Circle of Life

"Out with the old. In with the new," is a saying that definitely needs to be applied to some of the game development studios out there.  While it always sucks to see people lose their jobs, I'd like to think that those with talent will move onto something better.  In truth, the concept of huge teams working on triple AAA titles has become a bit antiquated of late.  That's not to say we shouldn't have any big budget games, it's just that time and again smaller studios have demonstrated far more flexibility, creativity and artistic merit than the industry giants that live off old IPs without bringing anything innovate or beneficial to the industry as a whole.  To demonstrate my point allow me to highlight two companies (one Japanese and one Western) that have outlived their usefulness.  Then after that, I'd like to show off two up-and-coming studios which have done a lot for the industry.

Electronic Arts has been voted worst company in America twice, and while I have no doubt there are good people struggling to produce quality products (despite the short sided greed of their corporate overlords) EA has become a kind of body-snatching parasite over the years.  Absorb a respected studio, dispose of anyone who isn't a yes-man, then milk whatever well liked franchises that studio made in an attempt to make some quick cash.  Origin, Bullfrog, Maxis, Westwood, and Pandemic are some high profile victims, but the most egregious example has to be Bioware.  Simply put, Bioware made a lot of the best RPGs in the business until EA acquired them at which point the quality took a sudden downturn.  I could go on about yearly sports franchises, abusive DRM and a variety of online shenanigans (like season passes), but I think the toxicity of the company has been well documented by others.  On a side note, before you think to bring up Titanfall let me say this; Respawn Entertainment deserves the credit and it's only a matter of time before EA ruins future installments.

Square-Enix was great back when it was just Square, this developer produced some of the best games in Japan.  After the merger with Enix though there was a large outflux of talent leaving the company with a lot of artist and coders, but very little in the way of imagination.  Look no further than the pathetic excuse for storytelling in the last couple Final Fantasy titles.  It doesn't help that Square-Enix is waging war against every Youtuber who's a genuine fan of their IPs.  My guess is the people running this company were old before the internet even existed, and as such are pretty much clueless when it comes to gaming in the 21st century.  I'm actually finding it difficult to name one truly good game put out by Square-Enix during the last console generation.  Not that there wasn't a lot of hot garbage turned out thanks to creative bankruptcy at the top and a lot of hard work by the people in the trenches.  Anyway...enough about parasites.  Lets talk about a pair of studios worthy of gamer attention.

Capybara Games has worked their way up from very humble beginnings to produce some of the best pixel art to date.  Their single most famous title is probably Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP (nope, no typos here), which has some interesting concepts when it comes to setting and gameplay.  For me though, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes really stands out as one of the best puzzle games I've played since Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on the Sega Genesis.  I even went so far as to write a review of Clash of Heroes, something I've never done before or since, just because I thought the game really deserved more attention than it was getting.  The future looks bright for Capybara Games too with titles like Super Time Force and Below in the works.  I just hope they don't feel the need to cling to Xbox exclusivity given the amount of floundering Microsoft has been doing in the game industry lately.

From Software hardly needs my praise given the amount of buzz Dark Souls 2 has been getting recently.  That said, I'd like to stress that this company has turned out to be the most influential Japanese video game studio since Capcom's golden era with the survival horror genre.  From Software has not only re-invented the notion of challenging gameplay, but has also demonstrated that Japanese game studios can still be quite successful in American and European markets without having to kowtow to Western sensibilities.  Now if only Koei, Level-5 and Konami would get with the program and stop wallowing in bland, nostalgia driven experiences.

You'd think that given all the bad media surrounding companies like EA and Square-Enix they would have run out of dedicated fans a long time ago.  In part it has to do with maintaining monopolies.  Regardless, it's a real shame to see so many hardcore fans doggedly follow them out of a misguided sense of brand loyalty when there are small, oftentimes struggling studios far more deserving of hard-earned gamer dollars.  I guess the best suggestion I can make is don't be afraid to try stuff outside of your preferred genre(s).  There's a lot of new and exciting experiences to be had when it comes to video games provided you're willing to explore outside a long established comfort zone.

Opening Salvos

Using the analogy that PS4 and Xbox One are dueling battleships, we could think of the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo as the first broadsides in what will undoubtedly be the main engagement of this upcoming console generation.  Obviously, tactics play a big part, but so does overall strategy and even basic design.

