Videogames' ever increasing popularity: Is this a good thing?

honru

So what do you think? Personally, I believe that it is a twin-edged sword. Its good because publishers/developers are making more money that makes the gaming industry work (and hopefully to create better games), but its bad because there is now a new, larger market where pretty/licensed games perform so well (despite whether it being rushed or not) while leaving games like Otogi, Viewtiful Joe, Dark Chronicle etc. in the dust. Could the game industry end up like the way the music industry is now?

simu

Well, the same way as with music and cinema, there will be a sizeable hard core of gamers who demand more than celebrity sponsorship and snazzy graphics in their games.

i_am_dogboy

For the gamig industry-Yes, very much a good thing, now that games are more mainstream, they sell by the bucketload, games are seen as a viable form of entertainment for the socially minded people, and generally more attention is being paid to gaming

For gamers-Not really. With the onslaught of mindless crap that wasa the psone's lineup(apart from a few real gem's), developers realised that games didn't need to have a lot of work paid to the story, or general content, because games can sell on a liscence, shiny graphics or such. Not only have we lost one of the 2 last real console developers because people fell for the playstations advertising and hooks, but we now have EA leading the way in games devellopement, a company who never really did anything for gaming. Interplay are gone because people passed off each new incredibly deep and brilliant RPg, for FIFA or laracrofttombraider:200789182bigbadthingsarehappening.

The popularity of online games has done some great thing for games however, I will admit to feeling a bit daunted by the skills of some people, but it gives everyone a good chance to meet people from all around the world, and kill them virtually. The bad side of this is the amount of lives ruined by people taking games like everquest too far and not realising that it's just a game.

Another huge point is now that games are popular-Parents and the media have a new scapegoat to blame for kids doing stupid things.

But as long as nintendo, planet moon and a few groups of people continue releasing games that are GOOD and not good sales pitches, i'll still be the happy elitist gamer i have been the ast few years. I just dont like the smell of marketers that arrives with each new box.

Syth

Parents and the media have a new scapegoat to blame for kids doing stupid things.

But if games are more popular then it'll be harder for people to put all games in the one boat, and to try to ban all games.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

Zukustious

This is kind of weird to me. I've kinda drifted away from video/computer games. This is most likely because my auld computer doesn't seem to be keeping up with the times, and I'm not interested enough in it to maintain it. But I think there's more than that.

I appreciated some of the older games a lot more. Now I'm not a hardcore old school gamer really. SNES was the one for me. God I loved that console, anyway, I felt that as consoles were getting more complex and powerful, the games were getting less fun. Maybe I just appreciated them more cause I was young, but then there's the whole thing about concentration on graphics and not gameplay. Anywho... maybe I should maintain an interest in the whole gaming thing. Haven't played anything in about a month.

Any recommendations? I have a gamecube so... yeah.

Pugsley

As a game gets larger on-line, the percentage population of twats gets larger, generally speaking very few ar*eholes will bother with the small games, so you can get a good community going, like the likes of 'Science and Industry', but then you get the larger more popular games where it night on impossable to get a decent game without finding several elitist twats about yelling how 'ub4r l33t' they are, like CS. Biggest games attract muppets by the millions, so if the gaming industry gets much bigger than it already is, the amount of twats on our on-line servers will get out of control very quickly.

For the console games industry, we'll get millions of poo games and a few unbelievable games, if it gets bigger we'll get more poo games but the amount of real gem's shouldnt change TOO much I wouldnt think.

Venom

Very hard to answer question in all fairness. Like most industries, becoming bigger or more sucessfull has its good and bad points.

Good
More people will go for jobs in the gaming industry. While not all of these will have great idea's and make amazing games, some very talented people will surface and be the next Origin, Bullfrog, Looking glass or Black Isle. The majority will just stay at the bottom or close to it so expect lots of FiFA 2010 or Maddens 2056 or Sims expansion 3765 Sim goldfish.

Bad
More takeovers of the great games developers like Bioware and ID and Blizzard by the like of EA and souless scum of such ilk. The good ideas people will be let go (Black isle) so more ****e that is just hobbled togeather can hit the shelves over quality games that require a longer development. Also all kinds or TV retards will try and get on the bandwagon to boost there flagging popularity.