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"Developers taking advantage?"

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Wed 29/05/02 at 20:40
Regular
Posts: 787
Today, the gaming industry has a lot of money to be made. Whether it is making games or peripherals, there is a lot of money to be made. This gives some game developers the idea that they can make games, good or bad, and make loads of cash, but it doesn’t work like that, or does it?

It seems to me that game developers are taking advantage of the way the gaming industry is today. With games constantly coming out with some kind of attraction to the younger and even older gamer, it makes them buy the game even if it isn’t that good. It also seems that some game developers are becoming more interested in making an extra buck, rather than spending extra time making the best it can be for the gamer. Of course, like everything, there are a few exceptions. Developers like Nintendo, Rare and maybe even Sega, always try to make their game the best they can for the gamer, so that it would be very enjoyable.

I know for a fact that games with a lot of violence and gore always sell with the teenage gamer. To them, it doesn’t really matter if the game is actually good or not, it just matters what happens to one of the people when you shoot them with a bazooka in the head. Don’t get me wrong; some ‘violent’ games can be great. Take Resident Evil for example. That is a fine example of what violent gaming should be like. But when game developers try and take advantage of this, that’s when you get games like Carmageddon, and that’s when you get younger gamers thinking that a game like that is really great, when they really only think it’s great because of the blood involved.

To add to this, it isn’t just violence that game developers wanting money take advantage of. What about ‘movie licensing.’ This is one of the, if not the best, form of trying to con people out of their £40, so that you can earn a few quid. I think that games that have a movie license can turn out good if their made by the right person, but when their not, that’s when you have games in the shops as best sellers like Monsters Inc. and Disney’s Emperor’s New Groove. Sad isn’t it. But like I said before, when made but the right developer that have the gamers interests at mind, the end result is a game like Goldeneye, which was made by Rare. Another great example of this is the FIFA series. Every year a FIFA game comes out and every year it reaches the top of the charts and why? Does it have something new added? No. The same game come out with enhanced graphics, but still everyone buys it. Now isn’t that the best example of conning people into buying games that are practically the same as the one before.

I noticed on TV the other day, a Harry Potter advertisement showing some excellent graphics. It bet it was not only me, but also a few other people noticed it too, but in the small print at the bottom of the screen, it said ‘Not in-game footage’. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that just the worst case of false advertising. Not only did it have the wrong graphics, but also it only showed about a second of the actual game. This links back to before, about movie licensing. Again, Harry Potter, one of the most anticipated films ever in the UK, and game developers not only take advantage of the name, but they also advertise it so the game looks brilliant.

Alright, so a great new, totally original game comes out on the PC. It’s name. The Sims. Wow. This game is great. It’s got brilliant gameplay value and is totally additive. What could go wrong? How about the fact that after finding that the Sims was hugely popular, they decided to try and milk as much money as they could out of it, and bring out eight, yes eight, add-ons for it. Now that’s taking it to the extremes. Eight add-ons. Each costing about twenty quid. Now, my maths might not be perfect, but if you were to buy all eight, including the actual original game, you would be spending a massive £200. Shocking, isn’t it.

So, I think that there is something seriously wrong with the world that is gaming it game developers are trying it con you out of your money. Whether it be, using names, violence, add-ons, or false advertising they all come down to the same thing. Developers trying to con the average gamer, so they’re not short of a few bob.

Thanks for Reading

Liquidus
Thu 30/05/02 at 19:00
Posts: 0
Hmm, a developer took advantage of me once, I was in a darkroom at the time, and I dropped some film. Then as I bent over to pick it up...
..well you get the picture. I couldn't sit for a bloody week.

Nice post though

:P
Thu 30/05/02 at 18:58
Regular
Posts: 5,630
Even though I read this before, I am popping it to push crappy topics like Vin's down.
Thu 30/05/02 at 00:27
Regular
"360: swfcman"
Posts: 6,953
Oh there are so many ways in which a developers can take advantage of us when it comes to making money. They arent all the angles we think they are that bring us delights, even some of the bigger, more trusted companies take advantage of the less educated ones out there.

