A word of warning about hype..

[JOSEPH X]

Now I know a lot of you are very excited about the up-coming release of GTA V - understandably so - I'm really excited myself, and I'm looking forward to an outstanding experience in R*'s re-imagining of Los Santos. But take it from my experience, you will enjoy V more the less you know about it. And if you go into it blind, you will play it with a sense of wonder. Here's why:

 

Information:

 

By its very nature, information is something you don't already know. If you see, read or hear something you already know, it doesn't inform you, so it's not information. GTA V is choc full right now of sights, sounds and experiences that you don't know - it's a wellspring of information, but it's only finite.

 

From now until release, every screenshot, trailer, article you see will be taken from that well. As you gain more information the well becomes smaller, and if you read every article look at every screenshot and watch every trailer pre-release, by the time you get to play the game the well will be almost dry.

 

Hype:

 

Science has the answer

 

 

When you board the hype train, your fellow passengers will be R* marketing, online gaming journalists and all the other hyped up members of the GTA fanbase. R* want you to buy their game, journalists want you to hit up their websites and the fanbase is just crazy. The fanbase is the worst actually - give them a clip of a dog on a beach and it's, "OMG ANIMALS! THAT MEANS THERE'S LIONS AND TIGERS TOO - AND THAT MEANS THERE'S A WORKING FUNFAIR - AND THE LIONS AND THE TIGERS WILL BE RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER. You get the picture - vastly over-inflated expectations, Chinese whispers, false rumours.

 

Disappointment:

 

Yup, that's what you are going to feel playing GTA V after you've ridden the hype train. Not just because of the expectations you have of the game, but also because all that information you have of the game means that you'll be seeing things in the game and they won't be new to you, "Ah, that's the view from the gamespot article screenshot." Things that would have been fresh, exciting experiences will be old news to you - and that leads to disappointment.

 

Solution:

 

It happened to me with Red Dead Redemption - I was hyped to the max! I read every article, looked at every screenshot, watched every trailer. I made over 400 posts in Gaming Chat's RDR topic, posting links to articles, links to screenshots - it was RDR24/7.

 

When I finally played the game though, every time I rode over a hill I'd see a view that I'd seen before, I knew nearly every character I met and I knew how it ended. I played it for about three or four days, then didn't pick it up again for a whole year - which is pretty fkn stoopid because when I picked it up again I realised it's a great game (slope of enlightenment)

 

What I learned from that experience, I put into practice when Skyrim was announced. For a whole year I went on an information blackout - played other games, chatted about other games and just stayed away from it. It worked! Playing the game for the first time was like sensory information overload. I've played it nearly every day since.

 

I'll be doing the same with V - take it from me, I know it's worth it.

[XxcamptechxX]

As much as I want to do what you say, The good Lord knows I couldn't handle waiting for the game before peeping all the good info Excellent and Amazing points by the way!

[Adriaan]

Thing is though, I think they talked more and showed more on Red Dead because it was such a gamble. They were really taking a risk because traditionally western titles didn't really perform well financially. They needed to explain and showcase that game, more.

 

With GTA, I think they know that they only have to show a little about it all and not spoil too much. They've even talked about this before.

 

Given how much content there is in GTAV, I hardly think that whatever they're going to end up showing through official assets and through game demos will spoil the game in any major way.

 

What you probably shouldn't do is watch those video reviews before you get the game, especially if you're outside of North America and have to wait a few extra days for the release.

[GTA_fear]

You're right, man. I think I'll try to stay away from as much information as possible from now on. I'm just going to stick to what Rockstar give us themselves - a couple of trailers and dozens of screenshots. Nothing more, nothing unofficial. Thanks, bro.

[Celestail]

great words, that should cool the V section down a bit or a lot

[peanutbutterlover]

well, in my point of view, humans tend to go further, tend to expect. it's hard to control yourself when you are surrounded by these inumerous sources. but i'd pick it differently: you see it on the web, you see screenshots, trailers, etc. you get to know the whole game, basically. but isn't it boring to just sit down to watch instead of practice, when it comes to gaming? so, i guess that it would be worthless to deny info. you get excited when you get it. you get more excited when you play it, even if you've already seen it before. you love it.

