Do you think "innovation" is killing the gaming industry?

[mairsil]

Yeah, I could make this a poll, but I don't want to. This is prompted by the discussion of the Revolution controller, which is supposed to be so revolutionary, it will melt your soul if you look at it (think Arc of the Covenant). Forgive me if any of this sounds like ranting or that I am only bashing a single console (I love and hate them all pretty much equally).

Ok, I am all for innovation, but not at the cost of everything else. I have no idea what the Revolution is going to look like, but why does it have to be any different than the style of the current generation controllers? I study and research user interfaces, including input devices, and the design of the current generation controllers are well laid out and very effective. The X360 controller is similar enough to the Xbox controller. I'm not sure who thought up the batarang idea for the PS3, but even it is of a similar style

My problem isn't just with the controllers, but with how games are being made too. I'm seeing too much emphasis on online functionality; the Live! button on the X360 controllers, Phantasy Star Universe being a online/offline hybrid, etc. Wouldn't you think that Splinter Cell would have sold more copies if they separated the multiplayer aspect into a second game and that both would have been better/longer?

And someone please tell me why we can't have more 2D/sidescrolling games (i.e. shooters and classic Metroid-style adventure) even if they do use 3D polygons? Metroid and Mario lost something for me when they went into the thrid dimension.

Am I alone?

[virtual alan]

In a short response

Innovation I don`t think is killing the industry.

The continuous re-hash of licenses etc is...

How many Fifa`s do we need....but then again the people that keep buying these are not really into innovative :-)

Would go into more details but 5 kids in the house this morning :-(

[Topic Archive]

I know what your saying but the problem is that the 'masses' want the 'latest' in everything!

...Does't matter whether its good or bad, its hype and a fact of life.

The 2D/sidescrolling game market is a 'niche' market I'm afraid, trying to sell the 'idea' to ANY game studio would be a nightmare.

...Shareholders won't cater for a 'niche', unless you can back it up with premium figures to match (which is impossible), thus I'm afraid that you have to accept that if you prefer the 'older' style of gaming you have to run the 'older' style of hardware/software, 'cos it's unlikely that it's ever gonna return.

[sayin999]

its true, the industry is mainstream now and the only ones that do inovation at all are the big publishers, all i can say is that i hope there will be a turnaround, belive me inovation isnt killing the industry, its all these damn rehashes and lets throw anything on the market that will sell. Why else do we not have rent a hero no1 on xbox here in the U.S.?

[Kron]

Lack of innovation is currently killing the industry, Where are the videogames that aren't based upon some aspect of reality?

[ddp72984]

I too, agree with that last remark.

When NFL2K came out for DC, I took a look at it and asked myself, how much more realistic can games get?

With this new generation, it doesnt seem by that much, (which seems to be everyone's beef with Xbox 360)

With Sony and Microsoft it seems that gimmicks are the ways of the future. Dont get me wrong, I love online gaming, and think N's a bunch of asses for ignoring it, but there's a reason I own more GC games that any other of the current generation (not counting dreamcast)

I too am what you would call a "back-in-the-day gamer" in which in my eyes, gaming'll never be better than the classics I grew up with (greatest games of all times to me are Legend of Zelda 1, Megaman 2, and Splatterhouse 1)

Maybe thats why there are so many classics collections and re-hashing because actually this crap being sold as the greatest ever(hell, they said the NES Mario on GBA sold 500,000 in six months) so what does this say?

However, to progress into the future, there has to be a jump in gaming, (for example, GTA3 was a huge ass jump from GTA2, while GTA SA is not just because the guy can now swim and screw his girlfriend in a minigame) in which opens everyones eyes to gaming again, even to those not interested in gaming in the first place. (nintendogs, maybe?)

who knows?

[cahaz]

Lack of immagination is killing the industry. You seem to Think imagination is evolution, but imagination is revolution (and it's not an add for the next nintendo console). Evolution is when system are getting stronger and stronger at each era of console. 3d was just an evolution , caused by the evolution of hardware. What will happen when all those clone games and machines will get to the point where you can go any further? When a new machine won't be needed anymore, because the leap won't be big enough?

