Poll: What's really hurting the Game industry?
- Thread starter UnknownGunslinger
- Start date
Its a combination of all of the above I like to think, but to me it boils down to "customer value".
To be frank, I'm getting sick and tired of being treated as either a terrorist, thief, or ATM by companies when I buy a game fair and square. I'm tired of things we used to love (like local LAN servers and free maps via modding) being taken away, while 15 dollars for three maps every month is being crammed down our throats. Does anybody else remember the good old days where buying Half Life meant you got Counter Strike, Team Fortress Classic, and a huge pile of other free, modded content for free? When you didn't have to sit there with a calculator to figure out the most optimal way to spend your "Valve Points" to buy that extra set of guns in the game, that used to be unlocked via easter egg or cheats? And when a developer respected their player base, and was grateful for sales?
But the worst to me is the stringent DRM. Seriously, this always on DRM, limited installations, and all the other bullcrap (like the down right illegal root kits) are getting out of hand here. When it is much more convenient and easier to literally steal a game than it is to simply shell out the money honestly and buy from a retailer or online digital, there is a serious problem. When was the last time you went to a restaurant, or retail store, where you got much better customer service sneaking into the back room and buying your product that "fell off the back of a truck" from Vinny the Tooth?
To be frank, I'm getting sick and tired of being treated as either a terrorist, thief, or ATM by companies when I buy a game fair and square. I'm tired of things we used to love (like local LAN servers and free maps via modding) being taken away, while 15 dollars for three maps every month is being crammed down our throats. Does anybody else remember the good old days where buying Half Life meant you got Counter Strike, Team Fortress Classic, and a huge pile of other free, modded content for free? When you didn't have to sit there with a calculator to figure out the most optimal way to spend your "Valve Points" to buy that extra set of guns in the game, that used to be unlocked via easter egg or cheats? And when a developer respected their player base, and was grateful for sales?
But the worst to me is the stringent DRM. Seriously, this always on DRM, limited installations, and all the other bullcrap (like the down right illegal root kits) are getting out of hand here. When it is much more convenient and easier to literally steal a game than it is to simply shell out the money honestly and buy from a retailer or online digital, there is a serious problem. When was the last time you went to a restaurant, or retail store, where you got much better customer service sneaking into the back room and buying your product that "fell off the back of a truck" from Vinny the Tooth?
I voted Other:
The Economy is hurting the games industry - like all other industries.
It's not a single other factor.
It's not piracy - piracy is the black market - one always appears in a crisis. People need stuff, there will always be people who can get stuff for them. Desperate people don't care where stuff comes from.
It's not used game sales - they have been going on forever and are fuelled by a lack of income. A new business model has arisen for used sales, but when the economy improves - new games will be able to provide services that diminish the appeal of 2nd hand.
DRM isn't helping, as it deters some people but it's not the root cause of the problem. DRM is a tool to prevent piracy which in itself is a symptom of a shrinking economy.
It's not micro transactions as they're usually coupled with a Free to Play game. A bold move attempting to make some money from their product, capturing that $60 in smaller increments, making it seem less painful. Remember, there isn't an infinite amount of spare cash. So hooking someone into a game and letting them pay in instalments is a good idea.
Inflated AAA prices are a sign of the lack of available money and come from a need to pay everyone involved. They are desperate measures but are purely down to the market shrinking. Trouble is raising prices is counter productive in the long run as it forces those unable to pay to find alternatives - see black market or 2nd hand. It doesn't make it right, but it's a fact of life.
The economy is the common problem here. If we fix that, everything else will fall in line.
The Economy is hurting the games industry - like all other industries.
It's not a single other factor.
It's not piracy - piracy is the black market - one always appears in a crisis. People need stuff, there will always be people who can get stuff for them. Desperate people don't care where stuff comes from.
It's not used game sales - they have been going on forever and are fuelled by a lack of income. A new business model has arisen for used sales, but when the economy improves - new games will be able to provide services that diminish the appeal of 2nd hand.
DRM isn't helping, as it deters some people but it's not the root cause of the problem. DRM is a tool to prevent piracy which in itself is a symptom of a shrinking economy.
It's not micro transactions as they're usually coupled with a Free to Play game. A bold move attempting to make some money from their product, capturing that $60 in smaller increments, making it seem less painful. Remember, there isn't an infinite amount of spare cash. So hooking someone into a game and letting them pay in instalments is a good idea.
Inflated AAA prices are a sign of the lack of available money and come from a need to pay everyone involved. They are desperate measures but are purely down to the market shrinking. Trouble is raising prices is counter productive in the long run as it forces those unable to pay to find alternatives - see black market or 2nd hand. It doesn't make it right, but it's a fact of life.
The economy is the common problem here. If we fix that, everything else will fall in line.
