Is the Video Game Industry Dying?

[HatefulGravey]

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/video-game-industry-dying-175530304.html

 

So, what do you think about this?

 

I personally think the arguement about the new hardware is silly. People don't want to spend more money on new hardware if they don't have to, so the idea that they have to have some new hardware to bring them back to gaming doesn't add up to me. It would make more hype around gaming, but I don't think its a must at all.

[godslabrat]

I don't think we need new hardware, I think that we need to throw out a lot of this generation's ideas... and incidentally, the simplest way to do that would be new hardware. People don't want to pay $60 a game, they don't want gimmicky controls, they don't want to be treated like second-class customers because they're too casual (or not casual enough) and they don't want to have to buy tons of accessories. They do want HD graphics, they do want reliable hardware, and they do want fresh new ideas AND frequent updates to their old favorties

 

All three major players have dropped the ball this gen... in numerous ways.

 

The industry's attitude toward its own customers has been at best, passive-aggressive, and at worst downright abusive. They've been trying to see exactly how much we'll take, and logic dictates that they'll continue to do so until they're a huge backlash and someone loses major profits, perhaps even closes their doors entirely. At which point, the failure will be blamed on "piracy" and "used game sales" so that the cycle can continue.

 

I mostly agree with the comment on the Yahoo article: Gaming isn't dying, it's committing suicide.

[+Random Terrain]

The new consoles will kill modern console gaming if they eliminate used games and make us pay extra to download items that should have already been in the game. I'm not paying 5 dollars for a special gun that will melt zombies.

[KrazyKaiju]

I think the home console industry will die during the next generation. I refuse to pay $60 (soon to be $70) to be a beta tester for your bug riddled game because you couldn't afford to do proper QC before release. I also refuse to buy your $60 (soon to be $70) game because I can't recoupe some of my expense by reselling it, since the disc is now locked to my PSN/XBox account. Even if your game drops down to $20-30 after a year, chances are by that time I can also buy it on Steam during a sale for $5-15. So under this scenario, why even bother with a console anymore.

 

Mobile games are the future, like it or not. Simple, quick to pick up and play games will be king. What we consider AAA games today will be relegated to the PC, with only the most lucrative best sellers ported over to iOS and Android.

[Austin]

No.

[+wood_jl]

Not dying. A bit of a "recession." That doesn't mean it's dying.

 

Market is glutted with games (many are good, unlike the old days) and all other forms of entertainment, in a way that humanity has never seen before.

 

 

If new consoles had been rushed out, they wouldn't have been noticeably advanced over the current-gen (excluding Wii) and would have resulted in tons of disappointed, pissed-off customers whose PS4/XB720 (whatever) failed to impress them with significant improvements. As graphical (and everything else that's required/goes along with it) abilities have been improving with each generation, one can't help but notice the diminishing returns - in terms of sheer improvement - over the previous generation. They probably have to wait longer, for additional [comparatively] advanced technology to become affordable. With the current HD consoles looking so damn good, it's going to take a quantum leap to surpass them, and it's going to take a longer time for that leap to become "affordable" (relative term, I suppose.....$600 launch prices of the current gen were hardly affordable, imo).

 

During the interim, the games are great, but spoiled-ass brats simply want something new, merely for the sake of it being something new....just like they do with their phones, etc. A dummy can't tell if a game (or system or phone or whatever) is good or not, but they can tell if it's new, and just assume that it's good because it is new and thereby circumvent the need for analysis and application of judgment, much less the cognition they would require (oh-no!).

Edited June 4, 2012 by wood_jl

[Rex Dart]

It's not dying but it sure smells that way.

[iswitt]

Mobile games are the future, like it or not. Simple, quick to pick up and play games will be king. What we consider AAA games today will be relegated to the PC, with only the most lucrative best sellers ported over to iOS and Android.

 

If mobile games are the future you can count me out. I like my consoles and in-depth gaming experiences. I don't want the world of gaming to be relegated to the low IQ games that please the great unwashed. Call me old-school, but that's just they way I am. And I'm only 23.

[Necron99]

I don't think the gaming industry will die any time soon but I think next gen we will see some bad changes(IMO) or we'll see the industry start to change the focus. but it's all speculation at this point.

 

We've seen a trend lately that Sony want to eliminate used-games and rumors about no disk drive, Steam is working on a console that is most likely DLC only. The Wii-U will most likely be bombarded with shovel-ware like the Wii was and probably won't sell nearly as well as the Wii did, and Microsoft I haven't really followed so I can't say much on that.

