The direction of gaming

[Manji187]

Inspired by content on the Escapist, I've been asking myself the following question lately; what should gaming as a medium strive to become? Some elaboration then.

Gaming is for the most part a pastime (unless you're a tester, reviewer or e-sports "athlete") and oftentimes a solitary one at that (you can online multiplayer all day long, cooped up in your room). It is also a rather limited experience, especially in terms of player input and possible outcomes.

Look, actually I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. I guess I hope that gaming will evolve into something more. More immersion, allowing for more input/ outcomes; resulting in a more gratifying experience. Also, that it will become more than merely a time-killing pastime.

What would it all look like? I don't know, maybe something akin to a Holo-deck. Imagine if anyone could play any real or imaginary character in any real or imaginary scenario, according to his/ her interpretation and taste. What potential for emergent narrative!

I'm saying all of this because I don't believe gaming will go on doing the same shit indefinitely. Somewhere along the line, there will be a step change...a fundamental shift in nature.

So what do you think? Is such a change coming? Is it desirable? Or something else entirely?

Do you perhaps have a vision of your own? Have you been philosophizing on the future of gaming lately?

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Somewhere in the near future I'm sure we'll eventually get those holo-decks going and it will be oh so glorious.

But currently gaming so far is going alright with some hiccups here and there (those being hardware/consumer based), to which I'd hope at some point we will eventually get some great games on tablet and smart phone devices (who am I kidding I'm not allowed to want games on my Nexus 7 according to gamers almost everywhere).

Honestly I do have high hopes for where the future of gaming may take us but first we need to deal with the likes of game publishers squandering lots and lots of dosh that could be used for better and not worse, we also need to work on our communities as a whole and not fracture it like we always do (the whole PC master race/is the only platform to play does not do anyone any favours) which also includes trying to stamp out aggressive behaviour as a whole.

 

[TehCookie]

I wish arcades came back. If classic arcades were because hardware was so big and games were so expensive the average person couldn't buy them, imagine that applied to modern technology. As much as we all want holo-decks how would you fit that in your house? Arcades would solve that.

I also see there being a division in how you play games, the classic way with buttons and the "gimmicks" we've been seeing (Wii, touchscreens, kinect). They may not be great now, but they do have the potential to do something cool in the future.

One of the negatives I see in the future is trying to drawn in people who don't like games, such as making games more movie-like and less user input and more press x to trigger scene.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I think it will be all online with mobile phones being a peripheral.

 

[Saltyk]

Who knows? This train can't run anywhere except where it's rails take it.

Anyway, after paraphrasing a line from a well known game, I feel I should say more. I can't really predict the exact outcome. Going by what some developers are suggesting, it looks like single and multiplayer will become somewhat difficult to distinguish from one another. And that several games will utilize some level of cross platform (console and Tablet) interface. I'd really like to see third party games allow players from different consoles play together, which seems like a logical extension of that same feature. Though, I suspect that won't happen anytime, soon.

In the end, we'll see what trends emerge and what we consumers latch onto. I do think this is a pretty interesting time for gaming. With so many changes in technology and even the internet, we could see nearly anything in the next few generations of gaming.

 

[Julius Terrell]

i'm fine with a 2D screen and something akin to a PS2 with better graphics and the net for...oh at least the next 20 years.

please sell me it.

as for what will happen in the industry i think the consoles industry is kind of blind to possible competitive emergences in its marketplace such as from Smart TVs, on-line game streaming systems that don't require dedicated hardware on the consumer end (once all our internet cables etc are up to speed) or just possibly the emergence of a Chinese/Indian/Brazilian console manufacturer that just "gives the people what they want" and makes that modern PS2 i mentioned...

I agree, but the biggest problem I see right now is that it's hard for people to appreciate different gaming concepts on a global scale. I'd also like to see arcades come back so that there is a social aspect of gaming. Japanese arcades are the perfect example of what I'm saying. They have unique and they are real businesses that care about their customers. Not just holes in the wall that have nothing to offer, but depressing places for the trash of society to hang out at.

Just playing people online doesn't feel very social. Going to arcades where you can interact with real people makes gaming much more accessible IMHO. Music games really made me open my eyes to that.

 

[Manji187]

Who knows? This train can't run anywhere except where it's rails take it.

Anyway, after paraphrasing a line from a well known game, I feel I should say more. I can't really predict the exact outcome. Going by what some developers are suggesting, it looks like single and multiplayer will become somewhat difficult to distinguish from one another. And that several games will utilize some level of cross platform (console and Tablet) interface. I'd really like to see third party games allow players from different consoles play together, which seems like a logical extension of that same feature. Though, I suspect that won't happen anytime, soon.

In the end, we'll see what trends emerge and what we consumers latch onto. I do think this is a pretty interesting time for gaming. With so many changes in technology and even the internet, we could see nearly anything in the next few generations of gaming.

I think tech like the Oculus Rift will make things even more interesting in time. Perhaps we'll be playing Sword Art Online soon? At first on an omni-directional treadmill with railings, probably. No scary neural interfaces just yet.

 

[CheckD3]

The only thing I want to see is a rise in quality of games, and people doing it the same reasons they make movies, to tell a story and create an experience.

With movies, even "So Bad Their Good" movies have a place in culture. The only real "dull" movies are ones that play it safe and take no risks. You always get that. But The Room and Birdemic have and will live on for years because they created something, and though not what was intended, was still a masterpiece in it's own way. Games don't really have that. A bad game is either unplayable, or just boring. We don't have games that fail so hard they win. I'd like to see something like that. A project that someone spent time into making, failed at making what they wanted to, but in that failure, created something so bad, it flips crap on it's head and makes it entertaining.

