Are games becoming boring?
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So, I was having a little chat with JacqueChoi yesterday about video games, and how I'm playing less and less of them because they are just all the same. It seems like every new game is a Micheal Bay movie, and they just seem boring. There's nothing new. Nothing fresh. Yes, I'll admit, Beyond and Watch_Dogs looks intriguing, but even they are violent. Visually, they are awesome. But I dunno.
Where are all the NEW games? The ones that really innovate. Why must every game have guns, explosions and death? In the last few years, I can honestly say that the games that have stood out for me, that I absolutely LOVED playing was Toy Story 3 and Trials evolved.
As an animator, those violent games are the fun ones to work on. But as a gamer, I want to see something new. I'm getting bored. I'm getting bored with seeing the same game being released every year with a different number at the end of it. I want to see a AAA game that does not have violence in it. If big name publishers want to survive the next 5-10 years, I honestly think they are going to have to release an industry changing blockbuster. But I think when it comes down to it, I see AAA budgets being cut, and publishers just funding indies instead.
Where are all the NEW games? The ones that really innovate. Why must every game have guns, explosions and death? In the last few years, I can honestly say that the games that have stood out for me, that I absolutely LOVED playing was Toy Story 3 and Trials evolved.
As an animator, those violent games are the fun ones to work on. But as a gamer, I want to see something new. I'm getting bored. I'm getting bored with seeing the same game being released every year with a different number at the end of it. I want to see a AAA game that does not have violence in it. If big name publishers want to survive the next 5-10 years, I honestly think they are going to have to release an industry changing blockbuster. But I think when it comes down to it, I see AAA budgets being cut, and publishers just funding indies instead.
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Its not that games these days are "boring"; There are a load of examples of amazing games I can think of. Its just that have some how become so scared of losing sales, that nobody is taking the risks they should.
HOWEVER...
I do get the feeling that this is very slowly starting to change.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/05/e3s-press-events-do-not-represent-the-gaming-i-know/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/05/e3-day-zero-when-game-violence-becomes-vile/
I think the mainstream AAA is going to die out or at least become so self interested its going to decline quite a bit. The next consoles that they are going to release will tank. They have no new ideas. Except for some gimicky peripherals. You cant even express yourself fully with these peripherals. The things you could do with a wand type device, or your body in a game, and yet the shitty games we get. They have no clue. The publishers are chasing this dimishing audience, and just making sure their profits sink all the sooner. Their doing this because they dont want to take the risk, the irony is the riskiest option is to do what everyone else is doing.
I could list a tons of "new" and innovative games released in the past few years and also tons of games that do the same-old-same. The same goes for games for the nintendo / commadore era for example. There was the "new" and innovative games along with the tons of crap. Everything wasn't coated in gold back then.
It's weird to hate the industry just because there are bunch of fps franchises going deja vu all the time.
After all, those are only about the 0.0001% of all games released..
Mature Games = Guns, Tits, cussing, sexual innuendo, gore and explosions.
LOVE and quote it!
What puzzles me (since I know nothing about how the insides of a dev studio or production process works) is how do the development team not either a) notice a game sucks and/or b) make some noise to their higher-ups about it?
I mean, I've played some games over the past few years where I've thought 'surely the devs playtested this and realised it just wasn't very good at all', how does none of that get picked up? I know the driving force behind most AAA games these days is investor calls and statistics, but they could be equally improved if games were actually good.
My inexperienced and cynical side is saying that it's things like the Wii and Facebook gaming that are the root cause. Prior to those factors, the market for any game was... gamers. This meant that sales figures and revenue records were based on sales to that market, just gamers. However, when the Wii came out (and later Farmville et al) that market suddenly expanded exponentially and included Grandmas, Aunties,Dads, Dogs, the whole world! So inevitably, sales figures for 'top-selling games' were now far far higher, and although the games themselves are entirely different, a AAA FPS which targets the 'gamer' market is now aiming at sales figures to rival Wii Sports, which is almost impossible since the market alone is much greater in size.
Despite this, on paper, even if sales to the target market are good, it's still going to fall well short of record-breaking sales of the family games and is therefore maybe classed as a 'failure' and studios get closed etc. I mean, some games recently have sold fantastic numbers in comparison to 'pre-Wii' sales figures, but their devs have ended up closing because they're no longer fantastic numbers in comparison to the number of people playing Farmville.
