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I expect everybody in the gaming industry knows all about hype as do most of us gamers. But is hype over games good or bad? Well it depends on the way that you look at it.
Is hype a bad thing? well, is can be. It can get gamers hyped up over a game that turns out to be utter tosh. A classic example could be Mission Impossible on the N64. Ok, so it wasn't really bad, but it was made out to be a Goldeneye beater, but when it finally came out, it didn't live up to the hype, and failed in comparison to Goldeneye.
Hype can also damage a games reputation. I mean, the game could be good, but not great, but the hype made it out to be great. This would make a game that would have been good seem pretty bad because of all of the hype.
Is hype a good thing? Hype can be good, in the same way that it can be bad. Hype can make gamers eager to buy a game and then as soon as it's out, gamers snap it up as soon as possible. Of course, this is a very good advantage of hype for games developers and publishers, as their games get sold and they make the money. For us gamers, it is only an advantage if the games lives up to the hype and turns out to be brilliant. Of course, the games don't always live up to the hype.
Who are the main culprits for hype: Magazines for one. Don't get me wrong, I like the current magazines, but they bring about unnecessary hype over games that could turn out to be crap.
It's not just magazines, internet sites do it aswell.
And what makes it worse, is that in most cases, we have bought the games before we read the review, and then realise that games didn't turn out to be what it was supposed to be.
I now tread carefully, and make sure I know more about the game before I but it, and the read the reviews. And the fact that, there are demos out there for you to play and look at helps to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you buy a game.
But the hype is still there.
So, what does everybody else think?
Is hype a bad thing? well, is can be. It can get gamers hyped up over a game that turns out to be utter tosh. A classic example could be Mission Impossible on the N64. Ok, so it wasn't really bad, but it was made out to be a Goldeneye beater, but when it finally came out, it didn't live up to the hype, and failed in comparison to Goldeneye.
Hype can also damage a games reputation. I mean, the game could be good, but not great, but the hype made it out to be great. This would make a game that would have been good seem pretty bad because of all of the hype.
Is hype a good thing? Hype can be good, in the same way that it can be bad. Hype can make gamers eager to buy a game and then as soon as it's out, gamers snap it up as soon as possible. Of course, this is a very good advantage of hype for games developers and publishers, as their games get sold and they make the money. For us gamers, it is only an advantage if the games lives up to the hype and turns out to be brilliant. Of course, the games don't always live up to the hype.
Who are the main culprits for hype: Magazines for one. Don't get me wrong, I like the current magazines, but they bring about unnecessary hype over games that could turn out to be crap.
It's not just magazines, internet sites do it aswell.
And what makes it worse, is that in most cases, we have bought the games before we read the review, and then realise that games didn't turn out to be what it was supposed to be.
I now tread carefully, and make sure I know more about the game before I but it, and the read the reviews. And the fact that, there are demos out there for you to play and look at helps to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you buy a game.
But the hype is still there.
So, what does everybody else think?
Page:
Well, I think that hype is never really good. If a game needs to be hyped then it must be lacking something to make it as good as it should be. If a game is said to be great and is great it's not really hype because it's factual and hype tends to suggest that it's false. When someone says that a game was hyped they often means that it wasn't as good as people were told it would be.
I read PC Gamer and it gives reviews, previews and scoops about various games but it never really says that any game will be the best game ever for sure absolutely. It has been known to say "If things keep going like they are we will have one of the best games of all time" which shows that the game may not turn out as it is intended but also shows the reader that it looks set to be a good game if things do go well. The reader is usually left with the feeling that it could be a great game but is not left so excited as to believe the game simply cannot fail and so the reader will not be disappointed if they later read that the game turned out to be worse than it was hoped it would be.
The main thing hype does though is modifies reception of a game, and practically always in the negative. If a game is hyped and turns out to be worse than hoped, then people will be very disappointed and even angry that they feel cheated. If the hyped game does turn out to be great, however, then people will just think that it's as good as it was meant to be and no better. This means that if the game had been unhyped and had turned out to be great then people would be seriously impressed and feel that they got more than they expected, which is always good.
Don't get me wrong though, the way I think of hype is that it is over the top publicity that makes promises that it may be unable to keep and is usually not based on fact, just hope or thoughts. I've got nothing against promoting games in any way (well some ways annoy me, but that's a different issue). The only bad thing is when a game is hyped to much and it can only be bad for everyone. The developers get stressed and pressured to perform, profits can go down if a game doesn't meet it's hype and of course the gamer will lose out if they are tricked into buying a game with false hopes of how good it will be.
