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US video game sales have record quarter as consumers stay at home
- LUmBULtERA 6y agoCan confirm, have played a lot of video games and had purchased the Covid-19 related humble bundle.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- ArtWomb 6y agoI'd argue it's not just lockdown. This has been an epic release year: Animal Crossing, Half Life Alyx, Doom Eternal, Gears Tactics, Valorent, Sea of Thieves. And on and on. Paper Mario: Origami King trailer looks like so much fun there is no reason to leave the house this summer ;)
- duxup 6y agoHalf Life Alyx Big name, but random googling says Half Life Alyx sold 50k vs.... Animal Crossing at 11 million+ by March 31. I'm not sure Half Life Alyx has any relevance as far as volume of play goes ;)
- xwdv 6y agoAs a percentage of users on its platform it’s huge.
- karatestomp 6y agoThat's the norm on a niche, expensive, enthusiast-dominated gaming platform though, right? Release anything even half-decent (not saying Alyx isn't better than that, mind) and almost everyone buys it, because they must really want to play games on it if they've got the platform, and there's relatively little high-quality content tailored for it (so far).
- filoleg 6y agoI think it might have to do with the fact that it is a VR game requiring a VR rig, which isn’t that common yet. Not that you are wrong, but i feel like it would be more interesting to see those numbers in the context of the entire install base. Like, number of sales compared to the number of those devices in people’s hands.
- Grimm1 6y agoOff by a factor of 10, looks like it was 500k but still, I think that is a function of VR headset ownership which is only at like 2% of the market or something. Adjusted for the market it was likely pretty big. I grant that within the wider videogame market it is not nearly as relevant though.
- heelix 6y agoAnd.. even finding a VR headset at MSRP has been a real challenge. The wallet was willing, but the inventory was weak.
- Grimm1 6y agoThey are selling out continuously, I have a rift s but still choose to get the notifications when various headsets are in stock and it takes less than 30 minutes for them to sell out again. Supply chain issues from COVID are very real but the demand is pretty apparent regardless
- city41 6y agoAlthough I’d argue the real goal of Alyx was to entice more people to take the VR plunge. That’s bad luck with the pandemic, as I’m sure the $1k price tag (more if you need a better computer too) is hard to do for many in this climate.
- zlsa 6y agoYou don't need the Valve Index to play Half-Life Alyx. Windows Mixed Reality VR headsets can be had for under $300.
- cactus2093 6y agoYou still need a gaming PC though, lots of relatively casual gamers (like myself) still only have consoles.
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- mikepurvis 6y agoGirlfriend Reviews said of Alyx "now we are all backseat gamers", regarding the imbalance of people watching the game be played on Twitch vs actually playing it themselves: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m67wYSTgvus https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m67wYSTgvus
- duxup 6y agoI think the gaming world is a lot more fractured than it used to be. Titles that are still big names, I don't think command the % of gamer eyeballs as they used to, or at least not as much. Much like music, movies, pretty much all media.
- backtracking 6y agoIsn't Sea of Theives a two year old game?
- karatestomp 6y agoPoster must be a PC gamer who doesn't use the Microsoft store (like most PC users who'd identify as gamers, probably?). It hit Steam this year, was on XBone and MS Store in 2018. Personally, I'd forgotten there was a MS store until I looked this up just now.
- komali2 6y agoAnd lord was it annoying as fuck to get off Microsoft store. It was something like a 50gb download and it could get version desync, the only way to get around was (in my experience) was to completely wipe it and reinstall. But completely wiping was ALSO super hard to do, because it was saved in like... $APPdata or some weird hidden folder. All this on top of the fact that my c:/ drive is tiny and I want to install my games on an external harddrive. In fact I think I had a double install going at one point. Long story short the microsoft store sucks.
- karatestomp 6y agoI'm glad I've avoided it so far. I already have three stores I use and that's at least one too many, but Epic won't stop showering me with free games (I've bought one and have a library of... 30ish? Maybe more?) so I keep them around for now.
- VRay 6y agoI'm surprised that the %APPDATA% folder is so mysterious and confusing for someone posting on HackerNews in good faith..