 

I'm rather fond of physical media and buying used games. So this isn't looking very great.

[HatefulGravey]

The next gen of consoles will be the first I'm not looking forward to. I have always been very excited about the new stuff when it starts getting talked about. Right now I'm scared to death to hear about new stuff at E3, that will just mean the end of my playing games on my HD tv. I'll be all old school and PC at that point. I'm not into 3D and I'm fearing that will be the next big thing in games. Not to mention the "no used games" mess that is coming and the DLC that is killing gaming for me. (Can't collect what you can't download again)

 

Meanwhile PC gaming is getting cooler looking all the time. I just found out there are still tons of people building Doom 2 maps and playing online. This is sweet, that game is forever old and people still play alot. The indy thing in PC is getting bigger all the time. GOG is making waves with classics made to work on PC, and to all this you can add emulation of tons of fun stuff. Console gaming might be dying, but PC gaming is looking better to me all the time.

 

Also, I can just upgrade a good PC instead of buying a new one all the time. There is something to that too.

[cimerians]

PC gaming, tablets, iOS, Steam, GOG is where its at for me. A good investment in a PC with an Xbox 360 controller, HDMI hookup to a nice big LED\LCD and a few wireless devices is just plain awesome.

 

I think the console makers have some big choices to make and having other better options out there should force them to not completely screw us over.

 

One would hope so.

Edited June 4, 2012 by cimerians

[akator]

The video game industry will not die, it will simply morph into another market the same way it did in the early 80s. Sure, dedicated gaming hardware, especially handhelds, are obviously threatened.

 

Gaming will not die, it will simply morph into another phase. That's what happened with home computers, and what is happening now with phones and tablets.

 

Time will show that there is always room for a console, but while console are OK now, they are also surviving because of media options like Netflix. Consoles (and set-top boxes) will always exist in some form, but the immediate market of 3 major players will shrink.

 

$0.02. It's worth what you paid for it

[mister_pal]

No

[atarian63]

yes, pc gaming basically died (fine with me) and the consoles are slow[y being killed by tablets etc,(kind of like the resurgance of simple games) .It's a busy world who has time for a 2 or 3 hr much less 2-3 week game?

[toptenmaterial]

I haven't read the link, but the comments displayed on this thread suggest that it's the business model at fault rather than the hardware. I agree.

 

Most at risk for death at this point, as a side effect, are handhelds.

[BillyHW]

Kids have all the time in the world and it's still easier to give them a Game Boy than an iPhone or iPad. The broader gaming market is big enough now to continue supporting all the major current players and keep them profitable.

 

I think what you'll see is many (but by no means all) of the free and 99 cent game type companies go under as the mobile space matures. That is unsustainable in the long-term.

 

As for me, I have enough on emulation to last the rest of my life.

[xg4bx]

i never understood why gaming is the only hobby that requires the constant introduction of new hardware to maintain peoples interest. the gaming market down? release new hardware!

 

i understand that technology advances but if i'm bored shitless by crappy games, prettier versions of these same crappy games aren't going to renew my interest. maybe the problem is with the games and the fact that there is a bare handful of games that are worth $60. add in the fact that $60 doesn't even get you a full game anymore and its easy to see why the market is down.

 

drop the graphics graphics graphics shit, start making full use of the hardware thats already out there, knock off the 100 million dollar development budgets so you can get games out the door for less than $60. enough with the goddamn shooters, lets see some more original ideas and less sequels choking the shelves every damn year.

 

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what the problems are and the solution certainly isn't making consumers start over. the solution also isn't turning your consoles into copycat smartphones and tablets. i don't need more damn apps.

Edited June 5, 2012 by xg4bx

[xg4bx]

Not dying. A bit of a "recession." That doesn't mean it's dying.

 

 

During the interim, the games are great, but spoiled-ass brats simply want something new, merely for the sake of it being something new....just like they do with their phones, etc. A dummy can't tell if a game (or system or phone or whatever) is good or not, but they can tell if it's new, and just assume that it's good because it is new and thereby circumvent the need for analysis and application of judgment, much less the cognition they would require (oh-no!).

 

and that point is proven by the poll on the story with 40% saying 'forget the games, give me new consoles'. new consoles are simply a band aid for this sucking chest wound of an industry. like you said, its the same people who update their phones, etc every year. theres no thought process or an iota of critical thinking put into it. 'its new, it must be better' like good little consuming zombies. then they'll get their new console and be bored in a year.

