Metal and Wine - Exactly the Same

Opinion from Matt - Monday, 22 August 2011 @ 9:04pm

I've never gotten the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare thing, nor the Battlefield thing.

I looked through the shelves and it seemed pretty obvious to me that they're the same game. I can't tell the difference between the series at a glance, and in fact was wondering if anyone actually can? They both feature the same settings, the same weapons, the same general ideas. Both are urban combat in middle eastern environments, set in the modern day. Both feature the ability to riddle terrorists with bullets because yay America.

I get that people like that, but clearly, there's not a jot of difference between them.

But something occurred to me.

I don't like wine. There, I said it.

I just don't. It all tastes like wine to me. Just all the same. I don't know enough about it to know the difference, and all I can taste is the overall "wine". Red. White. It's all the same. Not that they're the same as each other, just that I don't like either in exactly the same way.

But here's the thing: I know I'm wrong.

I know there are people better educated than me and wearing a cravat and laughing gaily about yachting who could tell me that this is a cheap wine and this is a good one, or what sort of barrel it was aged in, or whether its grapes are from this region or that. I know not all wine is the same. I know it's just me who is a "peasant".

Coffee is much the same. People appreciate good coffee. They'll pay a premium for it. If they're from Melbourne they won't shut the fuck up about how bad the coffee is in your town and how much better it is in Melbourne. And they're right. People in Brisbane rarely make good coffee. Not that I'd know. You could piss through some Nescafe Gold and my only complaint was that it wasn't very hot. But I'm TOLD Brisbane Baristas burn the beans. A big brown bear told me so. I'm an idiot when it comes to coffee.

We do that. We apologise for our failings when it comes to the nuances of wine, or beer, coffee, jazz, theatre or art. "I don't know much about that." or "It all sounds the same to me, I'm afraid." We acknowledge our lack of knowledge, and admit that our lack of familiarity with the subject is the cause of our failing.

Do we do the same when it comes to other things though? The "higher" the art, the more we are forced to accept our own inferiority. Soon it gets to a point where we're bigger than the medium. I know Jazz is a versatile and varied genre, but my own lack of familiarity with it makes it sound a little... samey, as I lack the proper appreciation for it.

But all Metal really does sound exactly the same. It's just screaming and loud guitar.

Obviously, though, it's not, and any metalhead could tell me the sub-genres, outstanding artists and their best work, or the differences between early metal and more recent examples, exemplifying the growth and development of the genre. It can't be all the same. It's just that I don't know anything about it. Because I'm a nerd, whose first concert was John Farnham. With my mum. I want to be joking.

Bringing it back to games, there are genres we do the same to. I love fighting games. I suck at them, but there are a lot of things I suck at that I still enjoy, like gaming in general, playing guitar, and sex. I love fighting games and particularly the 3D Namco ones, your Soul Caliburs and Tekkens. I'm not as keen on (and am even worse at) the 2D fighters as I find them both too fast and too fussy. But I get them.

But a lot of people don't. A lot of people (non gamers especially) looking at these games couldn't really tell you what the difference is between Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6. I mean, OBVIOUSLY one is a 2D fighter with heavy use of supers and projectiles, and the other is a 3D fighter with more limited special moves and a focus on juggles and combos. Even when sticking with 3D, the feel and control of Tekken is significantly different to Dead or Alive, which has faster, short combos and a very different control system. I get that some people can't really tell the difference, but hey, they're ignorant, right?

Of course, no more than me when I look at a racing game. I just don't get it. There are about a million racing games and I just divide them up into Formula 1 and "other". I don't know how Forza is different to Gran Turismo, apart from platform. I don't understand how people can criticize one and praise the other. They're basically the same thing.

Sports games similarly meld together to me, with titles like PES and FIFA being largely interchangeable in my world.

There are nuances to games that non-genre fans really don't get. If there's a point here it's that we should be aware of that fact, and accept it. Rather than arrogantly dismissing games (or indeed music) that is "the same" we should be more self-aware and accept that it's our own lack of specialised subject knowledge that makes us unable to differentiate products.

And we can accept that, or we can change it. I know for myself I've set a goal. To play Modern Warfare 2, and Battlefield 3 when they come out closer to the end of the year. To see for myself what the differences are. To learn and experience the subtle variations that make one game better than the other.

To become a better and more knowledgeable gamer as a result. Probably also to be called a "faggot" a whole lot.

There might be differences in the games, but the players really are all the same.

The other night I was driving home and listening to JJJ, and realized it was Heavy Metal night. Instead of switching it off I decided to listen. And you know what? Some of it wasn't bad. I suppose it's a start.