In this Day and Age, Why Play Shmups?

[Berty]

Hi,

Coming to the end of my PhD now and I just need to tie up some loose ends. I know this question has been asked before, but for those of you who pretty much exclusively play shmups, what is it that compels you to the genre when there is so much else out there to play?

[kengou]

They are fun.

What other reason could there possibly be?

[szycag]

Because you're pretty much guaranteed a pretty small learning curve but a large degree of difficulty, and plenty of replay value. Shmups have retained the sole unique thing that video games have to offer over other forms of media, gameplay, and it has it to offer in spades. No convoluted story that usually ends up playing second fiddle to even the worst Hollywood clichefest.

[Dave_K.]

Short playing time for the modern (adult) lifestyle. Plus plenty of difficulty to keep you coming back for more.

[Limbrooke]

Short playing time for the modern (adult) lifestyle. Plus plenty of difficulty to keep you coming back for more.

Bingo.

[Damocles]

They're hard.

[Berty]

They are fun.

What other reason could there possibly be?

Fun is something that is impossible to quantify. Some people find torturing animals "fun", people find shoe shopping "fun" but neither are fun for me.

Do you like to do it for competition, i.e. beating scores, do you do it because you are better at shmups then other games etc?

[sfried]

Because everything else seems boring...

[iatneH]

Come on kengou, this is serious, this guy needs to know for his dissertation :p

Welcome back Berty. I'm not sure how much I can help and I haven't read all of your earlier work either so maybe you have thought of this already.

Shooters at least for me just connect with me in a way that no other kind of game does, and I can't really explain how. But there is this community which you can observe as a some cultural phenomenon, a group of people who for whatever reason enjoy the same kind of activity. You could possibly draw similarities to more recognizable cultural or behavioural practices.

I say this because you specifically said why play shooters when there are other things to play. So... why do I prefer Japanese food when there are other types of cuisine? Why does my father prefer to listen to classical music and I like heavy metal? There are plenty of cultural analogues you could find here, and maybe some of them have been documented.

Biologically, I am guessing a sensation of enjoyment comes from release and uptake of certain nervous chemicals (just like what happens with addictive drugs)... Ideally you could have a bunch of shooter players and non-shooter players, inject them with a radioactive marker, and then do some kind of functional brain scan while having them play different kinds of games.
Maybe you will see a difference, but I suppose it still does not explain why you observe different activity. But different activity could well be used to explain a preference or increased enjoyment :)
Like... This area of the brain is known to be associated with pleasure. We have observed higher levels of activity in this area of shooter players playing shooters compared to shooter players playing a less-preferred genre and non-shooter players playing shooters.
Couple this with a shmup-o saying "I play because it makes me feel good" and it just might convince someone...

But I guess if this is infeasible, then it's back to the old ..uh...what's that word for observing a population in its natural state?

[Berty]

There is a lot of documentation out there as to what apparently quantifies as "good" when it comes to video game design. Because i didn't want to taint any of the responses here im not going to mention them... yet.

The community factor defineatly makes things easier as others can feed off other enthusiasm etc. There is also the Faulcautsion aspect of the community too where you legitimize yourself by comparison to a lesser "other". Anyway, i still need more!

[Berty]

Biologically, I am guessing a sensation of enjoyment comes from release and uptake of certain nervous chemicals (just like what happens with addictive drugs)... Ideally you could have a bunch of shooter players and non-shooter players, inject them with a radioactive marker, and then do some kind of functional brain scan while having them play different kinds of games.
Maybe you will see a difference, but I suppose it still does not explain why you observe different activity. But different activity could well be used to explain a preference or increased enjoyment
Like... This area of the brain is known to be associated with pleasure. We have observed higher levels of activity in this area of shooter players playing shooters compared to shooter players playing a less-preferred genre and non-shooter players playing shooters.

Mate, if only I had the research budget...

[louisg]

Because you're pretty much guaranteed a pretty small learning curve but a large degree of difficulty, and plenty of replay value. Shmups have retained the sole unique thing that video games have to offer over other forms of media, gameplay, and it has it to offer in spades. No convoluted story that usually ends up playing second fiddle to even the worst Hollywood clichefest.

I think that's a great explanation. The puzzle genre is another one that focuses on gameplay. Most other genres are hung up on either (bad) cinematics, or simulation.

Another thing I really enjoy about shmup design is the understanding that more is not always better, and replayability is the name of the game. A game doesn't have to be 50 hours long in order for the player to play 50 hours worth. The side effect of this is that a shorter game is able to be more tightly designed and better balanced, and has as an added strength that it's interesting enough that a player would want to play it from the beginning each time.

Finally, it's a genre in which the player him/herself improves in order to beat it, not just the character inside the game.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Because they provide challange not found within many modern games. A clear, defineable set of rules and instant rewards.

[auryn]

a lot of stuff that's been mentioned already, but there you go:

- insanely well-tweaked gameplay that requires skill, but no big learning curve for the controls or long setup procedures.

