The World Wide Web of Pessimists

*This is a re-post of a random thought that was plaguing my mind a few days ago.  I was having a problem with typing the whole thing, mostly because it seems that I am over thinking how I should talk to my audience; I was having thoughts like:  Should I write everything like an essay? Should I talk to them as if they are right next to me?*

I like to read a lot of different news across many different facets, but there is one thing that I find common in each site that I go to: almost everyone seems to be overly pessimistic! Putting political articles aside, when it comes to media, everyone seems to be quick to highlight the negatives rather than praise, or even look into, the positives something has to offer. Now I am not basing this article off of anything specific, or to defend a game that I am fond of, but I do have an example that may help paint a better picture.

Take the social aspects of the Playstation 4 and how most people seem to be against the whole idea.  The PS4 allows the player to record and share game play videos with their friends or whoever cares to watch them. Social media is a big part of our culture; you cannot go anywhere on the internet without seeing something related to Facebook, twitter, Youtube, or tumblr.  If you were to go to Youtube and look up just about any game, you would find tons of videos that show off speed-runs, unique kills, walk-troughs, or even simple recordings pertaining to someone's take on the overall meaning of a game.  If you were to go to Facebook, you would find countless pages dedicated to games that offer updates on patches, tips and tricks, and even the opportunity to discuss something as simple as character design.  As I stated for both, there are countless Facebook profiles and Youtube videos, all of which are posted by your average joe, your fellow gamers.   All of this, at least to me, says that there is a very strong interest in being able to connect and communicate with one another.  If you were to go and read the comment sections on most articles related to the PS4 and its social aspects, you would find just as many posts arguing how the social feature is a "fail" as you would videos on Youtube.  Most of the arguments that you would find will argue that focusing on social aspects will take away from more crucial aspects of a game, such as story and gameplay, and that they refuse to waste their money on a social hub.  Now why is it that its okay for everyone to be social on the PC, but not on a game console? Is it not the same thing? Has the quality in PC games gone down since the introduction of podcasts and other ways to live-stream?  I can understand if the whole "social scene" is not your thing, but, is it really that bad to where a system needs to be written off completely because of it? Does it warrant bashing other people who are for the idea? With the idea of it being something everyone seems to indulge in anyways aside, is it really hard to just not use the feature? Is it really hard to see the usefulness in being able to record a video that could help your friend complete a level in his game? Is it hard to see the usefulness in being able to get help from a friend as he watches you play the part of the game that you are stuck on? How I personally see it is as this: the option to simply play game is still there and that the option to be social is just that, an option.