Konami have done this just recently. Pro Evo and ISS are two big football games that have come out of the Konami ranks over the past year, both are different games though. Pro Evo use to be called ISS back on PS1, and now that game is called Pro Evo and ISS is another game all together. Now thats confusing enough for even us when we first heard the news as to what was happening, never mind those out there who are not really in the know, and go buy the games from what they have been told. In the end this could lead to people buying the wrong games and having to folk out some more cash after they finally realise, and to me this is not right. I think Konami are a great company and make some quality games, but this is not at all like them.

But there are many other tricks they can use, many have been stated here, one that hasnt i dont think is the actually boxes they come in. How many games have flashy covers and on the back little in what shows you the graphics of the game. And how many of us really trust the paragraphs about the game on the back? Not many of us here, but again, what about those people who dont really know much about gaming, what about the parents who go to buy there kid a game, can they tell the difference between FF10 and a poorer game by what the cover says? I dont think so.

In the end, this is an Industry, every companys main objective is to make money, and like else where they will do whatever they can to make that money, thats life.

Its up to us to choose wisely, if we stick to what we know, the companies can still make there money while we play the games we want.
Wed 29/05/02 at 23:46
Regular
"95% organic"
Posts: 409
Unfortunately that's just the way the world works, everyone's just in it for a quick buck. It's not just the gaming industry, but cinema, music, sport and everything else. Indeed, it is a shame when utter pap is put through the mass marketing machines and forced in people's faces, but you can just ignore it. Some people will buy into a certain brand regardless of quality, but it is consumer discretion that eventually determines what products appear on the shelves... I suppose there's no accounting for taste...

It is easy to criticise developers etc on this basis, but it's important to recognise that without these global commercial mechanisms, most of us probably wouldn't be playing games at all. Huge movie franchises and blatant cash-ins are part and parcel of living in a world where you can go to the shops and choose from several consoles and many thousands of games. It's nothing new, I remember Sega Master System games based on the 'Cheetos' cheesy puff cheetah, and 'Cool Spot' from the 7up campaign.

If you can recognise where blatant commercialism has obscured the production values of a certain game, then you can only benefit from the way things are. More money circulating in the games industry fuels more variety, more experimentation, more research and further development. As a consumer, you are then at liberty to buy the titles you like most. By doing so, and putting your money where your mouth is, games developers will respond to popular titles in the marketplace by pursuing that niche further.

Make sure you're only buying genuinely quality titles, and you too will be taking advantage of the way the industry works.
Wed 29/05/02 at 21:35
Regular
"You Bum!!"
Posts: 3,740
It does appear shocking that companies have absolutely no feelings for their customers-they do not seem to enjoy seeing us playing better versions of their games. They just want to see our wallets being emptied by the pathetically priced rehashed updates and add on disks. I understand that PC games can have a lot of faults due to the technical implications of both the programming stages and the post-release problems, and therefore they may have either made faults that need to be fixed by patches or add on disks but a £20 price tag is just plain silly.

Ok add-on disks give game owners heeps of extra levels, costumes and whatever but you can simplky download most of these updates via the official websites that offer you many items that you would find in the add on packs. WHich now brings us to the piracy issues. People who cant afford to be purchasing all these extra disks will turn to the car boot sales wheer they will be able to get all these game for a tenner or less. Its a continous loop if you like. People will keep turning to pirate games unless companies scarp the idea of add on disks, and make every item available on their website or simply bring out a much-improved sequel when the time comes.

Unfortunately in the gaming industry, those who have more money and are more well-known will keep bringing in more money. This is due to the fact that many of us would simply pay their cash for the brand name and not the quality of the product itself (isnt it ironic how I have to write about this in my Media exam tomorrow). Look how long it took people to realise that ISS was a better game than FIFA. And even when they did, it still took another year or two for FIFA to be actually BEHIND PES in the PS2 charts. Its a slow process but if people actually think about what they are buying, then we would avoid the problem of companies bringing out shi** updates (since they wouldnt get any money from the sale of the first game). Its all a continuous loop ya know.....
Wed 29/05/02 at 21:04
Posts: 665
KR wrote:
> good post, when you mentioned about the Sims i straight away thought
> of pokemon, the first game came out and it was original and new but by
> the time pokemon gold and silver came out people lost interest.

