Today’s Zero Punctuation has led me to realize that I often play games primarily for the story, plot, setting and visual aesthetic of the setting. In fact, if I’m really into a couple of those things, I will tolerate awful cameras, terrible controls and even sub-par gameplay. Case-in-point: Reasons why I play Silent Hill games. I love how dark the game is and the setting is intelligent, twisted and visually stunning, in an opressive, terrifying sort of way. It’s just unfortunate that the camera, controls and combat are awful.

Conversely, I tend to avoid warfare games (Call of Duty, Rainbow 6, Battlefield Whatever) because the story they’re trying to sell and the setting in which they tell it is just boring to me. It doesn’t matter how good the gameplay is, it just isn’t enough to engage my interest.