So, why don't people like this game.

[Main Character]

I think this might be one of the best games of 2013.

[Florina Laufeyson]

I guess some people just cant handle its subject matter? This forum alone is riddled with trolls...

[CrypticSpartan]

Can't wait to experience it. Just finished downloading. I was tempted to pass it up but felt the need to get it in spite of the detractors. 85% off certainly influenced my decision and another copy sold for the devs.

EDIT= First impression great. I must subtract at LEAST 1 point due to toilet paper rolls having no distinquishable forward/back orientation. Perhaps they're simply all new rolls. Talk about immersion killers.

[mendel]

Originally posted by Michael2499:

So, why don't people like this game.

Most people actually do: the critics do, and over 75% of the people who bought and played it on Steam and posted a review about it do.
To sum up some of the reasons I have indicated over there, people don't like it because it is comparatively short (2-4 hours), because they expect
skill-based mechanics that take a learning curve instead of exploration and connecting pieces of information in your head, because they don't like LGBT issues in games, either because they're not sympathitic to queers being portrayed like normal people, or because they feel they've been overexposed to a "LGBT agenda", of which this allegedly is another piece; people also dislike the writing or don't connect to the genre of growing-of-age story/teen drama (or may feel that this is a poor example of that genre).

For all of these people, there are others who like the game for precisely the same sorts of reasons.

However, one of the biggest sources of controversy is that the game has been perceived as a "SJW agenda" game and thus faces fierce opposition from gamergaters and people who sympathise with them: I believe they post spoilers in their reviews and on the forum and vote positive reviews off the store front page. Of course I don't know exactly who does that, but I do know that Gone Home is the one game among those I know that suffers worst from these kinds of unfair behaviour.

[mendel]

Originally posted by CrypticSpartan:

EDIT= First impression great. I must subtract at LEAST 1 point due to toilet paper rolls having no distinquishable forward/back orientation. Perhaps they're simply all new rolls. Talk about immersion killers.

Let http://www.papertoilet.com and https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=414677259 take up the slack!

[Ryukden]

Game was too short, story was sub-par. Don't care what sexuality someone is, but this game commited one of the greatest sins to me personally. It bored me.

[Tyson]

It´s too short and there is nothing going on. Thats why I dont like it :P

[mendel]

Originally posted by Lord Swizard:

I think most people have no problems with the lbgt or sjw or whatever content, but merly find it to be a very short, and mediocre experience.

"Most people" who played that game actually liked it, as per the Steam user reviews. (Do look at "recent" reviews, not at "most helpful".)

I think you summed up the most prevalent criticisms well - the "not a game" faction used to be very vocal on the forums, and people still compain about "nothing to do", but it seems to have abated somewhat.

And you know what, "I didn't like the story" or "I didn't like the writing" are perfectly valid criticisms that people apply to other media like movies or books every day. I wouldn't expect anything less from story-based games, especially when they get so cheap (or free if you have them refunded) that people not in its core audience try it out.

As reagrds the shortness, given the recent sale, 2.39 for 2 hours of gameplay is still a pretty sweet deal and more than I get out of most of my impulse acquisitions.

[Count_Dandyman]

Main reason this game ended up getting as much flak as it did is that it won an award.

Now rather then look at the fact that this award was given to the game for being so different from other games and showing that there doesn't have to be conflict or jump scares and so on to make a game certain people started to riot about how another game didn't win.

The other game in question is an extremely generic shooter that tried to pander to both the pro and anti war standpoints so while it had some good moments and ideas to it never really had a chance of getting that award but people still like to argue about this.

Maybe it is true that some original reviewers (who did not decide the winner of the award) gave it higher ratings then it deserved that might have given people an inaccurate view of it but its also true that its suspicious that its always just one game that gets thrown up as the one that should have won despite not even having any claim to changing anything about gaming.

Beyond that you get some very accurate complaints about the games price (which is much too high when its not on sale), length (mainly because if you didn't get it on sale you feel very ripped off), not containing elements tags and or reviews made them think it would (mostly the result of trolls trying to trick people into buying it but occasionally just peoples wishes for the game not matching reality) and not being what the person considers a game (no offence intended but usually raised by younger gamers who believe gaming must be action oriented).

Apologies for the length and complication of this but I'm trying to put all this in as impartial and inoffensive terms as possible. I especially don't have anything against younger action focused gamers and enjoy many of those games myself but I am also old enough to remember when there were many games built around this ideal and style of gameplay.

[Starbug]

Probably something to do with enraged gamer-gaters who still think gamergate is a thing and want to prosecute this game as an example of whatever it was that they were annoyed about.

[mendel]

Originally posted by the 5th horseman:

Nope these game has nothing to do with gamergate

You're wrong: https://wiki.gamergate.me/index.php?title=Polygon#Conflict_of_Interest_in_the_Gone_Home_Review http://wiki.gamergate.me/index.php?title=Leigh_Alexander#Gone_Home

[mendel]

I feel that hate is a waste of time, especially over trivial stuff like this.
But do spend your time as you see fit.

[Starbug]

Originally posted by mendel:

But do spend your time as you see fit. :cwat:

Just don't spend any of that time going on Polygon. I stopped going there when they converted to fully click bait editorials instead of gaming news.

[Ryukden]

Originally posted by the 5th horseman:

Gone home came out 2 years ago why do people still care about it? that is what i want to know

Every now and again I'm curious to come check out the forums for it. That is all.

[Wyn]

Well, I ended up beating it in 10mins at a friends house.

Explored in front of the house
Explored the first room
Found the secret compartment, got key
Looked for an attic
Finished game

I pretty much ruined my experience, but I didn't do anything to cause it then explore.

[ArcTmeN]

Originally posted by mendel:

Originally posted by Michael2499:

So, why don't people like this game.

Most people actually do: the critics do, and over 75% of the people who bought and played it on Steam and posted a review about it do.
To sum up some of the reasons I have indicated over there, people don't like it because it is comparatively short (2-4 hours), because they expect
skill-based mechanics that take a learning curve instead of exploration and connecting pieces of information in your head, because they don't like LGBT issues in games, either because they're not sympathitic to queers being portrayed like normal people, or because they feel they've been overexposed to a "LGBT agenda", of which this allegedly is another piece; people also dislike the writing or don't connect to the genre of growing-of-age story/teen drama (or may feel that this is a poor example of that genre).

For all of these people, there are others who like the game for precisely the same sorts of reasons.

However, one of the biggest sources of controversy is that the game has been perceived as a "SJW agenda" game and thus faces fierce opposition from gamergaters and people who sympathise with them: I believe they post spoilers in their reviews and on the forum and vote positive reviews off the store front page. Of course I don't know exactly who does that, but I do know that Gone Home is the one game among those I know that suffers worst from these kinds of unfair behaviour.

lol