Poll: What's really hurting the Game industry?
- Thread starter UnknownGunslinger
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Honestly, I'm going to go with none of the above being the biggest problems, though DRM is certainly one that is continually angering customers and which a lot of developers have not figured out yet.
The biggest problem I see would honestly be the constant pursuit of AAA sales. Development budgets have increased massively for AAA titles compared to last generation, and the same when you're looking at the jump from the PSX/N64 era to the PS2/GC/Xbox. But game prices have hardly changed a bit, and overall sales numbers haven't increased much either for successful titles not named COD. So basically, companies are continuing to play a losing game if they continue to let budgets inflate while chasing after the same revenue they were chasing when development cost half as much. Even worse is that with growing budgets and the same amount of revenue to be had, most companies are too scared to take chances on anything they can't predict will do reasonably well.
I'm not convinced Piracy is as big a problem in terms of lost sales as developers want to believe, nor am I convinced that used sales are much more of a problem than they were with the last console generation. Prices haven't really changed a whole lot since the last console generation either, and I don't think micro transactions even rates as hurting the game industry. If anything, it helps the games and genres that are suited for it so long as it's done right.
The biggest problem I see would honestly be the constant pursuit of AAA sales. Development budgets have increased massively for AAA titles compared to last generation, and the same when you're looking at the jump from the PSX/N64 era to the PS2/GC/Xbox. But game prices have hardly changed a bit, and overall sales numbers haven't increased much either for successful titles not named COD. So basically, companies are continuing to play a losing game if they continue to let budgets inflate while chasing after the same revenue they were chasing when development cost half as much. Even worse is that with growing budgets and the same amount of revenue to be had, most companies are too scared to take chances on anything they can't predict will do reasonably well.
I'm not convinced Piracy is as big a problem in terms of lost sales as developers want to believe, nor am I convinced that used sales are much more of a problem than they were with the last console generation. Prices haven't really changed a whole lot since the last console generation either, and I don't think micro transactions even rates as hurting the game industry. If anything, it helps the games and genres that are suited for it so long as it's done right.
Other: Developers.
They are abandoning systems, like the PC, and the PS3 to a lesser extent, for the 360 (which I've heard is the lowest of the three in terms of power). They are half-assing single player for multiplayer, and also trying to just copy games rather than make their own.
Perfect example: Crysis 2. All of the special offers and demos went to the 360 first. Pretty much all of the focus was on multiplayer, and the multiplayer looked more like Call of Duty 4 then it did Crysis.
They are abandoning systems, like the PC, and the PS3 to a lesser extent, for the 360 (which I've heard is the lowest of the three in terms of power). They are half-assing single player for multiplayer, and also trying to just copy games rather than make their own.
Perfect example: Crysis 2. All of the special offers and demos went to the 360 first. Pretty much all of the focus was on multiplayer, and the multiplayer looked more like Call of Duty 4 then it did Crysis.
I would say other. As has been eluded to before, most game nowadays take so long to make, and cost so much money, that studios really want to make sure their idea sells. Therefore, they'd rather greenlight, say, Halo 4, Gears of War 3 or Sterrt Fighter... I dunno, 7,000 or something - but you get my point, something from a series that's done really well in the past - rather than back some new, possibly interesting project that might fail and cost them literally millions.
I think it's the hippin' and the hoppin' and the bippin' and the boppin'.
Honestly, I think it's not any specific ones, but all of them in general. And I'm surprised you didn't put movie games up there, I have a feeling those are hurting the game industry the worst...
Honestly, I think it's not any specific ones, but all of them in general. And I'm surprised you didn't put movie games up there, I have a feeling those are hurting the game industry the worst...
Removing Extra Creditz from The Escapist. ...Sorry couldn't resist... xD
Seriously now. If I had to choose I would say Piracy. I would like to say DRM, but truth is it's more annoying than problematic, and it is a consequence from piracy so...
But everything on those options is hurting the industry in some way
...except for the last two
Seriously now. If I had to choose I would say Piracy. I would like to say DRM, but truth is it's more annoying than problematic, and it is a consequence from piracy so...
