Gaming Industry Crash: Version 2?

[Jimmu]

[video=youtube_share;XZxXEidtxHk]http://youtu.be/XZxXEidtxHk[/video]
Above is an interesting and well done analysis of the current state of the gaming industry. It is describing how developers spend less time on games to rush them out and get quick cash, DLC is also involved in the rant as something allowing developers to sell unfinished games. He makes some pretty good points within the video and shows evidence to back them up. What do you think about the current state of the industry? Do you agree with his points? Any disagreements?

 

[Ventus]

I agree completely with his analysis; the industry is simply dying out. Our favorite companies (Nintendo, this is for you) are making less-than-stellar releases with previously adored franchises; our least-known companies are coming out with "indie" titles that somehow outshine the AAA stuff; DLC is being used in the completely wrong light - it's supposed to be expansion, not patches.

There are many methods for the industry to recover, namely getting rid of things like Electronic Arts and all of this casual appeal, but I heavily doubt they'll happen. People just don't care about video games anymore, which is natural - what we're doing today is no diffferent from 25 years ago, and I'd say there is no reason to purchase new games anymore.

 

[Dan]

I don't have the internet speed or the attention span at the current moment to watch the video, but I'll express my view on it. I don't think there will really be a video game crash like the first one. While a lot of developers are quite greedy and practicing methods I think we all find a little harsh, there is still PLENTY of developers out there giving us something fresh. Like Van pointed out with have indie titles outshining the AAA titles. That's sort of good, just put your money into good games, and fingers crossed I guess. Plenty of great games still being produced although on the AAA side of things this generation coming up seems like the same old we have seen already on the ps3, xbox 360 generation.

 

[Din Akera]

I really enjoyed the history part. I actually did a research project on the rise and fall of the industry in my final year of my BEd. Mine was a little more general than this, including arcade gaming's influence as well. But I did learn something too, I didn't know about Activision's situation. Anyway, back to the point.

The difference between the 80's crash and today's situation is the size and devotion of the fan base. You are not going to get people to stop buying in large enough quantity to have an effect. I realize that this idea would make the gaming companies listen and force them to declare bankruptcy and so on. But you are never going to stop people from buying these titles that you are listing off. Yeah, people will make angry emails and comments. But really, are these companies going to listen to a handful of emails? No. Absolutely not. Plus, with how much developers/publishers move around it would be next to impossible to buy games only from companies you feel produce quality games. EA has their teeth sunk into everything, he said that himself. I'm not saying we can't change it, but I think it will be an uphill battle that will not turn over quickly. People's gaming addictions with get the better of them. Look at the AC series for example. Even if people didn't like AC3 and thought the ending was bad, AC4 has been announced and people are already drooling over it. Perhaps there are small aspects of the games that we don't like. Perhaps there are parts that feel rushed. Maybe we out and out doesn't like them at all. But the new one gets announced, marketing hypes it up, fans hype it up, and then everyone is standing outside the gamestop on the morning of the release. 'Gaming addiction' is what I believe he called it, I think that is a very accurate statement. You arn't going to get more than 50% of the gaming population, that have an addiction, to stop buying this highly hyped games from these large companies. Not even with the promise of better games. People might say they will stop, but maybe just sneak out at the end of the day and buy just one game... it's only one...

I'm not saying I disagree with this video (I'll talk more about that below) but I think when we see these kinds of 'info videos' you have to remember that it is one persona's opinion, or perhaps a small group of people if it is made by a website like CleverNoob. Yes lots of facts have just been thrown at you to back up his opinion and statements, but you have to be careful too. You have to remember that we arn't seeing the whole picture, we are seeing only the facts they are showing you. Now, I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm just saying that you need to remember to look objectively at the situation, and not be blinded by a really well done video.

Fore example, I think EA's stock situation does justify their actions a little bit. If I was sunk that low I would be terrified to put all my time, effort and money into one game to try and help me recover. I'm sure gaming companies struggle with the criticism so much more than we know. Using the Star Wars example. They poured everything into and then someone says 'Oh it's just Warcraft' and they get no reward back for their efforts. Yeah, maybe it is very similar to WoW, but if you were living paycheck to paycheck and had the ability to make something like the leading game in the industry, and the possibility existed that it would save you (since Star Wars is probably the franchise with the largest fan base ever) wouldn't you put all your effort into it too? Then they got absolutely nothing back for it. Wouldn't you be scared to do that again? I can understand why they are rushing games out just to try to stay afloat. I'm not saying I like it, but I can understand why they are doing it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I would much rather wait for games to come out and have them be awesome. Rish actually did a Rish's Rant about this very topic on the Podcast a few months ago and I totally agreed with him. I would prefer to wait an extra year to have games come out and be truly fantastic. But the fact of the matter is, I'm not excluded from the gaming addiction I talked about above. I will go buy the next assassin's creed game no matter when it comes out. Then I might be disappointed and think 'oh, I wish this was done better' and when the next one comes out I will go get it too. Why do we do this? I think it is for the hope that we will finally get what we want and we all love gaming and the escape it gives us, even if it isn't the best that it could be. We still get to be someone else, live in a different time period, be the hero, or the bad***, and live our dreams.

