Is The Computer Gaming Industry Finished?

Cosmos · #1 November 7th, 2003, 09:52 AM

Computer games will still be around, there are just some games that you can not play with a controller, like most war and strategy games.

deccan · #2 November 7th, 2003, 11:54 AM

Hey Atrocities, check your Calendar. It isn't April Fool's Day.

General Woundwort · #3 November 7th, 2003, 12:52 PM

AT may be on to some things here.

1) The main game genres that sell big nowadays (1PS, RTS, flight simulator, etc) do well on consoles, which are cheaper and also specifically built to handle the graphics for these games. Also, the transition of internet access (away from strictly PC's to cable/satellite/console as well) will eat up the PC's share of MP Online gaming as well. And a LOT of games now out are dual releases, PC and console.

2) The genres that do do better on PC's (TBS, 4X, strategic simulations) are no longer driving the market (if indeed they ever did). These games will certainly still be produced, but probably more and more by small outfits like MM and Shrapnel. Which is not a bad thing, as we all can testify...

3) These games are all starting to look alike. You can complain about mass production and degraded quality all you want (and rightly so), but let's face it, how many variations on "run around a maze and blow baddies up" are really necessary?!? When was the Last time a really groundbreaking game (like Myst) came out? These genres are reaching the limit of their capacity.

Atrocities · #4 November 7th, 2003, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by deccan:
Hey Atrocities, check your Calendar. It isn't April Fool's Day.

If it is I am not laughing.

Myst was a game like no other. It defined PC gaming as a genuen market and never looked back. To bad they closed their doors.

The Sims most recently have been the ticket and before them was Everquest (bla bla bla bla everquest)

Half-life came out but it was Counter-Strike that made it a success.

There have been many hits, but recently the market has declined dramatically in quality and inspiration. There are really no new games coming out, they are all formula X or sequels.

Most good PC games are being converted to consule as that is a blooming market right now. Hey why not, I mean you have to follow the money in order to stay in business right? But the flip side to that is that the PC market will become a neglected redheaded step child. And that is no april fools joke deccan.

geoschmo · #5 November 7th, 2003, 01:15 PM

People have been sounding the death knell for PC games for ten year Atrociites. You just had this stunning revalation today?

As long as there are still PC's there will still be PC games. They may not dominate the market like they used to. But 90% of what was sold during the hey day was trash anyway. You may have to wait a few months for the console games to be ported to the PC, instead of teh other way around like used to happen, but it will still happen. And there will always be a place for games like SE4 that frankly don't work on a console, and don't have the kind of sales to make putting it on a console feasible.

By the way, where did you get this rumor that SEIV was being developed as a console game? I am not saying it's not true, but this is the first I have heard of it, and frankly it doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion. All of the reasons SE4 is only available Online and not in retail stores are even MORE true for console games.

Edit: To remove some comments that sounded harsher then I intended. Sorry Atrocities.

Geoschmo

[ November 07, 2003, 12:14: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

Slynky · #6 November 7th, 2003, 01:23 PM

Money rules everything. The money market for gaming these days has become kids. Kids whose parents buy them everything and let them live at home till age 20-something. They get jobs that maintain the Mustang that mommy and daddy bought for them and the rest goes into feeding the (usually) multiple game boxes connected the TV to be used for entertainment purposes when they aren't out at one of those stupid movies made for that same age (translation: "Jack ***" etc.).

Ahhh, but I digress.

IMHO (yeah, right!), there will always be someone to make games for the PC platform. After all, if EVERY company quit doing it, SOMEONE would have to wake up one day and smell the customer's coffee and think, "Hey, we could be the ONLY company making a game for the PC! No competition!" (and then the cycle would start all over again as everyone hopped on the band wagon because 90% of the businesses out there don't have an independent thougt...hence the overloaded bandwagon of stupid-*** reality TV shows!)

tesco samoa · #7 November 7th, 2003, 01:29 PM

i agree aswell. The industry is moving back to its old format. Small companies making games they want to make and dedicated following. I am guessing in about 10 years or so this will take off and companies will join in on the band wagon. Wash Rinse Repeat. Or we will go the way of board top games... Which is ok as well.