Totillo's Going To Wish He Could Use That 'Go Back
In Time Potion'
In the fifth and final chapter of this series,
I wanted to muse over the successes and failures of the games
industry. How is it possible to support an industry that releases over a
thousand
games a year? The closing of under-performing studios has become
the norm
in an already crowded games industry, but a recent development has
seen layoffs effect studios like Pandemic,
and even Infinity
Ward. The sales of print continue to drop
and online game journalism outfits like IGN and 1UP appear to
be enduring a fight to keep talent. The games journalism industry
shares a similar fight with game publishing companies. Both entities
have to churn out content and keep consumers consuming their product,
but when is enough, enough?
I've
been playing games since the mid-to-late 80's and I am no smarter now
than I was then. Toys 'R Us' game section then looks exactly how Gamestop's shelves look now. As a gamer, seeing
a shelf stocked wall-to-wall with guides, game accessories and vacant
game cases are both welcomed and daunting. How did it get this big?
This can be seen as a good problem to have, right? I go to a
neighboring Barnes & Noble, darting to their magazine section. I see
a broad swath of gaming publications with glossy covers -- all with
similar cover stories and varying art styles. If print is suffering you
better believe Borders and Barnes are hiding that obvious fact.
I Know What You're Thinking. Who Wears A Pink
Argyle Sweater To A Gaming Tourney?
I log on to my computer and venture to my Joystiq's
and Kotaku gaming sites. I notice a
healthy amount of hits going to boob and gun related articles.
I notice a lot of boob and gun related articles. There are other articles
that are well written, but have little to no hits. I see staff layoffs
and I see journalists grabbing opportunities on the 'other
side'. Leaving a low-paying competitive field for a high-paying
and highly competitive career. I read articles on game studio closing
and mass layoffs from websites that
have or will suffer similar fates if they don't meet circulation...or,
sorry, article hits.
I venture back to Gamestop
and see the variety pushed to the bottom and to the back of the store.
I see the many stories and experiences that gaming has to offer be
homogenized and made broader. RPGs are now
adventures with RPG-elements. Triple-A
titles are kept in eye range of the average person's height. Being a
gamer is a social norm that I have no problem accepting. But maybe I'm
getting too old for this.
Creativity Vs. Corporate Machine? Or Millionairs
Vs. Billionaires
I play the games. I notice the short cuts. "Maybe the ending was
rushed in order to work on the multi-player?" I read the game reviews
on the sites that have that very game's ad smothering
its borders. I read the gossip articles and twitters and am always
surprised when a game succeeds when a studio and publisher have a
fallout after the game's release. The dedicated keep writing and making
quality games. I play my old games and realize, that I too was young
and susceptible. Companies are just doing what has always worked. I
play betas
that aren't really betas -- they're just
tests to see if I and others will get hooked.
How
Did Both Wii Owners And Nintendo Get So Lucky?
I read articles about the games industry in Japan. I worry about
pure Japanese games, then I realize Nintendo, Capcom
and Square-Enix are products of Japan. I
worry about mature rated games and if they will actually mature. I buy
a couple games online through my console store. The console has a bug
and as a result I can't play any of my games -- even the single
player. I switch consoles and play another game only I can't play it
online because they just shut
down the server for that particular game. I play older, lighter
games with my little sister; these games work. I'm not even sure the
games I buy now, I actually own. Maybe I just own the license to the
game, but when does that license expire? I appreciate the Wii's success, but I wonder what happens when
that marketing well runs dry.
I have hope. I am part of the
problem. I complain without presenting a solution. I don't know what
the solution could be. I am not sure if there is a definable problem. I
would like all games to get a fairer shake than they've been getting. I think digital distribution
will determine how well or how horrible great games thrive in an
already crowded market. I would like all articles to get the views they
deserve. I have been a fan of video games since a small child. I am no
smarter now than I was then.
***compliments of The Brog***