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Hello and welcome to the 1st of a series of rants that I'll post weekly.
It's here on the Future of Gaming board because they'll encompass the games industry and what not as a whole - whats going on now and how things will go in the future.
Each week's post will (probably) be on a particular topic - something that happened or is happening in the world of games that specific week.
But this week, as its the first post, it'll be about some general aspects of the games industry as I percieve them and how I feel about them and what think (and sometimes, hope) will happen in the future.
I will probably draw from many sources (eg magazines, websites etc), if they are of any worth, I'll mention them and the end of the post (think of them as furthur reading).
Here we go...
Videogames: their growth has a positive correlation with the expansion of technology. Obvious. As computer hardware becomes more advanced, games software become more advanced, harnessing the technology to deliver an entertaining experiance. It works the other way too - as games become more complex, the hardware has to be advanced to run the game effectively.
Examples of this rule: Nintendo created the N64 and produced Super Mario 64 for it - this game could never have been done on the 64's predesceser, it was created utilising the the power of the N64. But it could be said that it was only until hardware of the 64's nature was cretaed that Miyamoto's vision of Mario could be created in 3D. On a similar note, Miyamoto said that it was'nt until the Gamecube that they (Nintendo) could actually express wind in a game (regarding Zelda: Wind Waker).
So what goes around comes around. As technology adavnces, the games move forward, as the games move forward the technology needs to move forward.
The point Im getting to is why can only a few games developers and producers actually make good use of game console's technical abilities?
The problem is not down to a lack of skill and competence when coding, but usually its the lack of good design of the game. A good design can be recognised even if the implementation is a bit shoddy. An example of this in my opinion is Body Harvest on the N64, iffy graohics and controls still dont bring the quality of this game down.
The problem stems from the games producer/publisher - all they want is a product that is cheap to make but makes a lot of money. Obvious, again. This money-grabbing philosophy is the root of a huge sprawling tree that is represents bad games. Each branch of the tree is a different reason or cause to why games can be bad, and the profit hungry-ness on the producers behalf is the root that this tree thrives on. Branches such as Movie tie-ins, sequels and clones amongst others.
Of tie-ins, slapping the anme of a popular film franchise on a game often means good sales of a quickly (and cheaply) botched together piece of tosh. People go see the film, want to relive it so buy the game. Rarely has a tie-in been of worth, the recent Two Towers springs to mind as an example of a good one. Goldeneye would be but came out long after the movie so I dont regard it as a tie-in.
sequels arent so bad - if the original was any good then fans of it will wanta sequel. But its the pumping out of "the same game but different" that bugs me, 'COUGH, Tomb Raider, COUGH'. EA's yearly updates can annoy but thats only as, for example a new footie season starts, last seasons game is out of date statistcally, that people want to be up to date with sports games.
'Clones' are real cuss-buckets, even if the end product turns out to be great. Why? Well, because its just copying someone elses idea and (usually) jumping on the bandwagon of success that another game has created. Metal Gear Solid sells well, every game after it involves a stealth element and overly long cut-scenes. Cel-shading is the new polygons - every game then uses it to create a "unique graphical style" but the game turns out to be crap and they all look the same anyway.
Rushed games are also a problem, a low quality game is quickly bolted together to jump on the bandwagon of another game's or a film's success.
Shigeru Miyamoto once said, "a delayed game will be a good game, a rushed game will always be a bad one", or something like that.
Where was I? Oh, technology, games, correlation, yeah, I remember. Most of these cruddy games that are flooding the market make absolutley no use of the hardware thats running them. Its only with experimenting with new and original ideas on the hardware that the system can be pushed (Metroid Prime and Pikmin are standout examples on the GC). But original idea's in the games business is, well, risky business. For some reason everyone barks on about the lack of originality but original games seem to sell badly because everyone buys a game that that has a degree of familiarity to it. As a result companies just keep releasing tried and tested formula's that are exhausted as it will sell well.
If games are to move forward (and thus technology) then originality is needed, to inject new life in to the medium. God bless Capcom for this with their forthcoming batch of games (OK, so ones a Resi sequel but one that aims to push the series along), investing money from top selling franchises into new onees that may become top selling franchises in the future.
And so week 1's rant ends, thankyou for listening, I mean, reading.
pc.
It's here on the Future of Gaming board because they'll encompass the games industry and what not as a whole - whats going on now and how things will go in the future.