This Market completly lack of imagination. You see the GTA serie being resurected from the past and make succes: you'll copy it. How many games that looks like GTA we have right now or that are on their way? wait, 1,2,3...5, 6 ...

Like someone someone before me said, GTA 3 was justified. But then they saw the money they could make from the resurected franchise. One year later, They released a sequel. Did they even dared to make something new? Nope. They just sit on their arse and said ''hey, add motorcycles and create interiors to some buildings.'' WOW. What a great idea, isn't it? Well, it worked, and they still got their millions. It even sold more than GTA3. Next year, what are they planning? that's right: Another GTA. But man, look, you can swim, be fat and have a girl friend! Woah dude, It's the sims with GTA! And other compagnies are watching this milking cow, and all have a great idea: Why don't we do the same thing?! What a great idea, Isn't it? WELL, it worked.

Innovation is all we can hope for. Now game compagny are following each other. They fear new ideas. Fresh air. And what are they doing when someone dare to do something different
that works well? they copy it. AND IT WORKS.

Sometimes i just hope a new crash happens, just like it did in the '80s. And that a compagny
with enough guts make something fresh. And if we look ahead, it seems to be heading this way. What will happen after the PS3 and Xbox 360? Better graphics? Will it be a leap big enough to attract people? Will it affect the gameplay? What after this? Will machines with better graphics than the ps3 and xbox360 successors attract people ? Will we really see a dif at that point? What after? Will the limit of virutal reality be touched? No other machine will be neccersary then. And what will happen to the market after this? If you want to kill the industry, continue on this way. Evolution Kills, Revolution is the key. and revolution cannot be acheived without imagination.

The Leap from the 8 bit to the 16bit opened new possibilities. The leap from 16 to 32 bit was the biggest one you ever seen. The leap from 32bit to 128 bit was spectacular...but the next leap isn't as Stunning as the other where. Will the next step after this one be less stunning than it's predecessor? I think.

[socialdrone]

i think "innovation" isnt helping the basic problems.

games need to be fun.

if you can not make a game that is enjoyable or entertaining making it innovative is pointless. controlers have evolved through the years not for the sake of innovation but to give the user more control. innovation means youre adding something new...the way the guys at nintendo are talking it sounds like they want to simplify and subtract. xbox live is looking to be just another way to make you pay to play a game you allready bought...its all just gimmicks and bullshit.

companies should just focus on making quality games, if they happen to be innovative thats great, if not who cares.

[einbebop44]

The game industry hasn't changed since the NES. There's always been interesting/new ideas, and there's always been copy cats. Do I think anything will kill the industry? No, I think it's cemented into culture now, just like movies, music and other forms of entertainment.

[madhatter256]

The game industry hasn't changed since the NES. There's always been interesting/new ideas, and there's always been copy cats. Do I think anything will kill the industry? No, I think it's cemented into culture now, just like movies, music and other forms of entertainment.

I think so too. But just like those industries, there are tons of games out there that are crap.

[cahaz]

everyone watch movies. from 3 year old kids to 90 year old aged persons. I don't think games are as ''cement'' as movies in our culture, not yet. Plus video games have a bad image.

[Perkunas]

everyone watch movies. from 3 year old kids to 90 year old aged persons. I don't think games are as ''cement'' as movies in our culture, not yet. Plus video games have a bad image.

Videogames are mainstream, but just don't have the same appeal as muxic/movies (yet).

[cahaz]

Videogames are mainstream, but just don't have the same appeal as muxic/movies (yet).

indeed, video games are mainstream, but not as mainstream as movies (and music), that was the point i wanted to do. ;)

[kstyle25]

lack or originality has been the argument in every form of established media in the history or recorded entertainment......once a medium (i.e. books, film, recorded music, games, television) catches on you see lots of new ideas that haven't been able to be done berfore....flash forward a few years and so many ideas have been exhausted that everything begins to be a rehash or potpouri of different elements from games that have already existed. Every now and then something original comes out, it's copied and exploited and then we have more of the same....usually originality in a medium comes after a leap in some for of the technology which allows new things to be done...this is just the same cycle repeating itself until something else big happens to sort of reset the industry.