- BorgHunter 6y agoI would certainly find it mysterious and confusing to find a game installed to %APPDATA%, and I've been a PC gamer for over two decades. Saved games and config files, sure, possibly mods too, but if a game installed somewhere without asking first I'd expect it to be in %PROGRAMFILES% or %PROGRAMFILES(X86)%. Either way, as the owner of a PC with multiple SSDs I'd be somewhat miffed by not being asked first where the game should be installed, as I put most of my games on my D: drive, which is much larger (but slower) than my C: drive.
- MaximumMadness 6y agoUnfortunately, I'd expect this to slow down :( Tons of companies have announced delays due to Work from Home conditions, and with E3 cancelled developers aren't under as much pressure to rush out announcements and release dates
- willis936 6y agoIdk. cdProjektRed has a good track record. There is a lot of marketing money still being spent, and subsequent hype being built, on/for Cyberpunk 2077.
- electroqueen 6y agoMy team doesn't seem to have lost much productivity
- OedipusRex 6y agoSea of Thieves came out in 2018. Paper Mario: Origami King was announced yesterday.
- aerovistae 6y agoDidn't Sea of Thieves originally come out in 2016? What are you talking about?
- iEchoic 6y agoThe Final Fantasy VII remake has been huge, too.
- grawprog 6y agoI dunno, i've been playing a lot more video games than I have in years and none of them are new releases. I spent about a month on Dark Souls, another on Bloodborne, now Bloodstained and The Messenger. None of those were released this year and i've bought all of them in the last couple months.
- rotexo 6y agoExactly. I just bought a Switch Lite and I'm playing Breath of the Wild for the first time. It has been 15+ years since I played a Zelda game seriously (last one I played was Wind Waker), and I am just blown away. I'm lucky to be working, but the child in me wishes I was on summer break.
- sixothree 6y agoLikewise. But gaming feels more pointless to me than ever. I have a hard time describing it. But games that lack a clear goal and don't guide you towards that goal are where I feel it the most. For in instance Cities Skylines building out cities leaves me feeling empty instead of accomplished. I used to treat Skylines and Civ like solitaire - play a few hours mindlessly to burn away a bit of time. But even solitaire would probably not leave me feeling like this. Playing lately Phoenix Wright, Cities Skylines, Alien Isolation (snagged it at $2), RDR2.
- grawprog 6y ago>For in instance Cities Skylines building out cities leaves me feeling empty instead of accomplished. Actually, I understand exactly what you mean. I spent yesterday trying that game. I ended up getting it for free. In the beginning it was fun, I was excited to watch the city grow. By the time I finished, I felt like I'd just wasted hours doing absolutely nothing. Everything was shallow and pointless. Didn't help that all the stuff I wanted to do and thought I might be able to do was stuff that was locked behind a bunch of dlc, that I didn't find out about until I'd gotten kind of sick of it and read a bit about the game.
- mercer 6y ago
- astura 6y agoAdditionally pretty much all of my friends have been super hyped for a few other recent releases: Streets of Rage 4 and FFVII Remake. One friend even mentioned he hasn't been nearly this excited about video games since childhood. There's a few new releases I'd like to get, but I'm too busy with the games I already have, so I'm holding off. Lockdown has increased video game consumption beyond newer releases, the price of Wii consoles and Wii Sports has increased, for example, which shows an increased demand for a console that came out 14 years ago. So it's a combination of a strong new releases, a big reduction in options for other leisure activities, and literally millions of newly unemployed people.
- oarabbus_ 6y agoStreets of Rage 4 got me back into gaming after a couple years away from it. It's still not SOR2, but one of the best sequels ever.
- astura 6y agoI don't play beat-em-ups, but I heard good things about the River City Ransom sequel/spin-off River City Girls that came out a few months back.
- ls612 6y agoAnd the second half of the year is stacked too with CP2077, Valhalla, Godfall, and a Hollow Knight sequel at least. And there’s going to be more big titles announced at the E3 substitute events in the next month or so. And the next gen consoles will launch in the fall.
- thejynxed 6y agoDying Light 2, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, quite possibly Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian also said announcements concerning their Divinity series are coming), Crusader Kings 3, this year is looking to rob my wallet and my time.
- hombre_fatal 6y ago> Crusader Kings 3 I never thought I'd have child-like excitement for an upcoming game again until I entered the world of Paradox.
