4 ms·

If there is one thing that Steam has proven, it is that games absolutely do not have to focus on 8k assets, celebrity likeness and voices. In other words, that

If there is one thing that Steam has proven, it is that games absolutely do not have to focus on 8k assets, celebrity likeness and voices. In other words, that is not really an answer. Or at least not a real answer. It is, at best, a part of it that glosses over why people play games.

dylan604 2y ago
Not once ever have I purchased a game because of a character's voice and looks. In fact, most of the time, I'm skipping the "I wanted to be a director, instead I make games" cut scenes. Does spending money on that actually increase sales for games? I get having great looking assets, but voices?
- Pet_Ant 2y ago
  I’ve never understood people who enjoy the Diablo end-game but I love playing the games through for the story, vibe, and lore. The voice acting definitely contributes. The voice of Deckard Cain is instantly recognizable to me.
  - pezezin 2y ago
    "Hello my friend, stay awhile and listen!" has to be one of the more iconic phrases in gaming history...
- somenameforme 2y ago
  I think it's largely about the marketing aspect. Imagine creating marketing for Crusader Kings 2, Mount and Blade, Terraria, and the countless other games which sold a zillion copies and are unbelievably fun, but just look pretty bland on the surface. With high end voice acting, lots of cut scenes, and so on - all of the marketing basically writes itself. You have your actory voice intro the game, set the stage of the plot, show some brief segments of critical moments in cut scenes, and then occasionally intersperse a half second or so of actual gameplay. No idea why this gets some people fired up, but it seems to work reliably enough. I suppose it's just targeting a demographic that isn't you nor I!
  - MBCook 2y ago
    I don’t know that it’s that it makes marketing easier because the clips/etc already exist. I suspect they often just don’t know how to market it without shiny screenshots. Indies don’t have this problem. But no big companies seem to be able to not spend a ton on graphics.
- dvngnt_ 2y ago
  when ffx released the very first thing they advertised was the inclusion of voices, second was real-time facial expressions https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91-wkX5SugL._SY679_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91-wkX5SugL._SY679_.jpg
  - MBCook 2y ago
    That was the PS2 era. Both of those were large improvements for the series and a first for the series. Today it’s just expected many games will have voice acting. It’s rare that there is something terribly special about it. There are only two I can think of. First Mass Effect having two voice actors for Shepard stood out. Usually you’d get only one or a silent protagonist. The second is Disco Elysium: The Final Cut because they voiced _every_ line in the game no matter how small. And that game had an insane number of lines.
MBCook 2y ago
> If there is one thing that Steam has proven, it is that games absolutely do not have to focus on 8k assets Totally. Thomas Was Alone is one of the best games I’ve ever played and it’s just a bunch of boxes. It’s basically high resolution Atari. Great graphics are nice and can certainly help, but the be all end all race to always look the best is not working well. Some kind of reckoning has got to be coming. We’re getting to the point where it’s like 5+ years between sequels to big titles just cause that’s how long it takes. Much like mega budget Hollywood movies no one‘s willing to take a risk when it costs that much.
tuna74 2y ago
Games like The Last of Us have been really big hits. For certain types of games presentation really matter.
- MBCook 2y ago
  Oh sure. There’s a place for it. But not every game needs to be that way. We mostly get AAA and now “AAAA” games. We need to get back to AA and maybe even A games. Cheaper, faster to make, still fun.

dylan604 2y ago

Not once ever have I purchased a game because of a character's voice and looks. In fact, most of the time, I'm skipping the "I wanted to be a director, instead I make games" cut scenes. Does spending money on that actually increase sales for games? I get having great looking assets, but voices?

Pet_Ant 2y ago
I’ve never understood people who enjoy the Diablo end-game but I love playing the games through for the story, vibe, and lore. The voice acting definitely contributes. The voice of Deckard Cain is instantly recognizable to me.
- pezezin 2y ago
  "Hello my friend, stay awhile and listen!" has to be one of the more iconic phrases in gaming history...
somenameforme 2y ago
I think it's largely about the marketing aspect. Imagine creating marketing for Crusader Kings 2, Mount and Blade, Terraria, and the countless other games which sold a zillion copies and are unbelievably fun, but just look pretty bland on the surface. With high end voice acting, lots of cut scenes, and so on - all of the marketing basically writes itself. You have your actory voice intro the game, set the stage of the plot, show some brief segments of critical moments in cut scenes, and then occasionally intersperse a half second or so of actual gameplay. No idea why this gets some people fired up, but it seems to work reliably enough. I suppose it's just targeting a demographic that isn't you nor I!
- MBCook 2y ago
  I don’t know that it’s that it makes marketing easier because the clips/etc already exist. I suspect they often just don’t know how to market it without shiny screenshots. Indies don’t have this problem. But no big companies seem to be able to not spend a ton on graphics.
dvngnt_ 2y ago
when ffx released the very first thing they advertised was the inclusion of voices, second was real-time facial expressions https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91-wkX5SugL._SY679_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91-wkX5SugL._SY679_.jpg
- MBCook 2y ago
  That was the PS2 era. Both of those were large improvements for the series and a first for the series. Today it’s just expected many games will have voice acting. It’s rare that there is something terribly special about it. There are only two I can think of. First Mass Effect having two voice actors for Shepard stood out. Usually you’d get only one or a silent protagonist. The second is Disco Elysium: The Final Cut because they voiced _every_ line in the game no matter how small. And that game had an insane number of lines.

MBCook 2y ago

> If there is one thing that Steam has proven, it is that games absolutely do not have to focus on 8k assets Totally. Thomas Was Alone is one of the best games I’ve ever played and it’s just a bunch of boxes. It’s basically high resolution Atari. Great graphics are nice and can certainly help, but the be all end all race to always look the best is not working well. Some kind of reckoning has got to be coming. We’re getting to the point where it’s like 5+ years between sequels to big titles just cause that’s how long it takes. Much like mega budget Hollywood movies no one‘s willing to take a risk when it costs that much.

tuna74 2y ago

Games like The Last of Us have been really big hits. For certain types of games presentation really matter.

MBCook 2y ago
Oh sure. There’s a place for it. But not every game needs to be that way. We mostly get AAA and now “AAAA” games. We need to get back to AA and maybe even A games. Cheaper, faster to make, still fun.