Well, at least you finished HK, I managed to put just ~1 hour into it so far. And I still haven't finished WL2. Or Grimrock 2. Or Age of Wonders 3. Or started Xulima. Or Dead State. Or the PoE expansion.
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You ever feel like you are helplessly watching the industry turn to shit?
- Thread starter RipperGrim
- Start date
MulderYuffie
Member
No not really
MrCunningham
Member
As long as there is an undercurrent on new talent to rebuild from the collapse of the old studios, It doesn't bother me at all.
I have seen every change and transition in the history of the medium, turning it from a mild but thoughtless time wasting curiosity, into a thought provoking and mentally stimulating past time...
And the advent of the worst generation, or more accurately, about 2-3 years into it, is the first time I ever felt a transition feel so wrong. And the most heart breaking part is the juxtaposition between the high and spectacular potential laid out by the sixth gen, just to have everything turn to complete and absolute shit in the seventh gen, at the hand of homogenous corporate bullshit and billions of dollars of marketing it into a predicatable cycle of content distribution.
Complete and absolute shit.
On the bright side, the healing process will finally be able to begin once the AAAAAAA publihers finally get a projection that shows the money spent on AAAAAA opportunity costs would actually yield greater gains if it was spent on a massive dump of exploitative mobile titles instead. The circus act of mass konami-ing and all the souls it will rend will be a delectable feast.
And then the empty spaces will finally begin to repopulate with games that no longer have to have billions of dollars pumped into them to be successful, that can finally be bigger than indie titles without risking failure and studio shutdown.
Only a decade or two more to wait to get back to where we would have been now if everything didnt go to shit!
And the advent of the worst generation, or more accurately, about 2-3 years into it, is the first time I ever felt a transition feel so wrong. And the most heart breaking part is the juxtaposition between the high and spectacular potential laid out by the sixth gen, just to have everything turn to complete and absolute shit in the seventh gen, at the hand of homogenous corporate bullshit and billions of dollars of marketing it into a predicatable cycle of content distribution.
Complete and absolute shit.
On the bright side, the healing process will finally be able to begin once the AAAAAAA publihers finally get a projection that shows the money spent on AAAAAA opportunity costs would actually yield greater gains if it was spent on a massive dump of exploitative mobile titles instead. The circus act of mass konami-ing and all the souls it will rend will be a delectable feast.
And then the empty spaces will finally begin to repopulate with games that no longer have to have billions of dollars pumped into them to be successful, that can finally be bigger than indie titles without risking failure and studio shutdown.
Only a decade or two more to wait to get back to where we would have been now if everything didnt go to shit!
Yeah, like many others have noted in this thread, my biggest issue with the industry at this point is that there's too many amazing experiences demanding my attention and not enough time in the day to enjoy them all.
My current "in progress" list includes Galactic Keep, Hacknet, Stasis, Pillars of Eternity and more. And that's not even talking about the huge time-sinks like MGSV that I'm not even getting close to for months down the road.
I'm not naive enough to not realize there's bad practices in this (and every other) industry. But I'm also not fool enough to be suckered or even distracted by it. Life is too short and there's too many exciting games to play.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I've been seeing threads like this on various forums for over ten years.
Times are always a changin'
And sometimes people don't like it.
Times are always a changin'
And sometimes people don't like it.
Acerac
Banned
It kinda sucks, but like others have said it honestly feels like the market is improving... or at least more games that I want to play are being worked on.
Granted, if I had purchased a xone or ps4 I would be incredibly disappointed with how this gen is going, but I didn't, and I'm not.
Granted, if I had purchased a xone or ps4 I would be incredibly disappointed with how this gen is going, but I didn't, and I'm not.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I like you.
But yeah, everything good that happened last gen was holdovers from 6 or heralds of this one.
Note though, it was even more insidious and larger than you suspect. Marketing hegemony was only one gale in a mighty tempest of suck.
More_Badass
Member
Why is Kickstarter bad? Some of the best games in recent years have been Kickstarted. Numerous genres have been revived and rejuvenated due to Kickstarter
Microtransactions suck, but that's pretty much the only thing on that list that worries me personally. DLC isn't inherently bad. There are countless examples all over the place but The Witcher 3 is probably the most prominent recent example of a good DLC strategy. While I don't preorder games anymore myself, again I don't think the practice is as terrible as people like to make out. If you can't control yourself enough to wait for reviews to hit, well you maybe don't deserve to be fleeced, but if it happens a couple times and you still don't wisen up, then yeah, maybe you do deserve it then.
