In recent years, the popularity of RPG's (Role Playing Games) have risen to a mainstream standard amongst gamers as the "pinnacle" experience in gaming. Now, RPG's have existed for a long time, since the days of Dungeons and Dragons from the 80's, and would later migrate into video games through text based computer games like ZORK. Since then, games have become more elaborate with their ability to let the player choose his or her destiny through their decisions, relationships, and other worldly actions. The Elder Scrolls series by Bethesda has been the center piece of this genre for the past few years now with their hit games such as Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. These games are a great departure from linear based, single player experiences, where the plot, and set pieces are unfolded before you in a scripted fashion. In modern RPG's however, the game's story and plot unfold when you want it to. Though the ending results for the most part are the same, how you arrive to that destination is for you to decide, which brings up the current issue.
Amongst these great RPG's, another game stands out for it's sophisticated ability to let player's make decisions and choose conversational paths, which dictate your character, the world as a whole, and even the plot (to some extent). That game is Mass Effect. Since it's release on Xbox 360 in 2007, Mass Effect has been acclaimed as one of the richest RPG experiences in gaming. Though criticized for it's rough combat mechanics, the game's story, and ability to let the player decide the demeanor of their character is unprecedented. The release of Mass Effect 2 in 2010 marked another great achievement in the games on going franchise. Winning countless game of the year awards, and best RPG at E3 2010, Mass Effect 2 was a juggernaut of a success. This game had the experience gamers loved and wanted out of a AAA title.
In March 2012 however, things began to change for Mass Effect 3. With the game's huge marketing campaign, with the hype to back it up, Mass Effect 3 was intended to be the ultimate RPG, action, sci-fi, soap-opera experience since sliced bread (if sliced bread was any of those things). For the most part upon it's release, Mass Effect 3 received high scores from critics of the likes of G4, IGN, and GameSpot. It was stated that the game ended the franchise on a good note. That was not the case for the rest of the gaming community. Interestingly enough, fans were outraged, angered, infuriated, and other descriptive words of distress in regards to the games ending. It was that they either didn't get the ending that they wanted (because there are suppose to be various endings based on the decisions you made and carried over from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and 3) or it was indeed just underwhelming. Demands for a new ending have swamped over the internet, to the point where BioWare and EA are telling disgruntled gamers to direct their complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (government organization designed for consumer protection). Players felt that the games ending fell shot of what it had promised and built up to since it's release in 2007.
As successful a game Mass Effect 3 is, it's surprising to see such a movement being developed amongst the fanatic community (who essentially hate the games ending) be so motivated to have the ending be changed. There have been some disappointing endings in many games, but most of those games follow a linear structure, and were made to end that way because the game demanded it. RPG's like Mass Effect 3 are dictated mainly be the player's choice, therefore the game needs to be able to facilitate that players particular experience. Now, the game overall follows a straight forward story. Everyone's beginning of Mass Effect is the same, meaning shouldn't the ending be the same as well? The game isn't so sophisticated to where there are great differences in the endings that suit that particular players path, only slight variances are noticable. I can see the frustration, but I digress.
I just hate seeing people turn on a game that gave them so much to love. It's the Star Wars Prequel argument all over again. "They turned against me" "It's ruined" "George Lucas Raped my childhood!" (not involved with Mass Effect). BUT IT'S ALL THE SAME! People, gamers, and society alike has become incredibly demanding. People act as if they deserve the best, because they think they've already experienced the best there is, when in fact they have no clue. Over time people have become desensitized of what is entertaining and fun mixed up with whats artistic, and high quality. They want the blend of everything and nothing elese. They have been given everything, and refuse to accept anything that isn't everything.
WHOA...I'll tone it back (had to get it out). But in all seriousness, games have become a beautiful and accepted artform. It might not be excessively graceful, but it allows people to create experiences outside of their actual lives in a visceral way. Games like Skyrim, Mass Effect, and Fallout allow you to execute your objective any way you want. Grand Theft Auto gives you the choice to be a bad guy, or a good bad guy ( I feel that there is a difference in there somewhere), and have an approach to a situation that can have an ending result in which ranges from good, to bad, to catastrophic.
Simply put, enjoy the choices given to you in games, but try not to take them for granted. If you can get extremely worked up over something as petty as a video game's ending, then whose to say that you cant get worked up over something else. This goes for everything from movies, to music, to TV shows. People can't enjoy anything anymore. If I could prove it with numbers, figures and graphs I would say it's a fact. Just talk to somebody, ask them what they thought of the last Star Wars, or the latest Gears of War, or Skyrim, or episode of Big Bang Theory. Chances are they'll have something negative to say, and a really cynical person will have TONS of negative things to say. This doesn't mean that they're wrong, but if they're "nit-picky" then yeah, they just cant like anything designed to bring joy. Stay true folks.
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