I read PC Gamer and it gives reviews, previews and scoops about various games but it never really says that any game will be the best game ever for sure absolutely. It has been known to say "If things keep going like they are we will have one of the best games of all time" which shows that the game may not turn out as it is intended but also shows the reader that it looks set to be a good game if things do go well. The reader is usually left with the feeling that it could be a great game but is not left so excited as to believe the game simply cannot fail and so the reader will not be disappointed if they later read that the game turned out to be worse than it was hoped it would be.
The main thing hype does though is modifies reception of a game, and practically always in the negative. If a game is hyped and turns out to be worse than hoped, then people will be very disappointed and even angry that they feel cheated. If the hyped game does turn out to be great, however, then people will just think that it's as good as it was meant to be and no better. This means that if the game had been unhyped and had turned out to be great then people would be seriously impressed and feel that they got more than they expected, which is always good.
Don't get me wrong though, the way I think of hype is that it is over the top publicity that makes promises that it may be unable to keep and is usually not based on fact, just hope or thoughts. I've got nothing against promoting games in any way (well some ways annoy me, but that's a different issue). The only bad thing is when a game is hyped to much and it can only be bad for everyone. The developers get stressed and pressured to perform, profits can go down if a game doesn't meet it's hype and of course the gamer will lose out if they are tricked into buying a game with false hopes of how good it will be.
Worms, Pokemon, Smash Brothers, Goldeneye and Zelda 64.
These games hit me without any hype. Sure, they'd been hyped up but I hadn't bothered to listen. I actually played them and they made huge impacts, absorbing me to the game for months.
Perfect Dark, Worms 2, Mario 64 and Jet Force Gemini.
In the first 3 cases I had played the prequels and got hyped up over the magazine coverage. Jet Force Gemini was purely from magazine coverage.
I was so looking forward to it, my mind conjured up all sorts of things that the game couldn't possibly live up to. As a result, the games were brilliant but because of the hype I was expecting so much more.
Now I try to ignor most coverage. I don't think much of the Gamecube either. I didn't even think about Zelda Majoras mask and when it arrived, I was disappointed for the first half hour (I hated being the Deku Scrub) but after that, the game revealed itself more and I became completely absorbed.
Hype is important to grab the casual gamers. We should do our best to ignor it.
These games hit me without any hype. Sure, they'd been hyped up but I hadn't bothered to listen. I actually played them and they made huge impacts, absorbing me to the game for months.
Perfect Dark, Worms 2, Mario 64 and Jet Force Gemini.
In the first 3 cases I had played the prequels and got hyped up over the magazine coverage. Jet Force Gemini was purely from magazine coverage.
I was so looking forward to it, my mind conjured up all sorts of things that the game couldn't possibly live up to. As a result, the games were brilliant but because of the hype I was expecting so much more.
Now I try to ignor most coverage. I don't think much of the Gamecube either. I didn't even think about Zelda Majoras mask and when it arrived, I was disappointed for the first half hour (I hated being the Deku Scrub) but after that, the game revealed itself more and I became completely absorbed.
Hype is important to grab the casual gamers. We should do our best to ignor it.
Ooh, a tough one and a matter a lot of games developers and companies have to deal with every day!
I think, overall hype is a good thing. It makes gamers aware of the games release. It brings the game into 'play' so to speak, people will talk about it, rate it and maybe even buy it!
However, as you mentioned, hype can be bad... The Playstation 2 was hyped tremedously and because of this Sony were pressured into a quick release with a very poor launch-lineup.
It is definitely something that can work both ways, good or bad, hype has a big effect either way!
I suppose it differs. Hyping games doesn't have such a big effect although hyping games that MAKE the console (i.e MGS2) could be bad, especially so early on. But hyping games like Conkers Bad Fur Day which 'a success' or not wouldn't have had much effect on N64 sales or likewise.
Hyping consoles, I feel is bad and not too many people are hyping the Gamecube as much as they are its games. Rogue Leader and Star Fox Adventures are amongst the most hyped and in my opinion rightly so, although it is still early and little is know about the games storyline etc.
