Attention All REAL Gamers…

Okay everyone.  Seriously.  I hate strategy guides.

I understand that video game retailers are just trying to make money, but not many people understand this.  For the last decade, every time I’ve tried to go into a video game store, and buy a game, I’ve had to listen to the person behind the counter try to sell me all kinds of things… from subscriptions to magazines, enrollment in their programs and mailing lists, to cheaply made merchandise and finally, the real money-makers… strategy guides.

What is the freaking point of sitting down to a video game if there is no challenge?  What accomplishment is there to be had when there’s no surprises to be had?  Why do people feel the need to have some kind of false accomplishment by “beating” video games after being told precisely how to do so?

On The Other Hand…

Look, if you honestly enjoy playing a game with a strategy guide at your disposal, then who I am to blame?  We all get different levels of satisfaction from video games, and some of us see video games as a means to an end.  They don’t see any point in playing the game unless they beat it.  Personally, I don’t understand why someone would spend their time playing a game, when they’re going to have their hand held the entire way, but to each their own.

If you fall into this category, then I ask you why?  If the only reason you’re playing a game is to beat it, then why don’t you apply that same energy towards completing something that actually matters?  Maybe you could start a business or a hobby.  Maybe you could buy a “Strategy Guide” for working out, and actually reap some benefits from you ability to read something out of a book, and follow suit like a trained seal.

The Game Industry Sold Out!

Video games should be played for their enjoyment.  It’s one thing if you enjoy completing every game that you can get your hands on.  Personally, I don’t understand that line of thinking, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.  The people I’m referring to are the ones who follow the strategy guides from the very beginning, never even trying to figure anything out on their own, and get angry if the game presents any sort of actual challenge whatsoever.

These people are the ones who have ruined gaming, and have caused the companies to tame down their products.  Do you remember the video games from the 1980′s and early 1990′s?  Those games were generally pretty damn difficult.  Defeating a game back then was a genuine accomplishment.  Then what happened?  All the people that had to listen to these ACTUAL gamers boast about their accomplishments got jealous, and wanted to be able to beat video games to.  So in order to keep these faux gamers coming back with their wallets, the game companies sold out and started making their games MUCH easier.  Now, anyone can beat a game, and be able to brag about it.  And what’s more, there’s money to be made off of these lame gamers.

Finally…

And one last thing that sucks about Strategy Guides.  A lot of times, they are based off of a pre-release version of the game, in order to be released simultaneously with the game.  To do this, they must go to print several weeks before release date, and this is after the writing, testing, graphic design, and proof-reading that goes with any book project.  There have been many times where strategy guides have included wrong information about games, but that doesn’t seem to affect their price, or it doesn’t seem to deter the new-age sheep gamers who will buy whatever the sly salesmen tell them to.

So I’ll just stick with the bulk of my pre-millennium video games… back before the game industry sold out!