Lunchtime Discussion: Apathy

Is there anything to get excited about?

Published: 12:00, 01/09/2010 by Kris [Halbpro].

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Gaming is bigger than ever now, no-one can argue that. Games are the highest grossing form of entertainment ever, reaching millions of people around the world. With all the money pumped into gaming and the huge number of people who now contribute to the creation of any game you’d think that gaming would be bigger and better than ever. Sadly this doesn’t seem to be the case, progression in gaming seems to have degenerated into a war of pixels and framerates, of engines and particle effects; big releases seem to be missing any real innovation or, dare I say it, fun.

First off I’ll admit that I’m making things sound a little more dire than they actually are. Gaming isn’t a pit of despair with no real value any more, there are still quite a few gems. I’m still excited for Halo: Reach, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Batman: Arkham City. Unfortunately there isn’t much that’s grabbed my attention after that right now, maybe Tekken X Street Fighter (and the reverse game), but that isn’t exactly out any time soon.

So what’s wrong with that picture? Given the huge sums of money that are spent on AAA games surely there should be more of those games that have me chomping at the bit. Sadly AAA games largely seem to appeal to the lowest common denominator in an attempt to recoup the significant sums of money that go into developing these titles. Sadly that means they often don’t really do all that much to blow me away.

It’s a very different story when you look at downloadable games, less investment means less risk and more freedom to try something new or interesting. Perfect examples of this are anything from thatgamecompany, Shadow Complex and Limbo. Small, downloadable games seem to be where everything genuinely new is now, compared to multi-million dollar games which are often ‘cookie cutter’.

I know I’m certainly not alone in losing some of my excitement for new titles, this topic was sparked by a Twitter discussion between our very own cc_star and Mr_Roynaldo. I’m sure lots of people are excited for everything that’s happening, we do seem to be in a period of change right now with the continued growth of online gaming and motion controls. Am I missing something huge that I should be excited for? And don’t say Gran Turismo 5, racers hold little appeal to me.

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bunimomike [Member]
01/09/2010 at 13:28

Level 7
Member since: Jul 2009

I think, Kris, ultimately we enjoy some mindless pap from time-to-time. A guilty pleasure. In the film world, shit like Transformers. Mindless action adventures or a bit of a slasher flick. Most people will eventually lean to something that offers more but at the end of a busy day we often look to unwind. Remove our brains and just be entertained. However, many games that score around the 60-70% mark can feel like the best thing ever when played in the right atmosphere; with the right friends, etc.

(Back to films) once in a while we get our Usual Suspects, our Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragons, our Inceptions… but they’re quite rare compared to the mindless toss-fest we usually see making the big bucks. I’m not sure there’s a lot we can do about it on an individual level as we’d be looking to change the entire industry’s attitude towards us but a maturing fan-base will undoubtedly help. If us, as gamers, stop playing as much in ten years time the industry might realise they have to tempt us back into parting with our cash. With games that do more than the likes of the faceless sequel-fest we seem to be currently wallowing in.
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- 3shirts [Member]
  01/09/2010 at 13:38
  
  Level 6
  Member since: Aug 2008
  
  Very true. How many people’s favourite movie is Avatar or Titanic, yet these are the biggest grossing films. Same is true of MW2 or Halo.
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eccelex [Member]
01/09/2010 at 17:11

Level 1
Member since: Jul 2010

I would like to see the bigger developers support the indies. It sounds like a pipe dream but think about it. If, say, EA introduces an indie branch of the company that offers support in terms of marketing and financial aid – that can be easily budgeted for – to small time developers in return for a share in any potential profits, not only is it a savvy PR move but the risk involved is dramatically reduced as costs plummet in comparison to AAA titles. While every game produced in this way may not be a huge success, the one or two success stories would easily make up for it.
It’s a model that’s employed in Hollywood film studios and, while I’m loathed to draw parallels between the industries, it makes sense to apply it to games.
It’s win-win. Indie developers reach a wider audience and the Activisions and EAs of the world can test the waters for new concepts that would otherwise be unfeasible in the latest FPS or action adventure.
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Quinlank [Member]
01/09/2010 at 19:22

Level 4
Member since: Aug 2009

After the demos, I’m personally very excited now for Vanquish and Naruto Ninja Storm 2 among other titles. PS3 games are on equal footing with the number of Wii and PSP games I’m itching for for the rest of the year, of which their are quite a few. I’m having to restrain myself from buying the downloadable version of Valkyria Chronicles 2 as the wait until friday for the UMD is killing me.
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