[downthrough]

Yeah the same thing happened to me when IV was released. i hung around the forums looking at all the screens and all the different previews. Fans from other countries were translating previews from different parts of the world. they were actually given different info to different countries. So by the end of it all i had spoiled IV for myself there was basically nothing i didn't know about IV when it released, even though R* stated they were gonna hold things back just like they did with V (though i believe them this time). I don't know if i am going to be able to hold off looking at all the new info but one thing is for sure. The game will be a lot more enjoyable if i do.

[Adriaan]

Another thing I'd like to note, they DO make extra sure they hold things back in a certain way. When I played Max Payne 3 at a community event, they made sure we didn't talk about certain things we saw which they wanted to hold back up until release. This is the same thing that happens with these game demos where they tell the publications to not talk about this or that.

 

I've followed most of the GTA games since before release, read every preview etc., and I didn't feel spoiled in a major way.

 

Of course, if you want it to feel really fresh, don't look at any of the stuff they release.

 

If any, I would say the biggest "spoiler" is the previews where the editors describe story missions that they had played. But the screenshots and trailers are fine.

[Coral_City]

At first I rolled my eyes and thought, "One of these threads again..." but then I saw the graph and LOL'd. Believe me, I've been there. The Godfather by EA, and Mafia 2 by 2K. Followed all their previews, got hyped the f*ck up, and realized they were terribly produced and hollow games.

 

I never found that peak of enlightenment with either.

[XxcamptechxX]

At first I rolled my eyes and thought, "One of these threads again..." but then I saw the graph and LOL'd. Believe me, I've been there. The Godfather by EA, and Mafia 2 by 2K. Followed all their previews, got hyped the f*ck up, and realized they were terribly produced and hollow games.

 

I never found that peak of enlightenment with either.

Any explanation with a graph or a chart is official lol He did an awesome job.

[saintsrow]

To OP: Great discussion, and I do agree with your description of the different (and much, much better) build-up to RDR. But I interpret a couple of things (partly) differently than your conclusions.

 

1. Rockstar marketing created an unnecessary Trough of Disappointment for GTAV when they chose to provide no follow-up and no context after the GTAV Trailer, for so many long months. Had they ramped up like RDR, we could have avoided a year of pain, and instead had a year of pleasure. The momentum is ruined and history cannot be changed.

 

2. The steady buildup of RDR info was beautiful, and it kept me warm and happy all that time. I had one of the RDR screenshots on my computer wallpapers for many months, and I welcomed new info and screenshots.

 

But I did not feel at all that the RDR info buildup spoiled the game for me -- it made me want to see and experience everything, to find those views, those places, to watch those sunsets. So that's where I differ with you. The long RDR campaign completely turned me around and sold me on RDR, which was a major feat, since Red Dead Revolver was disappointing and had turned me off to the whole western idea. I'm still playing RDR in various different saved game trajectories, for its beauty and to stay hyped for the GTAV countryside.

[Romans Cousin Niko]

Bloody hell he's got a graph... I guess I have to believe it.

[JeteaFive]

Finally ! Someone posted a thread like this.

Contrary to you i never watched ABSOLUTELY 0 infos on Red Dead Redemption, and when i played it, it was just amazing. Very very more amazing than if i watched all that trailer and others sh*t.

I hope i will be able to do it for GTA V but it will be extremly hard i think.

[XxcamptechxX]

Graph or it didn't happ.. Oh damn

[The__Phoenix]

 

By its very nature, information is something you don't already know.

Good to know.

 

JOSEPH X;"If you see, read or hear something you already know, it doesn't inform you, so it's not information. "

Of course,I´m sure on that.

JOSEPH X;"The fanbase is the worst actually - give them a clip of a dog on a beach and it's, "OMG ANIMALS! THAT MEANS THERE'S LIONS AND TIGERS TOO "

I hope to see to Pogo the monkey.

JOSEPH X;You get the picture - vastly over-inflated expectations, Chinese whispers, false rumours.Yup, that's what you are going to feel playing GTA V .

Chinese whispers?

JOSEPH X;Solution:

Don´t play the game,it´s f*cking clear

 

 

 

On topic;you realized the existence of a thing named "habituation process".Even if you don´t follow much the GTA V marketing campaign,your excitement/enjoyment will be less playing the game than during the marketing campaign.

For the latter the science has the answer also.Read the literature if you want to know why.