- runevault 6y agoSince you mentioned Hollow Knight: Silksong, it's also worth keeping an eye on Axiom Verge 2, as AV was another excellent roguelite (HK was better but AV was still very good to great)
- pmarreck 6y agoIt’s amazing that the market is so big that I’ve only played ONE of those games (Doom, and only briefly... It’s not grabbing me for whatever reason) as a self-professed gamer (mostly action-RPG’s and stealth/strategy games) Lately I’ve been playing Wolfenstein Youngblood in co-op with a friend on the Left Coast, and Phantom Doctrine also (neither of which are new games), and having a blast with both. Animal Crossing... I just don’t understand the appeal
- the_snooze 6y ago>Animal Crossing... I just don’t understand the appeal It's basically The Sims mashed up with Minecraft mashed up with a cute animal aesthetic. Those things are insanely popular, but it's totally understandable that they're not universally appealing either.
- reaperducer 6y agoI'd argue it's not just lockdown I saw a news article a couple of weeks ago that in my city, Xboxes, Switches and PlayStations are very hard to come by. I don't think people are dropping hundreds of dollars mid-cycle to buy new machines for the games. To a much lesser extent, I have done this, too. My local used video game store started doing free home delivery, and I picked up a half-dozen Atari 2600 carts that were missing from my collection. But for me, in addition to needing the distraction a game provides, I need the comfort and familiarity of the big wood-grain beast and simple joysticks.
- gbear605 6y agoI know that Switches were sold out even before the lockdowns thanks to Animal Crossing.
- noarchy 6y agoI would even say it is nearing end-cycle for consoles, given that we'll see a next-gen Xbox and PS by the end of this year.
- wayoutthere 6y agoHistorically, console cycles tend to overlap significantly; and I actually think the next-gen consoles will see very slow adoption curves. There's not that much difference between the current gen Series X/Pro and next gen from a capability standpoint, and the business model has shifted to where the games themselves are the platforms (Minecraft, Fortnite, Overwatch, etc). Exclusives don't move systems the way they used to (unless you're Nintendo).
- Talanes 6y agoAnd the market has seen enough console release cycles now that the average consumer knows the first releases will an even smaller jump than the system will be able to hit with more mature development.
- ekianjo 6y agoNo ffvii remake in your list?
- pgt 6y agoNo, it's the lockdown. I haven't played games in 10 years. But during lockdown here in South Africa, the only way to stay in touch with my friends 20km away is to have a fat chat on Discord and play some games.
- s_y_n_t_a_x 6y agoAs a Gears fan, Gears Tactics is a money grab. Gears 5 was CoDified, still happily playing Gears 4 though. MCC for PC just came out. Can't believe I can play Halo 2 again!
- WillPostForFood 6y agoNo way a turn based tactical game is money grab. More like a niche nod to hardcore fans. They haven't even released it on consoles yet.
- kosei 6y agoAs someone who works in the video games industry, I can guarantee it is the lockdown. Stay at home orders align really closely with significant lifts in new players, increased hours played, and many other core metrics across the industry. And many games have seen significant lifts in their existing live service performance (not just new games).
- gambiting 6y agoI also work in games and I can confirm this too - even our older games which had dwindling player numbers have gotten a massive increase in player numbers in the last 2 months. In some cases we've had to spool up our network infrastructure to levels higher than at launch, since the numbers are so high.
- SamuelAdams 6y agoAlso could be a large uptick in unemployment. Lots more people sitting at home with nothing to do. Games are on sale most the time and can be had for 10-15 dollars on steam. That's the same price as a case of beer in some places and you get far more entertainment hours out of a video game than a six pack.
- TAForObvReasons 6y agoUptick in console sales (far more expensive than $10-15) suggest money isn't the sole motivating factor. If it really were, you'd expect people to flock to netflix and other streaming services which are cheaper
- bentcorner 6y agoAt least personally part of it is that I also have more hours in the day due to no commute that I can spend on other things, including gaming.
- puranjay 6y agoI don't think it's just that. People are just buying more. I run a smallish hobby site and monetize it with Amazon affiliate links. I've had Black Friday-tier sales all of April and May. I suspect Amazon's numbers for this quarter are going to surprise a lot of people
- huntertwo 6y agoCongrats on your success, I suspect they're not gonna be surprising for many. People can't spend in stores and are home all day, Amazon seems like a natural, almost obvious, winner. People who haven't seen a downturn in income have seen a reduction in places where they can spend money, not a reduction in reason to spend money.
