The Videogame Industry is Broken

Via Slashdot

GameDaily is running an interesting opinion piece running down the ways in which the gaming industry is just broken. The author cites soaring costs, huge risks, a reduction in creativity, and a stagnation in market growth as just some of the signs of this crisis. From the article:
"The next-gen systems require publishers to place very large bets with each title. This will mean decreased risk taking and just regurgitated sequels of big brand franchises. How many publishers will take risks with multiplatform original IP? This is clearly not good news for the consumer as innovation has driven our industry from the beginning. The irony is that the amazing tools, capabilities and quality of the new systems may very well doom what is most important, which is the game itself. Reconciling what a creative team wants and what the executive suite needs in terms of profits will be a growing challenge for many companies."

it happens with every market in which the product never goes bad or runs out. for instance, food will never have this problem, but thats why there are so many books out there, because once you read them, theres gotta be somethign new out there to make money

This is why Nintendo has done surprisingly well with the DS and will probably be successful with the Wii. I think personally I'd prefer PS3 but what I notice is that no matter how complex or good looking games are today, they seem to lack the magic and fun that classic games had when we were kids.

Maybe thats just it though. We are not kids anymore so maybe video games in general don't have the same appeal. I know I find myself still drawn to the NES and SNES for Nostalgic value.

I do think there will be some nice surprises in store in the near future. I just hope developers take a different look at how to create their games.

Open up the latest issues of EGM or GAMEPRO magazine and go to the reviews section. Most games these days are getting poor or mediocre reviews. There is something to be said with that.

so this is saying that there won't be as many good video games because it is too hard to think of something new and it is too hard to give the game good graphics and it is too hard to make money because it takes too much time to make the game?

Seriously, I don't think they have seen wii. That is one giant innovation in everyregard. As long as the systems hold up and aren't flawed (read: DC motor, Ps1 and xbox cd drives, psp dead pixels and bad batterylife, PIRACY) remember the original nes controler? that was sturdy, as video games should be.

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Originally Posted by Voltron

This is why Nintendo has done surprisingly well with the DS and will probably be successful with the Wii. I think personally I'd prefer PS3 but what I notice is that no matter how complex or good looking games are today, they seem to lack the magic and fun that classic games had when we were kids.

Maybe thats just it though. We are not kids anymore so maybe video games in general don't have the same appeal. I know I find myself still drawn to the NES and SNES for Nostalgic value.

I do think there will be some nice surprises in store in the near future. I just hope developers take a different look at how to create their games.

Open up the latest issues of EGM or GAMEPRO magazine and go to the reviews section. Most games these days are getting poor or mediocre reviews. There is something to be said with that.

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You are very right , and I feel the same way. I got into the computer animation industry about 10 years ago. I sorta felt the same way even back when the PSX first came out. I thought "Wow these graphics are amazing!" then the fun factor wore off really quick. I then saw myself back playing old 8bit, 16bit stuff. The game industry has always been a business and always will be, but the cost of development has sky rocketed from what it cost to make games in the past. In all honesty it doesn't really need to be that high. Nintendo has the right idea, keeping development cost down and in the end they will be on top and have more 3rd party support, probably surpassing sony. The PS3 is already getting sequels from old psx and ps2 games. The only thing these sequels are going to be are better graphics with the same gameplay formula. Some sequels might change it up a bit but it will be nothing along the lines of what nintendo is doing. The whole game market it's just oversaturated and overpriced. Games need to get back to the basics and concentrate on gameplay and originality. After all that's what makes games fun in the first place. The PS3 I'm sure will have some innovative games, but they will also have the most sequels played out from before. Actually doing sequel after sequel is not the way to go. People can only take so much of the same thing.

I think we need to give the developers a chance. Of course there will be loads of very similar FPS and Racing games from the major publishers and loads of sequels for sports games but the only way can encourage new fun original games is to vote with our wallets and buy these sort of games to show the publishers that there is a market for such titles.

I totally agree with what you're saying and I have fond memories of the 16bit era (which I thought was fantastic) and I guess that's why I like a lot of the recent shooters that have been released for the DC and Samba De Amigo of course! ;)

There will ALWAYS be innovators and incredibly talented people behind games. The problem here is with $$$$$. And not that the video game companies aren't making any money... they're just not making as MUCH money as they'd like to.

They're just like the film industry in that regard. They'll do a remake or sequel before anything else because it's a proven sell.

I still think we have lots of innovative games to look forward to over time... (Okami, for one.) But we should also be prepared for the blitzes of "sure-sells"

all i have to say is "wii for me"

nintendo knows how to do it. :D

I beleive that the Wii will definately evolve the game market. It will create more innovations to the gaming experience and set standards for the next home consoles to come. They have already caught the gamers eye.

Nintendo even got Sony to (once again) steal their ideas. :mad: (the motion sensor, the analog, the rumble pack, the shoulder buttons, the trigger, etc. It happens all the time).

the videogame industry is in no way broken.

A great example of good design and probably low production cost is: Loco Roco

Innovative gameplay, unique, and most of all, fun.

Normally Nintendo comes out with these creative games, but Sony has a hit with this one, I believe.

DrSarcasmo