I think we can all agree that it was a good day
for black rectangles 

Lets talk briefly about the box makers themselves, shall we?  It's important to note that Microsoft is, at heart, a software company while Sony has traditionally been a hardware manufacturer.  You might be tempted to conclude from those facts alone that it's no surprise Sony is ahead right now, but remember that their obsession with the PS3 cell processor led to a lot of headaches for game development down the road. Conversely, Microsoft has had reliability issues with a number of their early model Xbox 360s.

Taking on a more macro view, I think Sony pulled a rather clever ruse leading up to the big press events at E3 in Los Angeles.  Going in, there were a lot rumors that Sony would follow suit with Xbox One's DRM schemes, but as it turned out this was a big pile of falsehoods.  Couple the deception with PS4's $100 cheaper price tag and you have a brutal one-two-punch against Microsoft.  Now, there's still things Xbox One can do though.  Subsidized price plans, early release dates and lots of exclusive content would ensure that the console war is far from over.  That said, there's one really huge factor that could spell doom from Xbox One - demographics.

The only Xbox One exclusive
that really caught my attention

A lot of American gamers tend to forget the Xbox 360 really only outsold PS3 in the USA.  Europe and Asia are smaller markets, but the fact remains PS3 dominated in these regions.  The result is Sony catering to a much wider international audience while Microsoft feels like it is contracting in terms of core customers.  Still, there are a lot of people who enjoy sports TV and games as well as online focused first person shooters.  However, I don't believe these "Dude-Bro" gamers make up the majority.  If anything Microsoft needs to cast a wider net.   I'll give you a hint, securing stuff like Titanfall isn't going to do it.  That game really only appeals to the aforementioned Dude-Bro player base.

What we are left with is a situation in which Microsoft could very well go the way of Nintendo and the Wii-U, clinging to a small market share of hardcore fans.  I guess you could say Microsoft came into this expecting a stand up big gun fight and instead got torpedoed.  Maybe they can contain the flooding with skilled damage control, but the fact remains the waters around Xbox One are seeded with mines.  

The Devil is in the Details

These are strange times we live in.  With regards to sales video games are down overall, but there are some very interesting trends occurring.  Namely, the social gaming scene is seeing a shift away from casual titles to gateway core games.  When I first heard this news I rejected it out of hand.  However it appears to be true to some degree.  FarmVille and it's spawn are down and titles such as Trials Evolution,  Minecraft (Xbox version) and The Walking Dead are all selling like crazy.  Normally I would be ecstatic about this demographic shift except I think there's something else going on here too.  Triple AAA publishers such as the makers of Kingdoms of Amalur are struggling to keep afloat.  I think that some of the hardcore crowd are migrating to more mid-core titles.  The real question to ask though is why?

As you might guess by looking at the title and attached image for this post, it has a lot to do with recent game industry business practices.  Big developers are still turning out fun to play games, but such games more often than not have a lot of determents and barriers to entry.  Looking to recent releases we have the highly anticipated Diablo 3, a game that is a blast to play provided you have a constant internet connection and the Blizzard run servers are working properly.  Couple that with the planed in-game real money for virtual gear store and you have a micro-transaction cash cow for the IP holder, but a kick in the nuts to people who plunked down $60 on a game that is also capitalizing on the free-to-play model.

I'll skip the whole "DRM that punishes paying customers is unacceptable" line that I've been preaching since this blog's inception and move onto an upcoming title, Dragon's Dogma.  Capcom has an extremely expensive to develop open world fantasy RPG on their hands here which they seem to be determined to hamstring before it even gets out the gate.  Disk Locked Content (the other DLC) again?  Do they not realize hackers will crack that stuff in a week or two tops?  Not to mention the one character per account limitation is antithetical to the entire game concept.  Employee abuse accusations aside stuff like this only accomplishes one thing - a reduction in sales and a damaging of the corporate brand.  More importantly it undermines the hard work that writers, coders, artists, and animators put into each and every single one of these franchises.

So why is this happening?  It doesn't benefit gamers.  It doesn't benefit the developers.  It doesn't even benefit the major publishers in the long run since statistics are showing that they're discouraging more and more customers.  It's a toxic industry wide situation  created because inept, Mammon worshiping executives decide to screw with those vital details and it needs to be stopped.

From Dawn till Dust

I've noticed that when it comes to DLC of late Xbox Live has based their marketing strategy more and more around exploitation of people who must have their "Shiny" now. What I mean here is people who can't resist purchasing the newest releases being strategically targeted by Microsoft. I could complain about how patience is virtue, but rather than pick on individuals I'd rather talk about a common social attitude people have when it comes to new media.

