Death to the Game Industry

[AceTKK]

However as to saying there's NO gamers that appericate/like indie games? Uhh, that I disagree with.

.

That's not what he said. He said that the publishers aren't willing to support those kind of games, because they're inherently risky. As a result, many of them never get made/become available to the people who would like them.

 

[Stiler]

That's not what he said. He said that the publishers aren't willing to support those kind of games, because they're inherently risky. As a result, many of them never get made/become available to the people who would like them.

It says clearly:

but in gaming, we have no indie aesthetic, no group of people (of any size at least) who prize independent vision and creativity over production values.

There are both indie game fans, aswell as indie publishers that still care/publish indie games.

The problem is the "Big/huge publishers" don't have that mindset.

 

[hl3395]

On a site that is composed of hardcore hardware advocates, there might be a slight bias for graphics
My personal favorites are RPG games that are story driven, AKA not Diablo, and the last one of those game I came across was Morrowind. I like CS, I play it all the time, but look at CS:Source or HL2 or Doom3 or even Far Cry, graphics came first.

 

[Stereophile]

Very informative article. Sadly I agree with most of his points. The Golden Age of videogames is gone and not coming back. I had no idea videogame production budgets are getting that expensive. 20 million the norm for the new games coming. I liked the analogy to the music/movie business. Most titles bomb and they only make money from the "hits". Like music I think direct download can help things somewhat. Although due to Moore's Law it's hard for indy programmers to keep up graphics wise. The best remedy I can think to the whole problem is don't buy crap games. Of course the way they're marketed and often times sold without a return privalege makes it more complicated to make good purchasing decisions. Luckily there are still a few independant developers making quality titles, like Bethesda.

 

[beanman101283]

...many consumers are risk averse - would you buy some weird outlandish title for $50 when you know you would love the newest Doom game? This is why games like Mark of Kri do poorly but games like Devil May Cry 3 do great - the desire for innovation or uniqueness by consumers isn't really there yet. How many gamers are really honestly willing to trade high production values for innovative gameplay?

Ok, I admit that made me step back for a moment. I certainly don't go to Best Buy, look at their game shelves, and pick a random game I've never heard of. I don't want to waste my money on a game that'll end up sucking. I (and probably most people) am the same way with CD's, movies, etc. Let me hear a couple songs on the radio before I buy that new CD. The exception is if I happen to be a big fan of a particular band, and the same applies to games. Obviously many people went right out and bought Half Life 2 because of how much they liked the first one. I'm only just playing it now because I never played the first one when it was out, and finally decided to see what the big deal was.

In the message is a brief description of the game, maybe a screenshot or two. Now if your interested, then you can buy, download the game, and play, and the game will be unlocked in your account. If you want to try it out, then you can immediately download a demo. The system even could probably tell you if the platform you're gaming on meets the required specs. And the shelf-life of a game can last as long as the developer wants to leave the binary on a server (though they may have to pay Valve).

That is exactly the system I would love to have with all games. Especially the part about the demos. Everyone's excited about FEAR because of the demo. Now I just wish I could download the full game and have it ready to play on the release date (hopefully without any glaring issues like Half Life 2 had).

 

[jodonnell]

There are both indie game fans, aswell as indie publishers that still care/publish indie games.

There are some, but not very many compared to, say, the indy music or movies movement. You have to remember this: if you post on HardForum, or on any game/tech forum, you are not the average gamer. You aren't the mainstream; you're part of a very small subset of the hardcore. Keep that in mind. While you may have an indy aesthetic, the games industry needs to get that out farther and wider for it to have an impact. Judging from the sales numbers of Katamari (I believe 150k US/120K Japan) compared to Madden (a really big number), the indy aesthetic isn't quite there yet. Most gamers, despite what they may say about innovation, would still rather have a Doom 3 than a Darwinia. If that's not you, good We need more people like that; but it's a long battle.

Although due to Moore's Law it's hard for indy programmers to keep up graphics wise. The best remedy I can think to the whole problem is don't buy crap games. Of course the way they're marketed and often times sold without a return privalege makes it more complicated to make good purchasing decisions. Luckily there are still a few independant developers making quality titles, like Bethesda.

It's not just hard - indy developers cannot compete with the heavy hitters at Bethesda, Valve, EA/whatever in terms of production values, period, full stop. Indy games can not afford the technology that makes us ooh and ahh in Halflife and FEAR et al.