It puzzles me how developers must play these games, realise they suck and someone on the ladder isn't making enough noise to say 'look, sorry but this is crap, the reviewers are going to slam it and we'll be closing our doors for the last time in a few months'.
This is where indie studios have got it right, they make games that put fun first, without the hassle or pressure of corporates and investors, and my optimistic side is hoping that in the end we'll see somewhat of a 'revolution' where these small/indie studios that make genuinely good games become the norm again like they were back in the early days. Then eventually they'll expand and I'm sure we'll probably see another cycle and end up back where we are today. Who knows.
what may happen very soon is the same thing that is happening with the movie industry. Where the big companies just don't want to change the way they do business.
A big problem is because of the BIG BUDGETS, the bigger the budgets, the bigger the salaries. A big budget doesn't mean a good movie, it means more money for execs. This is the same problem seeping into the games industry.
These days places like Gametrailers, are just hype machines. Geoff Keiglay and all those. Pretending to be reporters.
And the other thing is, the people that buy these games, kids. Kids want the new HOT shit. They don't care about the context.
I would love to play these type of games, but no one wants to work their brains. Just go to PnP and check out how many SCI-FI scenes we have, and how many are their own thing... no one is actually doing anything new.
What would this "new" be?
Otherwise, I just lack the time and dedication nowadays. No time to mess around with difficult games. Sometimes I just get a cheat, check the story, the art and enviros and that's it. Or maybe I'm just more demanding - if a game can't capture me quickly with its gameplay and I just want to see the art, it get the trainer treatment (damn you diablo 3 you too bore me already).
Glad to hear that, Toy Story 3 was my last game at Disney Interactive.
Anyways, I totally agree with you. I find myself purchasing only 2-3 games a year, and it's usually because of the art and rarely because of the gameplay. I'm tired of 'kill the enemy' being the core mechanic with some type of super power side mechanic to differentiate it.
We can do more than that. I'd love a dead space type game where you just explore this huge abandoned ship or an alien planet. No killing, just exploration. Or an adventure in a surreal world like the wizard of Oz or alice in Wonderland where I can interact with the inhabitants or check out the locations. All without slaughter.
I love what games could become, but on the other hand I find myself less and less a gamer because of what they are.
There's a ton of new cool shit coming out, but if you're counting on the game-farms to make innovative games for you youre gonna be waiting forever.
If you're saying that blockbuster games are getting formulaic, then yeah you're right, but that really isn't news, and hasnt been for years.
Yes, exactly. This. Thread. Again.
Then it's also that once the publishers saw that Infinity Ward had discovered the ultimate cash forumla (for now), coupled with how *ridiculously* expensive top of the line 3d graphics and asset development is (which is the industry's fault for making the gamer expect the latest and greatest in "TEH GRAFIX", even though we've been pretty stagnant for several-odd years now.) no one wants to invest the big bucks into new stuff - merely minor deviations on established tropes.
It doesn't help that in addition to the graphics development budget, everyone is trying to be a Hollywood movie, which means hiring even more expensive writers, actors, motion capture stuff, etc.
There's always games that are doing something different, just most of them aren't on a AAA budget, and hence not being marketed.
All of this too will pass, once someone discovers the next genre-defining mechanic that makes obscene amounts of money.
I agree that the shoot em up games are more fun to work on. Combat cycles are fun as sh*t to animate. But, I think if I were to be working on something less fun to animate, but at the same time, will change peoples views on what a video game could be, I would be just as motivated.
I guess it comes down to money though. Studios are a business. Games are a revenue for them. To all artists, games are art. But to everyone else, they are just entertainment, or revenue, which is kind of sad.
I haven't tried those games though, Chaos. I really should try Journey. I've heard good things.
I do think that there is an audience for the more mature themed games, though. I think a big named studio just needs to take the chance and try it. Yes, some indies are making some cool, new games. But, they are indie. No one knows about them. They don't have the advertisement budget you need in order for a game to sell millions. No matter how good your game is. If no one knows about it, it won't be "successful".
