Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Archived Discussion Main / VideogameTropes

Go To

This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.

Wow, nice changes! —case

OK, about to do a giant clean sweep along with adding descriptions for all tropes (phew!) followed by categorization. For posterity's sake, here is the list of tropes that don't actually belong on this index:

rjung: Your cutlist doesn't seem to make sense. Hyperactive Metabolism is definitely a Video Game Trope, and even all of the examples are games. Similarly, Power-Up Food is common (but not exclusive) to Video Games. If Dude, Where's My Respect? is a Video Game Trope, then these (and probably others) also certainly qualify.

Trigger Loaded: Hyperactive Metabolism is already under Acceptable Breaks from Reality. As for the rest... Meh, I see why he removed some of them. Heroic BSoD is pretty universal. Others, like Violence is the Only Option, are pretty neatly a game trope.

Cidolfas: Take a look at Violence is the Only Option and Power-Up Food. Most of the examples are from non-video game sources, the description is not video-game-exclusive, and there's nothing in the trope itself that screams "video games". Also, I wasn't the one who removed Hyperactive Metabolism.

rjung: Still seems a bit arbitrary to me. Is there an "X percentage of examples must be from video games to qualify as a video game trope" rule in play here?

Cidolfas No, not really. It's obviously subjective, but I feel that the following things should be true for it to qualify:

  • A significant majority of the examples should be video games.
  • The description should primarily be talking about video games.
  • The trope itself is one that lends itself to the video game format more than other formats.

rjung: So, how do Violence is the Only Option and Power-Up Food not qualify? The former has a big list of Video Game examples, and it's not unreasonable that the list will only grow further over time. As for the latter, I don't see how a trope that covers Pac-Man's power pellets, Mario's mushrooms, and the Scout's BONK energy drink (among others) not qualify. And if we're saying "A significant majority of the examples should be video games," does that mean when more video-game examples get added in the future, the Wiki Fairy will magically put those tropes on the index?

I understand that we don't want trope creep to make this index humongously huge, but if that's the case, we need a set of well-defined, objective qualifications for something to be included (or excluded) from this index. Otherwise it'll just be a never-ending cycle of bickering over what tropes belong here.

Cidolfas: Let's take my three points here.

  • Violence is the Only Option:
    • Has a four-paragraph description, of which only one paragraph references video games.
    • There are 25 video game examples and 23 other examples - hardly a significant majority.
    • Nothing in the trope description makes it specific to video games; it's something that can happen anywhere, and demonstrably does.
  • Power-Up Food:
    • Again, has a four- or five-paragaph description and mentions video games in one of them.
    • Has 14 video game examples and 19 other examples.
    • Is not specific to video games; it mentions any normal food that gives a character some special power.

Compare it with something like Easing into the Adventure (specifically picking a non-gameplay trope here)

  • The description says it's so common with RP Gs, "they might as well patent it", which is a clear sign that video games are a major aspect to it.
  • There are 18 video game examples and 11 others. Not as overwhelming as some, but significant.
  • In this case the third point doesn't hold, as the trope is not specifically geared towards video games, but a two out of three rule works. 8-)

I'm not sure that a straight rule is going to apply, because you can never just look at a trope and decide if it fits. So I think let's go with common sense here and we can bicker over individual tropes as they come up. I've already pruned a hell of a lot of them and moved them into subcategories, so hopefully it won't be as messy as it would otherwise be.

Tzintzuntzan: There's something that definitely has to go in the video games list: Nintendo Logic. You know, the odd things that always popped up in old NES games (and still pop up now). However, since I haven't played a video game in nearly a decade, I don't know enough to write the entry. Anyone?

Dark Sasami: Okay, here's my big question.

Since when is "videogame" one word?

Ununnilium: ...okay, good point. ``;

Andrew Leprich: I like it better as one word, personally.

White Rose Duelist: It's not, yet, unless you think Wiktionary is an infallible source. I've gone through the index and fixed it.