- pyromine 6y agoThat's not entirely true, expectations are not solely based on "I have a job" they are also based on the expectation of "Can I get a new job if I lose my job" among other complexities, there will certainly be a reduction in marginal propensity to consume even among those who have maintained their employment. So yes, Amazon may well be a winner because of the shift, but they are winning a larger fraction of a smaller pie.
- zemo 6y agoI'm sure it differs from company to company, but I work on the multiplayer servers at Jackbox games and it's very clear that people are playing a lot more than they were at this time period last year.
- termarks 6y agoMy entire family and many friends play the entire Jackbox games, over Zoom. Jackbox 3 (with Trivia Murder Party and Quiplash) is the undisputed favorite. I ended up buying all six Jackbox game sets, because demand to play is so high. I’m kinda surprised Jackbox servers aren’t melting down with the demand.
- koheripbal 6y agoMost of those games are not that good. Uptick in traffic is perfectly correlated to school closings.
- guevara 6y agoMeh, nothing exciting. Doom 2016 v Doom Eternal: same shit Valorant: it's in beta so I'll give it some slack but it's pretty boring Half Life: Alyx: a VR game. lol Valve. Much rather get a Source 2 update for CSGO Atleast GTA V is free on the Epic store.
- smabie 6y agoI dunno man, Valorant is pretty sick. Me and my friends play maybe 3-4 matches of competitive Valorant per day and we absolutely love it. Way better than CS:GO, though the maps aren't as good. And what's wrong with Alyx being a VR game?
- jiscariot 6y agoDisco Elysium too--A unique text-heavy RPG with some great writing and other character elements/buffs I haven't seen before. I'm usually a selective console gamer--maybe three or for titles a year, but got Disco running on a seven year old Macbook, and I'm loving it.
- ping_pong 6y agoI've bought several games for the Switch for my kids, including Animal Crossings. I don't understand it, but anything to keep them quiet for an hour (or three). One question I have is, is this revenue rate sustainable or it is an unnatural pump that will die out in a couple of years? Once people can go outside without fear I'm thinking that it won't be a long term investment.
- snazz 6y agoIt could get a lot of new people to be interested in games. I know some people who never really tried playing video games because they were always busy. When they suddenly got a lot more time at home, they realized that games were enjoyable.
- Hokusai 6y ago> One question I have is, is this revenue rate sustainable or it is an unnatural pump that will die out in a couple of years? The situation is better than that of toiler paper. One human being consumes the same amount of toiler paper during a pandemic that in other circumstances. So, an increase in purchases now means a decrease of purchases in the future. For video games the increase can be real. During a pandemic, and quarantine, people needs to pass the time in some way. Movies, and video games are popular ways of doing so. After the pandemic, thou, the need for recreation will go back to normal with the decrease of available time (corrected upwards by the amount of new players that keep on with the habit and downwards with less available income during a recession).
- hn_check 6y ago"One human being consumes the same amount of toiler paper during a pandemic that in other circumstances." Not necessarily at the personal supply level. People aren't going to workplaces, restaurants, third-places, entertainment venues, etc. These places all "shared the load", so to speak.
- dynamite-ready 6y agoI can see that being the case, but perhaps the amount of disposable time people currently have to spend with dedicated game systems, will help new users to cultivate a taste for the form that will last beyond the lockdown. At least enough to take a few users away from Netflix and Youtube permanently.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- brenden2 6y agoFWIW I have been spending a lot of time playing games because, well, there's not much else to do.
- daxorid 6y agoGardening, home improvements, personal or side development projects, exercise, online courses, playing music, etc. There are plenty of activities to do that moves one's life forward, rather than the utter stagnation that is television and video games. edit: To be clear, leisure activities definitely have their place. But to loosely paraphrase JC, while playing games is fine, it's much better to make them.
- Grimm1 6y agoYour thinking is so antiquated name me a good novel and I'll give a video game that matches it in narrative content. And playing music and gardening? Please.
- justwalt 6y agoGardening and playing music are both timeless activities, what do you mean? Kind of unfair to jump down the throat of someone who’s only offering friendly advice.
- Grimm1 6y agoBoth are equivalent leisure time activities that I would never say improve your life as the OP claimed. They improve your life in so much the same way games do, leisure, so their comment is purely "I don't like them so they can't be good" which is complete crap.