I suppose there are also different degrees of hype. There is TV advertising hype where you just make people aware, but then again there is OOT hype where news of the game can span two E3's and a Spaceworld! Very hard to say in my opinion. Good or Bad! No-one can say, it's like predicting the future of gaming - almost pointless, you can't tell until after the release.
Game
I think, overall hype is a good thing. It makes gamers aware of the games release. It brings the game into 'play' so to speak, people will talk about it, rate it and maybe even buy it!
However, as you mentioned, hype can be bad... The Playstation 2 was hyped tremedously and because of this Sony were pressured into a quick release with a very poor launch-lineup.
It is definitely something that can work both ways, good or bad, hype has a big effect either way!
I suppose it differs. Hyping games doesn't have such a big effect although hyping games that MAKE the console (i.e MGS2) could be bad, especially so early on. But hyping games like Conkers Bad Fur Day which 'a success' or not wouldn't have had much effect on N64 sales or likewise.
Hyping consoles, I feel is bad and not too many people are hyping the Gamecube as much as they are its games. Rogue Leader and Star Fox Adventures are amongst the most hyped and in my opinion rightly so, although it is still early and little is know about the games storyline etc.
I suppose there are also different degrees of hype. There is TV advertising hype where you just make people aware, but then again there is OOT hype where news of the game can span two E3's and a Spaceworld! Very hard to say in my opinion. Good or Bad! No-one can say, it's like predicting the future of gaming - almost pointless, you can't tell until after the release.
Game
Well written but been done so many times!
I expect everybody in the gaming industry knows all about hype as do most of us gamers. But is hype over games good or bad? Well it depends on the way that you look at it.
Is hype a bad thing? well, is can be. It can get gamers hyped up over a game that turns out to be utter tosh. A classic example could be Mission Impossible on the N64. Ok, so it wasn't really bad, but it was made out to be a Goldeneye beater, but when it finally came out, it didn't live up to the hype, and failed in comparison to Goldeneye.
Hype can also damage a games reputation. I mean, the game could be good, but not great, but the hype made it out to be great. This would make a game that would have been good seem pretty bad because of all of the hype.
Is hype a good thing? Hype can be good, in the same way that it can be bad. Hype can make gamers eager to buy a game and then as soon as it's out, gamers snap it up as soon as possible. Of course, this is a very good advantage of hype for games developers and publishers, as their games get sold and they make the money. For us gamers, it is only an advantage if the games lives up to the hype and turns out to be brilliant. Of course, the games don't always live up to the hype.
Who are the main culprits for hype: Magazines for one. Don't get me wrong, I like the current magazines, but they bring about unnecessary hype over games that could turn out to be crap.
It's not just magazines, internet sites do it aswell.
And what makes it worse, is that in most cases, we have bought the games before we read the review, and then realise that games didn't turn out to be what it was supposed to be.
I now tread carefully, and make sure I know more about the game before I but it, and the read the reviews. And the fact that, there are demos out there for you to play and look at helps to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you buy a game.
But the hype is still there.
So, what does everybody else think?
Is hype a bad thing? well, is can be. It can get gamers hyped up over a game that turns out to be utter tosh. A classic example could be Mission Impossible on the N64. Ok, so it wasn't really bad, but it was made out to be a Goldeneye beater, but when it finally came out, it didn't live up to the hype, and failed in comparison to Goldeneye.
Hype can also damage a games reputation. I mean, the game could be good, but not great, but the hype made it out to be great. This would make a game that would have been good seem pretty bad because of all of the hype.
Is hype a good thing? Hype can be good, in the same way that it can be bad. Hype can make gamers eager to buy a game and then as soon as it's out, gamers snap it up as soon as possible. Of course, this is a very good advantage of hype for games developers and publishers, as their games get sold and they make the money. For us gamers, it is only an advantage if the games lives up to the hype and turns out to be brilliant. Of course, the games don't always live up to the hype.
Who are the main culprits for hype: Magazines for one. Don't get me wrong, I like the current magazines, but they bring about unnecessary hype over games that could turn out to be crap.
It's not just magazines, internet sites do it aswell.
And what makes it worse, is that in most cases, we have bought the games before we read the review, and then realise that games didn't turn out to be what it was supposed to be.
I now tread carefully, and make sure I know more about the game before I but it, and the read the reviews. And the fact that, there are demos out there for you to play and look at helps to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you buy a game.
But the hype is still there.
So, what does everybody else think?
Page: