I found some interesting information the other day. Unbeknownst to me, Guinness (the record book people, not the beer people) have been releasing a “Gamer’s Edition” of their book for the last few years. That I did not, in fact, know about it should tell you something about the worth of said tome. Many companies have discovered gamers as a new target market over the last few years and it sure seems that everyone wants a piece of the group. We spend all that money on consoles and building gaming rigs and buying games right? We must have disposable income we’re willing to spend on anything, including the most inane crap that manufacturers can come up with, right? There’s Mountain Dew “game fuel” that has tie-ins with Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft. There exists a thing called “Gamer Grub Performance Snacks” so you can “think fast and win more.” Hell, why do you think they put pretty people on G4? If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being pandered to. And if there’s another, it’s people eating it up. And that’s one of the two reasons Guinness has insulted me this week.
The second is one of the latest “records” to be set in the 2012 edition of this worthless journal of so-called achievement. They have given a record for “Best Video Game Ending” to Call of Duty: Black Ops. Let that sink in for a bit as you think about all of the world records you’ve seen. The world’s tallest man. Most one-armed pushups done in one hour. The longest Moto X dirt-to-dirt backflip. They all have one thing in common. They’re 100% quantifiable, regardless of the level of ridiculousness they bring. For example, the loudest purr by a domestic cat is set by a furball named Smokey in the United Kingdom. Ridiculous? Absolutely. But measured on record at 67.7 dB (86.3 dB LCpk) by a Class 1 sound level meter NA-28 by RION at a distance of one meter in the presence of a veterinarian. That’s an irrefutable hard measurement. There's evidence that it's the loudest damn purr on record. Measured. With science. So what kind of similar measurement can be used for judging the best ending of a game?
The fine folks at Guinness, who fail to recognize the large overlap between “nerd” and “gamer” and couldn’t possibly foresee irking the ire of myself and my math-loving ilk, did it the most accurate way they knew how: by surveying 13,000 people. I can’t even guess how many immeasurable qualitative variables are involved with asking just a single person their favorite game ending. Did I think Black Ops had the best ending? No. I thought it was unoriginal and reminded me of Fight Club. In my opinion, the “best ending ever” should have at least some unique qualities. But then again I’m biased — I prefer action and RPG’s to first person shooters. I grew tired of the war FPS genre in college, years ago. I’m just flat out better at other types of games. All three of these points, whether I think they do or not, could cloud my opinion on this topic. Or any topic I’m surveyed on for that matter. So while this would make a great project for a middle school math class, I don't see the value in the damn Guinness Book of World Records.
Article comments
1 - BAILEY
I LOVE THE GAME
2 - POOPOO
I HATE THE GAME
3 - MandewGaming
That is bullcrap. I don't care about the fact that they thought of a best game ending category. But for me Red Dead Redemption DEFINATELY had the best game ending I've played. You know, where he kicks open the barn doors and kills 6 people before going down. Oh yea...