Poll: Do We Overreact Here?

[PeePantz]

Something has been bothering me for quite sometime dealing with my time spent here. Besides googling things about video games, this is the sole place I get my gaming news and reactions to said things about video games. The main thing that I've discovered here is that video games are going down the toilet due to companies squeezing out the last cent from us and the ability to churn out garbage for profit. Whether it be from DRM, DLC (including the cutting out of content), or the speedy development time in order to make a sequel (leading to buggy, short, and creatively retarded games), games are doomed and causing me to spend time worrying about the future of the medium.

These thoughts also branch out to include the supreme court cases, the censorship in certain areas of the world, the rise of shovelware ("casual gaming" market such as facebook and smart phones replacing the triple A games), and those fucking hackers.

This brings me to my point. There's always doubt in me about video games' foreseeable doom. With everything that supposedly has been going on to cause worry, I have yet to be really affected by any of this. Sure once in a while, when I buy a game used, I have to plop down dollars to "unlock" some aspect but I'm still saving money. Also, for every unoriginal and rushed sequel (hey, some are fun), there is always a well crafted and original game out there. As for DRM, I'm neither a PC gamer (sidenote: I've always want to get a gaming PC but don't want to spend the money and I'm essentially computer illiterate) or one who would be entirely affected (strong internet). That doesn't mean I don't think most DRM is bullshit.

That being said, my mind always will say that this impending melt down is just starting and the real results will be in a few years time. As more companies are gobbled up by big publishers and the corporate mind set is installed in them, these new gaming monopolies will just be about pissing all over the consumer for a buck.

Is this the thought shared all over the gaming community, or just here? Is the Escapist filled with pessimists or is the gaming industry really going to enslave our wallets? Are these discussions on such things just simple discussions or are they signs of big things to come?

Edit: The motherfucking poll didn't show up. Sorry.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Yes, this site is filled with negative people, who crave every chance to point out how gaming is going down the drain. However, the gaming community as a whole is like that, it's just more concentrated here. I don't think the industry is nessecarily heading in the wrong direction (DRM bullshit not counting) but they still use some pretty cheap tactics to get some money out of people. People will complain about anything if you give them the chance, so these discussions will happen no matter what "state" the industry is in.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

It's not just you, it's not just this site. The entire internet is full of people like that. People like to overreact to anything and everything. Just yesterday, I voiced my opinion on Rage cutting out part of the single player. I thought it was well thought out and worded, but someone quoted me. His quote was: "Read the article." That set my blood boiling because I DID read the article, and how DARE HE assume that I didn't JUST because my opinion doesn't match his. I was completely ready to tear him apart in another quote when I suddenly remembered that, on the internet, things work differently. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact you can't see the other people you're talking to, and communication is as much body language as it is spoken language. There's also the fact that websites will make their stories, or at the very least their titles, twist in a way that makes people angry. That way, more people will read the story and it will get spread around more and the website will get more hits. People love things that make them angry because they love to complain. When all you see is complaining, day in and day out, it can certainly seem like people overreact all the time.

And my post seems to have wandered for a bit. Come back here...Got it. Back on topic, no, I don't think the gaming industry is on the verge of doom. Perhaps a small recession because, let's face it, no one really knows where to go next, but I'm sure gaming will be around for many years to come.

 

[Phlakes]

Welcome to the internet.

I'd like to point you to Call of Duty, LulzSec, politics, etc.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

I hope so, otherwise the world has ended, everyone's a thief, my generation are all idiots and everything is wrong (including people who say things are wrong).

 

[Thunderhorse31]

...is this the internet?

Then yes.

 

[oplinger]

Negativity gets more attention. Being positive just gets people to tell you to be more negative.

..such is the law of the internet.

However, most people are kinda wrong...the gaming industry isn't diving into some cataclysmic disaster. Nothing is going to enslave your wallet.

Worst that will happen, we'll have all our devs controlled buy a couple megapublishers...and then we'll realize that we don't need publishers and devs can make 100% of their profits. And everything will be okay.

Things will change...but we're not going to some kind of gaming hell >.>

 

[intheweeds]

I think most of the reasons for unholy DRM and DLC lies with resellers. This came up in a thread earlier today and I think it's relevant here. Unfortunately an awful lot of us buy used games because they are cheaper. No problem there, but the devs and publishers don't see anything from it. Video games cost millions and millions to make, they have to make it up somehow. I can see that.

