOTE]

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