Microsoft and a double fine for the end of Git Gud

Before the weekend, Microsoft’s Xbox Twitter account sent a surprisingly important tweet: “Beating the game with the lowest difficulty is still beating the game.” This was then followed by Double Fine who added that the completion Psychonauts 2 with the “invincibility switch” still counts as a victory. Which is pretty much the most refreshing thing I’ve seen coming out of the game in forever.

It was probably around four years ago that one of the game’s most boring and festering corners was at its peak. The “Git Gud” mob furiously monitored the internet, looking for any signs of the game’s weakness, and quickly punished it with heinous stacks and personal abuse. As Dark Souls III was in its prime, and all other games were trying to follow in FromSoftware’s wake, Cup head, and we got into a perfect gamer douchebaggery storm.

I have experienced the downright baffling force of this fury time and time again, but never more than when I published an article on mirth. Kotaku tribute site Rock Paper Shotgun. One-button call allowing players to skip boss fights, this rather innocent suggestion that an entire game should be accessible to those who bought it came across all kinds of suggestions on how I should kill myself, how I was proof of journalism’s demise. games, and of course how I have to “git gud”. In other words, it was a coordinated torrent of panic from scared little boys whose only source of pride was to be threatened by my suggestion.

It’s quite extraordinary that just four years later I read Xbox denigrating this attitude that nightmarish difficulty is the only acceptable way to play, finally (and therefore very late) to take a stand against the attitudes of Git Gud which poison this hobby. It’s even better to see individual developers joining us, taking the same stance. While to you or me it may seem completely innocuous to read Double Fine saying finish Psychonauts 2 with what is essentially a “cheat” enabled still counting as ending the game, it’s really hard to say how controversial and controversial this position is on the internet.

They continue, mocking the previously louder and more prevalent attitude. “Uh, excuse me, I beat Sword Guy Serious Time on no-hit mode and if I didn’t I don’t respect you.” and like, can you even comment on things if you’re not diamond rank six in shooty mcBlam? I don’t think so. ‘”They tease, concluding,” cool bud. you are so cool! ” Then a little more wisely spell itt,

“Everyone should be able to enjoy the games. All ages, all possible needs. It is an ongoing and important process for our industry and a challenge we must overcome. [sic]

“End of the day? We want you to have fun, to laugh, to have a story that touches you. On any terms you want.

Amen. I mean, it would’ve been nice to hear those voices half a decade ago, but thank goodness we hear them now.

Of course, the two sets of tweets sparked all kinds of fury. “Going to school while sleeping during class is always going to school,” quotes a poster on Twitter, failing to understand the difference between participating differently and not participating at all. A podcast with 6 subscribers explains: “Whether played on screen or in real life, a lot of the games are about getting better or being part of a team,” which is the most popular prospect. impressive not being able to see outside. Others obviously go for the more nuanced stance of using homophobic slurs, but my favorite is the one that starts with “tangibly and provably” before telling game developers how games are developed.

Any objection to the idea that ending games by any means is acceptable can only be rooted in a desire to exclude others. Just a picosecond of reflection brings any reasonable human being to the point of recognizing that not all people who play games might be as able-bodied as they are. Additional thinking time might allow others to draw conclusions such as: “How someone else plays this single player game in their own home may not have any impact on my experience” and how he would be disturbed to think otherwise.

The only reason to keep the game going via this uncompromising attitude to difficulty is to protect the more fragile egos, which are only supported by the belief that gambling skills provide the individual with superiority over others. The lack of insight to realize this, while raging so feverishly about it in public, is quite peculiar.

There is still work to be done, of course. It depresses me that Xbox and Double Fine have chosen to use the term “beat the game” rather than “finish it” or “finish it”. Whenever I read or hear someone say how they “beat the game,” I can’t help but imagine they finish watching a philosophical film with subtitles on Netflix and then throw their arms up. ‘air, howling all around him! “

Either way, the good news is Psychonauts 2 will come with an option to make you invincible, in case you hit a level or a boss fight that proves too hard to pass. And amazingly, for anyone who doesn’t believe it has a right to exist, they can just… not use it!