As an aside, I'm not going to lie, I swore a little when I heard the rumor about Sony's games being locked into each console. I agree that is an absolutely horrible idea. Talk about killing the entertainment value. If that isn't shooting yourself in the foot. I don't know what is. I'm not sure we will see a market crash anytime soon. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the companies involved have to make some changes, good or bad, to try and get their stocks and sales back up. I think the truth is, gaming companies need to try and look at the bigger picture. They are too focused on simply the very next single step, rather than focusing on the large overarching progression of the industry.

 

[Castle]

Anyone who has read any one out of every five posts I've made on the Zelda Dungeon forums will know I firmly believe the industry is headed for another crash.

As I have said before, Sony and M$ have pushed the tech of their consoles beyond what is feasible. The demands to produce for this technology has driven the price of video games to unsustainable levels that neither game makers nor consumers have the capabilities to finance. The cost either gets passed on to consumers or developers and publishers have to eat it. Unfortunately what we get is both to even greater detrimental effect, wherein a AAA title that sells to the tune of two million units can be considered a financial failure and developers and publishers look for ways to nickle and dime consumers in a desperate attempt to make up for the loss.

In order to meet the production demands in a timely manner developers have become desperate for the finances needed to do so. And only the big corporate publishers possess wallets deep enough to finance the bloated costs of production. This has given corporate publishers waaaaay too much power that they have used to abuse, rape, pillage and plunder the industry by driving off talent, eliminating entire development studios and consolidating whatever is left. This leaves an entire creative industry in the hands of greedy corporate *******s who are scared to death of taking creative risks and who drive development teams to churn out half baked video games that suffer tremendously in quality. All the while taking heavy financial losses and ripping off consumers in return for products that aren't meeting anyone's expectations.

In short, games become too expensive while the quality suffers tremendously and nobody has the finances to support the ridiculous production demands placed on AAA titles. Eventually consumers will get fed up and stop buying and big corporate giants will topple under their own weight. Under these conditions there is only one outcome .... a crash. And in fact these conditions are similar to the industry's last bust.

But video games will never go away entirely. They are far too dug in and far too much of a lucrative endeavor. There is a demand for them. Nintendo filled that demand in the late 80s. If there is a crash only the corporate giants will be affected. Which is a good thing because they are dangerous and need to go away. Sony and M$ and the big corporate publishers will be the ones getting burned. Nintendo, indie developers and promising new cost-effective platforms will spearhead creative development in the industry.

The visual flair and technological capabilities of the video games we are used to will take a hit, but we'll start to see a return to cost effective quality like we once knew and loved.

 

[JuicieJ]

Microsoft could be heading this route, as they care nothing about innovation whatsoever, but not Nintendo and Sony. They consistently delivered incredible exclusives in the 7th generation with games like Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Skyward Sword. These two companies are too great to see the curtain closed on them, especially Nintendo. Could gaming take a hit like the American economy has and go through a recession? Sure, that's definitely a possibility, and I would be surprised to see it happen. But absolutely not another crash. At least not for Sony and Nintendo.

 

[misskitten]

I can only voice my agreement. While I haven't played any of the games used as example (shooters, first person and sports really aren't my thing and the last sims I played was the original Sims...), I can agree about what they are saying about things declining. I, too, am very worried about this idea of eliminating used game sales, if this actually happens I will refuse to buy any console that enforces it, regardless of game. I only really buy new games when it belongs to a franchise I enjoy and trust, everything else I look for used.

If they do actually follow through with this threat, that is it for me, at least. I know not everyone will boicot them for it, but I will. But then again, I'm not really one for throwing myself all over a new system, so I'm not exactly their target marked anyway. I'm someone who waits for a while, sees if the system generates enough interesting titles to justify getting it. Also, I personally don't have a big need for a new system, nor do I need a lot of new games, in fact I am more likely these days to look up old favorites rather than checking out the new releases. But then again, I have always been a bit of an oddball.

 

[JuicieJ]

I, too, am very worried about this idea of eliminating used game sales, if this actually happens I will refuse to buy any console that enforces it, regardless of game.

It was rumored that both Sony and Microsoft would block used games with their 8th gen consoles, and that's been proven false for Sony so far. As for Microsoft, as cynical as I may be towards them, I doubt they're dumb enough to go through with such a thing. There's no way they'd make into the 9th generation if they did, and they know it.