- karatestomp 6y agoI do think, say, acquiring the skill to play piano or guitar tolerably well gains one more general social standing (not just with a subset of gamers) than "I'm fairly good at Rocket League" and also builds a better understanding of music generally, which can be useful and/or pleasant, and gardening produces good food and also carries more social benefits than "I caught all the Pokemon". I'd agree they're not wildly better. Though if I put as much time into one of those activities as I have into games I'd probably be really really good at them, which I bet would open up some doors if I went looking for them, rather than just being alright at games and knowing some stuff about them, for whatever that's worth (nothing at all).
- bitxbitxbitcoin 6y agoAs long as the benefits aren't going to Game Stop, that's cool. Their actions during this pandemic have been reprehensible.
- MaximumMadness 6y agoCan you elaborate a bit more? Haven't seen much besides how poorly they treated their employees when this all got started, but that's par for the course with Gamestop.
- crazcarl 6y agoAround the time states were closing non-essential businesses they were claiming to be essential and requiring the stores to stay open.
- 1123581321 6y agoGameStop did well with the Doom and Animal Crossing releases. I believe they did curbside pickup in most states. Just explaining, not arguing.
- smabie 6y agoWhat's wrong with them wanting to keep their stores open?
- MaximumMadness 6y agoIt's not just game sales - traffic on gaming-related services like Discord, Twitch, Mixer, and others have hit historic highs [0] The industry isn't recession-proof though. A lot of folks I know on the events, marketing, and game dev side have been losing jobs at an absurd pace.[1] It's one of the clearest examples of a double-edged sword that I've seen [0]https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/twitch-discord-and-other-gaming-services-see-coronavirus-boom https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/twitch-di... [1] https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132294/game_developer_layoffs_the_real_.php?print=1 https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132294/game_developer...
- thomashobohm 6y agoI think your source for the "game dev side" is odd-it's from 2009, a recession with markedly different characteristics than this one-and says nothing about the claim you've made about people losing jobs right now. Usually video game sales track the market, this time they're not doing that, which makes this more interesting. Do you have any links indicating that game developers have been losing jobs at an absurd pace?I haven't been able to find any.
- MaximumMadness 6y agoApologies - I linked the wrong article, take a look at this survey[0] where laid-off game devs can submit their work after being laid off for COVID-related reasons [0]https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1LiVnFpmDK29UV9xjvb5-4ImSx6W4e_sO5EbExVm6HWc/edit#gid=1593094996 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1LiVnFpmDK29UV9xj...
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- learc83 6y agoMaybe companies are using COVID as an excuse for layoffs, or it could be that advertising revenue is down for low end mobile games. But it doesn't really make sense for an industry that is seeing increased revenue to have a downturn. I'd also be skeptical of that survey, there are a lot of people with game side projects that will do just about anything for exposure.
- MisterBastahrd 6y agoI had to order a new Xbox One controller from Gamestop because my local Wal-Mart was completely sold out of all controllers other than Switch and Xbox 360. They were also completely sold out of TVs other than TCL 65".
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- wayneftw 6y agoI think I must be a simpleton compared to many people. I am able to play the same video game for years and years before getting bored with it. Currently that game is Rocket League. Before that, it was Skate, Skate 2 and Skate 3 and before that...World of Warcraft.
- Trasmatta 6y agoI could be wrong, but I feel like there are more people like you that play a lower number of games for years than people like me, that play most big releases as they come out. It's a big reason why games are moving to the "live service" model, where they continually release updates for released games. Many people find a game or two they like and stick with them for years, so companies are trying to find the best way to monetize those types of players.
- IggleSniggle 6y agoYup. Tetris, Civilization, XCOM: UFO Defense, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Spelunky, Brogue, CDDA, and now Slay the Spire. There have been a lot of other games, but those are the ones I've really played in my life. Others are pretty much relegated to 6 hours maximum, and that's just for games I really enjoy.
- Trasmatta 6y agoSlay the Spire is so good, nice choice! I'm really bad at it though, it's the first deck building game I've ever really played.
- NamelessPersona 6y agoAlso a big fan of Slay the Spire, I have about 200 hours in it. Another game I'd recommend is One Step From Eden, a hybrid deckbuilder and roguelike similar in a way to StS, but with a much more involved style of gameplay.
