Lunchtime Discussion: Shooters

Just like any other form of media genres go into and out of fashion in gaming. The popular genre, shooters right now, does seem to dominate the industry more significantly than in films or books, but everything changes eventually. Sure it might be shooters right now, but I can recall an awful lot of platformers during the PS1 generation, and I think there was a patch of RPGs a little earlier on than that.

So why are shooters so popular right now? Maybe we’re just hugely violent creatures who are only satisfied when we’re shedding blood, virtual or otherwise. It’s also quite possible that there’s a lot of bandwaggoning. Halo is given at least some of the credit for getting us to where we are now with the genre. It sold insanely well, built the Xbox into a platform that could stand against Sony and Nintendo’s platforms and really pushed us to where we are now in terms of console shooters. Without the success of Halo we probably wouldn’t have the wealth of first person shooters that are now flooding the market, and the trend towards space marines may have been quelled significantly.

Once Halo kicked the whole thing off the market began to become self-perpetuating. Because ‘only shooters sold’ they were all that got invested in, meaning they had a far better chance of succeeding. It’s always the issue in all media creation, it’s still a business and an investment opportunity so people want to get the most money out for the least money in. Right now that exists in first person, and to an extent third person, shooters. We get the games we deserve, and apparently what we deserve right now is a genre that’s quickly becoming stagnant.

On the other hand I really can’t see what peoples gripe is with the wealth of shooters available to us. Yes they’re dominant, but the industry we love is huge now. Even with one dominant genre, there’s still a wealth of other genres out there, particularly if you look at the digital market place. Perhaps I’m wrong though, maybe they’re too dominant. What do you feel? Are shooters becoming too dominant in the industry? Should people be looking to diversify more? Or have we got ourselves into this situation?