It's not so much about "not buying crap games" as it is about "buying small independent games." When you see a Katamari, Ico, Beyond Good and Evil, etc; don't merely rent it or download the crack. Put your money where your mouth is and buy it. When those titles sell poorly, that sends a very clear message to publishers that those titles are not wanted. As gamers, it is up to all of us to show that there is demand for them.

That is exactly the system I would love to have with all games. Especially the part about the demos. Everyone's excited about FEAR because of the demo. Now I just wish I could download the full game and have it ready to play on the release date (hopefully without any glaring issues like Half Life 2 had).

This would probably be one of the biggest boons for indy games (which FEAR is not in any case.) Renting does the developers no good; Blockbuster doesn't give them any sizable return. Being able to download the full product and play a free demo, which can then be immediately paid for; that would be a great asset for indy developers. I think Fileplanet's Direct2Drive has a few things like that, where you can play a 2-3 hour demo and then immediately pay and unlock the rest. Since $50 is a big investment given the number of games that come out a year, a widespred try-before-you-buy system could possibly help titles get the attention they need from the genereal public. Either that, or just cut the prices on low-budget games, which was the tactic Katamari took at $20 (the sequel will be $30 I believe.)

 

[Yiffy]

I certainly don't feel like playing Duke Nukem right now )-:

I recently played Duked Nukem again, that game's multiplayer owned. Shadow Warrior was fun too.

"That's no ordinary Wang..." - From Shadow Warrior

 

[Spare-Flair]

I miss the wide variety of genres from the 90s. Especially the adventure games (Lucasarts!) and sim games besides The Sims. Theme Hospital and SimTower were amazing.

And where did the whole space-sim genre go? That was possibly my favorite genre of them all. There are no games to even use a joystick with anymore.

 

[Pelias]

New consoles and mmorpgs. And when the both mix...The golden age for gaming is yet to come.

Alternative distribution channels, like Steam or Xbox Live, if run correctly (especially rhe latter one) should be able to change entire industry.
Xbox Live have the chances to become essencialy what is Amazon to typical bookstores.
That is, if they open it to the developer masses not keeping it as advertising source for Microsoft games.
Unfortunately, lack of hdd can be really painful here.

and the guy him self is just like Oriana Fallaci - he raises lot of a good points, convinces you, but doesn't have any solutions. Not a single one.

 

[Nasty_Savage]

There's certainly a lack of innovation in games nowadays. Too many rehashes of what's been done before. Even when you get something kinda unique, it generally gets buried. I think that was a problem with Star Wars Galaxies. It was a kind of different twist wit MMORPG's with a sorta unique feel to it, but eventually, the 'combat upgrade' turned it into everquest in space. A shame, stille the crafting is still complex and unique, but the combat side of things is extremely poor nowadays...

 

[jodonnell]

New consoles and mmorpgs. And when the both mix...

...then we get even more bland grind-for-a-million-hour-MMOS! Whoo!

...and the guy him self is just like Oriana Fallaci - he raises lot of a good points, convinces you, but doesn't have any solutions. Not a single one.

When someone calls out that the Emperor has no clothes, they don't neccessarily need to direct him to the nearest Gap. In any case, the solutions bit is in the next article or in the Powerpoint presentation I linked earlier.

 

[Techx]

Now one might argue, of course, that the improvement in graphical quality improves the gameplay experience so much that the cost is worthwhile. But if that's so, why was <i>Doom</i> so rapturously received, such a huge hit? And why do the critics basically agree that <i>Doom III</i> - well, it kind of sucks?

Yes gameplay plays a big role in things, but IMO we were happy to get any new games back with Doom, and everyone loved it, mostly because it was a NEW type of game people hadn't seen before. Some people don't like D3 because its 'just another fps with pretty gfx', theres nothing new being introduced.. things aren't what they used to be.. guess we just gotta deal with it

 

[ScootCo]

...
And where did the whole space-sim genre go? That was possibly my favorite genre of them all. There are no games to even use a joystick with anymore.

Umm.... As far as Space Sims go, there are quite a few out there. Most notable for MMORPG Space sim is EVE-Online.

X2: The Threat is SO much easier when played with a joystick than a mouse and has a HIGH replayability in my book. X3 will be coming out soon enough, but yes, it IS a sequel.