- IggleSniggle 6y ago
- biryani_chicken 6y agoI got Monster Hunter World recently. Was debating whether to go down that rabbit hole for months but the lockdown and steam sale made it an easier decision.
- jayd16 6y agoIt really good. This was my first real attempt at a Monster Hunter game and for two or three days I didn't understand the hype. Then the controls clicked and I loved it. Very well designed game, from the controls to the character progression.
- hnick 6y agoThis is really common. A lot of people struggle with it then something clicks and they get really into it. Happened to me too, though I have to say the micromanaging (in and out of fights) is a bit too high for me so I've gone off Iceborne recently.
- k__ 6y agoHalf-OT: Currently I'm playing Stardew Valley on my FireHD10, I never played a mobile port that had THAT good controls. I also got Terraria and Minecraft and they are pretty bad to play with awkward on-screen controls. Does anyone here know of games that have good mobile ports? Or even good mobile games to start with? Most "native" mobile games just were really basic, full of in-app purchases etc. so I was looking more into ports, but if you know something good, let me know :D
- Kaze404 6y agoMax Payne is on Android (for some reason). It's a fantastic game, so it might be worth a try if you haven't played it yet.
- NikolaNovak 6y ago* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a classic and fully playable on mobile device * Star Traders Frontiers is a new old-school game that's also quite excellent * There's a large number of old-school adventure games ported or created for mobile such as TimbleWeed park or Gemini Rue * 80 Days is a beautifully written steampunk narrative travel adventure * Out There and Out There Chronicles are modern classics * Also & Oddysey are single-button games that are extremely simple but quite beautiful and peaceful
- hoorayimhelping 6y agoThe Monkey Island games work really well on mobile devices and they re-released them a few years back.
- libria 6y agoAw man, why'd you tell me this? You just cost my company 1 productive-engineer-day.
- jackklika 6y agoMindustry[1] is an open source game that works perfect on mobile, especially if you have a big screen. You can find it on app stores or download it manually. It's like factorio but more tower-defense and round-based. Much more approachable while still being really fun. [1] https://github.com/Anuken/Mindustry https://github.com/Anuken/Mindustry
- OctopusSandwich 6y agoWhat Remains of Edith Finch Life is Strange <3
- NDizzle 6y agoI hope there is a resurgence of couch co-op games after the lockdown. I have been playing a LOT of games, most of them of just mediocre quality, with my kids. Co-op makes mediocre games fun most of the time. I wish there were more options available for local co-op games. PS: Don't try to play Outward with your novice gamer kids.
- zarkov99 6y agoWhat do you recommend for co-op with kids?
- mgolawala 6y agoLovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Overcooked. Overcooked 2 Up to 4 player Co-op. Incredibly fun games. Source: I play co-op and versus games with my kids. We've incorporated casual video game play into our family time for the past few years.
- zarkov99 6y agoThanks, I have been trying to do that but didn't quite find the right games (it doesn't help I am on Linux). I'll check your recommendations out.
- bentcorner 6y ago"Moving Out" also recently launched that has a similar concept to Overcooked. I've heard it's not as good as OC/OC2 but it might be interesting to try for a change of pace.
- devchix 6y agoI'm not a gamer, but I want to play something to maintain connection with family and distant friends. What should I play? I was once given a copy of Civilization and after playing it for a day, decided it was too much work and I already lose to many things IRL no need to add the Assyrians to my vanquishers as well. I also played Zelda, by "play" I meant wander around the landscape looking for goodies and trying to chat up the game hint characters, and not really interested in solving the game.
- traes 6y agoYou could give the new Animal Crossing a go. It's a super relaxed game with no real "goal" and it let's you interact with friends in-game.
- devchix 6y agoI did check it out, no lie, I find the art work not very engaging, bordering on creepy. For context I liked all the Mario/Wario/Peach/Yoshi etc incarnations and found them to be really cute.
- DanielleMolloy 6y agoDefinitely Animal Crossing. It’s a pure sandbox and particularly popular with people who are not interested in competition or overcoming game challenges, but rather in wandering around in a soothing environment, having some space for creativity (expressing themselves) and “meeting” their friends online in a relaxing environment. While they could have added more to multiplayer, existing elements like sending gifts to your friends or evening walks through the in-game museum together are actually working quite well.