Sword Of Doom
Member
Read the post again. The poster is saying they fear the abuse of kickstarter among other things.
Why exactly?
IISANDERII
Member
As seen in the other thread, sales and revenues are dropping. Publishers want short term profits but they don't realize what the long term repercussions are.
I await the day where selling points on the box will say 'No DLC!' 'No microtransactions!' 'Full game is yours to play!'
I await the day where selling points on the box will say 'No DLC!' 'No microtransactions!' 'Full game is yours to play!'
I agree with the overall sentiment of your post OP but certainly not to the extent that it hinders my enjoyment of current gen games I buy.
That said I find myself frequently 'unplugging' and firing up the ole SNES, replaying random classics from my childhood. It's incredibly refreshing to go back to basics sometimes.
That said I find myself frequently 'unplugging' and firing up the ole SNES, replaying random classics from my childhood. It's incredibly refreshing to go back to basics sometimes.
I cant tell if I put the fnord in there and then edited out or not, and now that I am seeing the Fnords it is really freaking me out man!
Considering games are literally the most eclectic they have ever been and the overall quality is through th roof Im gunna say no.
Really 99% of preorder bonuses have and will always be dumb stuff that really doesnt effect the base game. Most of the time it just powers you up and unbalances the game.
Really 99% of preorder bonuses have and will always be dumb stuff that really doesnt effect the base game. Most of the time it just powers you up and unbalances the game.
Elitist1945
Member
No, but I feel like I'm watching the gaming community go to shit.
Strangelove77
Member
Poopy games for poopy people.
More_Badass
Member
It's true. Gaming's a lot bigger than AAA, you know
sindbadthesailor
Member
With dedicated handheld gaming dying off, yeah, I understand. Not much to do other than turn casual and find other hobbies.
Thankfully, there's a massive backlog of games on the (PC) I can casually occupy myself with for the foreseeable future. Plus replaying old and actually good games.
Thankfully, there's a massive backlog of games on the (PC) I can casually occupy myself with for the foreseeable future. Plus replaying old and actually good games.
Rather Dashing
Neo Member
I felt that way in the mid-2000s, but around 2009 the rise of high-polish indie titles as a major force has really made me happy again.
There are entire genres that I assumed I'd never get to see in brand new games...and now I'm getting them again. And lots of them are GOOD!
I sit here baffled by people who still cling to the idea that they need to spend $60 on release day for whatever overhyped box retail title people say is the must-have this month. When I do spend that kind of money on a retail release, I'm generally happy with it, because it's really hard these days to go into a purchase without knowing what's actually in the box if you're actually paying attention.
There are shitty trends now, yeah. But there were shitty trends in video games 10, 20, and 30 years ago.
There are entire genres that I assumed I'd never get to see in brand new games...and now I'm getting them again. And lots of them are GOOD!
I sit here baffled by people who still cling to the idea that they need to spend $60 on release day for whatever overhyped box retail title people say is the must-have this month. When I do spend that kind of money on a retail release, I'm generally happy with it, because it's really hard these days to go into a purchase without knowing what's actually in the box if you're actually paying attention.
There are shitty trends now, yeah. But there were shitty trends in video games 10, 20, and 30 years ago.
RichiRamjag
Member
Gaming community bothers me more than the industry. There is a new "cause" every day or something new to get outraged over. Petitions flooding change.org over silly stuff. Harassing Devs on Twitter, death threats, etc. I remember the xbone reddit trying to throw a tantrum because a dev responded to one of them jokingly saying they'll need a ps4 to play hell divers with their friends. It's really sad stuff.
Industry worries me quite a bit as well though, microtransactions, etc. I brought multiple games around Xmas last year and a good majority of them were broken in some way.
Industry worries me quite a bit as well though, microtransactions, etc. I brought multiple games around Xmas last year and a good majority of them were broken in some way.
I know what you mean OP. I am not looking forward to a digital future on consoles with greedy publishers and idiot platform holders. I just know it won't be anywhere near as good as Steam.
I also cannot stand DLC outside of season passes and microtransactions. Shoutout to the assholes over at Naughty Dog.