Except some strange little kids who seem to think that every version is different and have all of the differnt pokemon colours. It was actually a strangly good game at first but got really boring.
Wed 29/05/02 at 20:59
Regular
Posts: 23,218
good post, when you mentioned about the Sims i straight away thought of pokemon, the first game came out and it was original and new but by the time pokemon gold and silver came out people lost interest.
Wed 29/05/02 at 20:48
Posts: 665
Good point especially about how games about a film usually suck witht he exception of james bond games. I didn't know the sims had 8 add-ons! Plus developers also go into a certain area of a game too much and froget about the other areas of the game. For example Metal Gear Solid 2, the game witht the most deatail like if you stay outside in the rain too long then you develop a cold and have to tak medicine, great. But the game only lasted 10 hours so from my point of view it looks like the developers spend too much time on detail instead of lifespan. But anyway, good post.
Wed 29/05/02 at 20:40
Regular
Posts: 1,309
Today, the gaming industry has a lot of money to be made. Whether it is making games or peripherals, there is a lot of money to be made. This gives some game developers the idea that they can make games, good or bad, and make loads of cash, but it doesn’t work like that, or does it?

It seems to me that game developers are taking advantage of the way the gaming industry is today. With games constantly coming out with some kind of attraction to the younger and even older gamer, it makes them buy the game even if it isn’t that good. It also seems that some game developers are becoming more interested in making an extra buck, rather than spending extra time making the best it can be for the gamer. Of course, like everything, there are a few exceptions. Developers like Nintendo, Rare and maybe even Sega, always try to make their game the best they can for the gamer, so that it would be very enjoyable.

I know for a fact that games with a lot of violence and gore always sell with the teenage gamer. To them, it doesn’t really matter if the game is actually good or not, it just matters what happens to one of the people when you shoot them with a bazooka in the head. Don’t get me wrong; some ‘violent’ games can be great. Take Resident Evil for example. That is a fine example of what violent gaming should be like. But when game developers try and take advantage of this, that’s when you get games like Carmageddon, and that’s when you get younger gamers thinking that a game like that is really great, when they really only think it’s great because of the blood involved.

To add to this, it isn’t just violence that game developers wanting money take advantage of. What about ‘movie licensing.’ This is one of the, if not the best, form of trying to con people out of their £40, so that you can earn a few quid. I think that games that have a movie license can turn out good if their made by the right person, but when their not, that’s when you have games in the shops as best sellers like Monsters Inc. and Disney’s Emperor’s New Groove. Sad isn’t it. But like I said before, when made but the right developer that have the gamers interests at mind, the end result is a game like Goldeneye, which was made by Rare. Another great example of this is the FIFA series. Every year a FIFA game comes out and every year it reaches the top of the charts and why? Does it have something new added? No. The same game come out with enhanced graphics, but still everyone buys it. Now isn’t that the best example of conning people into buying games that are practically the same as the one before.

I noticed on TV the other day, a Harry Potter advertisement showing some excellent graphics. It bet it was not only me, but also a few other people noticed it too, but in the small print at the bottom of the screen, it said ‘Not in-game footage’. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that just the worst case of false advertising. Not only did it have the wrong graphics, but also it only showed about a second of the actual game. This links back to before, about movie licensing. Again, Harry Potter, one of the most anticipated films ever in the UK, and game developers not only take advantage of the name, but they also advertise it so the game looks brilliant.

Alright, so a great new, totally original game comes out on the PC. It’s name. The Sims. Wow. This game is great. It’s got brilliant gameplay value and is totally additive. What could go wrong? How about the fact that after finding that the Sims was hugely popular, they decided to try and milk as much money as they could out of it, and bring out eight, yes eight, add-ons for it. Now that’s taking it to the extremes. Eight add-ons. Each costing about twenty quid. Now, my maths might not be perfect, but if you were to buy all eight, including the actual original game, you would be spending a massive £200. Shocking, isn’t it.

So, I think that there is something seriously wrong with the world that is gaming it game developers are trying it con you out of your money. Whether it be, using names, violence, add-ons, or false advertising they all come down to the same thing. Developers trying to con the average gamer, so they’re not short of a few bob.

Thanks for Reading

Liquidus

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