So recently I have wondered why people hate certain games, by hate I do not mean quietly so, I mean when they vocalise it via either spoken or written word, which usually would imply that they are passionate about it (to an extent). I would like to know why people feel this way.

Often one common reason a negative opinion is given is with console or PC exclusives, which leads to disdain towards said exclusives. For example: the Halo series and the all too common rants against it from both PC and Playstation Fanatics. One cannot argue that the Halo games are bad, Bungie make fantastic shooters and have done so for over a decade. So with this case it seems that it is jealously for those who can play this game, when they themselves cannot.

Another example would be towards popular games in franchises such as Call of Duty. Can see how some people wouldn't like it, due to some elements of gameplay (myself included), which often for some leads to vocalised hatred. While the core game itself is solid there are a few imperfections which leads me to believe leads to the hatred in these cases. While some people can look past these faults and enjoy the game, often to huge extents, these people seem jealous of those that can overlook these problems.

My Final example is when one has followed the game throughout its promotion and development. But the game does not hold up to their opinions prior to the release. Such as it is this would be annoyance or anger towards the developer for not catering to the mentioned player. This is often seems to be the fault of the promotion being slightly off, say such as pitching an arcade-simulation hybrid racer as a racing simulation, such as with Need for Speed: Shift.

So to compare it to another medium: art (yeah it's a little clichéd now, sorry). So with a great piece of art, one of it's main purposes is to get across a message, this message will be likely to illicit a reaction which, dependant on the observer the opinion could range from considering it anywhere between brilliance or believing it to be a complete piece of shit. I am not saying that people should stop vocalising their hatred, but I believe that trying to convince people that they are wrong about their opinion of a game is not a great way to put across your opinion.

People are all different and will always appreciate different things in different ways. I personally cannot enjoy Left for Dead, I can see exactly why people play it, the game just doesn't click for me despite several attempts to play it. For me a excellent game will never have universal praise, one with universal praise would undoubtedly be a good game, but with no split views on it I would never consider it great.