Some Thoughts On: Recent Game Industry News
I ponder on the game industry at large
I'm at work, and I need coffee. I've also been thinking about the state of the game industry lately. Once unstoppable companies like Ubisoft are rapidly crashing, layoffs are hitting every sector, and Sony thought it was time to launch an overpriced console with fewer features than the one it's replacing.
It's an interesting time to be a video game lover. I honestly don't think many AAA game companies and console makers really understand the gaming public as a whole. Even if the game industry implodes and there are no big game companies left, we don't need to worry about our hobby.
Graphics are pretty, but they don't matter. It may matter less to those who grew up with high-quality graphics as the norm. For those who remember the stick figure and boxes of the Atari era, seeing a fully realized Dragon eating a fully realized human could still be considered a wow factor. But what if everything, from games to movies, has effects and graphics with that sort of high fidelity? It becomes common place and boring. I think many younger gamers just aren't impressed with that pizzazz. I've never been impressed with graphics over gameplay so it doesn't surprise me.
Gameplay matters no matter what graphic package is slapped on top of it. A game cannot survive without some hook. As discussed in my game philosophy article, a game without gameplay isn't worth much. Even the micro transaction-heavy puzzle games on mobile platforms know they have to provide something of good gameplay, or else people will move on. Gacha games, like Genshin Impact, have to have some semblance of Good gameplay or players will leave between the endorphin rush of getting a new character/item. Graphics are nice, but it's not the reason a game exists. Just look at the rise of retro gaming.
Emulation machines are becoming the go to 'console' for many. These cheap and not-so-cheap handheld systems are becoming the norm for people. There are many reasons for this, but they boil down to game choice, quality, and quantity. I can buy a great machine that plays everything from the 70's to the early Aughts for like $60 bucks. Or I can spend $700 on a machine that can't even play physical games from two generations back. Pay a little more and get a nice handheld system that can play anything to the PS3 era. I also know that people are holding on to their older consoles for a lot longer.
Consoles like the Switch and the PlayStation 4 are still happily played by many, myself included. Many are like me and don't feel the need to 'upgrade' the console experience. The Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4, two consoles I still play regularly, are great pieces of equipment. Physical games for each system are much cheaper than the new Xbox or PS5. I can go into a game store and walk out with 3 PS4 games for the same price as one new, probably inferior, PS5 game. Their digital stores also always hold sales, so I have a back log on both systems that is a mile long. I look at games on the PlayStation 5, and I think the graphics are good, but they are not enough for me and people like me. It doesn't help getting a capable PC isn't hard right now.
A PC that can handle high-definition gaming and games from previous generations isn't expensive. I can get a Steam Deck for $300 to $500 that plays almost anything up until the current day. I can use this Steam Deck as a mobile gaming console or hook it up to a monitor/television. I can also use a Steam Deck as a full-fledged computer if I need to be productive while out and about. This isn't he only portable PC out there, though it is probably the best bang for the buck at the moment. Between emulation handhelds, older consoles, and portable PCs, We are no longer in a market that only has two or three consoles out at a time. There is so much choice and so many ways a game designer can put a product out. There are a *lot* of games on the market right now as well.
There are so many games out that a person could play video games for a lifetime and not finish them. If the AAA game industry crashes and burns right now, I could still play what I have available until I die. If all the digital stores like GOG and Steam go belly up and block access to everything I've purchased on them, I would set for life.
I always wonder if any of the higher ups working at big companies like Ubisoft and Sony seems to understand the market's realities. I’m sure some do and those will probably be the ones that survive the game industry implosion we are currently seeing. The truth is that gamers don’t have to worry, there will always be games to play on a screen.