[Above]

That is similar to how I behaved while waiting for GTA IV and I wasn't even slightly disappointed by the final product. However, RDR I didn't know about until a week before its release but I had the same great experience as I had with GTA IV. So while you do have a point, there are exceptions.

[GTAforthe21thcentury]

I just hope that its not really disappointing.

[JaggySnake]

This guy knows his sh*t. He got a graph.

[J32T3R]

This graph is a lie

[Cyfa]

Shut up.

[Celestail]

This guy knows his sh*t. He got a graph.

leave his lovely graph alone lol

[grope_4_that_date]

I don't remember being disappointed with IV, but thanks for the warning.

[huevos_benedicto_180]

Haha, great chart.

 

Thankfully Rockstar don't tend to release too much information (no sh*t, right?). In GTA IV I think they released just enough to keep people excited, but we really knew very little about the game before release (I didn't know what raw gameplay looked like until a video review).

 

Now they did market LA Noire and MP3 a lot more, however I think in this regard GTA V will need a lot less marketing, as in they won't need to show as much of the game as most will know what to expect.

[GreatestEver23]

I felt like I was in a college class when I read this. I don't give a f*ck of how much I know about the game before it comes out, I'm still going to enjoy the sh*t out of it.

[JOSEPH X]

Hehe. A picture says a thousand words! Thanks for the replies - I was wondering what kind of reception I'd get from the feverish V forum. I just hope I've enabled you to look at hype from another angle.

 

At the same time I know other gamers will recognise this, because I've shared the experience of post-release disappointment with people who were on forums for other games before they were released.

 

[GreatGig]

With RDR I watched a couple of trailers and saw a few screenshots but that was it. It was mostly down to not having an internet connection, but overall I think it helped me to take in everything the game had to offer. In my eyes, RDR will always be a masterpiece in many aspects.

 

With V though, I know I won't be able to help myself. When it comes to GTA I'm a sucker for information. The only thing I will stay away from is any gameplay videos that are either released before or are leaked on here on the day of release. That's one thing I definitely want to keep to myself.

[saintsrow]

So, to extend this hype curve analogy, when does the Slope of Enlightenment happen with GTAV? During the next few months of rational marketing campaign ramp-up, or during actual playing of the game?

 

In reading this thread in context of the whole rest of the forum, I realized that there are 2 kinds of people following GTAV:

 

Type 1:

The complainers, like me, who expected a rational flow of information after the GTAV Trailer in November 2011 started the GTAV marketing campaign (yeah, that was the start). We are weak and undisciplined. The big boys, who don't need any of that info in the interim, have fun kicking our butts.

 

Type 2:

The tough guys who tell us that Rockstar is doing it right, that we don't need any info, that we should be patient. These guys are strong, disciplined, faithful. Of course, what harm is it to them, if Rockstar chose to release a growing avalanche of good GTAV info during the last year? They are tough guys; they don't have to look at it. They can be safe and not have their game spoiled. What? Oh, you say they won't be able to resist looking at the GTAV info, and thus spoiling their game experience? Really! But that would make them undisciplined, unable to control their own will. That would make them weak.

 

Conclusion: we are all weak in different ways, and we have fun making light of the other guys' weakness.

[BlackandWhite23]

 

Conclusion: we are all weak in different ways, and we have fun making light of the other guys' weakness.

Yes indeed. Temptation is the power of the devil is what some say We are always tempted what lies behind the curtain is a thing that never change Or will we be strong and close our eyes for eternity

[dabaannz]

Great post Joseph.

Felt the exact same way when RDR was announced and went along on that crazy information hunting ride with you... remember trying to figure out the map by grabbing screen caps of gameplay footage, cutting out the HUD and assembling certain areas?... like you said, on release day I was left unsatisfied and disappointed. I had totally built up the game in my head and the real thing just couldn't compare (especially with all the bugs).

 

Going to take your suggestion and try to limit my info as much as possible on this one.

[Staten]

 

So, to extend this hype curve analogy, when does the Slope of Enlightenment happen with GTAV?  During the next few months of rational marketing campaign ramp-up, or during actual playing of the game? 

 

Well, the graph JosephX used is specifically about how new technology is adapted and used, but I think the Slope of Enlightenment can be applied to the actual playing of the game: it's the point where all the expectation built by the marketing will be exposed to reality.