Alright, so. I normally don't make these sort of subject threads, I just infrequently make threads about stupid gaming toys and squid hologram concerts. But this has sort of been a thing that's bothering me, and the recent reaction towards the P5R teaser trailer unexpectedly spiked up this sentiment. But this isn't gonna really be about P5R itself, so stick with me.
Let's review something here. The act of portbegging is, commonly speaking, complaining that a game isn't slated for release on a platform of preference in a thread that announces either its existence or further info, especially for a game like Bayonetta 3 or the Castlevania Requiem collection, where the info of their current exclusivity and reasoning have been incredibly clear. WHY ISN'T THIS ON SWITCH IT'S PERFECT FOR IT. THEY SHOULD ALSO PORTING THIS TO XBOX ONE IT'S SO EASY. I WISH THIS WAS ON PS4... It's whiny, it adds nothing to the relevant topic at hand and can derail discussion, it's also based on feelings and no one needs to know that we feel.
Speculation of platforms is a different beast, where limited amount of information is given, and questioning whether or not a product can be or would be launched on any platform is ideally theoretically objective but still very much subjective to understanding. P5R's teaser had almost nothing to go on, but in their actual website the trailer started off with a Playstation logo, inferring that the trailer on their website was for Playstation. Why this teaser is being presented the way it is, with the specific PS Logo version not being used in the broadcast (but only available on their website), and the implications of more platforms announced in March is worth a discussion.
For the past few years, third party "exclusivity" and selectiveness has gotten a lot more prominent. And now more than ever people have been questioning why some titles remain only on some platforms when financially speaking there's a lot more benefit of releasing on every platform they can. And there are incredibly feasible reasons why they are not releasing on every platform (budget and scale, demographics, additional financial benefits, partnerships, timing, philosophical loyalties). But more than a few games have been discussed here and elsewhere on about where they release on and why they do not release elsewhere and if they'll ever be released elsewhere; Bayonetta, Persona, Yakuza, Shin Megami Tensei (Is this like, a Sega/Atlus thing?), and others. And this is where it all gets messy. More often than not, I've seen a lot of actual speculation get mixed up for genuine port-begging, and then people retaliate either by reveling that a speculation is obviously wrong or just shutting out the posts in general as port-begging. Keep in mind, people do genuinely port-beg, that is not uncommon. But in the mission to snuff out all port-begging, to prop up the console that "rightly won" the privilege to get this game, discussion and courtesy get tossed out. I will admit, I have indulged into that particular nonsense (Bayo3 speculation by far, Castlevania only just got me), but since then I've learned to hold my tongue from just outright bashing people having a discussion about possible platforms for games. Speaking of Bayo 3, that's leads into the final bit.
Because of the reaction to speculation discussions on Bayonetta 3 months back (even extending all the way back to Bayo 2), because of the reaction to the P5R teaser very recently, or because any other of these scenarios for different games, I've been thinking that a lot of this is from all the underlying console war attitudes that been given rise for the last few years, particularly between Sony and Nintendo (because Playstation "gets almost everything" and Nintendo "gets absolutely nothing", with Microsoft just happy to be there). Shutting out the topic that there's a remote possibility that a series that has been traditionally on a single platform would go for another based on the amount of context given to us does not shut out port-begging, it just shuts out a valid discussion because some people do not want to entertain the fact that they possibly have to share their spoils, and this is unneeded. Likewise, calling someone stupid or otherwise insulting people for entertaining the speculation that there could be additional platforms after an initial reveal or release when the info can point to it is uncalled for. There has to be more thought into considering what constitutes as port-begging and just honest to god speculation, not fueled by any sort of platform loyalty.
Is this a problem only I am bothering to talk about, am I the only one seeing things? What do you think?
Let's review something here. The act of portbegging is, commonly speaking, complaining that a game isn't slated for release on a platform of preference in a thread that announces either its existence or further info, especially for a game like Bayonetta 3 or the Castlevania Requiem collection, where the info of their current exclusivity and reasoning have been incredibly clear. WHY ISN'T THIS ON SWITCH IT'S PERFECT FOR IT. THEY SHOULD ALSO PORTING THIS TO XBOX ONE IT'S SO EASY. I WISH THIS WAS ON PS4... It's whiny, it adds nothing to the relevant topic at hand and can derail discussion, it's also based on feelings and no one needs to know that we feel.
Speculation of platforms is a different beast, where limited amount of information is given, and questioning whether or not a product can be or would be launched on any platform is ideally theoretically objective but still very much subjective to understanding. P5R's teaser had almost nothing to go on, but in their actual website the trailer started off with a Playstation logo, inferring that the trailer on their website was for Playstation. Why this teaser is being presented the way it is, with the specific PS Logo version not being used in the broadcast (but only available on their website), and the implications of more platforms announced in March is worth a discussion.
For the past few years, third party "exclusivity" and selectiveness has gotten a lot more prominent. And now more than ever people have been questioning why some titles remain only on some platforms when financially speaking there's a lot more benefit of releasing on every platform they can. And there are incredibly feasible reasons why they are not releasing on every platform (budget and scale, demographics, additional financial benefits, partnerships, timing, philosophical loyalties). But more than a few games have been discussed here and elsewhere on about where they release on and why they do not release elsewhere and if they'll ever be released elsewhere; Bayonetta, Persona, Yakuza, Shin Megami Tensei (Is this like, a Sega/Atlus thing?), and others. And this is where it all gets messy. More often than not, I've seen a lot of actual speculation get mixed up for genuine port-begging, and then people retaliate either by reveling that a speculation is obviously wrong or just shutting out the posts in general as port-begging. Keep in mind, people do genuinely port-beg, that is not uncommon. But in the mission to snuff out all port-begging, to prop up the console that "rightly won" the privilege to get this game, discussion and courtesy get tossed out. I will admit, I have indulged into that particular nonsense (Bayo3 speculation by far, Castlevania only just got me), but since then I've learned to hold my tongue from just outright bashing people having a discussion about possible platforms for games. Speaking of Bayo 3, that's leads into the final bit.
Because of the reaction to speculation discussions on Bayonetta 3 months back (even extending all the way back to Bayo 2), because of the reaction to the P5R teaser very recently, or because any other of these scenarios for different games, I've been thinking that a lot of this is from all the underlying console war attitudes that been given rise for the last few years, particularly between Sony and Nintendo (because Playstation "gets almost everything" and Nintendo "gets absolutely nothing", with Microsoft just happy to be there). Shutting out the topic that there's a remote possibility that a series that has been traditionally on a single platform would go for another based on the amount of context given to us does not shut out port-begging, it just shuts out a valid discussion because some people do not want to entertain the fact that they possibly have to share their spoils, and this is unneeded. Likewise, calling someone stupid or otherwise insulting people for entertaining the speculation that there could be additional platforms after an initial reveal or release when the info can point to it is uncalled for. There has to be more thought into considering what constitutes as port-begging and just honest to god speculation, not fueled by any sort of platform loyalty.
Is this a problem only I am bothering to talk about, am I the only one seeing things? What do you think?