Large companies stifle creativity by sheer ownership of intellectual property. You cannot have an idea and not wind up having it owned by your employer simply because you cannot prove you didn't think about it on their time.

The problems within the gaming business are almost the same idea problems that exist in Books, Movies and TV. There are few stories that seem original, that haven't already been written. This makes it seem like only the graphics and the chr names have changed within a forth coming game. By advertising a game into a certain genre or type of game, it gets pigeon-holed and loses the attention of the buyer immediately. "Oh, another FPS using the 'Doum-18' engine. Sheesh, will they ever stop ripping off EiD?" is one thing I can remember hearing within the last several years. The story and implementation doesn't even get a second glance before the box is set back down on the shelf.

I believe that it is WE, the gamers, that may be to blame for the seeming lack of ideas for new games. Having played too many within a certain genre, we become jaded to the excitement and thrills that we expect these companies to instill within our latest 'FIX'.

Community building, PvP, Co-operative Multi-player games seem to have some of the longest lasting fun factors that I have witnessed in the last few years. Alot of the 'story' is dependent upon the interactions of thousands of players, organized into guilds or clans. Once they start feeling the persistence that they 'belong' to a story, they are hooked and the title becomes a cult followed classic. The downside to these is the inability of the game company to integrate the player(s) ideas, stories and adventures into the substrate of the game itself. Players move pretty fast, are quite fickle and ALWAYS want things their own way. Persistent worlds with player integrated involvement and a feeling of permanence are the current 'future' of gaming. These games need time to grow and become what the original authors have invisioned, a place and time that people will pay to be in and part of.

I don't believe the 'Golden-Age' of gaming has come and gone just yet. We're still inventing the tools and abilities of new interfaces to draw the crowd into the game. Yes, there are problems with the industry, but as long as there are gamers who have the ability to have fun, the invention of new toys will keep coming. Word of mouth is still the best advertising you can get. Doom started life as 'SHAREWARE', as well as 'Wolfenstein' and most of the classics. DnD didn't start with a bunch of books that needed purchased either, but it sure grew into that, didn't it?

The best stuff is yet to come, but the story may be a little more familiar than we realize as we grow older and wiser, as gamers.


story

 

[Russ]

OTOH, AoE II was my first RTS, and I loved *that* and thought Starcraft (once I eventually tried it) sucked.

I think it's a case of your first experience with any new concept being unique and powerful and lasting....leaving you feeling like the successors to that first experience were less desirable in some way.

I think that's REALLY what this author is "addressing" - his perception that games in a genre are not as good as the FIRST game in that genre he played. This is a natural human progression, though - first experiences are the most impressive. How does that cheezy song put it? "Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders."

That's just the macrocosm of the microcosm. Humans have an innate bias to first and earlier experiences.

Yea, I actually played AOE1 first, then bought all four (AOE 1&2 and the expansions) afterwards and LOVED playing AOE2 exp. for several years. AOE3 seems to be trying to break the boring first 5 minutes cycle while still improving graphics, so I want to see how that does. I'm pretty excited about it.

Another occurance I had that I'm not sure agrees with your theory or not is my experience with FF. We all knwo that it started RPGs as we know them in the present day when FF1 came out. I started with FF10 and loved it, but now I like FF1 and FF3 the best! Kinda odd, but I suppose it supports the fact that gameplay is cooler than graphics.

Anyway, just wanted to say that. I'm sure that we as gamers will find ways to make the games interesting with the bigger and better multiplayer systems that keep coming out. For instance, I stopped playing normal AOE games long before I stoppped playing the whole game. What I played were custom scenarios created by players. And in WC3 practially the only thing I play is DOTA (I'm sure a few of you know what that one is).

So let the game developers create the multiplayer and editors and graphics and we the players will deal with creating many awesome storylines.

 

[Steel Chicken]

Ive been playing the original XCOM.
Sad. 2.7Ghz of AMD X2 fury with 2GB of ram and enough power to run a hairdryer, and im playing an old DOS game. Graphics? Low rez but creative use of what they had. But its so much FUN!

 

[glutto]

I am wondering why he has not mentioned certain creative and yet succesfull games like
Katamari Damacy and uh.... Kirby's Canvas Curse and uh... did I already say Katamari Damacy?

