Observation: PC Gaming Industry at a Standstill.

From the most recent titles that's been released as of late. I've noticed one thing: THEY'RE ALL quote, ALL, Sequels, one way or another.

There hasn't been any innovations in the gaming industry for years now (thankfully there's SL).

I've been pondering why this phenomina has been occuring. Granted Doom3 and Half Life 2 have been mile stones in terms of visual effects and gameplay. But STILL, Sequels! No real original story line whatsoever. No original concept at all.

Why is this? Or am I the only one noticing?

well, they are developing Dungeons and Dragons Online and trying to get that as close to the pen and paper game as possible...but you are right, they are all sequels. I haven't heard of any good games coming on the horizon..online or not.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is Vanguard, Saga of Heros

http://www.vanguardsoh.com

No you are not the only one. The only driving force these days is money money money which is understandable from some points of view but unforgiveable from others. The games industry in general seems to have merged with hollywood and the music "industry" with all the same lack of willingness to take risks and be truly creative. If an idea doesnt fit in one of the boxes of existing genres it simply isn't taken on board these days. It's a sad state of affairs as it becomes more and more difficult for individual designers and small companies to compete, hence we see less and less originality and more of the same risk free, sells well, lowest common demoninator (imho) trash.

But once in a while a real gem comes along ...


... and gets copied to death

Close in on the royal crest displayed on the side of a barnacle ridden ship. Waves crashing all about as bolts of lightning illuminate the background. The music tempo strengthens, as the men try to get the ship out of the storm, many falling over board in the process to a cold watery grave. Suddenly a giant wave overtakes the ship, all thats left behind is the moon light dancing on the ocean's surface. Title fades in Argh! You Found the Gold...
Snap to 8-bit graphics. Two white squares, one has a yellow dot the other a black dot. You move forward to the yellow dot and triumphant music rings out! Followed by a low quality bad impersonation of a pirate saying " Argh! You found the gold! Good job matey!". Begin credits.

Best game ever!!! XD

I look back on some old articles that give insight on the future of gaming and it's interesting to see what has become of the gaming industry. There's always going to be the one or two that really stand out over the others and make an icon for themselves. Then there's those which improve on these big ideas. There's a budget and time is critical. Got to think of ideas quickly - not thoroughly.

We're in for a treat though. But When? Hard to say with all imaginable, possible ideas being used up. They have not considered every possible idea though. Just the usual trend of improvising ideas. They need to start thinking outside the box. Away from the gaming trend so to speak.

I might as well cite Spore. That looks bright.

For all the generic stuff that clumps together like sewage and is not very pleasant, and the sequels that aren't better of the originals, there are always points of shining light that come back and lead the way. (I wonder how Myst V will be as a sequel.)

Also, some games aren't sequels but "spiritual successors" like BioShock, or were inspired or based on past research (like the engines) so it's carrying on the torch around the track.

What Laukosargas said about copying is true... happens in fields like music and fashion too. I made it a point to trace back techno cliches.

When in doubt, look global too, the game design that is inspiring often comes from some other country like Japan where they may be influenced by North American culture but they have their own unique angle on things. Katamari Damacy is pushed forth as an example of this (and the excellent commercials) and check out Dreamfall from Norway too:

http://www.dreamfall.com

Ragnar Tornquist knows his schtuff!

Some things never stay the same because they never change.

Actually, there's very little "PC gaming industry" left - except for online titles and an occasional breakout like Half Life 2. The PC side was killed by the onslaught of third generation console gaming, beginning around 1999-2001. Nearly all titles these days are developed for console standards, and with console users in mind. Some are ported to the PC like the Vice City series; most are not. Rarely anymore are titles developed for the PC ported to consoles. For the most part, independent developers and publishers have been bought out, consumed, or pushed out by larger corporate alliances like Electronic Arts and THQ.

What this means is that since 2001, games have been targeted toward very young market with very simple tastes. Whatever "literary" quality there might have been in a PC gaming market targeted on adults before 2000 has been diluted.

