With the launch of Diablo IV (D4) just around the corner (for early access), I’ve been literally staying away from reading/watching anything related to the game since I know how polarizing the franchise (and generally how the ARPG genre is when it comes to tribalism). I know Blizzard hasn’t been the best steward in recent years given the internal dramas (I’ve written about them, I’ve exited my ATVI positions in the past, etc) where that in itself adds a layer to this polarization; but I’m writing specifically about the tribalism within the genre and franchise.
I used to be a huge fan of this genre, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tended towards games that allowed me to become a literal casual potato in them (which is why 1 month later, I’ve taken a supreme liking to Honkai: Star Rail (HSR) given that I can set most battles for 2x auto-combat when “grinding” for materials to progress my characters). And while playing HSR, one thing that stuck out to me was the lack of “in your face” tribalism between it, Genshin Impact, and Honkai Impact 3rd (all miHoYo games). I’m not saying it doesn’t exist (it does in places like social media, YouTube comments, and Twitch). But I’m referring to the constant barrage by the known influencers.
Contrast this with the ARPG genre and even specific Diablo’s within that franchise. For example, you have some Path of Exile (PoE) fans shitting over the imminent launch of D4. You have some D2 fans shitting over D4. And the weirdest one to me is you have some D3 loyalists shitting over D4. I’ve noted some of my thoughts regarding D4 in this prior post (from the initial open beta weekend). To quickly summarize, the nostalgia wasn’t there for me (with the genre and the franchise) and as I noted, my tolerance for the loot grind also isn’t there.
Keeping my feelings about Activision Blizzard and Blizzard Entertainment outside of this purview, I felt that the D4 open beta (effectively the “starter” trial version of the game) was fun, and the parts that kept hitting my button was the exploration component (uncovering the fog of war on the map, finding the Lilith altars, unlocking those waypoints, etc); it’s that aspect in games that keeps me engaged (like it did with Guild Wars 2 and Genshin Impact). Compared to 30+ years ago (where the grind component was up there in terms of what I enjoyed more), what’s a lot more fun for me now is open world exploration (and it helps if the PvE combat feels impactful and visceral); bringing it back to D4, those specific buttons were hit for me. Yes, what is fun for one person may not be fun for someone else. That is what is known as personal preference (which is highly subjective).
So on the eve of the early access launch, I took a look at the Diablo Reddit and official forums (and quickly left since the polarized opinions are pretty much the above). Yes, there was a time when I used to be engaged (heavily) in forums; that too has been tossed into the trash bin since there are better things to waste ones time on (you get that way as you get older). Which leads me to the real point of this post. Games are supposed to be FUN. It’s supposed to be an escape from the real world. It’s supposed to be a source of entertainment. And again, fun is subjective. Yes, some development studios and publishers aren’t good at all (where they put out trash, and then try to monetize that trash). Yes, each person has their personal preferences and will express their opinion about a title (I do it all the time here on this blog). Sometimes, this “time investment” in opinionated feedback comes out of passion (that’s how this blog came into being before it eventually devolved to the point where I no longer enjoyed any of the Blizzard titles had been playing, and just stopped playing them back in 2015).
With D4’s launch (after so many years in development amidst Blizzard’s own internal woes and missteps), those who are playing on launch should enjoy and have fun with this launch, and play it however they want to (there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a game, except for that person playing it to have fun doing it). Someone who is invested in PoE, D2, Last Epoch, Lost Ark (just throwing this in there even though it is more MMO than it is an ARPG), etc, isn’t going to convince someone looking forward to D4, that it isn’t worth playing because of their personal preference/opinion. I’m no fan of what Blizzard Entertainment has turned into over the years (while acknowledging I’m also no longer a fan of the franchise like I was back years ago), but I’m not going to go out of my way to spend hours on trying to shit on a new version of the game in the Diablo franchise that a bunch of mostly new designers (that now comprise Team 3) have spent time creating (and that many fans of the franchise are looking forward to). Unlike the original D3 team (that didn’t listen and often times were combative with the community), I did take notice the different tone the D4 team took (even after some leadership changes resulting from the internal dramas/scandals). And that IMHO, has resulted in a game that has a solid foundation to build off of (and I say this as someone who is no longer interested in this genre/franchise).
So to anyone who might be reading this and intends to play D4 (early access or at official launch on the 6th), have FUN (and ignore the tribalistic noise that is going to be happening on the side).
