Anyone get the feeling that the gaming industry is heading for a collapse?

[Deleted]

As I was pouring my coffee I thought about some of the "issues" raised here and thought... "who gives a shit?"

I mean what does it matter that there is a yearly COD or Assassin's Creed?

I don't want to quote the entire wall of text, albeit I love the post and agree with it wholeheartedly. You're absolutely right, and the thing is, this phenomenon isn't localized only within the gaming industry; the best example of it is, of course, the movie industry. We still get the same old summer blockbuster shit, but that doesn't mean the great movies have stopped coming. Movies that basically all of us, regardless of which genre we feel most at home with, can agree are pretty damn awesome. The same goes for music, to some extent.

But, yeah. Some people would like to only have their own special brand of coffee, and somehow they get insulted if there's anything else.

[flarecde]

As I was pouring my coffee I thought about some of the "issues" raised here and thought... "who gives a shit?"

Pretty much how I feel about it. I just don't see any of these issues people complain about. I'm still finding plenty of fun games at reasonable prices, and that's all that matters to me.

[Rukh]

Man its been just as bad for 10 years and people still bend over the milking machine. Why would they change? We make them rich for their slimy practices.

[PosPosPos]

I will start believing some of these wild claims when games like WoW actually "die"

[GennGreymane]

It wont, at least not like the 80s. I mean in the 80s it was not a very big market.... now its pretty large and has tons of players rather than a couple of small companies.

Just remember there will prob only be 3 consoles+ pc for a while, it wont be like when there was a console from everyone, now a days those are now plug and play systems



Also lets just be grateful that our consoles dont come with expansion packs any more? I mean look at the Sega stuff (At least the nintendo stuff mostly stayed in Japan)....

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[May90]

I mean, the unbridled greed ...

Sub MMOs with cash shops.
Chopped up full retail priced games with DLC.
Full retail priced "re-releases".
(edit) Full retail (or even premium) priced BETAs - aka "early access".

My god. O_O

I'm feeling more and more "uncomfortable" buying games.

It used to be a fun hobby back in the early 90s ... then it became a "big money" industry.

I mean we already had a video game crash back in the 80s ...

While I agree that the games in 90-s were more about fun and art and today they are more about business and money, I fail to see how it means that the industry is going to collapse. For old school fans there are still many small indie developer groups that are not concerned with money and just want to create an art game, and for people interested in more mass-friendly games there is WoW, LoL, CoD, BF and such. If anything, gaming industry now serves much more people than before, and as such it isn't going to collapse any time soon.

[Pony Soldier]

As I was pouring my coffee I thought about some of the "issues" raised here and thought... "who gives a shit?"

This is one of the biggest reasons why we gamers continue to get shafted by these companies because these new generation "gamers" don't care. We continue to get fucked over and taken advantage of because hardly anyone anymore has true passion for games and actually cares about the direction they head in. They just look at the graphics and go "oooo aahhhh" and say how it's the best game ever. If the gamers today actually cared they would stop supporting this greedy way of business companies are getting away with. Take for example the fact that back in the day games that had multiplayer would right away be available to you and would also be able to play offline with your friends. Now, you are forced to buy the game brand new to get the other 50% of the game (which is multiplayer) otherwise you have to spend an additional $10 just to unlock the multiplayer. That's even if people still play it and the servers are still up since the multiplayer these days are always online only. If not you'll have half dead game. How about day 1 DLC where they clearly have content already made for the game's release but they cut it out of the game so you can give them more money for it. And the extra content will be like some stupid bullshit like a character skin or some special gun for multiplayer, junk, so why not just throw that into the game instead of charging people for it? What is wrong with just making it an unlockable item within the game? No, because they know they can get away it because the gamers "don't care", they're going to get it anyway and it's because of this "who cares" mentality that companies continue to do shit like this and think it's ok when it's certainly not. Then you have the people that will say "you aren't forced to buy it", that's not the point. It's the principle of it. Just the fact that they are getting away with making a half assed $60 game and then locking everything behind some online pass or money wall is just unacceptable and it seems most "gamers" these days are ok with it. It's like the "gamers" of today enjoy paying extra money for something that should already be included in the game when you buy it. But who cares right?