I'm disappointed to see this happen, but this link should be a fierce kick to the berries for you, then. I enjoyed the first game, too.

The corporate world is truly a horrible and depressing place....

 

[jodonnell]

All EA is doing is publishing it in PAL territories - NAMCO never brought the original to PAL, so I'm glad EA at least steps up to support it. EA may not generate a lot of new IP (Maxis aside) but at least they are willing to help fund Katamari.

 

[Stiler]

All EA is doing is publishing it in PAL territories - NAMCO never brought the original to PAL, so I'm glad EA at least steps up to support it. EA may not generate a lot of new IP (Maxis aside) but at least they are willing to help fund Katamari.

EA just wants to own Katamari and turn it into a franchise, then they want to churn out the same ole same ole until the milk runs dry, then they'll ditch it.

If the guy that made Katamari pitched a new innoviative idea to EA after they publish Katamari they'll probally tell him to hit the road if they don't "picture" it taking off.

 

[Pelias]

...then we get even more bland grind-for-a-million-hour-MMOS! Whoo!

When someone calls out that the Emperor has no clothes, they don't neccessarily need to direct him to the nearest Gap. In any case, the solutions bit is in the next article or in the Powerpoint presentation I linked earlier.

When mentioning mmorpgs, I wanted to counter the argument of shrinking gmaing market, not neccesary the creativity.
However.
There are tons of indy/orginal mmorpgs down there. Starting with EVE, Auto Assault, PotBS, Guild Wars, Tactics Online... Mmorpgs aren't just WoW and countless korean shitbags (MU, KO, KUL, L1, L2, NF, shitholads more, ...). Hmm, biggest danger to game industry aren't publishers, but Korean developers:>

 

[JonnyK]

very interesting read. I think one game that has "come out of left-field" and left a few people inpressed lately is Killer7. I got this on gamecube a few weeks after it came out and i have enjoyed it a lot so far. i'm not too far into it, only a few hours, but it is so wierd and fun i can't wait to see what its developer comes up with next.

About the article, I don't think it's possible to tell if this guy is on the right track or not. I do think it would be great if low budget games were feasable to make and profitable with not so many sales. Having people like teams that normally just make mods for HL2 able to make their own full engines and games to run on them and have it be profitable for them without a publisher would be awesome. I don't know how realistic this is or what would have to happen for it to become a reality but that's the way it needs to go.

 

[Bop]

I was raised a console gamer with the NES and moved to PCs during the "golden age" of PC gaming around 1998 and here is my opinion on the whole recent gaming situation.

When it comes to the new consoles I feel a dark age will come with it. We will see the same old rehashes(RE5, Halo 3, 5000x unreal engine games that are all the same) selling for more money. The only things these new systems promise are better graphics... thats it. I don't know about the rest of you, but when it comes to gaming I prefer having more fun than saying "wow that tree has high res leaves!". Call over 3 of your buddies and load up some Pac-Man for the gamecube and prepare to be laughing till you can't breathe.

Nintendo is taking the better path with major selling points being reduced cost to develop games and new ways to play them. And if all else fails they have their whole back catalogue of games to play.

On the PC side of things there could be actually be a renaissance with the introduction of software delivery content like Steam. Getting rid of the publisher and releasing episodic titles that cost less to make like Sin Episodes could be the key out of the constant release of mundane games.

As for now I don't even play games, I'm taking a nice long break till Quake 4. If people take their head out of their asses and stop buying every Madden,Halo,and GTA that comes out and spend their money in the right places we may one day get out of this mess.

 

[jodonnell]

EA just wants to own Katamari and turn it into a franchise, then they want to churn out the same ole same ole until the milk runs dry, then they'll ditch it.

They aren't buying the IP! They are merely distributing it and handling Euro publishing. That's not owning it. Katamari is still owned by Namco and Keita Takahashi. EA does not own anything of Katamari except European distribution rights, period. Distribution that Namco was not willing to provide.

I don't like EA either, but people need to realize EA is not the exception - it is the rule. EA is not the only place to mistreat their employees, Bungie had a huge painful crunch for Halo 2, Blizzard most certainly did for each of their titles, et al. Mistreated employees and squashing innovation is an industry standard; it is not something unique to EA.

