Poll: What is holding gaming back, as an industry?

[Kahunaburger]

You mean like how every medium on the planet has it's version of CoD?

It's not unique to gaming, and honestly, saying things like CoD hold back the industry is like saying Twilight holds back the literary arts or that Transformers holds back the film industry.

^This. Don't get me wrong, CoD is everything wrong with modern shooters in a nutshell, but it's not like it's making every other game worse by existing.

Re: OP's question, I would like it if game criticism read more like criticism and less like a tech review. But, honestly, you can even find good critics if you stay away from the major outlets. Basically, the industry is fine. Particularly since it looks like people are finally finding out you can make money from niche [http://www.grimrock.net/] stuff [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure].

 

[distortedreality]

I voted "the community" but not for the reason you had listed there.

 

[Thoric485]

Mammoth publishers that hold the rights to everything ever. That's what buried the comic industry in my eyes.

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

Consoles. 'Nuff said.

There are some unique things you can do with a twin stick pad, you know. Graphics and processing power? Not so much.

Anyway, it's not as much as the big boys holding everyones dreams hostage but more of the ones who believe that mimmicking without thinking will do them any good. I hate this phlisophy. I mean, you don't see Notch getting yelled at for not staying with the 'in' crowd.

 

[Lucem712]

I don't think anythin' is holding us back.

 

[LilithSlave]

Easy one. Consoles.

Why? They use outdated tech.

Why do we NEED better tech?

Don't get me wrong. I want the singularity to hurry up and get here. But I really don't think better tech at this point will create better games.

 

[Fappy]

Its partly the consumer's fault and partly companies like EA. By buying into their business practices we are showing the rest of the industry what level of shit we are willing to deal with. I say we aren't representing ourselves well enough and if we really DON'T want to be treated the way we are we need to show them with our wallets.

 

[Saviordd1]

Critics/Large Corporations

That said, nothing is HOLDING gaming back, more like gaming is waiting for these two morons opinions on what to do next.

 

[wintercoat]

Easy one. Consoles.

Why? They use outdated tech.

Why do we NEED better tech?

Because in order to have large maps, good A.I. and good graphics, technology needs to get a bit better. I would like to have the large maps we used to have in gaming, with today's graphics(not high-end, low- to medium-end), combined with better than passable A.I. Imagine DX:HR, only more in line with what the original was, and with better A.I.

Also, the better the tech gets, the closer we come to true VR. If anything can truly be called the pinnacle of video gaming, it would be true VR, where you don't just play the game, you play the game.

 

[Racecarlock]

What is holding us back? Simple. Being exclusionary assholes. If we exclude the casual gamer and the COD player just because their preferred games are not as "Complex" and "Deep" as "our" games, then all we do is shrink our community and make it look like it's full of a bunch of dicks. You're not pushing the medium forward by dismissing everyone who plays bejeweled. You're making it look harder to get into, and that's not how we move forward as a community and a medium.

Not only that, but the holding back the medium excuses used against casual gamers doesn't make any sense. You got the 2 witcher games, right? What about magic the gathering? Hell, what about skyrim? What about Mass Effect 1 and 2 (mentioning 3 here will get me flame roasted)? Aren't those complex? What about all of the games that integrate massive and complex lore into their stories? Don't those exist? Since they do, how the hell are casual gamers holding back anything? They're not. You're holding us back by not letting them in. By not letting them have their say. That's not a community, that's an elitist clique. Do you want us to be that? If not, then shut the hell up about casual gamers holding back the medium.

 

[Reep]

From an indie dev POV, I'm gonna say money and to an extent, publishers.

Huge publishers are so much more likely to invest in safer marketable and guaranteed seller titles than to invest in an artistic or innovative title, thats why Double Fine screwed the publisher middle man and incredibly, got funding straight from their fans.

If developers could create what they wanted and be provided the money required to do so, we would see much more diversity and appeal in games rather than what everyone currently percieves as "COD Clone No.#657".

Thats why so many people, myself included, have gone indie to develop, it skips the publisher allowing us to create the things WE AS GAMERS WANT TO CREATE. However, it does force us to advertise ourselves, which i can tell you, is bloody hard work.

