Metacognition: Looking at the Future

We’re back with our “thinking about thinking” series! If you’re interested in our previous deep thoughts, check out the Metacognition series.  Join us for some deep thoughts (and maybe the occasional not-so-deep thought) about gaming. If you find one you’d like to answer, you can either comment below or write a post and share the link so we can all read your fantastic thoughts!

What is your hope for the future of gaming?

You would think that I’d have an answer ready for this, wouldn’t you? After all, I’ve talked quite a bit about representation in video games, and discussed the possibility of when enough may finally be enough. Logic would seem to indicate that I would wax poetic on the importance of inclusion and representation in games, perhaps citing literature and examples that indicate media not only imitates our views, but that our views also imitate and are affected by what we are exposed so in media.

It’s also possible I’d advocate for stories in games to continue evolving and exploring more serious topics, as long as they are done in a respectful way. Following the example of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, I would say that games shouldn’t shy away from characters like Senua, who experience the world differently due to neurodiverse reasons, and yet the story isn’t about their neurodiversity. So, showing how the Them is really more like the Us might also be a top contender for things I’d like to see in games.

If I wanted to be petulant I could just sit here and say that Gaming Needs to Improve and throw out wild demands like Make Games Great Again Like They Were In The 1990s, Back When It Was A Niche Hobby. But that would be silly. games have always been great; they’ve had their good and their bad, but are just different that what you remember from your childhood now.

But honestly, there is one thing that I would like to see for the future of gaming. It is honestly not something that I foresee happening, as long as gaming companies have rich CEOs and shareholders, and as long as any Angry Gamer can pick up a megaphone and swirl up anger and hate at a game because of a personal opinion.

I want developers being able to go back to innovating and developing. Like we talked about last time, developers have an opportunity to change norms and moves games in new, exciting, and progressive directions.

We’ve entered a perfect storm of gaming culture: anyone can have a (very loud and influential) opinion, and corporations – similar to the people who run them – love making money and will do anything to do so.

How is this different than any other time? Well, because I am still upset about Mass Effect: Andromeda, let’s take a look at that. There was such an immediate, angry outcry that BioWare canned the planned DLC. I’m not saying that the game was perfect, and I’m not saying I liked having an “unfinished” game given to me, but instead of sticking to their product/their vision, and making it right, they ran away from the angry gamers yelling at them and moved on to other projects.

Why? I think it’s because they were afraid that providing the DLC (or improving the product) wouldn’t be profitable, so they abandoned their project for something that would make money.

What Does This Mean?

One thing that I have learned as a therapist is that, no matter what your client is doing, you cannot be afraid of them. Another thing I learned, during my undergraduate coursework, is that your focus should be on giving the client the best service you can. When they are successful, you are successful.

A third thing I learned is that, while the client’s needs and wants should be taken into account, it is my job to provide the therapeutic experiences that would help them achieve their goals, both in and out of therapy. It’s a softened version of “I know best.”

But the only way this works is if the client trusts the therapist has their best interests at heart. Of course it’s a job for me and I make money for my services, but I can watch my paycheck and put my client’s therapy needs first at the same time.

That’s what I want for games. Developers shouldn’t fear the public. The public shouldn’t fear that game companies are just squeezing them for money, and game companies should make it clear that they are making games for the love of games.

Of course people should be paid for their services, but to judge from some recent releases, making games to make money, rather than making games and making money isn’t workout out so well for anyone.

I’ll admit I don’t know how we could ever get there, but that’s my wish for the future of gaming.

What’s yours? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you soon!
~Athena

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