10 things I hate about gaming - and how the OUYA is restoring my faith

THE gaming industry can shove its massive downloads, patches, fixes, online activations and clunky backups right where the sun doesn’t shine. Gamer dad Andrew Banks has had enough.

SAVE the OUYA, save the gaming world.

Yes, the OUYA. It would sound more Australian if it was called the ONYA.

But it’s not Australian.

However, like most Aussies, this tiny gaming console has a battler mentality. And it needs it in this toxic climate of current and next-gen competitors, #GamerGate and a glut of dodgy micro-payment creations all vying for our attention.

It would be very easy to overlook this cubic wonder, but for dad gamers like me, it has caught my eye. But more on that later.

Growing up in the 80s, I’d rush home from school and spend a few hours POKEing in five pages of hex code from Compute! magazine into my Commodore 64 to get a balloon to fly across my CRT monitor. I’d study BASIC and apply it to projects. I tinkered. I created. And in between, I’d play. When my mate came over, we’d collaborate more than compete. We’d marvel at the vector graphics in 8bit wonder, booting up the Elite tape and stepping outside for 10 minutes while the game loaded. Then we’d take off into space and explore. My wingman, Mike (or “Missile Mike” as he was called then) would have my back as we got attacked by space pirates. Happy days.

So what’s changed? Well, the graphics are better for one thing. Everything is bigger, brighter, pricier, noisier. But I’m a dad now and even though we have every current and last-gen device known to Humankind in our house, I’m lucky to get a sniff in as my two young sons tear through a neverending swathe of complex parkour and skill trees to outlast, outdo and outwit each other.

My wife hates gaming. She sees the time-suckage, the arguments that flare and how it makes the veins pop in the necks of her babies. It’s no wonder she needs Farmville, Candy Crush and a glass of Scotch to calm her nerves.

Here are 10 things I hate about modern-day gaming:

1. THE CONSUMERISM

I knew it would happen. From the moment I booted up my new console I knew that when my boys got home from school they would descend upon it like flies to a meaty carcass. They have every console you’d need, but this was new, so they’d want it. Their piles of shame littered the house, but there was always room for more, like a diner at an all-you-can-eat buffet. They’d gorge on this device and test its mettle and when they had finished with it, they’d leave it to gather dust in another corner of the room. The speed of the gaming industry means there is very little time given to appreciate a gaming console’s nuances and sensibilities. We break things into easy to consume chunks: what does it do? How many games does it play? Is it laggy? We constantly compare new games and devices with those in our arsenal. We are quick to judge and dismiss. We crave the best, the latest, the next. Our disposable nature is heightened by an industry quick to deliver us sequels, better gaming experiences and it’s a shame that so many games are not given the respect and time they deserve. We need to slow down a bit.

2. THE NEGATIVITY

And just when my boys had finished assessing the new console’s appearance, the judgments were delivered. They weren’t overwhelmingly bad, but I could tell this device wasn’t going to trouble the likes of the Xbox One or the Wii U. But who cares? This console wasn’t for them. They pulled apart its workings like a virtual surgeon, highlighting its flaws and shortcomings. This, despite being totally enamoured with Amazing Frog and Duck Game, which they played for a lot longer than I’d anticipated.

My boys thought Amazing Frog was the best multiplayer experience ever.

It highlighted to me the industry’s innate sense of negativity which doesn’t tend to foster ideas and allow for them to grow. Articles like this don’t help when the OUYA is trying to find its way. The industry should do more to support each other and encourage development.

3. THE ABUSE

I’m not going to get into an argument about #GamerGate. In my day, there was a big hacking community but otherwise, we just got on with making and playing games. But it saddens me that so many in the gaming community are so fiercely fanatical and hurtful towards others.

Read this profile of @TheQuinnspiracy where she talks about making games and being the target of sexist harassment http://t.co/zUEUVPykoq

— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) December 3, 2014

I’d like to think we can all work harder to be more respectful of each other and support our endeavours within gaming. There is simply no excuse for being vicious.

4. THE CLOUD

We don’t live in a backwater shack, but we still can’t get a decent internet connection and have to rely on a series of wireless USB sticks to keep up with downloading the latest patches and updates. I think this article sums up the frustration felt by many gamers these days. The cloud has a lot to answer for. Sure, it’s great that everything is kept central and is accessible across many devices, but the roadblocks in place to just having a decent session are unacceptable. When I read some forums where people are having trouble backing up their games, not many understand that it isn’t that simple to just redownload the game to a new machine. Our internet supply is SLOW and LIMITED. I’ve just been informed that my area won’t be getting the NBN until 2016, but a lot can happen between now and then. I have Steam games sitting in my library from 2012 that I’ve never played because I haven’t had the bandwidth to download them. Another 30 per cent is unplayable because they need updates which I cannot complete. In the old days, we got a physical disc or tape that we’d whack in and after what we thought was an agonisingly long wait, we’d be away in our virtual world.

