Are video games *gulp* dying?

[MagikMilk]

[E-Day]

I don't know where you are getting this from. Video games have never been more popular or mainstream as they are today. Even with more people using digital cameras and camcorders, there is still room to play games.

I think you are crazy

[PokemonResearch]

If you're talking about people playing games on their phones instead, I don't that'll have an affect on TV Consoles. It might have an affect on handhelds, but even then I think phones are just ciphering off new users, instead of stealing old ones.

And even if phones did take over, those games would still be video games. Ace Attorney on my phone isn't so different from Ace Attorney on my DS.

[Chakan923]

Yes. Thankfully.

[Fox]

Hi!

I doubt about it, maybe some genres, but the whole market!

[ACGameFreak]

What in the world are you talking about! The gaming industry brings in more revenue than the movie industry, and it keeps getting bigger every year!

[MrUppercut]

Definitley not dying. But creators are taking less risks. The most innovative games are download only while the major releases or more and more the same.

[mrfett]

Are you referring to social games that are more about algorithms than a proper game experience? Fortunately I don't see these as overtaking proper hardcore games in any meaningful way. I do have some misgivings about the advent of "infinite quests" though.

[E-Day]

Personally I think the market needs another collapse. The cost of making a game has gotten out of hand, and because of that we don't see that much original stuff as far as non-downloadable games go.

[Jie]

I do have some misgivings about the advent of "infinite quests" though.

You mean sandbox games like Skyrim? If so, I agree. I mean there's a reason why i haven't finished it yet despite the awesome game that it is. There's just too damn many sidequests and I am too OC to miss ones that pop my way.

[ctophil]

Well, the mainstream games will never die. You know, the Call of Duties, Halos, Maddens, and World of Warcrafts. The hardcore games that cater towards innovation and originality are pretty much gone. Occasionally, games like Kingdoms of Amalur, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect, Xenoblade Chronicles, Catherine, and the Last Story represent modern high-quality, original titles--encompassing both western and eastern game designs, respectively. Just take a look at E3 2012 just last week. Can you name me more than 3 titles that has innovation and originality?

On the other hand, I can name you over a dozen downloadable titles that are creative and quite inspiring, which proves that you don't need mega million-dollar budgets to make a AAA title and be on the best sellers list simultaneously. Indie developers are making great games, while the big shots are just pumping out sequels and mass loads of first person shooters. Don't believe me? Download these titles and play them. You can feel the inspiration with superior gameplay, fun factor, graphics, story, and terrific soundtracks. Try these: Bastion, Torchlight, Journey, Super Brothers: Sword & Sorcery EP (not good graphics but fun), Limbo (not much of a soundtrack but good atmosphere), Braid, Dungeons of Dredmor, Death Spank, Minecraft, Dungeon Defenders, and many others.

The industry is crashing again, mostly because of the glut of titles that are uninspiring at best, although they cost millions to make. The Japanese developers are trying to mimic western designers and are losing their touch for the past 10 years, contributing to the decline of the industry. They have always been the innovators. But now are crashing pretty badly at this point.

Let me ask you something. How many modern games can you tell me that has absolutely memorable soundtracks that you hum in the shower or while you do other things all day long? How many modern games make you think about it at least 30 minutes before going to bed each night? How many modern games make you wanna get off work or school early today to go home and just play it? Do any of the titles make you go out and buy a system because of it? I bet you can make a pretty big list of games that affect you profoundly back in the day in many genres. These days, you will struggle to name a few. Developers need to stop trying to make a lot of money but make games that we want to play and talk about for generations before it's too late.

[E-Day]

The whole reason they make games is to make a lot of money. That's why they aren't releasing free games all the time.

[GrinningGoku]

No. Far from it. The gaming industry is continuing to grow financially. I would say that gaming innovation and originality is at an all time low, but I blame consumers who only want to buy certain types of games. Some of the most original video games are often the least popular.

