Whats worse, boring or bad?
- Thread starter tkscz
- Start date
Deadly Premonition is the ultimate example of this argument. It is a very bad game, atrociously so, but it is NEVER boring. There is always some goofy, slap stick, zany element going on that you are never bored and you forget that you're struggling with the terrible controls or listening to lazy writing.
Nocturnowl
Member
Much like with movies and most media, boring is worse.
Thoughts of a bad game (or things about it that are bad) have a tendency to stick with me when I'd wish otherwise. The memories of something that's boring at least tend to have the decency to fade. Neither are particularly pleasant, but there can occasionally be some enjoyment in mocking something bad (preferably when watching someone else suffer playing it).
Romars202129
Member
Boring for sure. Give me an interesting bad game any day.
UnluckyKate
Member
Boring is generic.
Bad can have good ideas.
I take bad over boring anytime
Bad can have good ideas.
I take bad over boring anytime
cucuchu
Member
A good game is good.
A bad game is bad.
Both good and bad games can become boring over time. The good game should just take a longer amount of time to reach that point.
Two different types of measurement really. I would certainly not play something I was bored with though so I guess in this case boring is worse than bad.
A bad game is bad.
Both good and bad games can become boring over time. The good game should just take a longer amount of time to reach that point.
Two different types of measurement really. I would certainly not play something I was bored with though so I guess in this case boring is worse than bad.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Boring. A bad game can still have redeeming qualities as long as you have the intention to play it through. A boring game is something I wouldn't even want to see through.
Barry Burton
Member
Boring is worse. Bad can at least have some charm and/or entertainment value associated with it. And frankly, I'd rather react negatively towards a certain game than have no reaction towards it whatsoever.
It's how I usually compare and contrast Resident Evil 6 with Dead Space 3, two "horror" games that I really don't like. RE6 is a bad game, but it's definitely not a boring one. There's plenty of entertainment there. DS3 is the more competently made game of the two, but I felt nothing but apathy towards everything that happened during it. I can say with certainty that DS3 is a superior video game, but if I had to replay one them again (*shudder*), I'd pick RE6 in a heartbeat.
Give me bad over boring, every time.
It's how I usually compare and contrast Resident Evil 6 with Dead Space 3, two "horror" games that I really don't like. RE6 is a bad game, but it's definitely not a boring one. There's plenty of entertainment there. DS3 is the more competently made game of the two, but I felt nothing but apathy towards everything that happened during it. I can say with certainty that DS3 is a superior video game, but if I had to replay one them again (*shudder*), I'd pick RE6 in a heartbeat.
Give me bad over boring, every time.
Dark_castle
Junior Member
So can we give some examples of mutually exclusive boring and bad games? Lightning Returns, bad game but not boring? Dragon Age: Inquisition, boring but not bad?
Gai Murakumo
Member
Boring is much worse. With bad games you can still get some enjoyment out of them especially if they have funny bugs or glitches.
WaterAstro
Member
Boring, but not bad: Ubisoft Collectathon games, EA Sports games if you keep buying them each year, Truck/Farm sim games
Bad, but not boring: I have no idea. I guess 50 Cent Blood in the Sand is what I had in mind, but that game is better than every Gears of War, so meh.
Bad, but not boring: I have no idea. I guess 50 Cent Blood in the Sand is what I had in mind, but that game is better than every Gears of War, so meh.
Many would say Asura's Wrath is a shitty game but it was some of the most fun i've ever had while playing a video game. Definitely not boring but the gameplay was pretty shit. Still love it tho
Napalm_Frank
Member
Bad, but not boring: Devil May Cry 2
cucuchu
Member
That's the thing though, it depends on your idea of what bad is. If I am not bored for a reasonable amount if time then its a good game. It can still be flawed but its doing its job of keeping me entertained so to me its a good game.
Case in point: Friday the 13th is a good game to me. Flawed? Yes. Am I bored of it now? Yes. But its still a good game to me because I got a good 30 hours of entertainment out of it, even if its flawed and I am bored of it now.
HashtagLapsed
Member
A boring game is always bad.
SliceSabre
Banned
A boring game is worst because I can get enjoyment out of a bad game by how bad it is or watching other people play it. A boring game offers me nothing stimulating.
I have 2 examples.
Skullgirls Vanilla. The game is gorgeous, well crafted, the gameplay is well thought, but the game just didn't felt like something that you want to invest that much time on it, After tons of updates the game got in a better state, but for some reason it could never click on me.
Yakuza 5. The game has a lot of content that is wonderfully done, sidequests, minigames, good dialogue, but the game is so loaded and the pacing is so bad that is boring
Zen_Arcade
Banned
Bad. People who waste time playing something they know is bad are just weird. Especially when there are so many good games out there to play.