Minecraft?
This. I find it's the same for me.
Stuff like Binding of Isaac, Stacking, Anno 2070, Botanicula, Terraria, Spacechem, Portal 2, Legend of Grimrock, Shoot many Robots, Bastion... I could go on for a while, not enough time to play all the games I want.
Just because it's a point that gets brought up again and again doesn't mean it isn't valid. I think this year's E3 more than any previous one shows just how conservative and risk-averse big budget gameing has become. It's also disappointing to see these games become more and more like interactive movies than games. Graphical finesse is all well and good, but I feel like most AAA games are cookie-cutter reskins of the same couple of well-worn genres. Personally, I'm sick to death of realistic, modern day shooters that feel more like military training simulators than games.
As long as indie games continue to be successful and break new ground though, I think the future is bright. I'm hopeful that we can get to a stage where relatively small dev teams can put out games that are comparable to AAA games in terms of polish, but actually offer new and interesting experiences too. To use a movie industry analogy, it would be like something from the golden age of Miramax: A film made for a fraction of the cost of a big studio picture, but with real depth and great production values. I think that digital distribution and the availability of tools like Unity and UDK mean that we aren't that far from the gaming equivalents of Pulp Fiction or The Crying Game.
but yeah, it lacked tits and cursing and blood..so I guess it's not "mature" AND new, which I assume is what we're really after eh?:poly141:
Slipsius " To all artists, games are art. But to everyone else, they are just entertainment, or revenue, which is kind of sad."
That is 100% false. I know lots of artists that dont like games very much, and making art is just a job. I also know executives who absolutely LOVE games and consider them art. So no, that is just not true.
Blockbusters being formulaic? Oh, you mean like in every other entertainment form since the dawn of society? Just because you are sick of Lady Gaga and LFMAO doesnt mean thats all there is to music.
I've heard of journey, and I will definitely pick it up now. But those other ones? thrine or trine or whatever it is? Never heard of it.
I guess a better question than if games are becoming boring would be "why does a game have to be violent to sell millions, or get the big budgets?" Trials. Not violent. Done by Ubisoft. Why can't more big publishers do games like that? THAT is what I would like to see.
I just read the news on various sites and forums to check what is coming out, and what is looking good, and what is worth playing. Just ask people... certainly someone out there has played the game.
I don't think games are all violent... just, that those games right now is what is getting all marketing and selling. I don't agree with a lot of them.
On the pc gamer website people just ask i want to play a new game, and i like these type of games, and people flood the thread with game suggestions that people have tried, or to be on the lookout.
I was mentioning to a coworker the other day that the feeling I got the first time I saw Orcarina of Time, a 3D Zelda, I haven't felt anything that fresh and new and at the same time lost and not sure how to control it, since than.
There are so many new games with a ton of variety, it's definitely exciting, but maybe some of us expect something more that we may not be able to get again.
Look into indie games if you want some new experiences, here's a small sampling of some games I'm interested in:
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yeah, I know Cortex Command has been "out" for a while but v1.0 is coming pretty soon
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there are so many good games I can't even play them all
That feeling of wonder... that same feeling of like OMG this is so cool i got while i was playing Journey. Followed by a choked emotional state towards the ending, followed by overwhelming joy at how good the game experience was.
I still play that game on and off. But that was just me.
I was really impressed with the emotional and animation blending on Last of Us and Watch_Dogs. Specially watch_dogs, and not so much by the actual demo, but the possibilities that i feel the game should have.
To add to that comment as well, i do most of my gaming on PC... and it does make a difference. PC has games that have a longer life span with modding (just look at skyrim) and there is just more at a better price through steam.
Yeah, I remember the first time I found the Master Sword, when I found all 40 heart containers, the first time I mastered the timing of the Bombchu, and finding and lighting all the Deku sticks. That was pretty original.
10+ years, and 5+ games later, you're still finding the same heart containers, the same boomerang, re-finding the master sword, getting the same hylian shield, mastering re-mastering the bombchu, and using the same deku sticks.
imagine if a prompt showed up at the end "push X to hold hands"
another amazing thing is FEZ, a game released in this modern internet age that still had puzzles that took the gaming community weeks to figure out.