DDoS attacks and PSN going down all of the time (although it has been better this past month). It really sucks when this happens during my time off.
Casualisation of games that I am looking forward to. Shoutout to DICE.
Games being broken at launch but that's okay because we can patch it day one. Shoutout to Bethesda.
Publishers hiding fuckery from reviewers. Shoutout to Ubisoft for hiding microtransactions from reviewers for AC Unity.
AAA has been incredible this year so I don't know what his avatar quote is for. We have several game of the generation candidates in 2015.
I also cannot stand DLC outside of season passes and microtransactions. Shoutout to the assholes over at Naughty Dog.
DDoS attacks and PSN going down all of the time (although it has been better this past month). It really sucks when this happens during my time off.
Casualisation of games that I am looking forward to. Shoutout to DICE.
Games being broken at launch but that's okay because we can patch it day one. Shoutout to Bethesda.
Publishers hiding fuckery from reviewers. Shoutout to Ubisoft for hiding microtransactions from reviewers for AC Unity.
AAA has been incredible this year so I don't know what his avatar quote is for. We have several game of the generation candidates in 2015.
No, its not, and the industry is in that state by design.
But please, tell me how the chicken nuggets that are indie games, that offer no fulfillment whatsoever for the experiences I want make up for the near complete banishment of the mid tier.
The industry is a capitalistic behemoth that never aspired to be anything more than a money making machine. Don't weep for it becoming shit, the Hollywoodification of gaming was always inevitable and it's honestly not that bad due to the rise of indies. It'll boom then it will bust but no matter what it will press onward.
What I do feel helpless for is how gaming has bred these very vocal sub communities of cowards and mysogynists that most people on the outside now ascribe as the stereotypical "gamer". There was a time when I told people I enjoyed videogames but that time has long since past. The communities are far more vocal and toxic than ever before and that's what I truly feel helpless about.
What I do feel helpless for is how gaming has bred these very vocal sub communities of cowards and mysogynists that most people on the outside now ascribe as the stereotypical "gamer". There was a time when I told people I enjoyed videogames but that time has long since past. The communities are far more vocal and toxic than ever before and that's what I truly feel helpless about.
shinobi602
Member
I personally don't, no. I haven't really had any negative experiences in the past decade that I can cite off the top of my head.
Its about corporate apologism and attacking the shit out of anything that doesnt slob the knob of the AAAAAAA state of being.
Especially if they are women who are not fictional cartoon depictions of how they feel women should behave.
Agreed. I haven't enjoyed gaming this much since the PS2 days and 2016 is going to be batshit insane. Business and culture wise though? It's never been worse.
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
Eh? Turn to shit? Gaming has just gotten exciting again with Shenmue III and Zero Escape 3 leading the charge.
Auto-Reply
Member
If VR fails then yes...
Srey Plaughtered
Member
Yes and No. The industry practices of leeching out every bit of money out of us is despicable though there are some really good games coming out every year which helps me overlook it, for now. Don't know how long will that last though, at least we'll always have indies.
The business aspect has been going to shit since the last gen. Whatever the thoughts about indies and AAA, it could be much better if consumers weren't dumb manchildren that keep eating all the preorders and microtransactions. It seems people have no fucking clue that monetization can and will dictate major design descisions and i can guarantee that games would be more fulfilling without it.
Face it Tiger..
Banned
Mobile wise, yeah.
SprachBrooks
Member
I generally avoid games -- and publishers -- that have shitty practises like microtransactions, DLC and so on. I never pre-order, never buy DLC and I always buy pre-owned games as opposed to brand-new. If the industry goes to shit or collapses, I frankly could not care less and it'll elicit feelings of schedenfreude from me lol.
dragonyeuw
Member
I do vote with my wallet. Yeah in the grand scheme it means little, but if I dont like a particular practice from a developer and/or how the game is distributed to me, I just dont buy it. Im not a huge fan of certain forms of DLC, so I dont bitch about it then turn around and buy it anyway.
The good thing is if you focus less on the big developers and their various money-generating schemes, there are some really good experiences to be had especially on the indie side.
The good thing is if you focus less on the big developers and their various money-generating schemes, there are some really good experiences to be had especially on the indie side.
Sanctuary
Member
Not really now. Maybe if you had asked this same question about a decade ago when DLC first started appearing, I'd say yes. We're beyond turning to shit. I'm just waiting for the gaming industry to implode, but not eagerly.