Each week's post will (probably) be on a particular topic - something that happened or is happening in the world of games that specific week.
But this week, as its the first post, it'll be about some general aspects of the games industry as I percieve them and how I feel about them and what think (and sometimes, hope) will happen in the future.
I will probably draw from many sources (eg magazines, websites etc), if they are of any worth, I'll mention them and the end of the post (think of them as furthur reading).
Here we go...
Videogames: their growth has a positive correlation with the expansion of technology. Obvious. As computer hardware becomes more advanced, games software become more advanced, harnessing the technology to deliver an entertaining experiance. It works the other way too - as games become more complex, the hardware has to be advanced to run the game effectively.
Examples of this rule: Nintendo created the N64 and produced Super Mario 64 for it - this game could never have been done on the 64's predesceser, it was created utilising the the power of the N64. But it could be said that it was only until hardware of the 64's nature was cretaed that Miyamoto's vision of Mario could be created in 3D. On a similar note, Miyamoto said that it was'nt until the Gamecube that they (Nintendo) could actually express wind in a game (regarding Zelda: Wind Waker).
So what goes around comes around. As technology adavnces, the games move forward, as the games move forward the technology needs to move forward.
The point Im getting to is why can only a few games developers and producers actually make good use of game console's technical abilities?
The problem is not down to a lack of skill and competence when coding, but usually its the lack of good design of the game. A good design can be recognised even if the implementation is a bit shoddy. An example of this in my opinion is Body Harvest on the N64, iffy graohics and controls still dont bring the quality of this game down.
The problem stems from the games producer/publisher - all they want is a product that is cheap to make but makes a lot of money. Obvious, again. This money-grabbing philosophy is the root of a huge sprawling tree that is represents bad games. Each branch of the tree is a different reason or cause to why games can be bad, and the profit hungry-ness on the producers behalf is the root that this tree thrives on. Branches such as Movie tie-ins, sequels and clones amongst others.
Of tie-ins, slapping the anme of a popular film franchise on a game often means good sales of a quickly (and cheaply) botched together piece of tosh. People go see the film, want to relive it so buy the game. Rarely has a tie-in been of worth, the recent Two Towers springs to mind as an example of a good one. Goldeneye would be but came out long after the movie so I dont regard it as a tie-in.
sequels arent so bad - if the original was any good then fans of it will wanta sequel. But its the pumping out of "the same game but different" that bugs me, 'COUGH, Tomb Raider, COUGH'. EA's yearly updates can annoy but thats only as, for example a new footie season starts, last seasons game is out of date statistcally, that people want to be up to date with sports games.
'Clones' are real cuss-buckets, even if the end product turns out to be great. Why? Well, because its just copying someone elses idea and (usually) jumping on the bandwagon of success that another game has created. Metal Gear Solid sells well, every game after it involves a stealth element and overly long cut-scenes. Cel-shading is the new polygons - every game then uses it to create a "unique graphical style" but the game turns out to be crap and they all look the same anyway.
Rushed games are also a problem, a low quality game is quickly bolted together to jump on the bandwagon of another game's or a film's success.
Shigeru Miyamoto once said, "a delayed game will be a good game, a rushed game will always be a bad one", or something like that.
Where was I? Oh, technology, games, correlation, yeah, I remember. Most of these cruddy games that are flooding the market make absolutley no use of the hardware thats running them. Its only with experimenting with new and original ideas on the hardware that the system can be pushed (Metroid Prime and Pikmin are standout examples on the GC). But original idea's in the games business is, well, risky business. For some reason everyone barks on about the lack of originality but original games seem to sell badly because everyone buys a game that that has a degree of familiarity to it. As a result companies just keep releasing tried and tested formula's that are exhausted as it will sell well.
If games are to move forward (and thus technology) then originality is needed, to inject new life in to the medium. God bless Capcom for this with their forthcoming batch of games (OK, so ones a Resi sequel but one that aims to push the series along), investing money from top selling franchises into new onees that may become top selling franchises in the future.
And so week 1's rant ends, thankyou for listening, I mean, reading.
pc.
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Goatboy wrote:
> It's jealousy at sentence construction and general sloshing about of
> their massive water-filled skulls.
I said that first! get some origniality you must be GAY GAY GAY.
:oÞ
> It's jealousy at sentence construction and general sloshing about of
> their massive water-filled skulls.
I said that first! get some origniality you must be GAY GAY GAY.
