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DArtagnan
Guest
I pretty much agree with almost anything you post here to an extent where I don't feel I have to write something myself.
And you're right on this one to an extent.
You sound quite reasonable
You can look at games as art or products of technical skill and knowledge.
Of course, as art, they might be worthless to you or me and that's fine. But anyone can create art, it's totally subjective and who are we to say what's art to begin with.
Not anyone can create games. Objectively, it takes huge skill, persistence and time to produce something as Risen. And if the final product meets technical standards of quality (bugfree and optimized) you cannot just dismiss its value.
It's a product of technical knowledge and as such it holds value regardless of what your feelings of it might be.
You can say "Mercedes cars suck" but to say they're worthless cause you think they suck is stupid.
First of all, I don't think it has anything to do with what skill it takes.
Developers are usually paid for their work before the game is released, because otherwise they wouldn't be able to sustain themselves. In fact, they're typically paid normal wages throughout development - and the sales have no influence on that in many cases.
Now, if a game is released - it can either be worth its price or not. That's something entirely subjective and it has NOTHING to do with the effort or skill it has taken to create.
I don't go around "rewarding" people for their hard work, if I don't attribute value to what they're doing. ESPECIALLY not if they're ALREADY paid for their hard work.
Nor would I, ever, expect to be paid for my work by people who found no value in it.
I didn't tell PB to make a game, nor do I feel entitled to anything from them. They chose to be developers - and I'm sure they're very happy and proud of their work. If people don't think their games are any good - then they should probably stop making games. However, it seems most people DO think their games are good - and so they can go on making games.
I also don't go around handing out money on the street to working people, even though I'm sure there are MANY of them who're working hard every day. They're not entitled to extra money and developers are definitely not more "worthy" of hand-outs, just because they're making games. Hard work is hard work - no matter what the hell you're doing. What matters is what you produce and what that does for people.
If someone doesn't think Risen was a good game, and if that someone openly says he doesn't think it's worth much money - then that's his opinion about the value of the product. Nothing more.
It's not some kind of objective truth about what the game would be worth to every single person in the world, and reacting as if it was - is a mistake. This is the mistake I'm pointing out.
It's painfully simple, really.
Oh, and I can reveal that the value of a Mercedes - in my opinion - is CONSIDERABLY less than the price they're charging for it. To me, a car is about getting from A to B in a reasonably fast, comfortable, and safe way - and my own car can do that just fine. It's VERY cheap compared to a Mercedes, by the way.
What it actually takes to make a Mercedes, and what other people think it's worth - is something I have absolutely no interest in. It has nothing to do with me, and what I want from a car.
To sum up: nothing is objectively valuable. Not fine art, not expensive cars, not love, not sex, not anything.
There's nothing you can say that will touch that, and you should know - being so reasonable
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