Video games in turmoil amid audience shift
- March 18, 2008 15:28 PM PST
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The tension between traditional game design and casual-friendly titles was palpable at the Game Developers Conference this February. Video games, while growing like gangbusters, are in the middle of an identity crisis -- a crossroads.
The look of gamer uncertainty
Purists argue that changes to include the broad public will only dilute gameplay, making it shallow and less familiar. Others, however, spearheaded by a surging Nintendo, say change is needed if we are to grow, otherwise the industry could stagnate much like music has in recent years.
As a result, publishers, developers, and even enthusiast press outlets like GamePro are left wrestling with their roots in light of future opportunity. Meanwhile, many long-time gamers fear they'll be stuck playing colorful ball games instead of a deep sci-fi shooter or glaringly-realistic action title. Popular analyst Michael Pachter says that's not the case, even if pick-up and play is where all the money is right now.
"I don't see the expansion into more casual games as a threat to the quality of hardcore games at all," he says. "The bigger threat to hardcore games is cost. Like movies, big games have huge budgets, and something has to give. So far, that's been in the length of games (i.e. Gears of War, a personal favorite, which wasn't very long)."
Indeed, so long as the current batch of players don't grow tired of proven genres, the quantity of single-player experiences will likely continue. But it's interesting to note, as Pachter has, that rising cost has done more to compromise the quality of conventional games (in this case, their longevity) than anything a casual-focus has done. Maybe casual games are just the scape goat to rising development costs and natural growing pains then?
Whatever the case, many are left wondering, "How long will the awkwardness of change last?" Put differently, "Let's just get back to playing games." Though it's difficult to predict how long it could take before things "settle in," Pachter says the change is no different than another industry phenomenon: rampant sequels.
"There will be pains as we see resources shifted to 'mainstream,' but I don't think that the pain will be any worse than the sequelization of the industry," he says. "Even bona fide original games like Gears of War or BioShock have immediately spawned sequels, instead of letting the studios work on more original content."
But if the above isn't enough to quell your concerns of a casual takeover, consider this: 2007 was arguably the best of years for both hardcore and casual game releases. And 2008 is looking to match, if not surpass that accomplishment, suggesting that both play styles can peacefully coexist.
