The Emphasis on Shooters in the World of Today

[Shanghai Alice]

*Sips tea and adjusts monocle*
But really, now.

Everyone's been raving about Black Ops, just as they did with WaW, and MW2. Everyone is in love with Halo, L4D, and GoW.

Personally, I focus on the release of Civilization, Golden Sun, and the next Touhou game. I own CoD4, but only because I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It was fun, and I enjoyed the hell out of it, but still...

Why are shooters so big nowadays? It used to be RTSs, or RPGs that got all the attention, but now...

Has society just moved on, or...?

 

[Sydian]

Everyone likes to be hardcore, especially squeaky voiced boys who haven't hit puberty that are swearing to the high heavens on XBL. But no seriously, it's just what people want to play nowadays. Platformers had their day, RPGs had theirs, and now it's just time for the shooter limelight. It's just what a majority of people want to play nowadays.

As someone that doesn't really play a lot of shooters, I'm not really sure what to make of all this really. It's not like it's a problem; a game is still a game. Shooters have been around for a long time if you want to get technical. It's just how they've exploded these days that's the annoying part, I reckon. I'll come back on this later when I have more of an opinion.

 

[Yuoaman]

My favorite genre is the RPG genre - I doubt this will ever change. This doesn't prevent me from enjoying other games - I enjoy playing FPS' with friends like most people do. Seriously, who doesn't want to shoot their friend in the groin a few dozen times after a stressful day?

That's why I believe they've become so popular, they're great at relieving stress.

 

[Cyndaquil]

I agree, people definitely seem to focus a lot more on shooters than other genres today, in general. There are some exceptions, of course, but that seems to be the general trend. The post title first reminded me of the constant critique video games gets as a medium, solely due to the psychical effects some people claim that some shooter games cause. Maybe the controversy could be one of the causes for the popularity with shooters today?

 

[Rogue planet]

It's mainly the Xbox players, shooting games don't dominate the market everywhere.
PS3 best selling games include Gran Turismo, MotorStorm, LittleBigPlanet, Final Fantasy, Heavy Rain and God of War. They still have CoD up there, but it's always going to be simply because of the gigantic online community. People buy it for the multiplayer aspect.
For PC it's dominated by WoW and The Sims.
The Wii is incredibly popular and people don't buy those for shooting games. It's the same with handheld consoles.

Shooters have always been popular because of their simplicity and just general fun factor. It's not that new. RTS games have never got any attention apart from amongst some PC gamers, and console gamers outnumber PC gamers now. RPG's are still very popular.

 

[Archer]

Shooters are as popular as they are on PC, purely because they lend themselves so well to the control method (mice are infinitely better than a control pad). And also considering that the PC has traditionally been a gaming system for 16-30 year old males, which again lend well to the genre.

As for shooter games in general, it's something you can't do in real life without the risks. Racing games are the same and RPGs aren't really a "thrilling" style of game unless mixed with something else, so they're irrelevant.

They're also incredibly easier to rehash and make different, which is why they see so many releases.

 

[moments.]

There is just something satisfying about outplaying someone with a gun and pumping some lead into their chest!

Seriously though, it's a phase as mentioned above. Genre's go in and out of fashion, and I think the popularity of games like COD and the like sparked more shooters to be made, and the consumers spread like fire. It's only a matter of time until the craze dies down, and an awesome game is released from another genre which sparks heaps of consumers and then other games similar to it to dominate the video game industry, at least for a period of time.

 

[Shanghai Alice]

RPGs aren't really a "thrilling" style of game unless mixed with something else, so they're irrelevant.

Not thrilling?
You face down Konpaku Youmu in an epic duel, where you have only Hong Meiling as your last line of defense, and tell me they aren't thrilling.

But that's subjective, so...

Yeah...

 

[Luck]

They're much easier to get immersed in than other genres(of course there are exceptions) and are probably the best with Player Vs. Player interaction. It's also pretty easy to just pick up and play but there is still strategy involved in some way. And you know, they're kinda fun, so that could count.

As much as I enjoy my FPS', I still love RPGs more, and am rarely excited whenever a new FPS gets released.

 

[bobandbill]

Everyone likes to be hardcore, especially squeaky voiced boys who haven't hit puberty that are swearing to the high heavens on XBL. But no seriously, it's just what people want to play nowadays. Platformers had their day, RPGs had theirs, and now it's just time for the shooter limelight. It's just what a majority of people want to play nowadays.

I agree that it'd likely be a 'phase' thing here - it's the genre that is 'hip and happening' right now, so to speak.

Of course...

Seriously, who doesn't want to shoot their friend in the groin a few dozen times after a stressful day?

That's one way to put it. =p

 

[moments.]

Not only does one like to shoot their friends in the groin, but the repeated crouching and standing over the corpse of an opponent is too good to resist. :P

 

[Captain Fabio]

It all depends on the person. Sure, I owned COD4, MW2 and have Black Ops, however, I don't love FPSs.

I like a wide variety of games if they are new and different; normally by independent companies. It is just they are fun games, normally, to play and they have a big backing from the previous games.

I don't just like FPSs, but they are fun.

 

[Archer]

Another interesting idea is that you can basically pick up and play a shooter. The practise curve is high, but most shooters work on the same principles. If you're a good shot, that carries across to other games. Having started on Counter Strike, I rarely find aiming a problem.