[Spiro]

The video games market is certainly not "dying". But what we are starting to see is that with the rise of smart TV's and more powerful mobile devices, and faster Internet speeds, there probably will come a time where a lot of gaming is done as streaming media such as with Onlive. The death of physical media isn't probably too far off.

The various ways as a percentage to how we access our games might be very different ten years from now. In other words what percentage will be via physical media, download apps and streaming/cloud gaming?

[3n2ym3]

I think the new wave of gamers are sure spoiled. Bunch of crybabies playing games on easy for gamerscore points. I owned the TMNT game for NES alright, I played E.T. on Atari, Battletoads... I know pain. Since I feel we as modern gamers have an edge playing games that are actually fully functional now, still I miss those impossible titles of yesterday. I challenge any of these new CallofDuty kids to a legit game of AlienvsPredator on Atari Jaguar, let's see them carepackage outta this!

[bawitback]

Indie Games are where it's at

Edited October 7, 2012 by bawitback

[LostLuggage]

Video games aren’t going anywhere. Just the way they are delivered to the consumer is. Everyone needs a little excitement in their life. As long as that remains true, video games will still be around.

[Diamond]

Video games are a way to relieve stress, keep kids occupied, end relationships (LOL), and beyond. They aren't going anywhere. Games like WoW and Minecraft are BOOOOMING! Yes, they are PC games, but they are games none the less. If you are referring the console prices dropping, it is because they over loaded them. You are better off getting a PC. They want to make "all in ones" but we are a greedy animal, us humans, and we want more than one thing.

[twiztor]

Are video games *gulp* dying?

yes.

i mean, obviously. the original post was from almost 4 years ago. there hasn't been any new systems or game released since 2012. who knew the OP was going to be so on-point?

[LostLuggage]

yes.

i mean, obviously. the original post was from almost 4 years ago. there hasn't been any new systems or game released since 2012. who knew the OP was going to be so on-point?

I never really thought of it like that. To be honest, I don’t play any of the new games. Other than what I can play on my cell phone. I’m still playing my SNES and loving it. The idea of a new system is kind of out of the question for me. But, you certainly bring up a good point.

[RobertDuncan]

Video gaming is not dying maybe old styles and concepts are dead like actually unlocking content through playing rather than dlc. Handhelds on the other hand are in a grim spot heck Sony said the Vita might be their last handheld. Mobile gaming is becoming more refined with more options on playing:controllers vs. Virtual controllers,emulators,streaming through tv,switch Game audio to listen to your music etc etc. Who knows what the future will have in store but I will say this I find it weird that digital copies cost the same as retail copies I thought that lack of real manuals and stuff would lower the cost?....

[richierhodes420]

Sadly I think yes due to greed from the big companies as free to play and digital downloads now outweigh tradional games on disc format and all the next gen consoles they are working on now are said to be discless basiclyy which makes it hard to collect games as well when theres very less replay value espiacly once the servers that hold all the games you buy go off someday and the push for expesive vr tech which is more ecpesnive then the consoels and most people not able to keep buying expesive hardware and cosoles evry few years people hardly get a chance to enjoy there consoles now before its alredy outdated and the digital downlaods and free to play formatsw ill eventualy kill it all together

[RobertDuncan]

Sadly I think yes due to greed from the big companies as free to play and digital downloads now outweigh tradional games on disc format and all the next gen consoles they are working on now are said to be discless basicly which makes it hard to collect games as well when theres very less replay value especially once the servers that hold all the games you buy go off someday and the push for expesive vr tech which is more ecpesnive then the consoels and most people not able to keep buying expesive hardware and cosoles evry few years people hardly get a chance to enjoy there consoles now before its alredy outdated and the digital downlaods and free to play formatsw ill eventualy kill it all together