I'm tired of getting so many safe designs for video games. I'm tired of seeing the same models reprinted for full price. I want to see labors of love made, even failures, because that's why The Room is still shown as a midnight movie. Tommy made a bad movie, but he did so with love. We need our Maddens, our CoDs, our G.I. Joes and Battlefield L.A.s, they kill time, aren't horrible, but aren't what we want all the time. But we also need our Rocky Horror Picture Shows, our Pyschonauts, our Minecrafts, things that are made with detail, with love, with passion, and live on years and years to come, if not in reality, at least in our heart.

 

[DSK-]

From what I've seen, at present, gaming is becoming more broadly acceptable than it was 10-20 years ago, particularly with the advent of social networking.

Furthermore, since the current game industry is focused on making huge profits and securing future profits (trilogies & franchises) I think games will continue to become more accessible and 'popular'.

I won't mention what I'd like to see because it's way too spartan.

 

[Manji187]

From what I've seen, at present, gaming is becoming more broadly acceptable than it was 10-20 years ago, particularly with the advent of social networking.

Furthermore, since the current game industry is focused on making huge profits and securing future profits (trilogies & franchises) I think games will continue to become more accessible and 'popular'.

I won't mention what I'd like to see because it's way too spartan.

Too spartan...hmm. A gruesome selection process followed by multiple stages of review? Can't put the game on the market before it is polished to a perfect sheen? Something like that?

 

[Sewa_Yunga]

I wish arcades came back. If classic arcades were because hardware was so big and games were so expensive the average person couldn't buy them, imagine that applied to modern technology. As much as we all want holo-decks how would you fit that in your house? Arcades would solve that.

I'd be totally down with VR arcades like they're portrayed in Batman Beyond. Preferrably without Spellbinder though.

But other than that, I'm really looking forward to the Oculus Rift. This thing really could change gaming to be way more immersive than now.

 

[DSK-]

From what I've seen, at present, gaming is becoming more broadly acceptable than it was 10-20 years ago, particularly with the advent of social networking.

Furthermore, since the current game industry is focused on making huge profits and securing future profits (trilogies & franchises) I think games will continue to become more accessible and 'popular'.

I won't mention what I'd like to see because it's way too spartan.

Too spartan...hmm. A gruesome selection process followed by multiple stages of review? Can't put the game on the market before it is polished to a perfect sheen? Something like that?

Nope, nothing like that at all

 

[Manji187]

From what I've seen, at present, gaming is becoming more broadly acceptable than it was 10-20 years ago, particularly with the advent of social networking.

Furthermore, since the current game industry is focused on making huge profits and securing future profits (trilogies & franchises) I think games will continue to become more accessible and 'popular'.

I won't mention what I'd like to see because it's way too spartan.

Too spartan...hmm. A gruesome selection process followed by multiple stages of review? Can't put the game on the market before it is polished to a perfect sheen? Something like that?

Nope, nothing like that at all

Oh...okay. Carry on then XD

 

[Morsomk_v1legacy]

The gaming train goes on and on into the sunset, we can't stop it! CAUSE ITS GOING TOO FAST!

I would like to see mmos go the way that some people in the east imagine it, put a helmet on your head and then let it pick up movements from your brain and then put those movement into your character in game. It would be freakin' sweet!

Other then that, ffs let the current FPS boom die.

Also, OP avatars is Miyamoto Musashi from Vagabond, NICE! Love that manga.

 

[Julius Terrell]

Its for the publishers to decide and not the fans........I'm prolly just going to give up on it because it's all the same shit over and again. Online killed it for me as there is not one game out there that is not cheap ass shit 24/7 no team based games and don't try and tell me a game where you runabout like a deranged moron with a gun is team based maybe it could be played that way but the online community couldn't work together on fuck all the direction seems to be backwards shit that the sheep will buy with lots of hype and no substance i wish i never came back into gaming i feel fleeced with most purchases i make.

/sigh sorry escapists i'm just rather fed up right now i guess

It should be in part of what the fans want. I don't give a fuck about VR, or being in some virtual representation of anything. A 2d screen has been getting right all along. I want see game centers like in Japan. I love unique games like DDR and Taiko no Tatsujin, and you can only really get games like that in arcades. I want to see real people while I game not, just usernames in a chat room. That's why the 80s was the best time to be a gamer. It's all about the social interaction. Society hasn't gotten to that point yet. Arcades here in the u.s. are still family friendly place. Not places where gamers can meet and mingle.

I mean D & B is a step in the right direction, but we need more. MUCH MORE!!!

 

[BQE]

I feel like some sort of cranky old naysayer for this, but am I the only one who has no interest in VR, 3D, motion-controls, omni-treadmills and all that absurdity? It seems that you all assume that gaming is limited by technology, but isn't it just as fair to say that this particular allegation could also be construed as a limitation of imagination instead to use the current hardware?

Perhaps we are attempting to superimpose new gimmicky technology over actual creativity. Why is it that some of the most successful games are the throwbacks to retro styles and graphics? I honestly think that publishers/developers learning to do more or just as much with less money is more critical than ushering in 'a new era of gaming'. To be frank, Microsoft attempting to usher in new eras are what landed us in that particular quagmire.

I believe it was Mr. Croshaw that talked about the desire to just sit down and play the videogame instead of being forced to do otherwise.

 

[piinyouri]

Spoiler: Obviously we're all headed for this.

And EA/Activision will be the owner.

Joking aside, I can't say. I don't think that VR is the future honestly.
Which isn't to say it won't be fun, find it's niche, and stick around.
But instead of it being the next step, I really think it will be just another thing/way to enjoy games.

As for the current publisher/budget brouhaha, I've honestly got more important things to worry about.
It will all work itself out. Towards one way or the other. I just buy games I like.