Editor's note: I'm right there with Alex: I've never played sports games -- unless you count Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and NBA Jam. But I'm not sure there is a thing on the planet that could get me to play a game like Gran Turismo. Everything I would want taken out and added in would basically make it Grand Theft Auto -- and then it would no longer be a racing sim. -James

I am a pretty eclectic gamer. The question to ask me is not "what have you played?" but "what haven't you played?" Despite this, I do not love all games equally. Some genres elude my interest even though they contain some good titles.

For some reason -- like many in the enthusiast crowd -- I rarely ever play sports titles. To add to that, I have started to realize that I just don't enjoy Japanese role-playing games like I used to. Either the games themselves have changed, or I have.

This is hardly uncommon. People dislike certain types of games, or they fall out of love with the kinds that they used to gravitate toward. The question that interests me is what would people would do to change the genres that they either don't enjoy or no longer care for.

I'll start: sports games.

If a developer cared to make a sports title that would sell to people of my tastes, I think a good start would be to throw realism and tradition to the wind. Yes, fantastical entries into the genre exist -- my love for Mutant League Hockey is no secret -- but why not tweak that a little?

Here is an idea: Many sports titles have worked in weak single-player modes that frame the story of your create-a-character's career. These "campaign" modes tend to be pretty dry and boring to gamers who are disinterested in the concerned sport. Developers should take a page out of the first-person-shooter playbook and separate multiplayer skirmishing from the campaign in a big way. Instead of worrying about stat tracking and placement in dull tournament ladders, why not focus on the interpersonal lives of the team members?

You could create a character and live through everyday drama featuring a fully voice-acted cast portraying your team, coach, and manager. I don't really watch sports films, but people think Friday Night Lights is pretty good, right? I assume they could make it like that, and I might enjoy it. 

Def Jam: Fight for NY had a pretty innovative mode that changed the story based on whether you won a fight or lost it. I think mainstream sports games featuring focused narratives could be interesting -- especially if they pursued a dramatic route. Make Final Football instead of Final Fantasy! It'd be kind of like the story mode in the WWE games, only -- you know -- good.

Japanese role-playing games present another problem. With the exception of Atlus' stunning library and the Dragon Quest series, I just can't bring myself to play through another melodramatic, anime-inspired boiler plate. In a way, I am not sure how to fix that particular problem. Japanese companies are going to make Japanese games, and they are going to write Japanese stories that cater to Japanese audiences. My only suggestion is for new creators to follow Atlus' lead, but that isn't very good advice.

Maybe they could change the structure of the games to make me want to play them again. The problem with a lot of these games is that they are too damn long. Sure they make a great value proposition for fans, but I don't want to play a game for forty hours when the story could easily be told in ten.

If I could have a top-quality RPG that lasted ten or fifteen hours, I am pretty sure I would enjoy it more than grinding endlessly just because tradition demands it. I think melodrama works best in short bursts. That is why soap operas finish in under an hour: The audience doesn't have time to realize how insipid it all is.

I would love to hear from other Bitmobbers! If you could change a game genre to make it more palatable to you, what would you alter? Leave a comment, or better yet, write a whole new article!