Now I'm not here to talk about what's wrong with the game industry, if games are too dumbed-down for a wider market, or what not. Recently I've been coming across a lot of threads over the whole Dark Souls 2 matter. I've seen how polarizing the issue has been. The issue being what would be so wrong with adding an easy mode, and even though I agree with guys like Jim Sterling (games should be available for everyone), I also believe that games - or the developers themselves - have the right to make a game any way they please.
It would be fair if everyone could enjoy Dark Souls: this is true. But that wasn't why Dark Souls was made in the first place. It isn't about fairness, it's about what the product advertises you'll be getting if you decide to buy it. If the game was nothing but 10 hours of flashing lights made to induce a seizure (no characters, no level, just 10 hours of flashing lights). If that was what was advertised, then you were paying for what you got.
Jim Sterling argument in his vid Dumbing Down for the Filthy Casuals was that when you pay for a full product, you deserve to experience the full content. He made this argument, then went on to bash on elitism.
Now, I know how most people feel about elitism. One of my uglier experiences with it was this one time a World of Warcraft Alliance playing (from a top guild all decked out in legendary gear) decide to fuck with my Horde alt on a PvP server and gank him repeatedly while I was trying to quest, then went to /point, /lol, /spit, /flex over my corpse to try and really stick it to me.
(I was harassed by a higher level player - for anyone that doesn't understand the MMo lingo)
Yeah I know, players... people in general can be fucking assholes, what a shocker! But elitism isn't all about being major dicks and harassing the weak.
If a developer decides to make a game for these people, and nothing but these people. Who is to say that's wrong?
Jim Sterling is wrong, you pay for what's advertised, not for what you think you deserve or you think would be fair.
Now, when I bought Dark Souls. Form the way it was advertised I felt like a game for elitist, and that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted that sense of elitism, that if I was able to beat this game, I would be the top 5% that probably did so. I wanted a game that was probably going to break other players, break ME! And was going to discriminate everyone else. And for what I payed for, I got exactly that.
Boo, hiss, snare all you want. It is what it is... and really... there's nothing wrong about it. I mean we all want something like that now and then. We want a game that's not going to cut corners and give other people a break. We want elitism, because we know that's the only way we're really ever going to experience something as rewarding as this. That's how real society works. You want to job and high pay, you better be better than your competition, you better be one of the elite. Sure games are usually meant to stray away from that harshness and give us fantasy, but - I guess - this is what you'd call "dark fantasy."
(excuse my corniness) :P
Anyways, I don't know nothing about Dark Souls 2. If it ends up having an easy mode -for me and a lot of other gamers - it just won't be the same.
:/