I really do blame the resellers. Surely there is some way to get some of that money to the right people. I honestly believe we wouldn't have half of this 'nickel and dime' crap if devs and pubs got paid for every game that was sold.

I don't have a solution in mind per se. I just think that is most of the problem.

 

[Gigano]

Obviously these are luxury problems of little actual consequence.

There's a natural limit to how much a developer can cripple his products before they becomes unsellable to the consumer, and while a few of the AAA developers might be testing that limit right now, most of them aren't. And what's commonly referred to as the "indie" scene is stronger than ever (plus of course the increased availability of several other niche genres, such as several quality Japanese visual novels coming on the US market of late).

So yeah, ultimately not much to worry about. Unless you don't like multiplayer, in which case you might find the selection of AAA titles increasingly limited in the future (if still plentiful enough to satisfy most).

 

[krazykidd]

I think most of the reasons for unholy DRM and DLC lies with resellers. This came up in a thread earlier today and I think it's relevant here. Unfortunately an awful lot of us buy used games because they are cheaper. No problem there, but the devs and publishers don't see anything from it. Video games cost millions and millions to make, they have to make it up somehow. I can see that.

I really do blame the resellers. Surely there is some way to get some of that money to the right people. I honestly believe we wouldn't have half of this 'nickel and dime' crap if devs and pubs got paid for every game that was sold.

I don't have a solution in mind per se. I just think that is most of the problem.

Well i see things differently , i said this earlier in a different thread today , do people really pay 54$ for a used copy of a recent game that is 59$ new? Or do people buy used games that are under 20$? And also are people that buy games new after the price drops to 30$ better than people that buy the same game for 15$ use?I mean really , i personally don't think it's as bad as publishers make it sound.

Im typing this on my iphone at work so i cant elaborate more atm but ill prolly add an edit when i get home.

 

[PeePantz]

Well i see things differently , i said this earlier in a different thread today , do people really pay 54$ for a used copy of a recent game that is 59$ new?

I accidentally got burned by this once. I bought Battlefield Bad Company 2 used due to some deal going on where you buy x amount used get y for either nothing or very little. I really wanted BC2 and I was going to get it regardless. I thought I grabbed a new copy but because I had so many used ones in my hand, it kind of got lost in the shuffle and I actually had a used one for a few dollars off. When I got home, I put it in only to realize I had to pay more money to unlock the whole game.

 

[intheweeds]

I think most of the reasons for unholy DRM and DLC lies with resellers. This came up in a thread earlier today and I think it's relevant here. Unfortunately an awful lot of us buy used games because they are cheaper. No problem there, but the devs and publishers don't see anything from it. Video games cost millions and millions to make, they have to make it up somehow. I can see that.

I really do blame the resellers. Surely there is some way to get some of that money to the right people. I honestly believe we wouldn't have half of this 'nickel and dime' crap if devs and pubs got paid for every game that was sold.

I don't have a solution in mind per se. I just think that is most of the problem.

Well i see things differently , i said this earlier in a different thread today , do people really pay 54$ for a used copy of a recent game that is 59$ new? Or do people buy used games that are under 20$? And also are people that buy games new after the price drops to 30$ better than people that buy the same game for 15$ use?I mean really , i personally don't think it's as bad as publishers make it sound.

Im typing this on my iphone at work so i cant elaborate more atm but ill prolly add an edit when i get home.

Please do. I'm interested in hearing others opinions on this topic. It's a pretty important and interesting one.

(note: i noticed it kind of sounds like it, but this is NOT sarcasm )

 

[Gralian]

Other places like Gamespot, Gametrailers, IGN etc embrace the 'New Industry'. The escapist is a bit of a counter-culture though; people here tend to resist those changes and be vocal about it, hence the general air of negativity and cynicism. People also tend to believe the forums to be a place to voice their opinion, where there's a higher chance their opinion will get noticed rather than some thread buried in countless forums on Gamespot that no-one will ever read or take seriously. I think that comes with the fact that this is an online magazine rather than a pure review / news / whatever you call 'the big three' site. The community is more of a big deal here, hence a lot of doomsaying and vocalising of opinions.