- love the graphics styles of old arcade shooters, a lot of very imaginative stuff going on

- the lack of realism in favour of a "functional, but funky" depiction of the gameworld

- general absurdity and over the topness gives me a bigger fun factor

- pop it in and play factor

- instant ardrenaline rush

- no bad voice acting (generally) or lame dramatic cutscenes

[gavin19]

Short bursts of pure adrenalin followed by a big low as you get killed/break a chain, whatever. Little investment of time is a big factor, and in the same vein, though sometimes only playing for maybe 5-10 minutes, I get the same enjoyment as maybe an hour or more of another genre.

Shmups are just simply pure gameplay with long-term replay value, a nigh-on impossible combination to find these days. The addition of a great community is a big bonus too, especially given that it is a relatively more mature bunch here than most other boards.

[mirkvid]

to please the id.

[Sonic R]

Do you like to do it for competition, i.e. beating scores, do you do it because you are better at shmups then other games etc?

I DO NOT like shoot them up for score competition as many fellows here do. This aspect has nearly drew me away from the genre not long ago.

I DO like them for the simple and quick game play offerings they are have. I am family man married with children and these days and times do not allow for me to delve deep into games as I would like. I can dedicate 30 minutes a day to shoot them up and feel "fulfilled" with my game time spent where I could spend the same 30 minute in an adventure RPG and just gain a speckal of the story and feel "unfulfilled".

I grew up on the Nintendo Entertainment System and shooters were big during this time on the video game console. I found a rush and excitement when I would play games on my NES, Genesis, and Turbo Grafx 16. The 90's was a fine time for shoot them up on the video game console and I was caught in the storm of the high volume of games on the market at the time. I enjoy and embrace every one of them. I think it was a feeling of power to take on an armada of aliens, creatures, evil doers, or even insects as a lone star!

Video games is a hobby of mine - I collect and play the games I collect. I find enjoyment in every game I play but shoot them up are the game I can always come and play at any time for a short time and feel the excitement and enjoyment.

I also enjoy shooters most as a solitary game. Many games - especially today games - are center around multi player and online gaming. I was not very social as a youth, I was made fun of for being of a different culture and origin and video games was my escape - my gateway to distant lands and adventure. My whole life everyone shit on me and video games was always my refuge. Playing shoot them up games, some times I would enter "the zone" - shooting players know of it - when my world became the game world and I would be immersed in my game playing and playing at a high level. It is a feeling of being high like on dope and is addiction.

[Carmen]

I think I like the fact the most that they're by genre the 'tightest' sort of games. Any auto scrolling game really has this, but shooters are the most popular auto scrollers (compared to a Rez or even a Space Channel sort of game.) What I mean is that everything can be timed by the developer perfectly, every enemy, every bullet, every beat of the music - all of this can be put in perfect, controlled harmony. Compared to a more open ended game, whether a 2D beat em up (which are not shmups! ) or a 3D platformer, where combining all of these factors is much more difficult. Of course, a few do it (Ark of Napishtim and MGS3 come to mind), but seriously, its not nearly as well done by other genres as a whole. The result more often then naught are some very great, but very disparate components - great music or fantastic enemy design - but just lacking that overall motion to bring them together. As opposed to an ace shoot em up, which can be total, nirvanic (sp?) bliss!

[cody]

couple things I dont think have been explictly mentioned:

1. Turn off the worrying aspect of my brain: Shmups are sufficiently difficult that I cant be thinking about the mortgage or work; I have to be concentrating right here, right now in order to see the holes in the wall of bullets.

2. Precise control / feedback systems: Unlike some games (e.g. wii sports) the same control movements produce the same results, repeatably and accurately. Feedback is usally very clear in shmups; if you die, it's because you failed to dodge something. This contributes to making the game seem fair, which I think is necessary for fun.

3. Can be played single-player: Fighting games share #1 and #2, but fighting game AI isnt adaptable enough to provide a long-term challenge. Shmups (at least the good ones) provide enough challenge just in figuring out the levels the designers created.

[BulletMagnet]

I guess it's more or less a summary of what a lot of others have said (and perhaps a repetition, if I missed it), but for me, in a nutshell, shmups are one of the few genres which still has, to a good extent, the same sort of charm that video games "as a whole" had long ago, and have largely lost since then. Basically, a lot of other genres have been striving to transform themselves into "an experience," or "a spectacle" or some such thing - shmups, such as it is, are still nothing more than video games, and aren't trying to hide that fact, and that's why I find myself drawn to them.

[angrycoder]

I view shmups, and most old or modern arcade style games as casual games for the hardcore. They are the perfect pick up and play games that you can have a satisfying experience with in 5 minutes or two hours. The gameplay is immediate and satisfying, there is no two hour ramp up time going through introductions and guided tutorials.