There are tons of indy/orginal mmorpgs down there. Starting with EVE, Auto Assault, PotBS, Guild Wars, Tactics Online... Mmorpgs aren't just WoW and countless korean shitbags (MU, KO, KUL, L1, L2, NF, shitholads more, ...). Hmm, biggest danger to game industry aren't publishers, but Korean developers:>

GW is just Diablo; and I though EVE folded/is not doing so well. PotBS is in eternal development (seemingly.) And we have to put up with ever more EQ clones, SWG, etc. There are occasionally novel titles but they don't bring in the dough.

 

[Rock&Roll]

It's not so much about "not buying crap games" as it is about "buying small independent games." When you see a Katamari, Ico, Beyond Good and Evil, etc; don't merely rent it or download the crack. Put your money where your mouth is and buy it. When those titles sell poorly, that sends a very clear message to publishers that those titles are not wanted. As gamers, it is up to all of us to show that there is demand for them.

My thoughts? Well, I'd like to know of, or see a site or thread, where I can read about great games that arent very popular. You know, a central place where I can see what the collective comunity of gamers have adopted as great games that aren't really well known.

I'm sure there are tons of great games I miss every year just because they aren't marketed at a high enough level for me to notice them.

 

[Stiler]

My thoughts? Well, I'd like to know of, or see a site or thread, where I can read about great games that arent very popular. You know, a central place where I can see what the collective comunity of gamers have adopted as great games that aren't really well known.

I'm sure there are tons of great games I miss every year just because they aren't marketed at a high enough level for me to notice them.

www.justadventure.com

That's a site for adventure games, both indie ones among well published ones. The community there is great and will help you find lesser known games/tell you info about them, etc.

www.mysterymanor.net is also a good one for indie games/developers, though again dealing mostly with adventure type games.

 

[Kristo]

I find the games industry is becoming just like all the other entertainment industrys, playing it safe, falling to corporate group-think/focus groups and max sales projections.

There are glimmers of hope (http://www.pompomgames.com/mutantstorm.htm) but these are rare compared to the likes of EA and their ilk.

I remember being able to walk into a games store and be pretty comfortable picking up a title just based on the publisher (oooh, lucasarts...hmm, sam n max, looks cool...buy...take home, love it), hell, it used to be that way with cds as well (ooh, new roadrunner cd....fear factory, demanufacture....buy...take home, listen, head falls off) but those days are long gone (star wars what?? nickelwhatnow?) and now each purchase has to be carefully researched, demos must be located and examined.

In my mind, publishers have lost my trust. The same rehashes over and over. Sad thing is it won't get better. I don't see hollywood or the music industry taking a turn for the better any time soon and I dont see the gaming industry doing so either. Notice how both the music/movie industry now make record profits, you just know the fat execs at EA are eyeing that fat cash and emulating (hell, if they can't make original games, you think they would have original business ideas??).

I forsee a place pretty much where we are now, just more. EA and co will have total domination of the retail channels. The indies will exist on the net, pretty much relegated to obscurity. Just like how a band like Nile will only sell a few thousand cds but someone like Slipknot will sell several million, Madden 07 will sell several million and the next Darwinia will sell a few thousand, but we all know what is trully better and original.

 

[I'm the Dude man]

I found it interesting, especially the part that talked about how the economies of scale have changed things, and how EA is just playing a logical economic game in a capitalistic system. Get bigger and squeeze. An economic inevitiability which occurs in all free market enterprises. Growth is the mantra, and then domination.

 

[Stiler]

I find the games industry is becoming just like all the other entertainment industrys, playing it safe, falling to corporate group-think/focus groups and max sales projections.

There are glimmers of hope (http://www.pompomgames.com/mutantstorm.htm) but these are rare compared to the likes of EA and their ilk.

I remember being able to walk into a games store and be pretty comfortable picking up a title just based on the publisher (oooh, lucasarts...hmm, sam n max, looks cool...buy...take home, love it), hell, it used to be that way with cds as well (ooh, new roadrunner cd....fear factory, demanufacture....buy...take home, listen, head falls off) but those days are long gone (star wars what?? nickelwhatnow?) and now each purchase has to be carefully researched, demos must be located and examined.

In my mind, publishers have lost my trust. The same rehashes over and over. Sad thing is it won't get better. I don't see hollywood or the music industry taking a turn for the better any time soon and I dont see the gaming industry doing so either. Notice how both the music/movie industry now make record profits, you just know the fat execs at EA are eyeing that fat cash and emulating (hell, if they can't make original games, you think they would have original business ideas??).