This isn't about the "fun for all" social puzzle and/or freemium titles, it's about games trying to branch out in inappropriate ways. Have you seen the skinny on the newest Silent Hill? It's a cathartic thumb shooter, instead of a horror game . . .UnknownGunslinger said:
Mass Effect 3 is going to have multiplayer . . .
Reboots of old series, now revitalized in a completely different genre than the original . . .
Yes and know. The reason I say that the shovelware is the problem, is because the AAA industry is still riding the success of games from 2008 (mainly CoD4 and bioshock)but at this point it's quite clear that the masses (I mean the sheep) won't stop buying them for at least another 3 years before they finally realize they fucked it all up (The housing market and the economy crash worked in a similar fashion and people are STILL in denial) therefore I think it's up to the AAA industry to force a change and make some REAL games.Darknacht said:
However I know this wont happen because Microsoft and EA (the brown FPS factories) are run by the marketing department, not smart people.
I saw two game commercials recently. Resistance 2 and Gears of war 3. To the layman, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two!! I only knew Gears of war 3 because it was only after 30 seconds of brown, war-torn landscape, identical to that of Resistance' commercial, that I saw the oversized Torso of the Gears of War marines, then Marcus Fenix' absurdly flat face.
Can anyone point out the logic that the FCC is hurting the game industry? I can probably make out the logic between congress and a bad economy, but the FCC? The FCC has not condemn a game that I know of(at least not in the last decade) and the only other reflection of the FCC in the industry was praise of the ESRB (http://kotaku.com/5353590/fcc-report-praises-video-game-ratings)
The problem is it's getting too money-focused. They've got it inti their heads that all people want is regenerating-health-fps-modern-war-wank games and that second hand sales are stealing money from them. People are being driven away by sameyness, anti-piracy measures and the fans of the aformentioned war-wank games shouting about how great the next Ball Bof Buty will be.
While I am probably in a minority of one, I don't like the "always on" requirement that seems to be coming down the pike. When I'm playing a game, I don't feel the need to be connected to the inter-tubes. Again, I recognize that I am the exception, but I'm not much for multiplayer experiences.
I'm looking at all of your options, and have come to the conclusion that only ONE of the choices is true fro the question asked. The DRM heavy setting in the PC market is hurting the PC gaming industry. The console gaming market is pretty solid. Let me explain how the others do not fit:
1. Piracy: Pirates will always be there. You can't get rid of them all. The reason piracy is apparently heavy in gaming is due to DRM that forces the player to pirate in order to get a playable version. There are as many builds of PCs as there are different parts you can buy, so the PC DRM doesn't work right often anyway. While Steamworks works as an alternative, it limits where you can place your game in your computer to that strange area in Steam.
2. Pre owned sales: Movies cost WAY more than games to make (except in very odd cases) and used games do not hurt them at all. used gaming sales do not truly hurt the gaming market, but rather, it gives games life after their first run. You can't find games from the PS2 era new very often any more, and in the cases that you can, they normally are the stuff that didn't sell fast. Imagine in 5 years when you can't find the games out now new. Well, if you are playing with project $10, then the used sale will be an incomplete one.
3. Micro Transaction: MTs, as I will call them, are actually helping the companies who do them well. Look at all the korean MMOs out there. The good ones have made back their investment due to MTs. look specifically at games published by Nexon and Gpotato (Like Vindictus, Aika, or Dragon Nest.) When done badly, they will hurt the game that it is in, but not the games around it (Eve Online).
4. inflated AAA prices. I can't speak on this one as much, but I can't remember a time big games didn't cost $60. I have heard talk that gamers in Europe and Australia have stupid pricing for games (like the Skyrim CE), but I have no idea (and no real way to find out on my own) if all games are sold like that or not. Perhaps European and Australian gamers can tell me their prices for games in their respective currency?
5. none, they are fine: This is actually true for all the consoles, with the possible exception now being the Wii,having exactly one title for the entire financial year (Skyword Sword).
1. Piracy: Pirates will always be there. You can't get rid of them all. The reason piracy is apparently heavy in gaming is due to DRM that forces the player to pirate in order to get a playable version. There are as many builds of PCs as there are different parts you can buy, so the PC DRM doesn't work right often anyway. While Steamworks works as an alternative, it limits where you can place your game in your computer to that strange area in Steam.
2. Pre owned sales: Movies cost WAY more than games to make (except in very odd cases) and used games do not hurt them at all. used gaming sales do not truly hurt the gaming market, but rather, it gives games life after their first run. You can't find games from the PS2 era new very often any more, and in the cases that you can, they normally are the stuff that didn't sell fast. Imagine in 5 years when you can't find the games out now new. Well, if you are playing with project $10, then the used sale will be an incomplete one.
3. Micro Transaction: MTs, as I will call them, are actually helping the companies who do them well. Look at all the korean MMOs out there. The good ones have made back their investment due to MTs. look specifically at games published by Nexon and Gpotato (Like Vindictus, Aika, or Dragon Nest.) When done badly, they will hurt the game that it is in, but not the games around it (Eve Online).