That is all.
EDIT: While we are on this topic, I feel like there aren't enough random games. If feels like games are getting so realistic that they try to push every story, every detail, and theres no room for imagination.
I'd like to see a next gen game (which could still have they crazy good graphics) that had random enemies and levels. Like Mario. I mean, you eat a flower and blow flames. Makes no sense, but it's stupid fun! There are mushroom people, a giant evil turtle and other assorted random things. It seems like now if you had that, the game designers would try and explain every detail.
Another thing is back then, people had harder limits on creating characters. That's why characters HAD so much character. Features had to be exaggerated with as little polys as possible, so things looked wacky, and that was awesome.
There are still many exciting frontiers on the edges of contemporary game design practice... I'm not just talking about "art games," but also new sports, JS Joust, what indies do with Kinect -- games about visualizing the 4th dimensions, games about being a 10 year old Amish girl...
... But you have to look for these games and go to them. Frontiers don't come to you, that's why they're frontiers.
If I want something different, I look for oddball titles, xbla games, or pull out my iphone.
There are both "new" games out there and ones that get a sequel every year. The problem is that most larger companies can't afford to dump money into an unsure thing. Of course Activision will run COD into the ground...for now its a sure thing, it always sells like hotcakes. But look at Mirror's Edge. EA took a gamble there, and the game was great..but didn't even make enough money to justify a sequel.
I would like to see more and more original IPs and less sequels from large developers...but lets face it..with as much cash as there is on the line for each title they release...theres no way they are going to put themselves at risk.
If you're looking for indie games try the front page of TigSource, TigDB, the IGF, IndieGames.com the Weblog, Indievania, Free Indie Games, Retro Remakes, and Desura just to name a few.
I don't think games are becoming boring... many AAA game franchises perhaps, but games in general no, not at all
I would also say, wich may come as a surprise...innovation is overrated. Not saying it's a bad thing, but it's overrated among some people.
I mean, for example, i played mass effect series, mostly due to story and characters. Well and action was good too, but it's those two things that bioware really nailed it (ok lets leave me3 ending out of it for the moment :P).
Now, when i see back, the thing that i most like about me series, were basicly already there in baldur's gate (2), wich i totaly loved. So from that perspective, the things i mostly liked in me, was far from being innovative, bioware just heavily upgraded those fields. But the interaction between npcs, the way story is told....in it's basics, its very similar to 12 or so years old game.
And i would be totaly happy if some company, even bioware, could provide me similar game. You can try and work on the concept, change the gameplay a bit and all that, but in it's core, i'd totaly play game similar to that. Just put different story, different types of npcs, etc.
I guess it's similar with many people. If you find something really fun.....is it really better to try with innovation and change something that you already know you would like, or rather maybe see how can you work on improving that concept?
Ofcourse, new, innovative games have to come aswell, and i think they do. But just shear innovation isn't always the best thing....
I hope that makes sense to you, heh...
"Private, we need to blue key to get through this area, intel tells us there's a red key 5km to the SW that will allow us to unlock the red door that's blocking our path to the gold key that will, in turn open the path to finally get the blue key. If you get lost here's a map, notice that it looks like a giant hand, pretty clever, right?"
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Pretty much :P
Games that are fun and different are out there, you just need to find them. And it's not that hard to find them. Journey, Heavy Rain, Portal, Braid, Limbo, etc, etc.
However, games have also become very streamlined - every developer tries to create very polished experience for users. So, they do their best to have cool gameplay features, cool places and ensure that players use these features and see these places the way they designed. Which is understandable, but this is partly where that boredom feeling comes from - everything is in your face and you won't miss anything regardless of how you play/how inattentive you are e.t.c. It's impossible to get lost or miss objective nowadays.
I like games that 'let loose' a bit and let player uncover content themselves and have their unique little magic moments.
While that is true for a lot of games. There are several games that offer a lot of paths and choices. Mass Effect, Deus Ex, the Witcher, Dragon Age even Portal. If you played those game and you talk to people that play them as well. You will have significantly different experiences than you. Different places they visited, people they talk to, entire missions that are different.
Just saying that there is a lot out there and people that are searching for "new", "fun", "different" games just need to do some browsing to find them.