Thursday, February 3, 2011

Airsoft or Paintball video game?

There's a big problem with today's video games in general. What are the benefits of a game system like XBox 360 or PS3?  Over say a nice middle-of-the-line PC?  You can use your TV instead of a monitor....  You can use an easy to use controller instead of a keyboard/mouse.  You can play with a friend at the same time cooperatively or competitively.   Here's the fundamental problem with today's games!

How many games are released today that actually support multiple-player activity?  Not many sadly. Particularly on systems like the PS3 and XBox 360, where many of the games are made for single-player use or via multiplayer online only.  Really?  How many people out there like to sit down by yourself and play a game four hours on end?  Not me!  I do like the rare RPG game and will play those solo, but for the most part, when it comes to action games, particularly shooters, I like to play with a friend.

This brings me to the next question.... is it possible that people will not be playing these games because they don't like to see people exploding and the other people in the game swearing up a storm?  How many shooters are rated E10?   The answer? Two.  One is Greg Hastings Paintball 2, which has some decent reviews, but as a shooter game it favors more the aspects of paintball than the military simulation shooters that are popular. I've been reading reviews all over the net and a popular comment is "Why would anyone want to play a simulation of a simulation?"  Well, my comment to those people is why would anyone want to experience real war?  The truth is that most of those people who are playing these games have never experienced real war, death or watched a buddy get dismembered by a string of hostile fire.  Truthfully neither have I, but really, why would people come enmasse to watch and participate in such brutality for fun's sake?

I'll tell you.... it's because games like this are addicting, it's fun to hunt the most sophisticated and strategic animal out there... the human race. It's fun to see if you can do it better than the other guy.  So from the point of view of myself, I wonder why you can't take a traditional shooter game and turn off the heavy violence? Why can't you turn off the swearing by the NPC / bots?  Why doesn't someone make an airsoft variant - where you start the game with a small amount of in-game cash, a basic rifle or pistol and as you proceed through the game, you acquire more in-game cash and upgrade weapons, get better equipment, unlock new locations.  All of the overall mechanics are still in the game, but instead of watching an opponent's head explode and see the bystanders screaming in terror, the guy simply puts his rifle up and walks off the course.

The other advantage to a game such as this is that the game companies would draw in a much younger audience. I know there are a lot of kids playing COD4 and Black Ops, but should they be?  NO WAY! They want to play the game to do the hunt, but exposing young children to this level of violence is not healthy in any way, shape, or form. In addition, you're introducing them to a whole level of violent opponents that are mostly older men.  I'm not sure that's safe from a parent's point of view.

Will someone over at Ubi please develop a Rainbow Six-type game with Airsoft as the basis, using current Airsoft guns, upgrades and courses?  I guarantee there would be a big audience. Rate it E or E10 and see where the wide audience comes from. Perhaps market it to Christian organizations and those who would otherwise stay well-away from your types of products. This could be something fun for everyone.