The game developer "Volition" is a classic example. A small outfit in Champaign, Illinois, by the end of the '90's they were producing very high quality stuff - including "Freespace 2", the best space combat simulator/epic space adventure ever made, an adult game with a dark view, adult characters, and adult moral dilemmas. The following year Volition was bought by THQ and started developing for consoles. Nothing they've done since has come close to FS2, and it's not from choice or lack of talent.

1) yes, I'm really looking forward to Vanguard: Saga of heros, too. EQ lost The Vision (TM) long ago and no title since then has had the nerve to even strive for it. The one thing that fightenes me is that Microsoft is publishing it and I worry what will happen when they start poking their fingers in, probably the same thing that Sony did to Verant.

2) non-online PC games....
*sigh* I suck at twich games, and I haven't owned a console since the Atari 2600. I loved the early PC games that were turn based strategy/rpg games: civilization (and civ II), master of orion, xcom: ufo defense, Fallout and Fallout II. (ok i'm ashamed to admit it, but I loved the original Panzer general, sure it was rock siccors paper, but darn it, it was FUN)

of course its easy to be nostalgic, because we forget all the garbage that was out back then as well as how buggy the games were when they came out.

The industry is still going through a big "oooh, look at the pretty graphics" stage. Read a review of almost any game and most of the time all they talk about is how pretty it is. I keep hoping that things will level out and that game companies will have to start working on content again... but then i've been saying the same thing about motion pictures for the last 20 years and it hasn't happed yet...

At E3 this year, PC games dominated.

Titles for which PC games received "best" awards:

Best of Show:
Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Original Game:
Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Action Game:
F.E.A.R. (Monolith/Vivendi-Universal Games for PC)

Best Role Playing Game:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Software for PC / Xbox 360)

Best Simulation Game:
Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Strategy Game:
Company of Heroes (Relic/THQ for PC)

Best Online Multiplayer:
Battlefield 2 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)


The categories in which consoles received "best" awards:

Best Hardware/Peripheral:
PlayStation 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Nvidia / IBM / Toshiba) Not really applicable, as it's not a title but rather hardware.

Best Console Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GCN) No surprise, the category is "Best Console Game".

These last 4 did take "best" awards.

Best Action/Adventure Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GCN)

Best Racing Game:
Burnout Revenge (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PS2, Xbox)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game:
We Love Katamari (Namco for PS2)

Best Fighting Game:
Soul Calibur III (Namco for PS2) No surprise, "fighting games" were made for consoles having originated in the arcade.

So in the end, PC games took virtually double the awards, and in categories which appeal more to adults, for the most part.

I think PC games are doing just fine, although I do agree with those who say we need less sequels, but then that can be said for movies, books, etc.

What I think is also a trend is the quality of plotlines and fun of gameplay declining in favor of better graphics and eye candy. This has already happened with the Final Fantasy games, #6 is the best one and it was for SNES.

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion does look like it may be an exception I hope... already seen the graphics are great, just need to wait til it comes out to find out if it's fun or not. (Damn the wait!)

Sign of the times. Implicit, nuanced plotlines simply don't sell as well as something with a lot of "ohhh, flashy graphics!" Fact is, graphics appeal to all IQ and "gamer" ranges, whereas deep, innovative plots typically only appeal to niches.

Which is a damned shame. It's happening in more than just games - Hollywood being a good example. I also posted a similar diatribe on this point about Second Life.

So if anything, the industry is in a standstill because certain tastes are.

I like the concept of "aesthetic completion".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetic_completion

New toys don't stay that way forever. When the flashy gets dull, focus on the practical!

Nonsense. I've bought a dozen awesome games that are -- you guessed it -- PC only since 2001. There are many more I haven't bought because I didn't have the money.



Really? FPSes are still king on the PC (a PC player playing Halo is almost going to immediately opine for the much better-to-control Quake game of 1996, or any other FPS shooter since), driving a multi-million dollar "professional" competition market and hardcore gamers. Indeed, FPSes probably account for most PC upgrades.

