One of the more useful things about E3 is that it allows us to take stock of where the industry currently is – and more importantly, where the powers-that-be think it needs to be heading. Each year, we can come away with a few lessons about the kinds of trends we’ll be seeing for the immediate future. For instance, since the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii a few years back, we knew that motion gaming had arrived in a major way.
While there are always going to be fanboys and naysayers on every side of the table, Cracked took some time to put together a list of The 6 Most Ominous Trends in Video Games, in which they outline all the dire portends that loom on the horizon. While the list is meant to be hilarious (and it is), it does have a few things that I find worrisome as well. Most notably would be the idea that technology is moving backward (touch gaming, the Wii-U, etc.), and that the video games industry seems to be moving towards a place of creative bankruptcy (countless sequels and re-hashed ideas).
So, what do you guys think of this list? Do you think the things it lists are fair towards the game industry? What are some of the more ominous trends that you’ve observed? Or is all of this just hogwash? Go!
Source – Cracked
The worst thing in that article, aside from that all being true and what I believe, is that he spoiled his own book. Dammit I wanted to read that book as well, but I guess that fits with a title like “John Dies at the End.” But still, dammit man…
Wow, #5 made me rethink my wants for games to be accessible anywhere without the need for a disc. That actually makes me rethink that idea entirely.
#3 was also sickening to read. It was a reality that wasn’t one I really thought about. I knew about it, but not to that level.
I think the list is fair. It honestly speaks to a truth that lies beneath the fact a lot of people have fun with these games. I think its also fair towards the industry because it points out their big flaw, they are in it for the money. Sure they want to make fun games, but they have to make money. I think the trend about sequels and repetition is the one that I think is the worse. A coffin of unoriginal and uncreative games. Its scary to think where the industry is going. I hope game makers and players read stuff like this and begin to re-think how they game, what they want, and what they consider acceptable. As much as the industry is to fault here though, one thing is certain. We as gamers ALLOW it to happen. And that should be fixed too.
I think here we have a nice community of true gamers. I think that the people who post and comment here really understand games a lot better than most other people out there. With that said, I think that the author of the Cracked article is on the same page as us.
So what are we going to do about the demise of videogames? Honestly I really hate seeing so many sequels and so little innovation. I never thought I’d say it but Rockstar has become one of my favorite developers because of Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire (a game my MOM wanted to buy), and I’m losing faith in Bioware after Dragon Age II turned out to be a hack-and-slash.
I propose that we have a gamers strike. Specifically, I propose that we strike the new Call of Duty game. I know it sounds crazy, but I think that if we get a strong number of people to NOT buy the game and NOT pirate the game, then I think we may be able to send a real message to developers that we’re tired of the same game with new maps.
I’d like it to start here. Seriously, how cool would that sound, “World thanks Gamersushi community for saving video games”.
But that’s just my opinion.
Personally, the worst one on that list that could happen is #4 – the infinite payment model. The vast majority of the games I play are single player. The Zeldas, the Marios, the Mass Effects. With the cost of developing games becoming so high, studios are looking for every dollar they can squeeze out of a customer, whether its through monthly subscriptions, DLC, whatever. If it continues then developers will have fewer and fewer reasons to make the stand-alone, single player, epic campaign game that I love. And for me, that could be the day I stop gaming. I don’t to be paying every month for a game with a multiplayer focus that I’m just not interested in, no matter how good the story behind it is.
And I don’t think I’m alone in this. You ask any random gamer who their favourite development company is and at present you’ll likely get an answer of Valve, Bioware, Bethesda, Blizzard, Rockstar, one of those big guys. And they all have in common a focus on single player games. Now, I’m not denying that some people love themselves some multiplayer, I put some serious hours into TF2. But having the entire indeustry move towards that because its the only way to make back the money they spent developing a game? No thanks.
End rant.
[quote comment=”16879″]Personally, the worst one on that list that could happen is #4 – the infinite payment model. The vast majority of the games I play are single player. The Zeldas, the Marios, the Mass Effects. With the cost of developing games becoming so high, studios are looking for every dollar they can squeeze out of a customer, whether its through monthly subscriptions, DLC, whatever. If it continues then developers will have fewer and fewer reasons to make the stand-alone, single player, epic campaign game that I love. And for me, that could be the day I stop gaming. I don’t to be paying every month for a game with a multiplayer focus that I’m just not interested in, no matter how good the story behind it is.
And I don’t think I’m alone in this. You ask any random gamer who their favourite development company is and at present you’ll likely get an answer of Valve, Bioware, Bethesda, Blizzard, Rockstar, one of those big guys. And they all have in common a focus on single player games. Now, I’m not denying that some people love themselves some multiplayer, I put some serious hours into TF2. But having the entire indeustry move towards that because its the only way to make back the money they spent developing a game? No thanks.
End rant.[/quote]
Good point. You ever notice how people seem to be very hostile to companies that focus on multiplayer, but very loyal to those that give us those amazing single player experiences?
A very entertaining AND terrifying article. I hadn’t seen that Star Wars demo before, but not even the podcast could have prepared me for how “janky” it looked and how miserable Kinect games make me feel. “LIGHTSABER ON!” *shudder* Seriously, do they REALLY expect this to take off? I know it’s Star Wars, but surely this will be immune to the “it’s-Star-Wars-I’m-buying-it” syndrome all the shitty Star Wars games have?
And that screenshot compliation of the FPSes sent a shiver down my spine. THEY ALL LOOKED THE FUCKING SAME. Creative bankruptcy indeed. This is a sad trend for FPSes that they are practically aesthetically indestinguishable. That MW3/BF3 screen? I thought they were both MW3 before he said they were from 2 different games (although I’m 99% sure the top one is MW3 and the bottom one is BF3: MW’s M4s have certain giveaway signs around the picatinny rail covers and the look of the M203). It’s a good thing that the games actually PLAY differently.
In addition, I couldn’t agree more with supernovaforce, that infinte payment model can go fuck itself as can a lack of disks. Archaism ftw! Having said that, as long as DLC is justified by its price then I’m not too bothered about paying money for some more single player stuff. Bioware: No more Arrival’s thank you very much.