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Another day in the console industry and again it is one filled with changes, news (some good, some bad) and of course the same old reasons why we all play games.
Todays major news was that of the price reduction of the XBox, from £299 to £199, a lot of money to be knocked of the price so soon, they also say that they (Microsoft) will give anyone who paid the full £299 will be able to get two free games and a free controller to make up for it. I was surprised by this, it was too early to have a price cut, its only been out over here for around a month. So what was it down to? Poor sales? Kind gesture by microsoft? I guess only really clever folk and those involved with the XBox will know but when I thought on it more this is a good move by Microsoft.
With the PS2 and Gamecube costing around the same, £150-£199 or there abouts this move puts the XBox in direct competition with them, no more "Oh it costs too much, it ain't worth it comments" people will actually consider paying for one now. So those who never considered to get one may now change their minds, also thos who have them will feel more appreciation to MS for the reduction and may be willing to spend more for games and extra peripherals.
But anyway this isn't the point I want to make, go elsewhere to make your XBox comments as chat has a range of topics on this. My view is looking at just how clever marketing has changed the industry and how it will continue to change it for the future. So pay attention and enjoy.
When I was a kid marketing wasn't used much, most likely because the industry was no where near as big as it is now. Games came in boxes which were the only real way used to sell a game. Good games cae from good development, time, effort and experience. So if a game sold well it was due to the time and effort the developers made on its creation.
These days things have changed a lot, the industry is huge and growing faster and faster. Developers are working on multiple games and trying to make as much profit as they can. Some take risks, some of them pay of and others don't but clever marketing is now used to try sell games, no matter how good or bad they are.
Good games can usually sell themselves, a little help from advertising can let people know when they are out and a little about the game. Bad game on the other hand use the clever techniques to make them sound and appear a lot better than they are, sure most gamers will know "that looks pants" and not buy it but for those who aint as bright as all us then it is a trick that could make them buy something they see as sounding good which could then turn out to be very poor.
So is this just a sign of things to come, will the development, time and effort put into making a game no longer be a way of seeing how good a game could be, will this all rest on hype and the clever marketing techniques that are used to make even the poor games sound like good additions to your games collection?
Todays major news was that of the price reduction of the XBox, from £299 to £199, a lot of money to be knocked of the price so soon, they also say that they (Microsoft) will give anyone who paid the full £299 will be able to get two free games and a free controller to make up for it. I was surprised by this, it was too early to have a price cut, its only been out over here for around a month. So what was it down to? Poor sales? Kind gesture by microsoft? I guess only really clever folk and those involved with the XBox will know but when I thought on it more this is a good move by Microsoft.
With the PS2 and Gamecube costing around the same, £150-£199 or there abouts this move puts the XBox in direct competition with them, no more "Oh it costs too much, it ain't worth it comments" people will actually consider paying for one now. So those who never considered to get one may now change their minds, also thos who have them will feel more appreciation to MS for the reduction and may be willing to spend more for games and extra peripherals.
But anyway this isn't the point I want to make, go elsewhere to make your XBox comments as chat has a range of topics on this. My view is looking at just how clever marketing has changed the industry and how it will continue to change it for the future. So pay attention and enjoy.
When I was a kid marketing wasn't used much, most likely because the industry was no where near as big as it is now. Games came in boxes which were the only real way used to sell a game. Good games cae from good development, time, effort and experience. So if a game sold well it was due to the time and effort the developers made on its creation.
These days things have changed a lot, the industry is huge and growing faster and faster. Developers are working on multiple games and trying to make as much profit as they can. Some take risks, some of them pay of and others don't but clever marketing is now used to try sell games, no matter how good or bad they are.
Good games can usually sell themselves, a little help from advertising can let people know when they are out and a little about the game. Bad game on the other hand use the clever techniques to make them sound and appear a lot better than they are, sure most gamers will know "that looks pants" and not buy it but for those who aint as bright as all us then it is a trick that could make them buy something they see as sounding good which could then turn out to be very poor.
So is this just a sign of things to come, will the development, time and effort put into making a game no longer be a way of seeing how good a game could be, will this all rest on hype and the clever marketing techniques that are used to make even the poor games sound like good additions to your games collection?