That's why I now buy handhelds I got tired of constant console upgrades with no backwards compatibility then being stuck with cd based games that rot fast and lose cash value if ya want to sell them. Handhelds since they are cart based last way longer and somebody will make a clone version once let's say a 3ds is outdated by nintendo. I think digital download isn't that bad as long as you can keep your game saved on file and use it on a clone system(like retron) once the company drops support. If you can store your games on a SD card or such like movies they will certainly last longer that cd based software well maybe except SD cards but other ways would like transferring SD data to multiple outlets like hard drives and such. But like you stated companies are greedy but it takes two to tango and today's generation of fast paced irresponsible budgeting gamers is what makes companies keep up in the price and decreasing the content within a game heck a 60 buck game factoring dlc and amiibos (dlc disguised expensive content) will now cost you a lot more than the games real retail value after all those hidden cost to unlock content will cost you actually 200 bucks smh. it's a losing battle there's now more suckers born everyday with this new mindset of pay to play/win.

[miketheratguy]

I don't feel that video games are dying, but I definitely don't like the direction that the industry is veering towards. Microtransactions, game content being held back as "DLC" (sometimes when it's even on the disc already), mandatory online verification and / or persistent internet connection, mandatory installation of effectively unnecessary third party software such as Steam or Games For Windows Live, overzealous DRM policies, console home screens that are saturated with ads, consoles that take five minutes of branding and legalese to boot up, consoles that undergo mandatory (and often lengthy) updates, attempts to limit the consumer's ability to sell (or buy) used games, the reduction (and potential for elimination) of physical media in favor of manufacturer-controlled cloud-based storage, the increasing emphasis on multiplayer at the expense of the single-player experience, I could go on and on.

The internet was a huge boon to the industry but now I feel that it's little more than a crutch. Publishers, developers and console manufacturers have studied it and tested its boundaries to find more ways to exploit consumers while growing more complacent with regard to quality assurance in the process. What's the motivation to make a complete, proudly polished title when you know that you can release it half-finished, charge people ten or twenty bucks to download the rest of it, fix game-breaking bugs AFTER release (if at all), and still charge full price? The last console generation was the testing ground to see how far they could get away with pushing it, and as consumers become accustomed to the changing practices and accept them as the norm those in control are just going to find ways to take more.

I miss those evergreen days of my childhood where I could simply throw a cartridge into my NES and be up and running in seconds. No external requirements, no connecting or signing up or logging in, no waiting for the system to check for petty updates or offers from HBO and Warner music. Just me, the couch, the controller, and the television glowing long into the night as I enjoy the complete video game experience that I paid for.

[Areala]

I don't feel that video games are dying, but I definitely don't like the direction that the industry is veering towards. Microtransactions, game content being held back as "DLC" (sometimes when it's even on the disc already), mandatory online verification and / or persistent internet connection, mandatory installation of effectively unnecessary third party software such as Steam or Games For Windows Live, overzealous DRM policies, console home screens that are saturated with ads, consoles that take five minutes of branding and legalese to boot up, consoles that undergo mandatory (and often lengthy) updates, attempts to limit the consumer's ability to sell (or buy) used games, the reduction (and potential for elimination) of physical media in favor of manufacturer-controlled cloud-based storage, the increasing emphasis on multiplayer at the expense of the single-player experience, I could go on and on.

The internet was a huge boon to the industry but now I feel that it's little more than a crutch. Publishers, developers and console manufacturers have studied it and tested its boundaries to find more ways to exploit consumers while growing more complacent with regard to quality assurance in the process. What's the motivation to make a complete, proudly polished title when you know that you can release it half-finished, charge people ten or twenty bucks to download the rest of it, fix game-breaking bugs AFTER release (if at all), and still charge full price? The last console generation was the testing ground to see how far they could get away with pushing it, and as consumers become accustomed to the changing practices and accept them as the norm those in control are just going to find ways to take more.

I miss those evergreen days of my childhood where I could simply throw a cartridge into my NES and be up and running in seconds. No external requirements, no connecting or signing up or logging in, no waiting for the system to check for petty updates or offers from HBO and Warner music. Just me, the couch, the controller, and the television glowing long into the night as I enjoy the complete video game experience that I paid for.

Yeah, I was going to contribute to this thread in a meaningful way.

Instead, I'll just say, "DITTO!"

*huggles*

Areala