Counterstrike? Hi hello, developed for the PC first, then ported over to the Xbox MUCH later.

Battlefield? Battlefield2? PC only.

Unreal Tourney? Developed for the PC, then ported half-heartedly to the xbox.

Doom3? PC first, xbox half-done later.

Half Life 2? Same thing.

A console also can't do RTS games (I'd love to see how Starcraft or Rome Total War could be played on the Xbox without being cumbersome), turn-based strategy games (that don't focus on Final Fantasy), huge amounts of downloadable content (Xbox Live is a laugh), anything involving text-based communication (not well, anyway).... and so on.



If by most you mean racing games and sports titles, then sure.



Doom3. Half-life 2. The Sims. The Sims 2. Unreal Tournament. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (PC first, then Xbox360)

Those are all top-tier, multi-million-dollar titles, ported belatedly to the consoles. All of them are better on the PC.



You need to look harder. There are tons of independent games running around, many with a sizable community.



I don't think Simcity4 can be easily picked up by a 6 year old. Nor Rome Total War. Or any strategy game, for that matter.

Or RPGs. Or most online games.




Maybe because their corporate bosses said "here, develop for a worse platform"? Small wonder they flopped.

If you look past EA, the PC industry is alive and well.

LF

The gaming industry in general is mirroring the film industry. Both suffer from a lack of creativity and "Sequelitis". This is what happens when any form of entertainment is embraced by "Corporate America". Creativity will always take a backseat to turning a fast buck.

Supply and demand. The least amount of any resource (creativity included) will be pushed for the most amount of money that consumers are willing to bear.

If people don't like it, they can get in the communist car back to pinkoland. (kidding... I think.)

Call me jaded, but there are only about 10 different games out there with everything else being chrome.

I don't think this is a PC (or console) phenomenon but rather in the nature of games. For example, Chess and Go are in some ways utterly different games, but in another way, they are strategic games on a grid between two players. Both of those games are different than Poker, but poker isn't fundamentally different from Bridge or Euchre in some deep sense.

Nor is this a game thing. People have been writing about the "death of the novel" for a long time and it ain't dead yet. However, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again is the framework of zillions of stories. Vonnegut (who actually knows what he's talking about) claims there are only about 10 stories in all human literature.

So why haven't we been bored out of our skulls yet? Because even with the limited genres, there is room for huge variation. A good novelist can tell you the conclusion of the story on page one and still make you want to know how it gets there. The more you play chess, the deeper your understanding and appreciation becomes. But chess took, what, a few hundred years to playtest and storytelling has been refined for at least 100 times that long. The gaming industry is not even in the same ballpark - so to speak.

Good for you. And it has nothing to do with what I was discussing. The number of titles specifically designed for the PC have declined significantly in both numbers and market percentages since 2001. That's not speculation - feel free to research it.



You mention four or five games. In the years immediately following Doom, there were four or five hundred major FPS games developed directly for the PC. As you say, "Hi, hello," you're speaking of an comparatively limited number of known/sequeled titles that demonstrate market momentum from an earlier period. An argument that demonstrates both Einsman's original complaint and my own response.



You're right - which means, "I agree with you." And again, this has nothing to do with my earlier point. Read it again, and you'll see that I was joining Einsman in decrying the erosion of the PC gaming market - because consoles cannot do what PC's can and the quality of the product, therefore, has suffered.



Yes, much better on the PC. And yes, all of them multi-million dollar titles. And again, a limited selection of titles, all sequeled or sprung off the earlier momentum of the PC market. All of which demonstrates Einsman's complaint and my point.



I assume you're speaking of the substantial modders communities for titles such as Doom, HL, or FS, or various shareware titles. Because neither the facts nor your argument demonstrate that the independent, capitalized PC gaming industry has as large a percentage share as it used to. Nor has the ability to turn out quantity of titles nor take risks as it used to.



