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I think the author gets a lot of points dead on. The changes have already begun. First the largest game expo, E3, was killed off and brought back as a shadow o

I think the author gets a lot of points dead on. The changes have already begun. First the largest game expo, E3, was killed off and brought back as a shadow of its former self. Then we've seen the rise of the indie game. Braid and World of Goo have shown to be excellent examples of games that cost very little ($15-20) and provide a compelling experience. Large studios are investing less into smaller games, like Valve did with Portal, and earning better profit margins by distributing them digitally. There will probably always be blockbuster games like Grand Theft Auto, but the market is splintering. Millions will continue be lost in many of the big studios. I personally think it's healthy. As a huge consumer of games, I don't think there's ever been a point in time when there's been so many amazing games available.

jcromartie 18y ago
It is absolutely a good thing for gamers. Gaming is becoming a cottage industry again. Games were produced by small teams on small budgets at first. It's coming full circle, except this time around it's about as easy to develop for a console as it always has been to develop for personal computers.
jerf 18y ago
I think your last paragraph is an important further part of the logic. If there is going to continue to be a big-ticket games industry, it needs to pull in new customers or it'll eventually choke off. The way to do that is with casual games; some percentage of such users will step up from there. Casual games are the future of the big-budget industry. I've been gaming a bit with my wife. While I don't normally consider myself "hard core" in most senses, my skill set is, whereas she is in the "played some Nintendo as a kid". (She can still beat me at Dr. Mario, but that's it.) I still note there is no apparent path from casual gaming to Mass Effect; it's still a huge jump. In my wife's case, I don't forsee her ever enjoying Mass Effect, but looking through her eyes, I wouldn't know how to get there, which is a problem in general.

jcromartie 18y ago

It is absolutely a good thing for gamers. Gaming is becoming a cottage industry again. Games were produced by small teams on small budgets at first. It's coming full circle, except this time around it's about as easy to develop for a console as it always has been to develop for personal computers.

jerf 18y ago

I think your last paragraph is an important further part of the logic. If there is going to continue to be a big-ticket games industry, it needs to pull in new customers or it'll eventually choke off. The way to do that is with casual games; some percentage of such users will step up from there. Casual games are the future of the big-budget industry. I've been gaming a bit with my wife. While I don't normally consider myself "hard core" in most senses, my skill set is, whereas she is in the "played some Nintendo as a kid". (She can still beat me at Dr. Mario, but that's it.) I still note there is no apparent path from casual gaming to Mass Effect; it's still a huge jump. In my wife's case, I don't forsee her ever enjoying Mass Effect, but looking through her eyes, I wouldn't know how to get there, which is a problem in general.