:oÞ
plasticcoated wrote:
> Its nice to see that there are actually some decent human beings on
> these boards, thanks for the support against the hate monkeys.
---
It's jealousy at sentence construction and general sloshing about of their massive water-filled skulls.
> Its nice to see that there are actually some decent human beings on
> these boards, thanks for the support against the hate monkeys.
---
It's jealousy at sentence construction and general sloshing about of their massive water-filled skulls.
Can I tou....No, bad Goatboy.
*dragged away to the kitchen for a smoke*
*dragged away to the kitchen for a smoke*
Its nice to see that there are actually some decent human beings on these boards, thanks for the support against the hate monkeys.
I have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.
Well said woman.
I'd kiss you if you weren't engaged and I wasn't deeply in love with myself.
I'm off for a fag and then, bad mood contributing, will be explaining why the standard of this place is falling.
Because, with the exception of the Life regulars, you're 95% spack-handed Bennys.
I'd kiss you if you weren't engaged and I wasn't deeply in love with myself.
I'm off for a fag and then, bad mood contributing, will be explaining why the standard of this place is falling.
Because, with the exception of the Life regulars, you're 95% spack-handed Bennys.
I'm amazed at the what the FOG chat forum has come down to. Here is a decent Newbie, trying to make a mark on the forums by posting an informative essay on the FUTURE OF GAMING!, which after all is what this forum is supposed to be about. And he has to put up with nasty remarks from people who seem to me to be jealous either of his ability to post in full sentances, or because 'you had the idea first'.
If you don't like the fact that someone can write a long post then don't read it. No one is forcing you to. It seams to me that some of you are scared that he will take away your cahnce of winning GAD. There is more to this forum than winning and 'popularity contests' like the forthcoming election.
As for stealing your idea, most things have been done before. People take inspiration from others ideas. It isn't coping its putting your own slant onto things. Writing, Music, Art. Very little of it is actually original, and unless this post copies any other post nearly word for word, or idea for idea, then you have no grounds to accuse anyone of stealing your ideas. I bet you weren't the first either. Other people an other forums, will have had exactly the same idea as you before, but that doesn't mean that it is a bad idea. Its my belief that there is no true originality, that things grow from other things.
If you don't like the fact that someone can write a long post then don't read it. No one is forcing you to. It seams to me that some of you are scared that he will take away your cahnce of winning GAD. There is more to this forum than winning and 'popularity contests' like the forthcoming election.
As for stealing your idea, most things have been done before. People take inspiration from others ideas. It isn't coping its putting your own slant onto things. Writing, Music, Art. Very little of it is actually original, and unless this post copies any other post nearly word for word, or idea for idea, then you have no grounds to accuse anyone of stealing your ideas. I bet you weren't the first either. Other people an other forums, will have had exactly the same idea as you before, but that doesn't mean that it is a bad idea. Its my belief that there is no true originality, that things grow from other things.
Mwah hah ha ha ha ha ha ...(catches breath) Hah ha ha ha ha!
I am currently devising the longest, most inteligent post ever created in the history of mankind!
One that, once read, will devour your soul and allow me to control your thoughts, then we'll see these forums as they should be - free of immature baby's with their insults and what not!
Ha ah ha .
(btw, im not offended or nuthin' I found it amusing the stuff that came out. Ha)
I am currently devising the longest, most inteligent post ever created in the history of mankind!
One that, once read, will devour your soul and allow me to control your thoughts, then we'll see these forums as they should be - free of immature baby's with their insults and what not!
Ha ah ha .
(btw, im not offended or nuthin' I found it amusing the stuff that came out. Ha)
You'll find the level of abuse coincides with the length of a post.
The longer and better written, the harsher and more personal the criticism will be.
People get confused and their lips hurt reading big posts, so rather than admit their own fallacies and stupidity, they take it out on the poster in an effort to deflect from their own sub-standard educational ability.
Dont sweat it.
The longer and better written, the harsher and more personal the criticism will be.
People get confused and their lips hurt reading big posts, so rather than admit their own fallacies and stupidity, they take it out on the poster in an effort to deflect from their own sub-standard educational ability.
Dont sweat it.
I was debating whether or not to carry it on but now I think I will, who would've thunk it - a overly long post coz I was bored at uni made people call me names (what did I say to offend you?). Anyway, I'll make sure each week's will induce more insults from people like knick knack. You have been warned!
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