The Surge is bad but entertaining.
Mass Effect Andromeda is either bad/entertaining or bad/boring depending on who you are.
I'd consider Pokemon Sun and Moon to be good but boring.
Fallout 4 is bad but entertaining. It has a vibrant modding community even after two years. It's a fun postapocalyptic playground to fuck around in.
Final Fantasy XV is good but boring IMO, it's the reason why so many people actively hate it.
A lot of the New Super Mario and Yoshi games (don't shoot me) are good but boring.
veloxStrix
Banned
When did those two terms become exclusive? Whether a game is boring feels like its entirely up to the player. A game cannot be "objectively" boring. So I don't know why we would try to compare it with an objective definition of "bad". And barring some objective, logicist approach to defining bad, bad and boring are pretty much in the same camp.
His Majesty
Banned
The Surge is actually really good
Boring but with good mechanics/graphics: Mafia 3
Boring but with good mechanics/graphics: Mafia 3
CosmicRomancer
Member
Games that are bad or make you feel bad?
If it makes me feel really anxious, then I choose boring. Although I haven't played such a game. Only a few films have done so.
If it makes me feel really anxious, then I choose boring. Although I haven't played such a game. Only a few films have done so.
Triforce141
Member
Bad, because if the game is boring, then I can at least forget about what happened
If the game is bad, then I'll remember it for all of the frustrating moments I've experienced
If the game is bad, then I'll remember it for all of the frustrating moments I've experienced
eXistor
Member
Boring. Being bad at least makes a mark, being boring means it does nothing for you in any way.
A boring game isn't necessarily a bad game imo. Give me any Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed and I'll think it's the boring shit in the world, but are they bad games? Not exactly. But personally I'd rather watch paint dry.
A boring game isn't necessarily a bad game imo. Give me any Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed and I'll think it's the boring shit in the world, but are they bad games? Not exactly. But personally I'd rather watch paint dry.
Gunstar Ikari
Unconfirmed Member
I wonder how people have such a hard time differentiating between bad and boring. There's a pretty clear distinction between a game that is functionally broken yet amusing in a snark bait sort of way, versus a game that is functionally sound yet ultimately not very engaging.
To answer the question, being boring is far worse. Ironic entertainment is still entertainment, which is ultimately what games are about.
To answer the question, being boring is far worse. Ironic entertainment is still entertainment, which is ultimately what games are about.
mcz117chief
Member
If "bad" as in Deadly Premonition kind of bad and "boring" as in Mass Effect: Andromeda kind of boring then I definitely prefer bad games. A bad, broken ass game can be incredibly fun if you just roll with it, but if you have a decently made game that is no fun because it is just bland and uninteresting then you really can't salvage something like that. Boring is literally the worst kind of rating you can give to an entertainment product, if we don't count "dangerous".
Leafhopper
Banned
Boring.
Bad invokes an emotion.
Bad invokes an emotion.
I guess I'd rather play Knack (boring), over Bubsy 3D (fucking awful). I can't really think of any bad games that I would actually want to play tbh.
I'm pretty generous with what I would call a bad game though, something like Sonic 06, Ride to Hell, Two Worlds, etc are bad games that I would never even consider playing.
But there's other games that some would consider bad that I think are perfectly average. I have played and enjoyed average games like PSABR, Banjo: Nuts & Bolts, Seaman, No Man's Sky, Quantic Dream games, etc.
I guess what I'm saying is this question is difficult to answer because of missing context for most responses.
I'm pretty generous with what I would call a bad game though, something like Sonic 06, Ride to Hell, Two Worlds, etc are bad games that I would never even consider playing.
But there's other games that some would consider bad that I think are perfectly average. I have played and enjoyed average games like PSABR, Banjo: Nuts & Bolts, Seaman, No Man's Sky, Quantic Dream games, etc.
I guess what I'm saying is this question is difficult to answer because of missing context for most responses.
Salty Rice
Member
Clearly boring.
A bad game can be entertaining and funny.
A bad game can be entertaining and funny.
In most other entertainment mediums I'd say boring, in gaming the answer is bad because a bad game is actively painful and frustrating to play through, whereas a boring game can be competent and I can appreciate its mechanics/design at least.
A bad movie or book can be funny but in gaming that humor just turns into annoyance because the interactivity can make the experience actively painful. Watching a bad movie is like listening to a bad joke, playing a bad game is like doing an obstacle course that wasn't properly tested to be ran through by a human being.
A bad movie or book can be funny but in gaming that humor just turns into annoyance because the interactivity can make the experience actively painful. Watching a bad movie is like listening to a bad joke, playing a bad game is like doing an obstacle course that wasn't properly tested to be ran through by a human being.