- astura 6y agoAnimal Crossing might be up your alley, there's no real goals in the game, you can decorate your house and island, garden, befriend fellow villagers, craft new furniture, catch fish and bugs, and change your clothes and that's basically the entire gameplay. You can visit islands of your family and friends to swap items, shop in each other's stores, and share special events/visitors that happen in one person's island in the game. The friends and family part is interesting because each island will have different fruit and flowers available. It's literally the only game I've ever played multiplayer.
- ubermonkey 6y agoI did my part! Of course, it was only buying the first Mass Effect, which Microsoft was selling for FIVE DOLLARS, so it's a tiny part. But still!
- jvm_ 6y agoMy used video game sales went from $X00/2 weeks to $X,000/2 weeks after the lockdown started in my area.
- euix 6y agoI have mostly been playing indie games. I find as a get older, triple A titles don't really appeal to me anymore. I sometime wonder if its possible to make a living developing a procedural generated rogue like on steam.
- meritt 6y agohttps://steamspy.com/year/ https://steamspy.com/year/ 8,243 games were released on Steam in 2019 and 3,434 so far in 2020. Unless you approach indie development like a business and you have a concrete plan for gaining a following, your chances of making a living are near zero. That's not to say you shouldn't do it, but don't expect to make a living doing so. As an example, David Brevik (of Diablo and Diablo2 fame) spent several years working on It Lurks Below -- a procedurally generated roguelite/dungeon-crawler. According to SteamSpy [1], he's sold 20k-50k copies at around $15-20 per copy, and as of today the game only has about 20 peak daily players. So probably $500k-$1M in gross sales (and then Steam takes 30%) for someone of his caliber and reputation, after 3+ years in development and a year or so since initial sales. It's just an unbelievably difficult chance of making it financially viable. [1] https://steamspy.com/app/697550 https://steamspy.com/app/697550
- gnulinux 6y agoI don't want to quit my day job, it gives me too much money/comfort for this to worth it. But I'm curious if it's possible to make beer money this way. The main problem is there is too much good free alternatives to low caliber games. E.g. I can do something like brogue, and sell it at $1 on itch.io. But who would buy it when they have brogue for free?
- wishinghand 6y agoI'm going to echo the other user claiming it's near impossible. The barrier to entry in making a platformer or top-down game is super low. If you can start a regular blog (minimum 2 posts a month), with good gifs or video loops capturing enticing gameplay, create an email signup list with interested and/or invested players, and get the game into the hands of prominent streamers, and have a personality that isn't prickly with entitled gamers, then you might have a chance. But it's still not a guarantee. However, if you can do the above for every game you make, and build a following, then yes, it's possible. You'll need the support of a partner, a low-cost living location, or a job that doesn't kill the enthusiasm you have for developing a game.
- werber 6y agoI’ve been playing jackbox remotely and want something dirtier to play remotely and casually
- alasdair_ 6y agoAll my favorite games that I'd been eagerly awaiting release around April have all been delayed - Cyberpunk 2077, Watch Dogs Legion, even the second Vampire: Bloodlines installment! Still, it's probably a good thing for my work productivity...
- ummonk 6y agoI got a sim racing rig, flight stick, and VR headset at the start of this. So glad I did; everything seems to be sold out now.
- bitcoinmoney 6y agoCan you share your experience so far and what games you used?
- battery_cowboy 6y agoIn the last week both my laptop and gaming PC died. I replaced the laptop easily (system76, first one) but finding decent motherboards and video cards is really hard right now. I'm trying to get the newest stuff, but i think everyone else had the same thought already. I don't think I'll be able to rebuild my gaming PC for a few weeks or months now, at the worst time, while I'm unemployed and stuck in my house! If anyone has a good source for parts online that isn't backordered to next year, let me know!
- Tiktaalik 6y agoPeople thought the games industry was 'immune' from the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, and it did ok for a while as people retreated to games as a relatively high value form of entertainment versus others (eg. movie theatres), but eventually all the layoffs in other industries and decreased discretionary income all around hit the games industry too and games publishers tightened belts, projects were canned and people were laid off. I expect the same to hit the games industry this time around too if the economy isn't able to 'open up' to some degree in time.
- lastres0rt 6y agoI'm sure the ability to download AAA titles helped this time.
- proc0 6y agoPlayjng Grim Dawn and DOOM eternal. This is a good year for games. Cyberpunk can't come soon enough.