Badland by Taman

If you were around the time this level was released you may remember Taman had already accrued a kind of reputation for "good gameplay," and that this level was, despite this reputation, critically panned for its gameplay in particular. The masses felt betrayed, appalled, with this reputation how could he follow up with a level that apparently was so difficult, unfun and unforgiving? Whatever the actual reason for this reaction was, is at this point most likely lost to time, we can now only look back and speculate. Having actually played and beaten the level, I can tell you I found it rather easy really, once you put in the time. I find this to be exactly along the lines of Taman gameplay just with the difficulty turned up. Once you get the details under control you will find this plays just as well and enjoyable as any other Taman level of an easier difficulty. The negative reception this received upon release, I speculate, is a result of misplaced expectations and the disappointment this created in the audience. The masses had come to expect an enjoyable, while still easy, level for them to cruise through. And what they were presented with was something that required a higher investment than what they were expecting to have to put in. You see this in what I'm leading up to touching on on this occasion, which is the way the common player has been conditioned to expect every level to be a breeze to go through. If your level happens to deviate from this expectation you will experience comments rife with complaints, agonizing not only over "sightreadability" but also the duration of the level. The implication that not being able to sightread and beat it in one attempt is somehow a flaw of the level is an attitude i find not just concerning but also deeply insulting. The value of the level is being interpreted not as the experience it provides, but rather just the stars you get when you beat it, as if our levels are nothing more than a hurdle to overcome for stats. A good level is one you can beat as fast as possible so you can get it over with and move on to the next level to beat as fast as possible, is what is etched into the vacuous mind of the stargrinder. The interactive medium of a level lends itself to a deeper connection to the work, not only are you observing but also participating, and this connection is something you cultivate as you play it. Attempt after attempt as you come to learn more of the level, as you get accustomed to every little detail of it, how each jump and click is to be placed. All of this comes together in a cohesive experience that culminates with the completion. This kind of connection is not possible to foster in a single attempt, the level goes in one ear and out the other as some say. How will your level be remembered, leave an impression on its audience, if the only time you spend together is the one attempt they mindlessly cruise though? The duration of a level I find also has a similar effect on the experience. I find 60 seconds, the threshold at which the indicator switches from medium to long, is just not enough time to get invested into a level. You play it from the start and before you can even begin to feel something it's just over, ideally every level would of course use the entire song but I can understand why that isn't always possible or desirable, but a duration of at least 1:40 should be considered the bare minimum. In the mind of the stargrinder however, in the time you beat a four minute level, you could have beaten four one minute levels and harvested a quadruple amount of stars. The way they interface with the art is appallingly crude to a degree where it's hard to justify the point of their existence. The stargrinder is by far the lowest form of life in this community, at least people who complete difficult levels have developed some sort of skill or dedication to reach their achievements. On the contrary there is no skill involved in completing as many levels as possible, the only metric it signifies is the amount of time sunk into mindless consumption of other peoples work. They are the only people who are truly affected by loss of data, because for the creators the memory of their work will live on in the hearts of the audience, for the players their skill will persist regardless of their account data, but it is only the stargrinders who will lose absolutely everything, because the achievement they have dedicated themselves to is worthless and bears with it no greater intangible reward. And then these parasites wedge themselves into the undercurrent of the community and poison the well with their nauseating drivel. Like when they promoted that stargrinder Gormuck guy to a moderator position, all he's going to do is perpetuate the short, unchallenging drivel that's in his interests. If I had my way every stargrinder would be put down, not just for the sake of the community but also for their own sake, to free them of the slave life they live.