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Editor's note: I love Michael's initiative in creating a writing prompt for the community, and I love that so many of you responded. Here, Michael collects all of the On the Contrary posts from the Bitmob community in one tidy package. Read them all and join the debate! -Brett
Last month, I asked the Bitmob community to participate in a writing challenge called "On the Contrary" that I concocted based on my college experiences. The goal was to take an issue that you feel strongly about and explore it from both sides in order to understand it more fully. I asked, and you guys delivered.
The entries I received for On the Contrary covered a wide range of topics, from unlockable content, to episodic gaming, to the length of today's new releases. The level of response to this challenge really surprised me, and I want to thank you guys for participating.
With that out of the way, on to the submissions!
On the Contrary: Video Games Need to be Longer
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On the Contrary: Video Games Need to be Shorter
By Chas Guidry
In his first piece, Chas discusses longer games supported with DLC and other meaningful reasons to keep coming back as ways for us to find a reprieve for our slim wallets. For the flip side, he suggests shorter, cheaper games with shorter development times as an equally sound solution. Which do you think is the way to go?
On the Contrary: Why Game Reviews Don't Need Scores
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On the Contrary: Why Game Reviews Need Scores
By Michael Rousseau
In these two pieces, I explore the importance of game review scores. On one hand, they take focus away from the hard work of game reviewers. On the other hand, they allow readers to quickly determine if a game is worth their time. What score would you give game review scores?
On the Contrary: Are Achievements an Achievement?
By Kevin John Frank
Kevin tackles the issue of achievements and how they affect the way we play games, bucking the supplied On the Contrary format entirely in lieu of something more...exploratory. What do you guys think: dare to achieve, or ignore the score?
On the Contrary: Unlockable Content Is Pointless
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On the Contrary: Unlockable Content Rocks!
By Christopher Quach
For his submission, Christopher hits us with a one-two combo, questioning the wisdom of locking content away from gamers. First, he laments the existence of locked content from the casual gamer's perspective, then follows that up with praise for the drive to succeed that locked content can provide. I still can't decide whether I prefer the thrill of success or having all of my content unlocked, cocked, and ready to rock. What about you?
On the Contrary: Episodic Gaming Is a Success
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On the Contrary: Episodic Gaming Is a Failure
By Andrew Hiscock
Andrew's discourse opens with a list of titles that prove that episodic gaming has been a resounding success over the last two years. For the riposte, he reminds us of a slew of episodic initiatives that have yet to fulfill their intended runs. What say you? Do episodic releases come at a steady rate, or are you left playing reruns between installments?
On the Contrary: We Need Shorter Games
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On the Contrary: We Need Longer Games
By Suriel Vazquez
The daily grind that most of us adults slog through every day is enough; why should we have to grind through our games? That's exactly the stance Suriel takes with his first piece, in which he decries the artificial length of most of today's games. He posits in his second piece that, with money being so tight, perhaps longer games would allow us to get more out of our $60 purchases. What's more important to you: the satisfaction of completion, or a longer journey?
On the Contrary: Modern Warfare 2's Takedown Is Horrible
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On the Contrary: Modern Warfare 2's Takedown Is Brilliant
By Matt Giguere
Matt really surprised me with his entries, choosing to focus his lens on a specific level of a single game instead of an overarching aspect of game design. What's more, he didn't even choose the level that most people love to pontificate about! For those of you that have played through Takedown, what's your stance? Is Takedown the epitome of poor game design, or is it the player's fault for not understanding the nuanced experience that Infinity Ward is offering?
On the Contrary: Women's Tournaments Can Bring More Diversity to Pro Gaming
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On the Contrary: Women's Tournaments Are Unnecessary and Condescending
By Chris Hoadley
I have to hand it to Chris. I wouldn't have the guts to write one piece -- let alone two -- about the plight of female gamers, due to the backlash male writers often receive for their efforts. First, he champions all-girl game tournaments as a step in the right direction for gamer equality. He follows it up by suggesting that girl gamers don't need more attention drawn to them and that all-girl game tournaments just amplify the divide. Do you think that segmenting girls off in their own brackets gives them a chance to shine or relegates them to damsels in distress?
On the Contrary: Good God Y'All
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On the Contrary: Whatever Gets You thru the Night
By Ryan Good
What is war good for? Ryan explores this question with a look at how violent games dominate the market. He opens with a mournful tale of the futility of trying to fight violent games. His counter focuses on the amount of choice that gamers have, with violent games sharing shelf space with more family-friendly titles. Do we have too many violent games cluttering our shelves, or is the balance just right?
On the Contrary: The Xbox Live Indie Games Channel Benefits Indie Developers
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On the Contrary: Microsoft Needs to Combine Xbox Live Indie Games with the Arcade
By Jeffrey Michael Grubb
The latest indie darlings often get overlooked in the wake of bigger, higher-profile game releases. Jeffrey posits that merging the Xbox Live Indie Games channel with Xbox Live Arcade would only further the divide, resulting in a lack of perceived value and the clunkiest menus this side of a Japanese Denny's. However, a marriage of Indie and Arcade could also serve as a show of good faith in the initiative and fair grounds for competition between corporations and basement coders. In the end, do we want to see our homebrew blends sitting next to Maxwell House?
Again, my thanks to everyone who participated. If I missed your entries, please let me know, and I'll add them to the roundup. I hope everyone who participated found the experience worthwhile.