No, it's not. That's the industry consensus, btw, and not just a personal opinion. If you look at the discussion on a number of the titles you've mentioned - Doom 3, HL2, the Sims, etc. - over and over you'll see industry stalwarts hoping that each of these titles will revitalize a moribund market and create need for PC-specific development. If you read commentary on industry-related sites or even popular review sites, you'll see the same sentiments.

I'd like to see the PC market cut loose from consoles and diversified. The work I did for outfits like Volition and Parallax in the nineties was a lot of fun, and there was a sense that the future was going to be glorious. But by 2000, we all knew what was going to happen, and I got out.

I find there are a few games that are not squels but mostly they are coming from smaller venues. My second beta test game just went "open" but is not advertising heavily cause it is basicly TOS for adults and PKers. I am sure if they did it would end up on the 5 PM news for what they allow.

From the September 2005 issue of PC Gamer Magazine:

(note: this is not intended to support any specific argument, rather to toss out some info and thoughts put forth by some industry execs)

The PC Prospectors

PC gaming was again a billion dollar industry in 2004, but you wouldn't know it. With Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all getting ready to unleash a new generation of consoles on the world, more and more game publishers are being lured away from the PC platform by the siren call of console profits. But when established whales leave a market, they open up blue water for hungry new sharks.

We spoke with three game executives to find out why their companies -- none known as a big PC player -- are now charging hard into PC development.

Brian Farrell
CEO of THQ
Upcoming PC Games:
-Company of Heroes
-Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War -- Winter Assault
-S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
-Titan Quest
-Supreme Commander

PCG: While some companies have scaled back their PC development in favor of console games, in recent years THQ has stepped up to the development of PC titles. Why is that?
Farrell: THQ is attacking both the PC and next-gen console markets aggressively. A few years ago, our PC business consisted of licensed kids' titles and value-priced software. We saw an opportunity to expand our PC share by competing at the high end of the market. Since then we have focused on expanding our PC business through working with world-class talent, whether it's through acquisition as we did with Relic, or through agreement with independent studios GSC Gameworld, Iron Lore Entertainment, and Gas Powered Games.

PCG: Do you see the market for PC games growing or shrinking over the next few years?
Farrell: When we developed the strategy to enter the high-end PC market, we looked closely at how frontline PC software share broke down across the genres. We saw that while there has been a 6% decline in sales of all premium AAA titles from 2003 to 2004 according to NPD, the three top genres -- strategy, shooter, and RPG -- experienced an increased share from 2003 to 2004. Those three genres combined represent 70% of the 1.06 billion in PC revenues in 2004. So while the overall market for PC games may experience some contraction over the next few years, we believe there is a tremendous opportunity for success in the top genres with high-quality product.

PCG: What do you see for the future of PC gaming?
Farrell: With the increase in broadband penetration, gamers can look forward to more robust multiplayer features and new, additional content for download.


Steve Allison
Chief Marketing Officer at Midway
Upcoming PC games:
-Unreal Tournament 2007
-Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War

PCG: Why is Midway jumping into the PC space when the company has long been known as a console giant?
Allison: PC gamers are a non-trivial amount of gamers who make their PCs their gaming platform of choice. We also view the PC as a platform that lends itself to certain kinds of games more than consoles do, like real-time strategy or MMORPGs. We will support the platform with dedicated PC releases that make sense. Unreal Tournament 2007 is going to be a huge PC and next-generation console game, but it will likely sell the most copies on the PC platform worldwide because of its origins and fan base.

PCG: What's Midway's prediction for the future of PC gaming?
Allison: It's still the only place that great simulations like Spore, The Sims, or Rollercoaster Tycoon will be played. It's still the definitive home for real-time strategy and the bulk of the MMORPG market. I see the FPS market that has been a home to graphics technology making a shift to equal to, or led by, next-generation consoles. Overall, continued shrinking of the PC-gaming market -- but [it'll still be] a very viable and strong platform for gaming. Keep in mind PC gaming has had [years] in which 1,500 games were released., which is completely insane, so this shrinking will help focus the market on the games that make sense in the right genres.

