Poll: what is the greatist threat to the gaming industry?

[RatRace123]

Bad Parents, parents who refuse to/are to stupid to prevent their spoiled shit brained spawn from playing games they find offensive.

Today's parents just kinda suck (not all parents BTW, obviously.)

 

[BlackWidower]

I would say those who are actively trying to distroy the gaming industry. The Atkinsons and Thompsons of the world.

 

[bluecrimson]

There are so many threats to the gaming industry, it's hard to know where to start. First off, as graphics get better, it becomes more about the shine of the game, rather than the core of the game. Take a look at FF13: it looked good, but it played like a rail-shooter and didn't let you go much of anywhere. On the flipside, sandbox games give you freedom, but they rarely give you any reason to play the game.

Next, as games become increasingly more expensive to create, developers become more reluctant to go outside the box, which hurts in more ways than one. They see something that works, and then milk that cash cow, ensuring that the game will earn them some cash. As a result, when something innovative DOES come out, customers are very likely to brush it off as gimmicky or if it is successful, the developers will immediately jump on the new gravy train, ruining the spark of originality the game has with a slew of games just like it.

Parents are another problem in this perfect storm. It's much easier for parents to blame problems their 'perfect child' has or causes on the FPS they bought for Jeremy, rather than themselves for not actually being in their child's life and actually parenting. It's like the oft-said argument for guns: "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." They need to have the common sense to realize how mature their child is, buy games appropriately based on that, and play a bit of the game themselves to see what it's like.

Finally, the government is going a bit too far in controlling who buys what games, among other things. I can see that they want to 'protect the youth' from games that can be too violent at times, but they're going about it the wrong way. If someone's old enough to drive and work, they are old enough to purchase any non-erotic game. It's their money, so let them spend it how they want. Furthermore, the government is well-known for being the worst group to handle anything as big as this, and it's another way that they can get their hands on another business. I don't want them to be hands-off, but at the same time, they don't need to get too entangled in this.

There's more on this, but I believe I covered the main points.

 

[lacktheknack]

Bobby Kotick

Do I win?

Simulord has something to say to you...

 

[Mikeyfell]

Innovation is not needed in every game, the Wii is evidence of that. Look at all that innovation (shovelware). Look at FarmVille and other "innovative" games.

I'm not sure you know what innovation means

I think sequels are part of the problem, if you're going to make a sequel it should be to carry on the story

games like Call of Duty and Metal of Honor don't need sequels

Franchises are what I'm talking about GTA CoD MoH. I guess Gears of War had a story...if your definition of story is broad enough

that says "This is what is popular, this is what sells, if you want your game to sell make it like this."

it alienates people who like Shadow of the Colossus, and Beyond Good and Evil.
original games are going the way of the Doe doe bird.

 

[Magicman10893]

Game companies are the biggest threat. Microsoft thinking hardcore gamers are the stereotypical 30 year old with no job and live in their parent's basement and have never talked to a woman other than the cashier at McDonald's since all hardcore gamers are apparently 350 pounds. Activision trying to come up with new ways to strangle the last bits of pocket change out of their customers even though their biggest customer base is going through a recession. EA scrounging hundreds of dollars each year by releasing sub par sequels for their sports games (I'm looking at you Madden 11. Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were Madden 10 at first). EA also trying to kill the used game market with their ridiculous $10 thing. Now with some new court ruling any game company can claim that the game we paid $60 for is not actually a copy of the game, but a license to play the game, I'm afraid I will never be able to rent a game or find a game after it becomes 3 months old again.

 

[Mikeyfell]

I don't play shooters but people screaming about innovation has all but destroyed my favorite genre, the JRPG.

JRPG makers have spent too much time trying to please the people who DON'T play JRPG's and look what we got in the last two FF titles. Of course, SE isn't the only company screwing up the JRPG because BioWare fans complained too much. The best JRPG this gen wouldn't even let you grind if you wanted to.

So yeah, I know what innovation means.

I agree that we don't need yearly sequels but people asking for more of what they like is not wrong.

I like JRPG's FF13 was a flop. I liked 12 though, it was at least better than X2
What does BioWare have to do with JRPG's they make western style RPG's
And all my favorite games right now. I don't really see how Bioware fans would fuck with JRPG's. most people who play Mass Effect or Dragon Age want an expansive nonlinear story with a broken moral choice system

most JRPG fans want a very linear well planed out storyline, random monster encounters, and a protagonist who's gender is a mystery until they start to talk.

did Bioware steel all of FF13's gameplay or something? there's cirtanly no lack of grinding if you want to be able to five star all the C'eith stone missions I can tel you that
the crystal point level up system is too linear and sucky for me
I liked the sphere grid form FF 10


my favorite JRPG series is Tales of (The Abyss, Symphonia, Vesperia) which is mostly hack and slash gameplay and plenty opportunity to grind (at least to me anyway)

 

[tetron]

The gaming industry is killing itself, but I'm fine with that as long as they can't unrelease the snes.

 

[Snarky]

I think the biggest threat to gaming and the gaming industry is the gamers. Whenever a gamer does something negative, it hurts the community as whole, and gives anti-gaming idiots more ammunition to use against us.

