GameBanshee Forums

I always post spoilered threads, so by once I'd like to post something that anybody can read
I played the baldur's gate(II) two years ago, the first time, and this is my third attempt. The more I play it, the more I like it
And reading other's post I've observed that we're of all kinds and tastes... and it's obvious that there's a wide range of ages and sex (ok, on sex it can only be male or female ). So my suggestion for this thread is (I don't work for anybody who wants to know this! )...
... why don't we try to know what kind of peple plays BG? I thought it was a game more boys-friendly, but many girls do play it. And I thought this was a game made for people ranging 14-25 years old... but I was completely wrong (in fact I'm 27 ).

I leave this in the hands of the Moderators, as I don't know if there are privacy policies that don't allow threads like this If it's allowed, perhaps we could make a poll (no names, no nicks, only data ).

I played D & D quite a bit when I was a youngster (33 now) and loved it but just kind of stopped for other interests at the time (starting H.S., sports, chasing girls, playing guitar, blah, blah, blah). Anyway, my roomate during my internship after college had BG on his PC and told me about it. I played and was instantly addicted.

Taste

I think baldurs gate and other D&D games attracts people that often are pretty serious about their taste for games. People that likes sagas, myths and fairytales. ^_^ I've never even tried normal RP D&D.

We've had numerous threads over the years down in the SYM (Speak Your Mind) forum about the respective numbers of men and women who play RPGs, and whether this has to do with PR assumptions, the way the games are designed, or innate differences between the sexes. I think you may want to search for "RPG" threads in SYM. This thread really isn't BG-specific, if I understand you correctly, since the way you define it fits the general parameters of all RPG playing.

I'll leave open this thread as long as it doesn't become a male/female kind of thing, but concentrates instead on the general qualities of individual players who care to post. If it tries to turn philosophical, however, I'll close it down and direct you to seek in SYM.

I first got into RPGs in the 1970s (!). AD&D as it was then. The attraction was part social, part creative, part escapist. It felt like you were writing your own legend while getting nuggets with your mates.

Computer games, it's a different challenge. I think computer games generally are appallingly lacking in imagination. It seems that there are actually only about 4 games out there, just with different skins and movie tie-ins. Lazy and dull, IMO.

Also, they demand that you learn a whole bunch of pointless stuff just so you can get into the game. Hence you (well, I, being a hamster of very little brain) have to spend hours banging away at it to get anywhere.

Gobsmacked when I first played BG because they had actually managed to represent the AD&D rules in a playable game! And put in a bunch of groovy graphics, sound and music. And made it (almost) non-linear.

So, perfect computer game for me: no learning curve of wanky stuff to learn (already knew the D&D rules) and you can pick it up whenever you like for as long or as short (as is the case with me usually) as you like.

I think that BGII is one of those games that was just exceptionally well done. Even today the story holds up, and there is enough variety that it has more replay value than any other game I know.

I think I play it because I loved 2nd ed D&D for a period of time, and this game has a nostalgic quality that I love. I also like the scope of the game- from a nothing character to an epic, god-character.

@Fable

I think this thread will be worth leaving open because BGII is so old but still has such a core base of players. I can only think of a few other games (PS:T, Diablo, FF VII...) that have similar durability. I've often wondered myself why I do keep coming back to play BGII.

At 33, I've played pencil-&-paper D&D off and on through the years. I love the game mechanics, rules, characters, storytelling, imagination... everything!

But getting a group together, consistently, whom you like to be around (none of my friends are into this), the preparation if you're DMing, the un-satisfaction with someone else if you're not DMing... for me a hassle.

Then comes Bioware, and their great D&D simulations. When I need a D&D 'fix', I turn the computer on and adventure. Hassle free.

What kind of people play BG, the great D&D simulation?

Well... people with Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, of course.

Personally speaking, I know a love of comics had something to do with the BG series being entertaining as well. It's almost as if you're creating superheroes in a different time period.