But everything on those options is hurting the industry in some way
...except for the last two
Nothing at all. Games are making so much more today than they used to. It's insane how much money they are making, like, really a ton.
The thing that hurts the industry most are external factors, such as the state of the economy and cultural preference for or against games.
The thing that hurts the industry most are external factors, such as the state of the economy and cultural preference for or against games.
publishers doing dickish thing (kind of their jobs actually), developers not planning properly (i.e. planning that leads to long crunch and stuff having to be dropped), and annoying fans on the internet compiling about inane stuff. My top 3 anyways.
I think that a major problem with the industry is that the publishers are more interested in what will make money fast, instead of what will improve the industry in the long run, which would lead to even more cash. They place ridiculously tight deadlines on the developers which forces them to rush through the entire process. Also, when they find a successful franchise, they flood the market with it, killing it before it's time (I'm looking at you Activision).
Thinking about it, all the mentioned causes for hurting the gaming industry are just a symptom of poor game designing. It take years to develop any game these days with the fancy HD graphics and such and because this comes at such a high price, the developers must charge more. This will lead to people pirating and buying it secondhand because people won't pay the overcharged prices, this ofc will lead to DRM's being produced to combat this and due to the HD graphics malarky I mentioned before lots of content will be lost in a game (for example LA noir had to cut 5 or so cases in the end) meaning that the developer will release it as DLC and considering that people will buy the DLC anyway they will charge for it.
Thats my take on it anyways
Thats my take on it anyways
I'd say MMO's and the endless pursuit for better graphics. MMO's because they stole a large number of players away from the conventional gaming market and Graphics because they are so expensive to develop. From my perspective these 2 issues have had a massive effect on games in general.
Prices. Hands down. Why do we have piracy? Mostly attributed to the high prices people don't want to pay. Why do people not try new IPs? Because it's too large an investment on an unknown entity at $60. Why are pre-owned sales so good? Because they are typically cheaper and move easier than full price products. Why do you think Steam does so well? Aside from good service, it's the Steam Sales. No where else will you find something as good as Arkham Asylum or KOTOR for a mere $7 unless it's another digital download service. But Gamestop? Nope. Target? Hell no. Walmart? As if.
I'd say the industry isn't dying or crippled because of pricing currently. It's a problem, yes, like a hangover or a disease. Something temporary that needs to be dealt with ASAP. If this problem continues to grow, then the industry will price itself out of the business. Gaming (PC or Console) is an expensive hobby when each product you play is $60 and the device is the multiple-hundreds of dollars. Let's not forget that DVDs typically cost about $20 at initial release and drop to around $10 after a year. Books? Usually no more than $30 but I've seen most best sellers go for about $25 on average, and that's just the good ones with the advertising backing them up. And those go down in price after a while as well. However, games like Mario or Metroid, or even Smash Bros. will remain near $40 well after two years of being on shelves, if not longer. Even used, those things don't go down in price fast enough sometimes. If the industry wants to avoid a painful bunch of years reforming later down the road when these price increase start hurting them financially, they'll need to start making changes now.
I'd say the industry isn't dying or crippled because of pricing currently. It's a problem, yes, like a hangover or a disease. Something temporary that needs to be dealt with ASAP. If this problem continues to grow, then the industry will price itself out of the business. Gaming (PC or Console) is an expensive hobby when each product you play is $60 and the device is the multiple-hundreds of dollars. Let's not forget that DVDs typically cost about $20 at initial release and drop to around $10 after a year. Books? Usually no more than $30 but I've seen most best sellers go for about $25 on average, and that's just the good ones with the advertising backing them up. And those go down in price after a while as well. However, games like Mario or Metroid, or even Smash Bros. will remain near $40 well after two years of being on shelves, if not longer. Even used, those things don't go down in price fast enough sometimes. If the industry wants to avoid a painful bunch of years reforming later down the road when these price increase start hurting them financially, they'll need to start making changes now.
other = how 'cookie cutter' a lot of games seem to be due to catering to one group of people
fallowed by piracy and DRM tied for second
and pre-owned a spec on the horizon for third
fallowed by piracy and DRM tied for second
and pre-owned a spec on the horizon for third