I forsee a place pretty much where we are now, just more. EA and co will have total domination of the retail channels. The indies will exist on the net, pretty much relegated to obscurity. Just like how a band like Nile will only sell a few thousand cds but someone like Slipknot will sell several million, Madden 07 will sell several million and the next Darwinia will sell a few thousand, but we all know what is trully better and original.

I remember when I was younger, being able just go to like wal mart, look through their cheapie pc games and find some damn awesome games.

Now if you buy a "cheapie" game, you either get lucky to find an older good game that you probally already heard of/played, or you get "Budget" software that's generally not too well.

Serious sam was almost the last "budget" game I can remember that was good.

 

[HardOCP News]

Apparently there is a Part 2 of this article up that offers up some solutions to the question you guys have raised:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/9/4

Like I said on the front page, any game developer that wants to get their game known needs to get the games, screenshots, game trailers and playable demos in the hands of the big gaming news sites like ShackNews, Blues and the likes and skip all the high dollar magazine and TV advertising. Make your game available VIA Steam or the likes and the developers that want to can take back control of their IP.

 

[jebo_4jc]

Apparently there is a Part 2 of this article up that offers up some solutions to the question you guys have raised:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/9/4

Like I said on the front page, any game developer that wants to get their game known needs to get the games, screenshots, game trailers and playable demos in the hands of the big gaming news sites like ShackNews, Blues and the likes and skip all the high dollar magazine and TV advertising. Make your game available VIA Steam or the likes and the developers that want to can take back control of their IP.

That's exactly right Steve. I think the industry in general is heading toward the right direction with content distribution (Steam, Yahoo games, etc), but, if there are 10,000 games available on Steam right now, and I'm supposed to buy one, I'm going to buy the ones that I've heard of. The author of this article's point is IMO "Buy indie games forevar!!!", but until I've heard that a game is good/great/decent I would never buy it.

 

[wussboy]

The internet is killing publishers in every genre. It's not just computer games, but authors and musicians and film makers as well are realizing that we no longer need a gate keeper to decide who gets to experience what. And it's about time too.

The interesting thing is that the publishers know it. The endless lawsuits brought by the RIAA and the MPAA are simply sinking ships employing lawyers to bail them out. But it won't last, and then the internet will truly change the world.

Peace out.

 

[HardOCP News]

That's exactly right Steve. I think the industry in general is heading toward the right direction with content distribution (Steam, Yahoo games, etc), but, if there are 10,000 games available on Steam right now, and I'm supposed to buy one, I'm going to buy the ones that I've heard of. The author of this article's point is IMO "Buy indie games forevar!!!", but until I've heard that a game is good/great/decent I would never buy it.

That is exactly why I think that game devs should say SCREW TV ads, MTV, Super Bowl ads, bypass all the multiple full page ads in magazines (that run 4 - 6 weeks behind the curve) and just get the damn content out to the big websites.

A steady stream of information in the form of screenshots, movies, playable demos are what I look for. If they want to use their resources WISELY, they need to keep the game community in the loop and forego the stupid "You will be my bitch" marketing campaigns.

If I see a game in the stores that I have never heard of, I research it anyway. If I have been kept in the loop about it (via my favorite sites) I'd already know about it and buy it.

Besides, you know how much money could be saved by Game Devs by NOT buying 30 second commercials and assloads of full page ads?

As gamers, I think all of us would prefer to be kept in the loop on game development by the internet community as opposed to TV ads that tell you zero about the game, features or actual game play


...but I could be wrong

 

[beanman101283]

That is exactly why I think that game devs should say SCREW TV ads, MTV, Super Bowl ads, bypass all the multiple full page ads in magazines (that run 4 - 6 weeks behind the curve) and just get the damn content out to the big websites.

A steady stream of information in the form of screenshots, movies, playable demos are what I look for. If they want to use their resources WISELY, they need to keep the game community in the loop and forego the stupid "You will be my bitch" marketing campaigns.

If I see a game in the stores that I have never heard of, I research it anyway. If I have been kept in the loop about it (via my favorite sites) I'd already know about it and buy it.

Besides, you know how much money could be saved by Game Devs by NOT buying 30 second commercials and assloads of full page ads?

