Expectations don't matter

[Lonely_Dolphin]

vivster said:

Looks like you didn't actually read a word of what I said.

First I said expectation is shaped by perception AND prior experience. Imagine people having different prior experiences that will lead them to have different expectation even if they have access to the same information.

Also having access to the same information isn't the same as actually getting that information. There are more than enough people who don't actively seek information.

I never said marketing was the only source. That is specifically the case for games when there are no other resources available, namely long before a game is released, aka the period where the vast majority of expectation is created.

Then there is of course the matter of first impressions which have a massive influence on expectations. People can have the same information but have wildly different first impressions, for example merely based on the order they processed the information. First impressions will taint every single bit of information you receive after it. Information can be presented differently outlet by outlet. You don't control how information is presented to you, so you have no control over what kind of expectations they create.

All anyone can do is get as much accurate information as possible and even then it isn't really possible to have accurate expectations. That's because the only way to attain 100% of information is to actually play the game. Everything else is incomplete data.

Stop being willingly obtuse. You're not some superhuman who can bend his involuntary information processing to his will. Nobody can.

Not seeing the point in baselessly claiming I didn't read your post, but ok, sure, lol.

My example was not specific enough, but the point is this: expectations are just a strong belief, as such are ultimately up to you to decide. That your perception, experience, first impressions, and everything else under the sun can factor in to your decision for what to believe in doesn't change that.

Everyone can decide what they think of information, it is not involuntary. You're just making excuses for whenever your expectations are off, that it's not your fault but the fault of "involuntary information processing." Come on, take some accountability.

Hiku said:

Well I dunno about 'completely in control'. Because my expectations are tied to my experiences.
I don't think I'm capable of expecting a game without a start menu, because out of the hundreds of games I've played, I believe all of them have had one.

But let me put it this way.
I can enjoy a game that looks like Trials of Mana. And I understand that Square Enix are not reasonably able to invest a large amount of their profits into the development of such a game.
But at the same time, people would be disappointed if Final Fantasy 7 Remake looked like that. Why?

It's precisely because of people's experience with new entries in the mainline FF series that they understand that with a game like that, Square Enix can, and traditionally do, invest a relatively big portion of their profits into the development of the game.

So when people fantasize about what a FF7 Remake would be like, their expectations become tied to what they consider to be a 'good' Remake.
And part of that inevitably became how good the characters and environments would look in modern graphics. Etc.

By the way, to go on a bit of a tangent regarding "a game being good is essential", this is something I've thought of before as not always being essential for me personally. There are circumstances where I would welcome a game even if it's not a game I would consider 'a good game'.

For example, I may very well accept an otherwise bad game that gives me the conclusion to the Suikoden story, because at this point it is unlikely that Konami will ever give it to me. Let alone a good one. but I'd take just knowing how the story was intended to conclude.

I never would either, but that's our choice. I'd never run over anyone with my car (so I say trololol), but I still have the choice to do so.

Standard vs. expectation, the former is a measurement based on facts and comparisons, the latter is a belief that can be based on anything. What you're saying regarding FF7R falls under standard. People would be upset if the precedent is not upheld, not just because they expected it to be, as even those uninterested who have no expectations about FF7R could look at it and say it looks bad based on the standard set by prior FF games.

Surely you can agree for the most part that games should strive to be good. I can't think of many bad games that I still enjoyed personally, only maybe FFXIII, but I don't doubt there are exceptions.