Sometimes, the truth hurts.


This is a great time to remind people that pain is technically helpful, as it is an important signifier that something hurts for a reason, or else there in fact, would not be any indication of pain to deal with

Reading this article about Silent Hill: f conjures up so many fleeting but powerful knee jerk reactions from me in reference to deconstructionism and the worst realities of video game(s lack of) culture fathomable, whether it be the industry, game design, and gamers at large. I think there is a lot more value I would love to mine from this topic, far more value in the depth of discussion at hand than I have time for today, but it’s a great start to opening up a topic of dialogue I think pervades every facet of gaming certainly, but maybe nerd culture at large, though I will attempt to reign myself in with just gaming, as I know it the best, and quite intimately at that, so I do not mind lobbing hate bombs at the masses that dwell within.

Putting aside the writer of the Silent Hill: f article (almost) entirely, as I have no qualms with them, and my address is not within the issue of their own machinations per se, they do bring up the notion of catching themselves in drawing comparisons with the new Silent Hill, and 1 and 2, in essentially preventing themselves from committing to the comparisons, so they can better enjoy the experience at hand. Props to them, and again, their allegiances or proclivities are not the thrust of my critique, though it does bring up the notion I think so many are guilty of within the medium, I’m surprised there is any room for nuance, artistry, or depth whatsoever within gaming as a whole.

Keeping firmly in mind, and acknowledging the fact that I am fully aware I am painting with extraordinarily broad strokes here, in speaking to this “gamer-amorphous composite” who sounds like the worst amalgamation of gaming cliches you ever heard of, everyone and seemingly no one within the same simultaneity of mention, the authors citation of needing to catch themselves from not relentlessly comparing this game to their favorite (which again, good for them), reminds me of all the times that other gamers do not do this thing, to the extraordinary detriment of themselves, designers, and the industry at large, in branching out, and leaving their safe space of nostalgia, to venture out into the great unknown to try something new, even within the simplistic pretexual standard of something as silly as a video game.

You can pick basically any series for this commonly un-unique occurrence within the space; genre, series, cornerstone example from a generation, console etc, and it likely remains true, but this (lets call the gamer-amorphous composite GAC for short) GAC is so hellbent on their whim of nostalgia, simply nothing else will do, and every experience is defined through their lack of refined taste, minimalist judgement, and extreme prejudice that isn’t their gold standard security blanket, or absolute safe space of cozy familiarity they so desperately cling to. In some ways, the GAC, and their complete lack of variety or desire to branch out, reminds me of all of my friends growing up who refused to try new things, seemingly always wanting to eat the same plate of Chicken Nuggets over and over again, in spite of the fact that even if they didn’t want to branch out from the chicken standard, and the myriad of ways one can even prepare chicken, it was nuggets or bust, and this ended up defining their entire existence.

That nugget or bust standard, or their preference for Chicken Nugget Gaming (CNG) in this way, is symbolic of their inability to develop as individuals, perpetually stuck in this arrested development that pervades their entire world, and predicates them on the lowest common denominator standards that will forever haunt their existence. It somehow acts as a haunted house of their own making, and one they seemingly forget isn’t real, as they are the ones creating the scares with their own preferences, anxieties, and lacking distinctions that bring weight to the fright that drives the simulated experience of what is scary and non-preferred, by simply choosing to somehow live within the amnesiastic default of haunted house living that was self-afflicted and mindlessly handcrafted through their Chicken Nugget Standards, and CNG they endlessly seem to prefer, in spite of lacking a real preference based on any choice there after.

You see, CNG and the GAC who is so ardently fond of perpetuating its existence, much like the malaise that creates their own standards, helps in a way of inflicting their failing standard upon others, as they are regularly the vast majority of most readily identifiable player who will show up day one, and therefore, the crowd which one can most visibly cater to. The GACs staggering lack of better judgement is so pungent in its distillation of lacking quality, these elements act as an emanation of quality that ripples outwards and even distorts the land around them, forcing developers to chase this standard, and in some cases, like attempting to hide medicine in a food to force feed to an unwilling dog, to Trojan Horse in a panacea of new merit that will grant them a fresher lease on remedial life for them to enjoy. But alas, many of the same dogs that require this sort of medication know their chicken nuggets so well, and are so beholden to the bog standard of consumption, any slight variation will have them coughing up a sense of deviation almost instantaneously.

I think there is much in the way of discussion, in following up on the GAC’s of the world, and the Chicken Nugget Gaming (CNG) they so ceaselessly enjoy, and the sad standard of arrested development that has negated a better sense of possible growth for all involved, as this stale way of life is so virulent, and affects all that it pushes up against, but it will have to wait for another day. A worthy thought to throw out into the gaming ether, and a thought I think will prompt rich discussion, a conversation that is likely too rich for the GAC’s of the world, and the equivalent of the Chicken Nugget Gaming palette they have sadly cultivated over these many years.

~Pashford