Why is "videogame" a bad word?

[philreed]

Nothing at all wrong with video games. In fact, I feel the urge to play some Psi-Ops right now.

 

[Nifft]

Any snoog can play a video game. This RPG stuff is art. I sneer at "video game" snoogs.

-- N

 

[Tinker Gnome]

A lot less than you sued to? Well, how much time for videogames did they award you in the settlement?

And to stay on topic, I haven't noticed any real anti-videogamer sentiments on this board. Could you maybe point out where you saw it?

Ahhh, stupid typos. I am not going to fix that for my own amusement. Anyways, I have seen it here and there. I have the name of a thread on the tip of my tongue, but I cant remember it. I can see what Thoughtbubble means though, as those are trademark things in videogames.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Ahhh, stupid typos. I am not going to fix that for my own amusement. Anyways, I have seen it here and there. I have the name of a thread on the tip of my tongue, but I cant remember it. I can see what Thoughtbubble means though, as those are trademark things in videogames.

But pretty much ALL of those things we associate as 'videogamey' are also a product of D&D. And WERE before video games became as large as they are now. There's nothing at all wrong with the more hack and slash type games, and though some people obviously don't enjoy it, that IS where base D&D really sits. Kill things. Take stuff. Get more KEWL POWERZ. Repeat. The formula started with D&D, and its still in there. Denying that is turning a blind eye to the heart of D&D.

 

[Darkness]

Kill things. Take stuff. Get more KEWL POWERZ. Repeat. The formula started with D&D, and its still in there. Denying that is turning a blind eye to the heart of D&D.

Yeah. As of now, D&D unfortunately tends to lack actual video-gamey things like re-spawning PCs who are camping monster spawning points for XP or ph4t l3wt. And few DMs will allow you to save your game, for that matter.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Yeah. As of now, D&D unfortunately tends to lack actual video-gamey things like re-spawning PCs who are camping monster spawning points for XP or ph4t l3wt. And few DMs will allow you to save your game, for that matter.

Ressurection=respawn (literally! )

Character sheet=save game

 

[Darkness]

Ressurection=respawn (literally! )

Depends on how you use it (either of them) but yeah, you can simulate it this way. In any case, monsters still don't have spawn points.

Character sheet=save game

So if you have a TPK, your DM will let you try again (and again and again...) because you have a character sheet? I don't follow.

 

[Remathilis]

As someone who went into D&D from videogames (FF II/IV, if you must know)...

I don't see whats "wrong" but I'll tell you what others seem to think...

1.) Perfect character combinations. X classes + Y feats = invinicible. New feats/prcs/spells are designed to make your pc uber. Not necessarily munchkin, but uber and unbreakable.
2.) Very Linear plot. A leads to B leads to C. Railroaded epic plots that usually revolves around getting powerful, kicking a bad guys ass, and saving the world.
3.) Emphasis on Equipment. PCs have suites of constantly upgrading items. Have a +1 sword? Look for a +2. Can't find one? Buy it! Can't buy it? take a feat and make it yourself...
4.) Unkillable PCs. Ressurection and other status removing spells make the PCs unkillable. They don't worry about death, they can "respawn" with a slight penalty (-1 level). Disease, poison, blindness, even lost limbs are temporary setbacks, not cripplings.
5.) EQ lingo. Everquest and other MMORPGs has given us such wonderful terms as tanking, pulling, training, buffs, bossfight, and farming, some of which have leaked into RPG discussion.
6.) Non-Medieval: Much of the art of 3.X is based on a concept of unrealisitic armor and clothing, non-medieval grooming, gnomes and halflings that look cool and adventuresome, non-believable weapons, and "kewl" looking monsters. The idea is to make it look cool, not believable.
7.) Occidental/Oriental: Western and Eastern concepts are mixed with little or no thought as to development. Monks and samurai wander with paladins and druids.
8.) Over the Top: The fights are larger, the spells grander, the gear spiker, and the damsels hotter. Everything is on a larger and more heroic scale.
9.) Magic is downright common. There is no real awe or mystery, just a cool factor for bigger and badder spells. Magic is sold in shops on the street. Clerics stand in temples to heal wounds and raise dead.

Personally, I don't see the problem. However, some people who would rather D&D be more Tolkien/Howard/Lieber and classical fantasy balk at the change in tone to the Final Fantasy/Everquest/Warcraft styles.

 

[The Grackle]

Any snoog can play a video game. This RPG stuff is art. I sneer at "video game" snoogs.

-- N

Videogames not an art? You've never seen me play Halo. I'm like Michelangelo with a needler.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

As someone who went into D&D from videogames (FF II/IV, if you must know)...
Personally, I don't see the problem. However, some people who would rather D&D be more Tolkien/Howard/Lieber and classical fantasy balk at the change in tone to the Final Fantasy/Everquest/Warcraft styles.

Excellent point. I play because I want an interactive experience along the lines of those fantasy novels, although for me the authors would be Zelazny/Norton/Anderson. The novels are great, but you don't get to participate, and there's a limited supply of them. As much as I enjoy video games, the idea of an RPG based on them doesn't much appeal to me because the games are reasonably interactive already, and because I can play them on my own much more easily than I can gather an RPG group.