As gamers, I think all of us would prefer to be kept in the loop on game development by the internet community as opposed to TV ads that tell you zero about the game, features or actual game play


...but I could be wrong

I need to reread the article a couple times so i can post something coherent about it, but i'll say right now that magazine ads do NOTHING for me as far as making me want to buy a game, because it's impossible for it to tell you what the experience of playing the game is like. Ads on tv or in the movie theater are a little better because hopefully they'll show you the game in action.

Isn't it usually the publisher who pays for the 30 second ads tho, not the game developers? If they didn't have to pay so much for them (by not having them in the first place) that would save them a ton of money, thereby lowering their risk.

 

[Json23]

I would love developers to get control of their IP again. I loved C&C Generals for its online play... however, compared to the older games BEFORE EA, the games were something else all together. And I would love for the guy that made Total Annihilation to get his IP back.

This IS the future though. Streaming content will take over within the next 8-10 years. TV, games, movies, you name it. All streamed through your net connection.

Drool....

 

[Json23]

I rarely buy ANY game that has not been reviewed by my fave websites. Not a single one. I have spent to many new crisp $50 bills on a game that sucks. Once I discovered the web and online videos and demos, I stopped wasting money on crappy games, and I happily waste my money on good games.

 

[mecdrox]

One thing I can't really comment on is gaming on consoles. I haven't had a console since the Genesis, so I haven't really followed that side of the game industry.

I do think that with multiplayer on the consoles, along with the PC, that has added a whole new element to gaming that has reinvigorated things to an extent.

I am always amazed at how crazy console game prices are out so expensive.

This is one of my draw backs at playing console's

I prefer the play on demand idea. I can pay some money every month and choose a game I want to play for the day, week, month . . or what ever time I feel like it.

I have never enjoyed the cd in a jewel case rattling around in a big odd, never the same shape box (until walmart made them all the same size)

I will never forget opening the Quake 3: TA box. http://www.idsoftware.com/games/quake/quake3-teamarena/

Man I would have rather of same 10 bucks and just downloaded the freaking game.

 

[mecdrox]

I rarely buy ANY game that has not been reviewed by my fave websites. Not a single one. I have spent to many new crisp $50 bills on a game that sucks. Once I discovered the web and online videos and demos, I stopped wasting money on crappy games, and I happily waste my money on good games.

I love game review sites AND the demos that get put out. I never buy a game with out seeing it in action first. Even if that means some poor sucker I know dropped the cash on it first.

 

[beanman101283]

Well, i keep reading this and think to myself "Steam! Steam! Steam!"

Like i noted earlier, selling games online is the wave of the future. As long as the advertising can get worked out, it would work. My question to anybody who knows is this: how do games get previewed in big gaming magazines/websites? Do they have to pay? Do they submit their game and the editors choose what they like? If so that can be as big a stumbling block as trying to get a publisher. Because of that, I do agree with him that there needs to be the One Place where people go to find out about these games. A popular magazine and/or website where people can find out about the games coming out from all the other developers out there. How about www.CoolGamesYouveNeverHeardOf.com? (Don't click that, i just made it up)

He's also right about the fact that B&M stores aren't stocking PC titles. At my local Best Buy, they just redid the inside of the store, and drastically reduced the shelf space for PC games. Even the local Electronics Boutique is 80% console games. What is left are the big sellers, or preorders for what WILL be big sellers like Quake 4.

Also, he's right about the fact that consumers still expect to go to a B&M store to get their stuff, games or otherwise. And if they only go to a B&M store, and only see the big name games, that's all they're going to buy.

He lost some credibility in my eyes when he tried to make himself into a revolutionary. "Like, say, by writing articles like this." Whatever. Cut the ego trip. I still would like to know what games he's been playing lately, though i think i got a better idea since he mentioned Galactic Civilizations and others.

I dunno, trying to work and post at the same time doesn't work.

 

[dderidex]

Like I said on the front page, any game developer that wants to get their game known needs to get the games, screenshots, game trailers and playable demos in the hands of the big gaming news sites like ShackNews, Blues and the likes and skip all the high dollar magazine and TV advertising. Make your game available VIA Steam or the likes and the developers that want to can take back control of their IP.