It's sad really because one of the biggest if not THE biggest problem with video games today are the gamers themselves because they allow these companies to get away this greedy way of business so they think it's ok and continue to do it. There's just no real passion for video games anymore or very little of it. From the gamers to the developers and publishers themselves, it's just non-existent. Like I said it's all about the money now. Screw making an awesome creative game to make our gamers happy. Lets screw them over by locking everything behind a money wall and nickel and dime them as much as we can.

[Ravenblade]

Shifts may happen but the game industry as a whole is pretty much too decentralized and spread out to crash as a whole now.

[MrHappy]

i guess the 100000 of indie devs making games don't count or F2P games.

[Deleted]

This is one of the biggest reasons why we gamers continue to get shafted by these companies because these new generation "gamers" don't care. We continue to get fucked over and taken advantage of because hardly anyone anymore has true passion for games and actually cares about the direction they head in. They just look at the graphics and go "oooo aahhhh" and say how it's the best game ever.

You're gleefully missing the point.

I, for example, am 35. I'm not a "new generation" anything. I've been playing games for as long as I can remember. Yet, I don't give two shits whether there are new Call of Duties and new this and that coming out. Why? Because it has absolutely no bearing on whether other types of games are made or not. None, whatsoever.

Do I play Call of Duty? No. Mainly because I'm not that big on war FPS'. I played CS since Gooseman's beta up until the original kind of teetered off and was replaced the shit that was Source, and now this "GO" -thing. Other than that, give me Doom, Quake, Duke and Unreal any day, and single player please. However, do I play other games that are comparable to Call of Duty? Well, I've played Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and will play the new Argonia, as well. Some might compare that series and shit on Bethesda just as much as people hate CoD.

The simple fact is, the existence of those "blockbuster games", which the "hipster gamers" of today, such as yourself, hate so very, very much, has absolutely no bearing on good games and whether they get made or not. That's all there is.

[Teebone]

Not a chance. There's a better chance of Hollywood going under before games. Games are here to stay.

[Fencers]

This is one of the biggest reasons why we gamers continue to get shafted by these companies because these new generation "gamers" don't care.

I am fairly old. I was playing video games in the 1970s. =)

We continue to get fucked over and taken advantage of because hardly anyone anymore has true passion for games and actually cares about the direction they head in.

Personally, I do not think the gaming industry has ever been better than at the moment. And a lot of consumers are not adverse to the method of business currently- I know this as a fact as I am market researcher by day for wide array of clients, including Microsoft. I have also worked for Sony Online Entertainment and Frogster Interactive.

There are very few consumer unfriendly practices in the industry. Those which are are CONSUMER supported; pre-orders, review scores, new media and enthusiasts press coverage and annual sequels.

Take for example the fact that back in the day games that had multiplayer would right away be available to you and would also be able to play offline with your friends.

What about those that have no interest in multiplayer and want a discounted game?

Are you not better served by only buying the parts you actually are interested in?

Games are cheaper now than at any other point in history. I remember buying Final Fantasy 6 for almost $80, Earthbound costs over $100 at the time of release. Toys R Us in Manhattan sold Neo Geo games for $80 a pop. I paid $79 for Metal Gear Solid on PS1 the same day I bought Xenogears for $89.99. Monkey Island was nearly $80 at FAO Schwarz.

This week I bought Metal Gear Rising Revengence for $20, Shadow of Mordor for $30 and Game of Thrones for $25.

That's even if people stAnd the extra content will be like some stupid bullshit like a character skin or some special gun for multiplayer, junk, so why not just throw that into the game instead of charging people for it?

If its "junk" and valueless why be upset over it? Should not one be glad they have the option of NOT buying it rather than having "junk" embedded in the development cost passed to them directly?

It's the principle of it.

The principle that you are being given the option to buy only what you want? I am certain, 100%, this is how every other industry functions.

It's like the "gamers" of today enjoy paying extra money for something that should already be included in the game when you buy it.

I enjoy paying for what I want actually. Rather than having to pay $80 for a game with X, Y and Z features I am not interested in. $30 + $50 of opt-in features seems pretty accommodating to me.

But moreover I do not believe the cost of any thing should be a factor in my value of something. Seventy bucks for a good meal is not expensive, seven bucks for a bad steak is expensive.

Cost is of no consequence to me.