Abso-fregging-lutely. Any publisher that doesn't use every dirty marketing trick in the book is by definition a fool. Marketing is their business. They exist purely to squeeze every last penny from us, the honest consumer, and whether the path taken is quality product or blatent hoodwinking, their end result is the same - a big fat wad of cash in their wallets. It just means that we, the consumers have gotta wise up.
Another day in the console industry and again it is one filled with changes, news (some good, some bad) and of course the same old reasons why we all play games.
Todays major news was that of the price reduction of the XBox, from £299 to £199, a lot of money to be knocked of the price so soon, they also say that they (Microsoft) will give anyone who paid the full £299 will be able to get two free games and a free controller to make up for it. I was surprised by this, it was too early to have a price cut, its only been out over here for around a month. So what was it down to? Poor sales? Kind gesture by microsoft? I guess only really clever folk and those involved with the XBox will know but when I thought on it more this is a good move by Microsoft.
With the PS2 and Gamecube costing around the same, £150-£199 or there abouts this move puts the XBox in direct competition with them, no more "Oh it costs too much, it ain't worth it comments" people will actually consider paying for one now. So those who never considered to get one may now change their minds, also thos who have them will feel more appreciation to MS for the reduction and may be willing to spend more for games and extra peripherals.
But anyway this isn't the point I want to make, go elsewhere to make your XBox comments as chat has a range of topics on this. My view is looking at just how clever marketing has changed the industry and how it will continue to change it for the future. So pay attention and enjoy.
When I was a kid marketing wasn't used much, most likely because the industry was no where near as big as it is now. Games came in boxes which were the only real way used to sell a game. Good games cae from good development, time, effort and experience. So if a game sold well it was due to the time and effort the developers made on its creation.
These days things have changed a lot, the industry is huge and growing faster and faster. Developers are working on multiple games and trying to make as much profit as they can. Some take risks, some of them pay of and others don't but clever marketing is now used to try sell games, no matter how good or bad they are.
Good games can usually sell themselves, a little help from advertising can let people know when they are out and a little about the game. Bad game on the other hand use the clever techniques to make them sound and appear a lot better than they are, sure most gamers will know "that looks pants" and not buy it but for those who aint as bright as all us then it is a trick that could make them buy something they see as sounding good which could then turn out to be very poor.
So is this just a sign of things to come, will the development, time and effort put into making a game no longer be a way of seeing how good a game could be, will this all rest on hype and the clever marketing techniques that are used to make even the poor games sound like good additions to your games collection?
Todays major news was that of the price reduction of the XBox, from £299 to £199, a lot of money to be knocked of the price so soon, they also say that they (Microsoft) will give anyone who paid the full £299 will be able to get two free games and a free controller to make up for it. I was surprised by this, it was too early to have a price cut, its only been out over here for around a month. So what was it down to? Poor sales? Kind gesture by microsoft? I guess only really clever folk and those involved with the XBox will know but when I thought on it more this is a good move by Microsoft.
With the PS2 and Gamecube costing around the same, £150-£199 or there abouts this move puts the XBox in direct competition with them, no more "Oh it costs too much, it ain't worth it comments" people will actually consider paying for one now. So those who never considered to get one may now change their minds, also thos who have them will feel more appreciation to MS for the reduction and may be willing to spend more for games and extra peripherals.
But anyway this isn't the point I want to make, go elsewhere to make your XBox comments as chat has a range of topics on this. My view is looking at just how clever marketing has changed the industry and how it will continue to change it for the future. So pay attention and enjoy.
When I was a kid marketing wasn't used much, most likely because the industry was no where near as big as it is now. Games came in boxes which were the only real way used to sell a game. Good games cae from good development, time, effort and experience. So if a game sold well it was due to the time and effort the developers made on its creation.
These days things have changed a lot, the industry is huge and growing faster and faster. Developers are working on multiple games and trying to make as much profit as they can. Some take risks, some of them pay of and others don't but clever marketing is now used to try sell games, no matter how good or bad they are.
Good games can usually sell themselves, a little help from advertising can let people know when they are out and a little about the game. Bad game on the other hand use the clever techniques to make them sound and appear a lot better than they are, sure most gamers will know "that looks pants" and not buy it but for those who aint as bright as all us then it is a trick that could make them buy something they see as sounding good which could then turn out to be very poor.
So is this just a sign of things to come, will the development, time and effort put into making a game no longer be a way of seeing how good a game could be, will this all rest on hype and the clever marketing techniques that are used to make even the poor games sound like good additions to your games collection?