Most modern shmups can be played on many levels. You can just screw around and have fun blowing crap up and credit feeding, play for survival, or play for score. The more time you want to spend understanding and mastering the game, the more the game gives back to you. They aren't typical point A to point B affairs that once you've experienced, you never have any reason to go back to. Their relatively short length also feeds into that 'one more credit' addictiveness.

[dpful]

Playing shmups because they are an analogy for the primal condition. Kill or be killed, inevitible death, see how far you can get.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Playing shmups because they are an analogy for the primal condition. Kill or be killed, inevitible death, see how far you can get.

What dpful has described above are all the more compelling reasons to strive for that ever-elusive 1-life 1CC goal (the highest achievement for a classic or modern-day shmup title which is another word for 'absolute perfection' is what the ace Japanese shmup player strives/aims for)...upon reaching that specific plateau, will one enter "the zone" and overcome whatever the CPU dishes out at the player because he or she has become one with the game... ^_~

Very few shmuppers will ever enter "the zone" to perfectly attempt such a 1CC shmup session (or any other genre for that matter) -- the ol' adage rings so true: practice makes perfect! Just be prepared for many "oh-so close but no cigar"moments of 1CC attempts in the meantime..... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[-Bridget-]

For me, it's all about the challenge level, and the gameplay.

I've been a gamer since I was like, 3.

I had the Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy..... all the old and good stuff. Still have them, too, all in perfect condition.

And now I also have some of the new stuff; I've got this amazing god-in-a-box computer I use for my PC gaming, and a PS2 and a 360 as well.

But I always go back to the old stuff; Like, I have Gametap on my PC here for just that reason.

The 2600 and the NES still remain my favorite systems. One nice thing about those games, was that they were ALL about the gameplay, most of them. No stories to worry about, no looking for hidden stuff..... there was you, the gameplay, your score, and that was it.

The 2600's games were often very small, and repetetive, getting continuously harder as you played further. Getting a high score was everything, and tackling the challenge of beating an older score was addictive, and still is.


And some of them games were HARD.

Like, I can think of more than one game on the NES that I STILL havent beaten, despite having had them for years.

Like, Shatterhand is a good example..... that game will always win over me before I can get to the end.

Back in those earlier times, developers didnt have all these amazing graphics to lure players into their worlds..... what they had was just GAMEPLAY.


Which is something I find shooters have, and always have had.

I can pick up ANY shooter, and instantly understand the basic concept: Defeat all of your enemies, while avoiding their attacks.


Even for some of the newer/stranger shooter concepts like Geometry Wars, that very simple idea remains the same.

And yet, there's so much room for STUFF within that basic framework. Every shooter plays differently, has different ideas.

And they're ACTUALLY CHALLENGING ENOUGH to hold my attention.

I just cant play easy games. If Im playing a game and obliterating anything without really trying, Im going to lose interest. I need a challenge, and shmups provide that challenge.


And I like to have something that is capable of really testing my reflexes. As anyone who's ever played a fighting game against me can attest, I am very, very fast. Always have been. Even most fighting games, still, are a bit slow for me.


But when I want to, I can find a shooter that requires that I react with lightning speed.


Or I can find one that requires that I precisely navigate crazy and complex bullet patterns.

There's a shooter for any mood I might find myself in.

And I can play for a few minutes, or I can play for 4 hours.




All of these many aspect add up to this being my favorite genre.


I like alot of different genres and games, but this one definitely tops them all.




That, is why I play these.

[Berty]

to please the id.

Yes but super-ego also wants you to succeed

[professor ganson]

tight, tight control

excellent challenge which rewards intense effort

quick games, no story, very little dead time-- just action (as said before, this is great for busy adults)

[kitkit.com]

For me, most shmups provide plenty of challenge. A game is not fun if it's too easy. Shmups keep me coming back for more.

[Bloodreign]

As most have already said, shmups still offer something most other genres have put behind them (stupidly of course), challenge. Plus as was said you can play for score competitions between friends, also something most other genres lack.

[Herr Schatten]

I guess it's more or less a summary of what a lot of others have said (and perhaps a repetition, if I missed it), but for me, in a nutshell, shmups are one of the few genres which still has, to a good extent, the same sort of charm that video games "as a whole" had long ago, and have largely lost since then. Basically, a lot of other genres have been striving to transform themselves into "an experience," or "a spectacle" or some such thing - shmups, such as it is, are still nothing more than video games, and aren't trying to hide that fact, and that's why I find myself drawn to them.

I couldn't have said it better.

[PFG 9000]

There's an absolute wealth of excellent commentary in this thread.

The thing that keeps me coming back to shooters is the thrill I get from dodging an insane number of bullets thrown at my ship/character/icon. Once in awhile I get a brief feeling of "Whew! I dunno how I just survived that, but it was pretty damn...FUCK I just died." And it's quite the exhilaration.

That, and the pick-up-and-play value of most shooters, where other games make you invest an hour or so in one sitting AND regular playthroughs, lest you forget the story and your current place in the game universe. Of course, I don't play shooters exclusively, so perhaps I'm not the audience Berty is seeking.