PCG: Does sticking with PC development make sense from a business perspective?
Allison: Complete sense. The PC has a great economic model. We don't pay any first-party hardware fees. There are some games that will always be huge sellers on PC and not make sense for console. Why shouldn't we try to create and/or publish these? With Midway dedicated to Unreal Engine 3.0 technology for all our internally developed next-generation games, the porting of these games to PC as high-end PC experiences is not (difficult), and some players will prefer to play them on their PCs, so why wouldn't we do this and cater to that market?


Grantley Day
PC Division Director at Namco
Upcoming PC Games:
-Hellgate: London
-Mage Knight: Apocalypse
-Warhammer

PCG: Why did Namco recently decide to enter the PC game publishing business?
Day: Namco believes that as a strong publisher with a great management team and productions history, we are poised to have a stakehold in the PC market, as most other major publishers do. The growth of the PC market in the Asian territories has also helped to spur this [move].

PCG: Why do you feel the PC development space is more important when console games sell more copies than PC games?
Day: There are still certain styles of games that can currently be played only on the PC, such as RTS games and the more complicated PC-style RPGs. Also, who really likes to play an FPS on a console? Detailed game controls comes to mind first; secondly I believe that the PC leads the way from a hardware point of view -- it is always evolving and changing. There is no question that the next generation of consoles will be amazing machines, but the PC will continue to evolve and advance past their launches and that's important to recognize.

PCG: What's the future of PC gaming?
Day: Revolutionary ideas, graphics, gameplay, and most importantly, revolutionary fun. A top-ten PC title will have people playing it for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. It's hard for a console title to match that.

[End of article]

My personal take on this is that we will see more ports in both directions. I think the two platforms can co-exist nicely and even compliment one another to a certain extent.

What will be interesting to watch is whether or not the shrinking of the PC market will in fact lead to more quality titles. I hope so. I really don't like the prospect of facing the choice between Doom 18, EQ 13 and Battlefield 8.

I think it's cool that console makers are now delving into PC game development/publishing.

So perhaps, some of the territory deserted by some of the former big boys in PC titles will be absorbed by some of the console folks and (hopefully) new PC developers entering the fray. We shall see.

All in all, I don't see the shrinking of the PC market as a sign of doom for the industry (not insinuating that anyone who has responded here has said that, but I have heard that sentiment expressed elsewhere). I see it as more of a transition that will be followed by the stabilization of both markets.

Lies!

You forgot "cookie cutter war / adventure / FPS / racing" genres!

Sequels are sad, though consider:

1. It keeps artists employed.
2. Graphics have zoomed ahead in the past few years that game graphic engines had to come to a pause while people can afford new PCs. In the meantime, game engines can be reused.
3. MMOs are taking a huge chunk of retail.
4. Games are extremely risky. If you have a choice product, run with it!

My recent / upcoming plays:
Doom 3
Knights of the Old Republic 2
GTA San Andreas
Syberia 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
Halflife 2

My last 5 were indeed sequels.

Then again, consider where sequels were superior to the original:

Civilization 2
Doom 2 & 3
Halflife 2
GTA 3, 4: Vice City
Jedi Outcast 2
Super Mario 3
Link to the Past (and the new Link game looks incredible)

... just to name a few.

Often, the first version of a game is rushed, and then gets a proper budget and timeline the next time around.

I'm not terribly knowledgeable on this, but there was a time RPG games were a puny part of the North American market yet a HUGE aspect of Japanese gaming. Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior over here) was simply epic, and Final Fantasy had just not shone its light yet. Anyone with more background of what happened during that era (late 80s phasing into early 90s I think) care to share?

I don't know about you, but I determine this simply by originality and new ideas. All of the games you had mentioned are indeed sequels again, nothing new here. Only a different way of playing an old idea.