Why are video games all dark and gritty?

[Jay "The Brain" Mann [OFSU]]

Nowdays, video games seem to have one theme in particular: they're mostly dark and gritty. The worst and most recent offender is the new SSX game. Remember when SSX was that fun series with goofy snowboarders and not-too-accurate mountains to snowboard on? Yeah, that. Now it's "realistic" and every course is in the night and you have the possibility of dying any time now. Seriously, what was EA thinking? I blame one game for starting this trend: Gears of War. Yes, this game was dark and gritty, but they did it right. However, every other game developer (and publisher) saw how much of a success that game was and decided, "Let's make a game just like that, but only keep the darkness and grittyness in it!" Which lead to crappy games like Killzone 2 and countless others. And I am 100% confident that EA will not make money from the game because of the grittyness. They will probably get some buys just because of the SSX name, but then people will realize that it's just a crappy dark and gritty game with the SSX name slapped on it just because it's a snowboarding game and they wanted some money. Dark and gritty works on some things, but SNOWBOARDING? Really? I know some of you will disagree with me, and I want to hear your opinions. Go ahead. Shoot.

[moocow]

Some video games should be gritty but a game like SSX really shouldn't be, those games were just fun because they were so goofy.

[bad guy™]

Dec 12, 2010 15:12:36 GMT -5 moocow said:

Some video games should be gritty but a game like SSX really shouldn't be, those games were just fun because they were so goofy.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still play it (SSX I mean), but I do agree...too many dark and gritty themed games anymore.

[Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion]

If the words 'dark' and/or 'gritty' are used one more time in this post it will collapse in on itself from the darkness and grit of this thread.

[TurboEddie]

I completely agree with you. Those types of games are overdone and repetitive. Most of them are overrated garbage.

[DZ: WF Legacy]

I'm onboard with you, and I think the majority of us who grew up with gaming's evolution are, too. I loved SSX, gave it the #10 spot on my website's Top Ten Games of the Decade, so when I heard they were making a current-gen one, I got excited. I'm still interested in the game just because it could wind up being fun, but jeez...not even snowboard games are safe from this trend.

["The Visionary" Eldniw]

You blame Gears.....ummm, hello?! 2003 wants you to meet Manhunt. A game of literal cat and mouse with humans. Gears has NOTHING on Manhunt, in terms of overall darkness of the subject matter.

[sean™]

Dec 13, 2010 1:59:51 GMT -5 "The Visionary" Eldniw said:

You blame Gears.....ummm, hello?! 2003 wants you to meet Manhunt. A game of literal cat and mouse with humans. Gears has NOTHING on Manhunt, in terms of overall darkness of the subject matter.

Ummm, hello?!?

2002 wants you to meet this guy:



This game was dirty........so dirty, that you had to clean an entire island.

[BØRNS]

Do you mean the graphics are dark and gritty? I don't play 1st person shooters much, but if you're talking about the way God of War 3 and Dante's Inferno are, then I think I know what you're talking about the dark and gritty style. Is this what you're talking about? Or something different?

[raabhimselffanv2]

There are other great games that aren't dark and gritty, and I could just send you a list of 100 of them.

Not every game is dark and gritty, some are and some arent, and SSX will suck.

[Gangrel-Brood]

Download Peggle, stat.