Again, welcome to ten years ago.
Again, welcome to ten years ago.
Arc Christelle
Member
Not because of those reasons, more like there doesn't feel like anything's coming that genuinely interest me, or seem to hold my attention. Other than that, fighting games are dead to me. No one wants to innovate anymore with mechanical depth, and Capcom doesn't have to try hard to please their fans as long as the game they release is called Street Fighter.
The costs of HD game development is destroying developers and the middle tier is near dead as predicted. Indie-devs are the hope of tomorrow but those games are just promises as far as I'm concerned. MGSV looks like a good reason to get a PS4 or update my PC. All the arcade kingdoms are hollow shells of themselves, Iwata is dead, I rarely have anything of interest to discuss on GAF, because not many or into discussing mechanics in depth in term of game design.
I could go on to be a little bitch about it, but that's enough woes for today.
The costs of HD game development is destroying developers and the middle tier is near dead as predicted. Indie-devs are the hope of tomorrow but those games are just promises as far as I'm concerned. MGSV looks like a good reason to get a PS4 or update my PC. All the arcade kingdoms are hollow shells of themselves, Iwata is dead, I rarely have anything of interest to discuss on GAF, because not many or into discussing mechanics in depth in term of game design.
I could go on to be a little bitch about it, but that's enough woes for today.
Arguments like this have popped up all through the thread but in my opinion neglect a very real and relatively recent change to the industry that has worked as a catalyst, propelling us down the drain. This is not really about quaint horse armour.
First of course is the introduction of F2P games and a new generation getting into gaming because of this and grown accustomed to these mechanics, but more nefarious (not in principle but in effect) is the introduction of big data and game analytics companies and consultancy firms over the last two years.
http://www.gameanalytics.com/
https://deltadna.com/
https://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/
http://www.videogamesintelligence.com/
http://kognitio.com/industries/gaming-and-gambling/
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/ba-big-data-gaming/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0240817664/?tag=neogaf0e-20
There's still games that don't have monetization? We're looking at endangered species here. Load up some easy middleware and everything can be monetized with the click of a button within a day's work. It used to be really difficult to analyze all that data and only a select few like Valve were able to do it. Now everybody is doing it, from indies coding in their attic to the big AAA developers. Especially indies would be stupid not to. Given how few sales the average indie game garners, there's a very big need to wring these players dry.
I guess I should be happy that the games business is maturing, but it's having a really detrimental effect on the enjoyment of my hobby.
Chinbo37
Member
I love gaming its a great hobby. But its not my life.
I dont like playing FTP games or games with excessive monetization. If a day comes when I dont have any choice, I will simply continue to play old classics which I have never played (there are still tons!) and I will just stop playing new games.
I love comics, cars, books, beer, hanging with my family, building PCs (HTPCs etc). Would be weird if I didnt play games at all but not the end of the world.
I dont like playing FTP games or games with excessive monetization. If a day comes when I dont have any choice, I will simply continue to play old classics which I have never played (there are still tons!) and I will just stop playing new games.
I love comics, cars, books, beer, hanging with my family, building PCs (HTPCs etc). Would be weird if I didnt play games at all but not the end of the world.
Langdon Alger
Banned
Whoa, I didn't know about this. Not cool at all.
RipperGrim
Member
Yes ten years ago we all knew what timed exclusivety was and season passes were $40. These trends are happening and getting worse over time, the industry is not completely shit but it's getting worse in different ways and escalating.
People are saying there's nothing wrong with the industry because they focus on indies and kick starter projects but thats just proof to me that there is major problems. Ignoring whole sections of an industry because of the way it does business means there's something wrong with it.
ThaneKrios
Banned
Yup. When I'm not on the internet things seems fine.
Not totally of course, there is some bullshit out there. But it is still a great time to be a gamer.
dragonyeuw
Member
Last gen was really the testing ground as to exactly how far things could be pushed. Now with all the various complaints on the GAF frontpage alone about MGSV micro-transactions and Deus Ex preorder shenanigans,well....... while plenty pissed and moaned there were also plenty who either begrudgingly or willingly accepted what was happening, and so here we are. Little did we know that horse armor was just the tip.
Kind of reminds me of that old cereal commercial 'Mikey, I think he likes it!'