Andrew Leprich: Didn't see why Standard Status Effects should be under Useless Useful Spell, edited appropriately.
Andrew Leprich: Removed Gameplay and Story Segregation from Acceptable Breaks from Reality, because although it can be a Justified Trope, it doesn't quite fit there, simply because in reality there is no story or gameplay.

Tanto: I'm not so sure. All of the Acceptable Breaks from Reality are things that don't make sense when considered outside the concept of the game, but exist because without them, the game would be frustrating/boring/tedious. That's pretty much the definition of Gameplay and Story Segregation...it deals with the separation of the game engine and the game world when seen without the lens of the game.

Andrew Leprich: Heh, whatever, then. I view Acceptable Breaks from Reality as tropes than sacrifice realism for practicality (games wouldn't be fun if to heal your gunshot wounds you'd have to go to the hospital, undergo surgery, and lay in bed for three weeks), but that interpretation works too. Put it back if you'd like. =D

Morgan Wick: ABFR says it's "certain elements of gameplay where realism would simply make gameplay tedious, difficult and/or confusing." Frankly I don't think either of your definitions really contradict each other.

Andrew Leprich: Ah, it was late when I wrote that and I only skimmed Tanto's message, my bad. Gameplay and Story Segregation just doesn't look right to me when next to things such as Heal Thyself and Hyperspace Arsenal.

Tanto: Moved Vendor Trash out of the Acceptable Breaks from Reality. Doesn't really fit, methinks — We Buy Anything is what you're aiming for with that line of reasoning.
Morgan Wick: @$&#$ anonymous users who don't know what they're doing.
Tanto: Who in hot and holy hell thought Dolled-Up Installment is an Acceptable Break From Reality?

Trigger Loaded: Really, I wonder about half the things on Acceptable Breaks from Reality. I think Jump Physics belong on that list, while Super Drowning Skills is annoying, not acceptable. Ditto Gateless Ghetto and Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence. Those are 'Acceptable?' I could see 'Tolerated.'

Tanto: It's all the same.

Sci Vo: I dislike the kludginess of having the Acceptable Breaks from Reality categorized twice: once here, and then again on the ABFR page. Any objections to my making ABFR into an index, and changing all of its members from the "Videogame Tropes" index to the "Acceptable Breaks From Reality" index? Also, Boss Battle looks like it could use the same treatment.
Willy Four Eyes: I'm removing the "Well Timed Knockoff" trope from the list. The only thing I can see happening is it turning into a dupe of Follow the Leader, which covers the videogame version of that trope pretty well already. That, and no one's ever bothered adding content for it.
Little Beast: You know, I'm very surprised that there isn't a useless allies trope in here somewhere. Unless it's just not listed under videogame tropes?
Yoshi348: This page *might* need even more subcategories, given that it is getting pretty dang long. Trouble is, I can't find any more good groupings here. And I'm not sure the length of the page is necessarily fatal or anything. Everyone else's thoughts?
  • Thomas: I think that maybe a new page needs to be made for Videogame Story tropes, and anything that overlaps really heavily with anime/tv tropes should be moved there.
Matty: Here's an idea. How about a trope for something you can only do once, but once you do something else, you can never go back to it again? Two examples come to mind: - In Kingdom Hearts, the Trinity in Oogie Boogie's house. Once you defeat Oogie Boogie, it is lost forever and you cannot activate it. - In Banjo-Kazooie, the Mumbo Token in the waterlogged pyramid in Gobi's Valley. Once you drain the pyramid, you can't get the Mumbo Token.

sickishfish: Would those be covered by Lost Forever?

Grey Mario: What about Rubber-Band A.I. and the other artificial-intel-in-videogames tropes? Would they belong in this list?
Mag Flare: Whoa, Prfnoff, what's up with all the deletions on May 19? There's some good material in there.
Tonestronaut: Computer systems do not yet have an index anywhere on this site (at least not that I've found), and I'd like to see that index in the float box on the right. Here are some pages for the index to list:

Cidolfas: If you can play video games on them, they should go on the Video Game Systems page.

Tonestronaut: Ah, there they are! Thank you!

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top