Community Pressure in Games for Good and Ill

During a return to Souls PvP I got some hate mail about weapon choices I'd made . As a result I'm reflecting on community pressure gone good and bad.

You’re a Scrub, Newb

I’ve isolated myself from external conversation about Dark Souls III. In getting back into the PvP scene, though, I’ve received a bit of hate mail concerning my weapon choices. As a result, I’m reflecting on the positives and negatives of community pressure.

Listening to community sentiment can make you a better player. It gives you insight on what to look out for or what to adjust in your play style. It can also push you to try new things. Back in the days of Street Fighter II, I started as a Chun Li player. Chun Li’s move weren’t the most difficult to execute and she had some abilities that were easily abused. After receiving grief from opponents I started building up chops with Ken, whom I ultimately used as my main.

If people hadn’t pressured me out of my comfort zone I might still be stuck in a rut. I talk about similar experiences with my weapon choices in Dark Souls PvP.

Taking community feedback to heart can improve your game play over all. It can also detract from the fun you’re having. I fell in love with the Carthus Curved Sword from Dark Souls III almost instantly; it has great range, damage and attack speed. Unfortunately, this weapon is detested by a good chunk of the community.

I let this perception sway me and refused to use a weapon I enjoyed wielding. Sure, I got exposure to other equipment but couldn’t help but long for my original blade choice.

Episode 001 of the podcast, talking Street Fighter II love

https://polygoingoff.com/game-nostalgia-getting-video-games-kid/