Another thing to look at is the downfall of Racing games. Many racers play differently, so the genre itself is broken up, which never helps. But most importantly, the online multiplayer aspect. Racing games, such as Need For Speed, were HUGE in the PS1/PS2 era, when shooters were less common. What changed? The move to online multiplayer. Racing games are best played with a friend right next to you, whereas it's fine to play a shooter over the net - it also allows many more players, which shooters need.

 

[A Pixy]

One popular game is made.

That game is called 'Halo: Combat Evolved'.

The game sells the console it was made for.

The console begins doing really well.

Other game companies want a piece of the pie.

A bajillion other companies.

Flooding.

Instability.

Chaos.

Destruction.

THE END OF THE UNIVERSE AS WE KNOW IT.

So yeah, I like some FPSs, but I don't like what they've done to the industry. D:

 

[iRyu]

I'm really big when it comes to RPG and FPS games. I love RPG's because of storyline mostly but also the feeling of being a high level and being over everyone under you. I like FPS's because when you get the smazing sniped nutshot or the perfect stick while jumping, you just feel awesome.

I think FPS games are doing really great right now because in Call of Duty, you don't have to be good at anything to be good at the game. For all those who are hardcore CoD, it's true. My older brother told me, those who are bad at halo are good at CoD, and those who are good at Halo, are awesome in CoD, it's true. Halo takes a lot of time to be able to be good at it, while call of duty is literally pick up and play.
Another thing is that when people go over to someone's house and plays an FPS for the first time, they get sucked into the action, then they go and buy it for themselves. It increases sales greatly until they hit a brickwall, but that hasn't happened yet.

 

[The 100 Mega Shock]

God what's with all these Doom clones on the market right now. I can't open a games magazine without looking at something like Heretic, Rise of the Triad, Dark Forces, Duke Nukem 3D or Chex Quest.

All these casual shooter games are ruining gaming as we know it.

 

[twocows]

Shooters have always been big with college students and middle-aged folk. Even in the 90s, Quake was pretty big, and Goldeneye in the late 90s, and UT and Halo and so on. As they're becoming more accessible, they're gaining bigger crowds. CoD:BO has far better controls than, say, Goldeneye did.

 

[moments.]

But also what Archer said about online multiplayer. I think shooters lend themselves best to online multiplayer, at least, better than other genres of game. This fairly recent influx of players playing online, not necessarily with people they know really compliments shooters and explains the general hype.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Shooters have always been big with college students and middle-aged folk. Even in the 90s, Quake was pretty big, and Goldeneye in the late 90s, and UT and Halo and so on. As they're becoming more accessible, they're gaining bigger crowds.[S-HIGHLIGHT] CoD:BO has far better controls than, say, Goldeneye did.[/S-HIGHLIGHT]

lololol i'll say. CoD only needs 2 hands and coordination; Goldeneye needed a full three.

OT: There are a bunch of reasons shooters are liked a lot. Firstly, they're pretty "hard core". I mean, guns. And grenades and weapons and gore. Yeah, pretty hardcore. Also in this, I guess, is how much action they have. Shooters are quite a bit more action-packed, because they're one of the kinds of games you cannot play at your own speed. Most RPGs allow you to slow down and think. Usually, such is not the case in shooters. In this society (which you could say has moved on), speed is everything. Instant gratification is the key. Why spend hours grinding to destroy a boss when you can just snipe without training?

Secondly, their multiplayer is probably the best of any genre. A tonne of people gunning at each other over the internet? Pretty interesting and exciting to some. You can't test your skills in RPG multiplayer, and puzzles are too short and limited. Action, however (shooters in particular) are perfect, where most people are pretty equal in what the game gives, and the rest is the player.

Personally, I don't like shooters (i'm too uncoordinated to play them, really), but I can see why others would. Fun, speed, excitement, all in a fast, brief package. Just like every other video game genre's popularity, it's all a matter of Your Mileage May Vary. In our fast society, it's everything. Uh! Bang! Smack! Wallop, Bing, Bong, Boom! Headshot!

Also, kudos to you if you got that references I made.

 

[Zeta Sukuna]

I see the troper made another post. A case of Your Mileage May Vary indeed, since I despise them due to my IMPOSSIBLE inability to play them. "But Zeta, they're so easy! How bad must you be to say they're impossible!?"

It took be TWO WEEKS to get past the FIRST ROOM on HALO 2 on EASY! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!? I fully admit, my dislike for these games is ENTIRELY based on the fact that I suck, but I still hate them. I can't even control the stage builder on 3, or whatever that is.

But this thread isn't about me sucking, is it? Why are shooters so popular? Because teenagers, and humans in general, are adrenaline junkies. Shooters provide adrenaline, why? How? I don't know, but even I felt a small rush as I was killed over and over again. People like adrenaline, it makes them feel good, so they do it. Shooters provide this, so they are hot sellers. Much like any other drug out there.

Why do I equate them to drugs you may ask? Well, a LARGE amount of people around here, when a new Shooter game comes around, or when they were grounded from video games for some reason, I swear, on my very own LIFE, that they all look like they've been deprived of their drug of choice. I didn't even know that could happen.

It confuses me, too.