Unfortunately as indies, money is still the overhanging issue, the industry is a massive $65 billion market (forgot exactly how much) but the majority people getting that money are in fact the people who make these clones because theyre the ones with the marketing coverage provided by the publishers.

 

[dragsaw]

wankers and cod,

 

[Kapol]

Holding it back? You do realize that the video game industry is valued at $65 Billion - making it a giant in the entertainment industry, surpassing both films and music - don't you?

It's not "holding back" in a monetary sense, it's holding back in an artistic sense. The way games are played, the level of dedication, attention to detail, true skill and flair that goes into creating a great game, one the likes of Bastion or Journey which can more or less be considered pieces of art. Nothing is holding back the industry in the terms of finance, it's booming like crazy. But unfortunately due to things like CoD; mass-marketed annual rehashes made to cater for the lazy, stupid and consumerist majority.

And that, in essence, is what is holding video games back.

But the question isn't what's holding games back in general. It's what's holding the industry back. And the answer is nothing. It's booming like crazy. Yes, it's because of stupid things like CoD. But those easy entrances DO get more people into the medium and serve as a nice way to introduce them without overwhelming them with a massive keyboard layout to memorize. As well, it's somewhat ironic that you mention it being consoles and then mention 2 games that are either console exclusive or got their start on consoles. You're also acting like games such as CoD aren't on PC as well.

The things you mention such as dedication, attention to detail, 'true skill and flair' that goes into making a great game are not things exclusive to PC. The way games are played is changed, but I don't think it's in a bad way. I love playing games with a controller. I do it all the time on my gaming rig. I might not be able to do exactly as good as those with it, but who cares if I'm enjoying myself? And, most of all, why should it matter to you? The only games I believe really NEED a M+K are RTSs and MMOs. FPSs are much faster with them but not neccessary.

As for the 'devs think console gamers are idiots and therefore lower their quality' arguement, I'd like to see some proof of that. It seems more like easier to handle things (like CoD) sell better for the simple purpose that they don't challenge the player. That's not a good thing mind you, but it's hardly something exclusive to consoles.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I would say, in no particular order, Publishers, Gamestop, and gamers themselves.

 

[BreakfastMan]

I 'unno. As much as I might dislike the fanbase, they are keeping all the devs rolling in teh monehs, so I can't fault them. If forced to choose, I would have to say... increasing dev costs, I guess. They certainly have not done big-budget, AAA titles and favors, and have made the AAA business quite a bit more risk-adverse. But, good AAA games are still coming out, and the niche, indie, and downloadable scenes seem to be doing just fine. I just kind of wish AAA devs would mix things up a bit more...

 

[Shadowkire]

Yeah, it's the community, the people who buy the games and can get change when something morally ambiguous arises in the medium! Wankers!
No, it's definitely the companies, making all those good games and bringing in money to make more games. Fuckers!
Scratch that, it's mobile gaming! Broadening our horizons?! HAH! What a fucking dumb idea!
Actually, never mind, it's the critics. Those bastards who tell us when a game is bad. Who the fuck are they to talk?! All games are perfect all the time!
I suppose it would have to be the media when we think about it. All that advertising and free publicity. What utter cunts!

Wait, what were we complaining about again?

Well said.

I picked "other" because:
Holding games back from what? Being taken seriously?

Games are being treated just like rock and roll music was back in the 60s, the 'young' people loved it and the 'old' people didn't. Then the young people got old and the old people died so now rock and roll is serious stuff.

[edit]
Now that I have gone back and read more than just the first dozen posts my point is supported in previous posts: Some argue from the standpoint that games are being held back from having more sophisticated tech and mechanics while others are arguing that games are held back from acceptance as an art form.

OP: Holding the gaming industry back from what?

 

[RaikuFA]

Elitism

"Playing it safe" can count as well.

 

[Tanakh]

Nothing is holding gaming back.

Gaming keeps getting better and better is hugely successful considering that the medium is still very young.

I was going to post this, but since it's already here...

 

[The Pinray]

Elitists. 'Nuff said.