4. inflated AAA prices. I can't speak on this one as much, but I can't remember a time big games didn't cost $60. I have heard talk that gamers in Europe and Australia have stupid pricing for games (like the Skyrim CE), but I have no idea (and no real way to find out on my own) if all games are sold like that or not. Perhaps European and Australian gamers can tell me their prices for games in their respective currency?
5. none, they are fine: This is actually true for all the consoles, with the possible exception now being the Wii,having exactly one title for the entire financial year (Skyword Sword).
The games industry is doing very well, and has been through the economic downturn of the last 5 years. If anything, the trend of slapdash production to get a product on the shelves to sell rather than taking their time with an IP and turning out a higher quality product. They have taken more of a fast food approach to development versus a high end restaurant.
Well, I wouldn't say that is what is 'ruining the industry'. I have 3 people in my family and a few friends that adore what we refer to as shovelware. There is actually a market for it and that is OK. Is it really logical to tell someone "Bad consumer! Quit buying what you enjoy. Buy what I enjoy - its better." Many people enjoy the very games listed by Okysho. But I can even go into games like Mario Party 53, Carnival games, Fuzion Frenzy, ... hell, M&M's Racing. You know what is interesting about those types of gamers though? Most don't know how to pirate. Not much effort or thought goes into those gaming habits and look at how well it sells. Both new and used - which leads me to my next quote.Darknacht said:
You are looking at the "industry" as only the pubs and developers but the "industry" technically and understandably stretches all the way to the retailers. Especially, outlets and specialty stores. Gamestop pays large chunks of money to developers to develop content for copies bought for pre-order on release day. This benefits both sides and is a pretty big help to the industry. If Gamestop's profit margin wasn't as large as it is, it would not be able to afford to do this. It has already been shown that when the economy is strong, Gamestop makes most of its money on new title sales. When the economy is down, it's used market works as a safety cache and exceeds the new market margin.Snotnarok said:
Gamestop is a very significant part of "the industry". They hold a large portion of gaming audience as a common retailer. Casual gamers don't give a shit about the arguments posed against gamestop. All they know is that they like playing a game from time to time and gamestop is a fun place to visit as they have a good assortment. Two family members have asked me about Gamestop and used games before because they read some garbage on the internet. I just told them, "Don't worry about it, the majority of the argument is bogus. Do what you normally do but if there is a game that you know you will enjoy, fork out the extra 5 dollars for the devs." I have looked this stuff up a lot. And I ain't talking watched a youtube of movie Bob or that other joker that only rags on Gamestop. I mean stock analysis, unbiased investigations on the subject, consumer studies that indirectly reflect the weight of this argument, etc. About a year ago it became "hip" to view Gamestop like the mega-corp. monster that is Wal-Mart and I have a hard time seeing it as anymore than hipster "fight the power" garbage.
The Irony: People are complaining about a business model based on consumer habits in a free market society.
I'm going to say Copycat developers/publishers
(I'm not going to say Call of Duty)
All the Devs or Publishers that make uncreative knockoffs of what ever's popular at the time.
The problem is that if the only thing that comes out is a knockoff of the last popular thing the knockoffs are going to be popular because they're the only things coming out! It's a self perpetuating cycle: Something's popular, everyone rips it off, everyone buys the rippoffs because there's nothing else, everyone thinks the rippoffs are popular, stagnation!!
(I'm not going to say Call of Duty)
All the Devs or Publishers that make uncreative knockoffs of what ever's popular at the time.
The problem is that if the only thing that comes out is a knockoff of the last popular thing the knockoffs are going to be popular because they're the only things coming out! It's a self perpetuating cycle: Something's popular, everyone rips it off, everyone buys the rippoffs because there's nothing else, everyone thinks the rippoffs are popular, stagnation!!
Technology is.
Our expectation that big-budget games should be top notch graphics is.
Good graphics these days are EXPENSIVE.
That means AAA game making is EXPENSIVE.
That means the bean counters want the game to sell big.
Thus big games don't gamble.
Look at indie titles like Bastion, Minecraft and From Dust.
Then at AAA titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield and Medal of Honour.
Yeah.
Piracy is a percieved threat only.
DRM is technically a non-issue.
Micro transactions... why is this even on the list?
Pre-owned sales... no seriously, why?
AAA prices aren't inflated, they're spot on for the product quality.
Our expectation that big-budget games should be top notch graphics is.
Good graphics these days are EXPENSIVE.
That means AAA game making is EXPENSIVE.
That means the bean counters want the game to sell big.
Thus big games don't gamble.
Look at indie titles like Bastion, Minecraft and From Dust.
Then at AAA titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield and Medal of Honour.
Yeah.
Piracy is a percieved threat only.
DRM is technically a non-issue.
Micro transactions... why is this even on the list?
Pre-owned sales... no seriously, why?
AAA prices aren't inflated, they're spot on for the product quality.