As with a couple others here, I'm 33. I started role playing (basic D&D) when I was 8 years old (1980) during recess at Catholic school. Just imagine the controversy if we would have been caught! We never were.
Since then I had been every type of role player, but have since stopped with pen and paper games because they take too long to set up. I'm not that patient. When BG1 came out, I really wanted a computer game with more story and more options (especially the option of being evil) without sacrificing the action and game play. The BG series provided me with exactly what I wanted. Since then I played through many times before I finally got bored with it, and recently started up again due to a downgrade in my computer. I sold my good computer and only have a 5 year old computer now. It is almost as fresh now as when it was new.

I think this game is popular due to a wide range of factors.

- It's lenght. It is huge. Even by modern games standard.

- The meticulous harmony between action and roleplaying. There is something for both Diablo and Planescape: Torment fans.

- The engine and game style was already fixed in the initial Baldur's Gate, thus the developers had more time to focus on gameplay, depth content.

- There is a *MASSIVE* amount of quests, errands and missions - few of which are mandatory. You can take your time AND you can easily rush through it.


Those points, I believe, are instrumental in defining this game's success.

Yes, but let's stay on subject: we don't need another "This is the reason BG2 is great" thread. What kind of people play BG2? Every person speaking for themselves seems like a good way to start.

That was my opinion - as I happen to like BGII. Not a comercial.

Great post, CFM. Change the age to 29, and it's a perfect response from me as well.

I had a discussion with one of my friends the other day that might shed some light on this issue. We were talking about the kind of movies we like. He likes what I call "true sports" movies--that is, movies about sports that are based on true stories, such as Cinderella Man, Radio, Remember the Titans, Rudy, etc. He was deaf to my criticism that such movies are almost always based on formulas to provoke the "right" responses from the audience, and they make use of storytelling devices that create a new "reality" instead of accurately reflecting the vacuum of meaning that characterizes reality until some human comes along and imposes a personalized template upon it to give it meaning. For example, the "villain" in Cinderella Man wasn't really a villain in real life, but the moviemakers turned him into one to improve upon the original story. The result is not what I would call "realistic". But it's a "true sports" movie, so my friend likes it. He doesn't like movies such as The Lord of the Rings or Spider-Man because they're not realistic.

There lies the difference between us. I like movies that aren't realistic. I want to see fantasy and fabrication. I want to see a new "reality" that has been shaped by a human mind and therefore given structure, meaning, and significance. I'm fond of humor and irony, which are totally invented, as well as symbolism, adventure, and struggles between good and evil. That makes me a good viewer for a movie like Spider-Man. It also makes me a good candidate for roleplaying games. I'm not saying that there are "two kinds of people in the world", but the friend I mentioned is a different kind of person than I am, so he's not the type of person who would enjoy roleplaying games.

I don't know if I could tell you what kind of people like to play Baldur's Gate. But hopefully I've given you some idea of why I enjoy playing it. It's a structured fantasy environment that has meaning to me, it deviates from real life in ways that are fun and compelling to me, and I enjoy being immersed in a world that isn't real.

My experiences with pen-and-paper D&D are mixed. On the one hand, I enjoyed the immersion, and some of the adventures I had with my friends were fun. I enjoyed playing with other people because the group dynamics gave the game the kind of spontaneity and unpredictability that can't be reproduced in a "canned" game. No DM could anticipate our reactions, so any DM who tried to railroad us was in for a real treat. On the other hand, the gameplay itself was very frustrating. Baldur's Gate runs very smoothly in comparison. I also enjoy playing alone because I can go at my own pace and make my own decisions and use my own imagination without having to negotiate with anyone else.

Very true, VonDondu.
Completely agree with the entirety of your post.

Random, conciet, bigheaded, silly, optimistic yet intense at the same time.

These words hopefully conjure up a strange image of my personality, I'm not exactly a sporty type person but I'm pretty confident I rest on the insane high level of activeness; Yet at the same time manage to balance a huge and insane amount of gaming time too.

At the time of this writing I am currently a 20 year old male working two jobs and am currently the master of many strange and unusual abilities and traits including: being able to use two nunchucks at the same time while blindfolded, throwing cards well enough to imbed them in foam, the splits and drawing with both hands.

~

In life I prefer to remain in the background, I'm actually highly sociable but I like my solitude and silence. I'm almost as silly as I am in my posts but everyone that's met me I imagine has come away with a different feelings about me.