Differing Opinions

If you read yesterday’s post I did on the video game Gone Home, you know that while I was generally positive about it, I didn’t care too much for the story. I must admit, though, with all the awards that Gone Home won back when it first came out on PC, I felt strangely guilty for not liking it more. It was as if somehow I was obligated to sing its praises, since most of the critics loved it. The people who hand out these awards are professionals, whereas I’m just an amateur, so conforming to their opinions is a good thing, right? It means I’m more cultured if I see things their way, right?

Well, no, not necessarily. The critics might be right, but if I automatically adopt the thoughts of others and fail to think for myself, then I’ve just become a robot who parrots what other people are saying. Part of my growth as a writer over the years has been becoming ok with the fact that sometimes I don’t agree with the majority opinion or with those whose positions would make their opinion seemingly have more weight. If I didn’t think Gone Home’s story was that good then I need be honest and say so, even if most critics would think I’m wrong. This process of learning not to shy away from being contrarian is sort of like how I had to let myself dislike things I had spent money on while I was overseas last year (which you can read about here). In the case of Gone Home, I think the gaming press has gone a bit overboard with their praise of the game. The game is good, but I wouldn’t call it a game of the year contender.