Edited June 5, 2012 by xg4bx

[Emehr]

A few points:

- It's already dead to me. I don't see the majority of console developers going anywhere besides "Ooh, it looks just like Ellen Page!" rather than "Holy crap, look how deep and immersive this world is and how much my character can do!". By the time they realize they need to make games and not interactive movies it may be too late. I want a video game console, not a video choose-your-own-adventure.

 

- I didn't see any meat in that article to justify the sensational headline. Where was the doom and gloom? All I read was that this has been an unusually long console cycle.

 

- With these discussions there's always talk about how phones are taking over the market and I just don't see it. Maybe it's the Farmville-esque art direction that I'm seeing all over the place but I have yet to see a single game in any app marketplace that looks to be worth two shits. Angry Birds got old after a few plays and there's only so much you can do with touch controls alone. And substituting the touchscreen for button/D-pad functionality is pure failure. I think Nintendo may be onto something with the Wii-U even if the implementation doesn't seem ideal.

[+Random Terrain]

With these discussions there's always talk about how phones are taking over the market and I just don't see it. Maybe it's the Farmville-esque art direction that I'm seeing all over the place but I have yet to see a single game in any app marketplace that looks to be worth two shits. Angry Birds got old after a few plays and there's only so much you can do with touch controls alone. And substituting the touchscreen for button/D-pad functionality is pure failure. I think Nintendo may be onto something with the Wii-U even if the implementation doesn't seem ideal.

 

When I used to go to the free doctor back in the 1990s it seemed like a ton of people, who had less money than I did, had cell phones. Now the poor and every little spoiled brat has an iPhone or something similar. As long as companies keep churning out interesting distractions and games you can play with your family and friends, these phones are going to kick major ass. The games are free with ads or cheap as hell if you want to pay for them, so the money is just going to keep pouring in to these companies while consoles go down the drain because of greed. The console-related companies are going to Netflix themselves out of business. Netflix thought they were hot shit and could do no wrong until they shot themselves in the foot, then fell backwards and blew half of their head off.

 

Phones and pads and 3D HUD glasses and visors where your games will seem to float in front of you while you stand in line at the DMV are going to take over. Modern consoles will die if they don't change their plans to kill used games and all of the rest of the crap we've been reading about.

[iswitt]

Thank you, Random Terrain, for expressing exactly how I feel. Especially about the people who are broke having fancier technology than me. What's up with that?

[HatefulGravey]

Thank you, Random Terrain, for expressing exactly how I feel. Especially about the people who are broke having fancier technology than me. What's up with that?

 

The reason you have more money is that you make better use of the money you have. I see it all the time. The people most likely to buy those kinds of phones are the same people that are most likely to have them cut off for non-payment.

 

Phones are only hurting console gaming because people get caught playing little stuff on the phone and lose track of time, and that is only if that is happening. It might be that these two things have no link at all. Causation and correlation are not the same thing. I imagine this is all smoke and mirrors. Mobile games are making big money right now becuase of people stuck on the bus, bored at work or school, and sitting on the can. They aren't taking the place of real console gaming.

 

DLC, DRM, and high prices are effecting console gaming, not my andriod.

[+Random Terrain]

Mobile games are making big money right now because of people stuck on the bus, bored at work or school, and sitting on the can. They aren't taking the place of real console gaming.

 

A lot of people are realizing that they don't have to plant themselves in front of a TV to have some fun. They can have bits of fun here and there while on the run and get more done. They can exercise, get laid, go shopping, and do a hundred other things thanks to on-the-go entertainment. Couches all over the country are missing their potatoes.

[Cynicaster]

I don't have any data in front of me but the reasoning in the article seems a bit fallacious. He talks about the recession killing Wii sales as cash-strapped consumers seek a haven in platforms that offer $1 games, but is he forgetting that you can probably buy 3-4 Wii's for the price of an iPad or iPhone?

 

I think that's overanalyzing things. It's just this:

 

During the interim, the games are great, but spoiled-ass brats simply want something new, merely for the sake of it being something new....just like they do with their phones, etc. A dummy can't tell if a game (or system or phone or whatever) is good or not, but they can tell if it's new, and just assume that it's good because it is new and thereby circumvent the need for analysis and application of judgment, much less the cognition they would require (oh-no!).

 

Perfectly stated. That is modern consumerism for you.

[onlysublime]

 

 

 

seems like this generation is just going fine. only the Wii has tailed off significantly. and historically, all of this gen's consoles are doing quite well compared to past consoles. considering how much money is being spent on the video game industry by consumers, I don't think anyone is worried about going hungry.

Edited June 5, 2012 by onlysublime