That's exactly right Steve. I think the industry in general is heading toward the right direction with content distribution (Steam, Yahoo games, etc), but, if there are 10,000 games available on Steam right now, and I'm supposed to buy one, I'm going to buy the ones that I've heard of. The author of this article's point is IMO "Buy indie games forevar!!!", but until I've heard that a game is good/great/decent I would never buy it.

Devil's Advocate time...

WHY are magazine and TV advertising "high dollar" venues? Because there are 10,000 people who want to advertise a product, and only so many 30 second slots in a commercial break and only so many ad pages in a magazine. Low supply, high demand = high price.

If every game publisher out there, every book publisher out there, every musician out there, has this "online content advertising" epiphany you are preaching....instead of 10,000 people fighting over those 30 second commercial spots and magazine pages making THEM "high dollar", they will be fighting over webpage ad placement and review site market presence.

The webpage ads and review site reviews will BECOME the "high dollar advertising" by demand alone, and the TV spots and magazine ads will drop in value as fewer people are interested in them.

Personally, I think the problem driving all of this mess is the "blockbuster" mentality. No developer or publisher or etc is interested in "merely" a 'pays the bills' game. They want the next Quake, the next Sims, the next Titanic, etc.

 

[erexx]

System Software/Games:
Great games make lots of cash regardless of hype.
Great games inspire as much innovation as they do repetition in the industry.
Developers must be able to secure their intellectual property in a fair way.
All developers deserve revenue from the software they create.
If that software sucks or breaks something I shouldn’t have to pay for it.

Closed Systems:
System must be open enough to support amateur development.
I think ownership must be a two way street.
If a company decides to sell a closed system to the public they should make
an effort to include some kind of open access to third party development i.e,
The Owner of the Equipment.

Paying to Play and Ownership:
Two examples:
HL2/Steam
World of Warcraft

I feel that I "own" a bit of HL2/Steam.
I only had to pay once and I get good service.

I feel that I don’t "own" anything in World of Warcraft.
I paid for the game and also pay a month to month subscription to play it!
WoW that's expensive.
If I dump my character there goes 120,000,000+ hours of my life to Digital Oblivion.
(Its such a great game tho)

How much can game developers expect consumers to continue to pay for all this?

Piracy:
New highly secure consoles, online only games, monthly IP services
and games that might not live up to the hype all add up to a "Try Before You Buy" market.
If you like a game, music file or book then buy it.

Back to the Front:
System Software/Games.
Make games that don’t suck.
Distribute them in a fair and secure way.
Allow the owner to make additions or modifications to the game or system.
Charge a fair price.

 

[eblislyge]

He does bring in some validd points.

However I get the feeling from reading his rants that he has pitched an idea or two to a game publisher and was turned down for funding.

I feel that from a business perspective that sometime soon,(say within a decade) that most if not all the software we use will be downloaded. And this should be the business model that we use.

Such a model would eliminate the middleman for pc sopftware, no need for publishers. In the console market which the middleman will be the console owner, Ie(sony,microsoft).

We do have genres which are oversaturated. The fps genre is a fine example. Other then graphics updates due to new engines and hardware they have not evolved since wolfenstein. The immersiveness has risen, but again this is only because more powerful equipment can give more of a in your face feel while fragging your thumbs off.

RTS has not evolved much at all either. many companies have thrown in a few twists here and there but since the smash hit that was warcraft they have stayed with the tried and true formula.

The mmorpg genre which happens to be my cup of tea is currently dominated by the biggest copycat ever which is WOW. It is a blatant copy of all the successful mmorpg ever devised, with all the bad things dropped.(like downtime). This was a very successful formula and is currently letting Blizzard entertainment put away some serious Bank.

Now, you can bet your bippy that all future bigname titles will be imitating wow left and right, with there devs having visions of wow bank dancing through there heads.

This is one of the points the writer was trying to make, that all the games coming out now are just prettier versions of the original. There isint much innovation coming from any genre. Just people trying to make some money by flashing prettier graphics and spending more on advertising.

Some games today are going for shock factor by playing the violence card, commiting ultra violent crimes or breaking all of societys anoying laws, like don't steal, kill, rape, pillage, and plunder. Oh well everyone dreams of beating there girlfriend, shooting some cops while robbing a bank, then carjacking a porshe.

I think the guy is pointing out the obvious. If things dont change there will be some problems.

But we do seem to have lots of people in this world who are easily amused, so maybe things can go on the way they are and it wont really matter.