He explains why gamers should stop raising hell every time we hear that a game has been "streamlined." By clinging to our old standards of what a genre is "supposed to be," we stand in the way of experimentation and progress, holding back the industry at large.
On the one hand, I know why many of us do it. We like the way many of these genres play now. We get attached to these games, and we want to play more like them. Then we hear they're changing the formula, and we freak out. There's no guarantee that the new gameplay will be as good, and - even if it is - it's not the same gameplay we already liked and wanted more of. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking a successful formula and wanting to enjoy more of the same.
But when we cling too tightly, and close our minds to potential improvements, we really do cripple forward progress for the industry. Sometimes, these daring changes lead to games that we treasure and wonder how we ever did without.
We would all do well to try and keep an open mind. You miss out on a lot of great gaming experiences otherwise.