I think gamers who don't use the opportunity to try modify games and create new content, hurt the gaming industry. You have people who go out there, who want to make games, go to some generic technical school, but never have any hands-on experience on what good gameplay is, and we end up with EA products (although lately EA seems to be doing better than Activision).

I think gamers who continue to buy products that have invasive DRM and/or purchase micro-transaction content on day-zero are harming the game industry by letting publishers think that consumer rights are meaningless and we're okay with that.

I think gamers who flame others in forums and treat newcomers negatively are bad for the gaming industry.

It's not to attack anyone personally or even a certain group, but gamers need to know that it's not just external forces attacking the gaming industry but also generically apathetic and ignorant folks as a whole. We need to take responsibility for our actions.

 

[N7 Ruiz]

Its parents who think that games are dangerous to children if you think that fine but dont force your views on me

 

[Mikeyfell]

I don't play shooters but people screaming about innovation has all but destroyed my favorite genre, the JRPG.

JRPG makers have spent too much time trying to please the people who DON'T play JRPG's and look what we got in the last two FF titles. Of course, SE isn't the only company screwing up the JRPG because BioWare fans complained too much. The best JRPG this gen wouldn't even let you grind if you wanted to.

So yeah, I know what innovation means.

I agree that we don't need yearly sequels but people asking for more of what they like is not wrong.

I like JRPG's FF13 was a flop. I liked 12 though, it was at least better than X2
What does BioWare have to do with JRPG's they make western style RPG's
And all my favorite games right now. I don't really see how Bioware fans would fuck with JRPG's. most people who play Mass Effect or Dragon Age want an expansive nonlinear story with a broken moral choice system

most JRPG fans want a very linear well planed out storyline, random monster encounters, and a protagonist who's gender is a mystery until they start to talk.

did Bioware steel all of FF13's gameplay or something? there's cirtanly no lack of grinding if you want to be able to five star all the C'eith stone missions I can tel you that
the crystal point level up system is too linear and sucky for me
I liked the sphere grid form FF 10


my favorite JRPG series is Tales of (The Abyss, Symphonia, Vesperia) which is mostly hack and slash gameplay and plenty opportunity to grind (at least to me anyway)

You seem confused. I'll explain a little better.

Fans of WRPG's (ex, BioWare fans, Bethesda fans) have been complaining for years how JRPG's suck because they have random battles, turn based combat, spiky hair, big swords, etc.... Always comparing a JRPG to a BioWare game like KOTOR or recently, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and/or Oblivion/Morrowind. As a result of all that complaining JRPG developers have decided to make their games more western. Problem is, WRPG gamers who were complaining aren't going to buy a JRPG and now, fans of the genre won't buy them either because they aren't JRPG's anymore.

So I wonder if SE is contemplating their failure for making games for the wrong crowd?

I suppose...that sounds like JRPG developers being stupid for listening to the wrong audience
I just thought FF 13 sucked on it's own
I noticed the lack of random monsters in the last few JRPG's I've played
but one of the most frustrating things that happened to me in FF X was to barley escape a really tough monster, then 2 feet from a save point get in another fight with the same damn monster and die.
and now that I think about it the swords are normal sized. even though I never owned a PS1 so I played FFX before FF7. Regular sized swords were kind of a standard for me. the Tales series never had really big swords either

things I like JRPG's for is really planned out story, as apposed to the western "do it your way" story. and the JRPG's Ridiculously high level cap as apposed to the western 20 level cap
I like them both, but I want them both. JRPG's should do JRPG things and WRPG's should do WRPG things *and Mass Effect 3 should be the best game ever*

companies trying to pander to a huge audience makes games worse. I blame new gen graphics for making development more expensive.

well all we can do is hope that JRPG developers get their act together and release Tales of Graces in America, on the Xbox, fully voiced over, soon. please.

 

[voetballeeuw]

Bad Parents since they're basically the cause of the recent Supreme Court shenanigans.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Whinny fanboys complaining from within. STFU, go out and educate the world on why video games aren't evil or GTFO. The only thing games need to do is cement their legitimate nature and complaining how bad stuff is instead of going out and doing something is just spinning our wheels in the dirt. Show that world your not a pasty white kid in the basement with no social life, go go go!

 

[Kenko]

Bobby Kotick

Do I win?

In my eyes you do! Here heff 1 inturwebz!*Hands 1 internets*

 

[littlebunnyfifi]

I really hope we win the case. Even though it's not likely, I still hope we can win. But apperently they think we don't have the mental capicity to make descision like whether to by a game or not. That personally offends me and my fellow non-adults. We should be able to by a game as we, and possibly our parents, see fit. And even if you illegalize it for minors to by M rated games, the dammand is going to go up. People are going to riot. We will stand up for our rights to have freedom of choice. Also, children could get their parents to by it for them, thus, by passing the illegal part.

Though it doesn't help when the video game industries mess up. Also, considering the fact they mention when ever a person kills someone if they played video games/ had video games; thus, not helping our argument. Though all games are art, they are a medium of expression. We, the people, cannot remove this medium from some of the demograph.

Woah... Long rant. I'm done.