One day I would like to sit down and play a game without updates and syncing bullshit. Do all that when I am asleep please

— Steven O'Donnell (@bajopants) December 2, 2014

5. THE INACCESSIBILITY

Games are so complicated now. I’d love to play more with my lads, but their games require the dexterity of a mutant and the cognitive skills of an savant. Sadly, I am only half-way to being that. Most of their games make me dizzy, then immediately sleepy. There is just too much going on to keep up with it. I admit, I prefer my games a little slower, with a strong story and some depth. But maybe that’s the dad in me speaking.

6. EARLY ACCESS

I’ve been burned in the past many times by a recent trend in gaming to launch “early access” titles. I won’t be too harsh here and this guy does seem to have a point, but I preferred it when gaming houses built a game and tested it fully in-house before releasing it to the public. There is too much margin for error, goalpost shifting and downright arrogance going on in the present system. I think the “early access” system needs to be refined and this article explains this relatively new phenomenon nicely.

Minecraft is considered one of the first early access games.

7. THE BLOAT

With the advent of mobile gaming and game creation studios, it’s exciting to see so many games being developed by individuals and independent communities. But there should be some policing of quality. Or better guidelines for those looking for the cream of the crop. I’d like to see an independent counsel set up to strafe through Steam greenlight section or Google Play’s mobile games offering and weed out the time wasters.

8. MICROPAYMENTS

You’ve paid for the game, now you’re being asked for more money. When did that happen? With the advent of mobile gaming we’ve let it become acceptable for games to hit us up again and again for real cash to keep us ahead in the game. It’s a bit rich. And for some, you have to be. Micropayments are fine if you can achieve things with in-game currency or the real-world hit doesn’t give you an unfair advantage within the game’s community.

9. THE DIVISION

Who cares if you’re Team Playstation or Team Xbox or Team Nintendo or Team PC or Team Mac? We’re all gaming and/or making games and the sooner we can all compete and collude together - cross-platform - the better. People will always have their favourites, but let’s not bicker and argue to the detriment of the gaming industry.

10. CLASSIFICATION

Finally, Australia really needs to get it together when it comes to its classification system. We can’t have some games banned here which are readily available in the US or Britain. We also need to figure out a better way to deal with this sort of thing happening.

So why does the OUYA fill me with enthusiasm for the future of gaming?

The $US99, 75mm cubic OUYA microconsole began life in 2012 and soon became a Kickstarter project thanks to its founder Julie Uhrman, raising $8.5 million - at the time, the website’s “third-highest-earning project” in its history. It runs Android 4.1 (Jellybean) with a custom launcher. A “Free the Games Fund” was later announced to support developers making games exclusively for its system. But here we are in 2014 and most of us still haven’t heard of the OUYA.

OUYA think I’m sexy? Probably not.

Here are 10 things Aussies might not know about the OUYA: 1) It supports 1000 games 2) You can pair some controllers from other devices, or even your phone as a controller in some games 3) Most of its games are free to try and are small downloads 4) You can play your downloaded library of games without being connected to the internet 5) You can make your own games using its built-in software 6) It streams shows, movies and music 7) It runs emulators for most of the old consoles and computers 8) It has games which attract and retain seasoned, discerning pro-gamers like my 13yo and 10yo sons 9) It is constantly evolving with new updates, games, apps, developers, etc 10) It is not currently readily available in Australia.

News.com.au asked founder Julie Uhrman to explain some of OUYA’s thinking as we look ahead to 2015.

Are there plans for multiple profiles on the OUYA?

Yes. We know our gamers love playing with friends, so we are working on functionality to support and improve this experience.

What upgrade paths are available in the future or will OUYA move away from its console starting point?

OUYA is always improving our platform and its features and functionality. Since launch, we have had 24 updates that have added features like parental controls, ratings, video trailers, USB storage, subscriptions, and bundles.

Why did you decide not to ship worldwide?

OUYA ships globally through partners in the US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Middle East, and Brazil. We also have a US and International e-commerce store at OUYA.tv. We know there is interest and demand to expand our physical footprint and we are currently investigating those opportunities.

Will there always be a place for OUYA and what is its strategy for growth moving forward?

Absolutely. We will continue to make OUYA as well as partner with other device manufactures and strategic partners who want to leverage the audience, developers, and diverse range of games that OUYA has to offer. As the largest independent platform of games for the TV, OUYA is fortunate to have the opportunity to work with partners all over the world who want to add TV gaming to their offerings.

Do you feel the gaming industry is a positive environment for OUYA?

Short answer: yes! With 1000 games and 40,000 developers, OUYA continues to grow. We are an open platform for developers, and as such we continue to find great talent and unique games that need to be played on a TV. We provide an alternative to traditional gaming, where gamers can pick up and try any games, as the majority of our games are free-to-try; we allow developers to create content for the living room, without the traditional hassles or expense.

The OUYA is not without it’s limitiations and problems, but it has the right mentality and is enough for people like me who just want to boot up a system and let off some steam for half an hour (or longer with mates) without having to wait for updates, patches, fixes, internet connections, etc. I want to code and tinker. It can do that too. And while it may not be the best console out there, it suits me just fine.

Originally published as 10 things I hate about gaming - and how the OUYA is restoring my faith