I can't speak for you, the readers, but I tend to visit a variety of message boards, forums as well as do a bit of chatting with fellow gamers. A none-to-uncommon occurrence I see is the insatiable need to devour new games, novels, movies, ect. as soon as humanly possible. Then, following said orgy, start posting about it all over the net. For those who are slow to pick up new media they feel left in the dust, unable to participate in threads or or even read posts for fear of spoiling things. The most extreme example of this I can think of is A Dance with Dragons, a 1000+ page tome which a lot of people read through in a day just so they could chat it up 24 hours after the book hit the shelves. Granted that example comes from literature, but the same holds true for video games. It's a kind of societal pressure intentionally or unintentionally created by a media hungry crowd.

I don't know where this phenomenon started, but I became aware of it back when the first of the Star Wars prequels was announced. Looking on TV I could see hundreds of people lined up weeks in advance to see George Lucas' return to that galaxy far far away....need I mention that I walked into the theater they morning after midnight release and sat through the film along with only a dozen or so others hassle free? Granted for those who waited it was a social event and getting to hang out with people with like interests is enjoyable more often that not. That said there are some major pitfalls for doing this kind of thing in the world of video games. Look no farther than those who bought the 3DS for an excellent example. If that's not enough for you consider titles such as Dead Island, From Dust, Call of Duty and an unfortunately large number of Bethesda games. Early adopters have a tendency to get burned by launch prices, buggy gameplay, online issues and surprise DRM.

So, for those who post "Late to the Party" in forums don't feel ashamed or worried. There is still plenty of enjoyment to be had and in fact it might be better for you than it did for those who rushed to get it first.

The Ransoming System (Revised V1.0)

The Ransoming System - A Possible Solution to Internet Piracy

Proposed by

Casey Goddard

In this modern era of P2P file sharing, DRM schemes and the slow death of PC gaming it has become apparent to me that a radical new method of game distribution is necessary for designers, publishers and players to truly enjoy all that can be offered by video games as a medium of entertainment.

Therefore I submit to you a proposed revenue system whereby games can be distributed; The Ransoming System. Rather than the traditional method of charging individuals a set price for a copy of a particular game, consumers would instead “ransom” the game by giving money to the publisher until a target amount of revenue has been reached. Once this amount has been obtained (sort of like a donation fund drive) the game will become freely available to the general public. A possible example of this method might have several ransom donation levels which consumers can choose from. The premium level might include extra goodies such as an art book, collectible figurine, a “special thanks to….” entry in the credits and so on. Think of it like an airplane. Regardless if it's economy or first class seating everyone gets to fly (play the game). It's just some people get to do it with extra service.

Donations to the ransom system can be made via credit card, pay-pall over the internet, or even at a physical location such as a video game store in the form of electronic cash transfer (along similar lines of cash card or pre-order). If customers have no broadband connection physical copies of the game can be made available at game stores for acquisition once the ransom has been accumulated or mailed directly to a given address. Ideally people who pay more for the product would be the first to receive the game.

Of course companies would be required to be very public about who donated to the ransom and how much they gave in order to prevent fraud. Marketing would also remain crucial in order to raise awareness of up-coming games. Downloadable video trailers, demos, promotional events and general advertising must be carried out efficiently in order to generate enough consumer demand to ransom the game. Consistency from developers is also a must to help ensure the ransom of additional content and future games.

In order for The Ransoming System to work as an effective method of gathering revenue the way games are developed must also be changed somewhat. Games would probably have to be shorter and cheaper than what is considered the current norm. Episodic content, expansions or DLC implementing feedback from the consumers is very important to maximize revenue. Of course new content would be ransomed as well. Community would also be essential since fans are more likely raise awareness and contribute to the ransom than newcomers.

So, in conclusion allow me to summarize the advantages of The Ransoming System:

• Neutralizes the threat of Internet piracy
• Eliminates the need for any kind of DRM software
• Utilizes exiting techniques employ in sales and distribution
• Reduces production costs
• Encourages growth of gaming communities

There are a few potential disadvantages however:

• Profits for games will be somewhat normalized
• Games will be shorter, with room made for additional content
• MMOs or games which gather revenue based on subscription fees would not benefit from using the ransom system

I’d like to note that The Ransoming System has already been employed successfully on a limited scale for a number of PDF supplements to the table-top RPG Reign. I believe that the system can also be applied effectively to the video game industry provided major developers are willing to give it a try on popular existing franchises.