A couple developers, most notably EA (Electronic Arts), have come out recently with announcements that they're going to quit being so reliant on licenses and pursue creating new IPs (intellectual properties) aimed at blockbuster status. At first I was excited. Holy shit! Developers get it finally! A new renaissance of gaming will be upon us in a few years. This is going to take a while after all. Then it hit me: new IPs don't equal new experiences.
The industry does not need new IPs per se. Instead we need innovation all around. We need new ways to define gaming, to create games, to report on gaming. This industry has been around less then four decades and it's already drowning in a stagnant puddle of mediocrity. So what the hell do we need?
It's obvious that the standard controller on a PS2 (Playstation 2) or Xbox 360 limits what developers can do. There hasn't been significant innovation on home consoles since the introduction of Shenmue on Dreamcast. Grand Theft Auto 3 may have popularized the "3D Sandbox" genre but Yu Suzuki and AM2 did it first! Hardware manufacturers need to follow Nintendo's lead. They don't necessarily need a DVD remote akin to the Wii's centerpiece for success, but they need something more than the status quo controller. How can a system be "Next Gen" if it's basically the same shite as older consoles? A new interface is a partial answer and it does help drive innovation. Play the DS to catch my drift.
Developers and the press need to treat gaming differently. It starts with developers pumping out new experiences of course. It ends with journalists objectively reporting facts to the public. Gamers hardcore and casual will become far less reliant on the press in years to come thanks to the ability to play demos with little effort. The press will have no choice but to change the way they do business or go out of it permanently. Please die!
So fuck the new IPs. Playing the same game with a different character is not what anyone involved with gaming, developers to gamers, needs. We need innovation all around. Innovation exists. There are those out there that believe it's all been done before. That way of thinking needs to go six feet under.
Article comments
1 - RF
Hope you all enjoy the article. For the record the title I submitted was called "The Answer?" I don't mind this altered title at all.
Regardless of the slight cuts the main message remains.
Rob
www.gamersunitemagazine.com
www.ecgxpo.com
www.coin-op.tv
2 - The one, the only...RCM
Its easy to give consoles IPs if you have their network connector installed correctly.. Im not sure what your going for here.. but if you need help with IP's, let me know.. Im in the biz.
The one, the only... RCM biatches!
3 - RF
That must be someone I know missing the point of the article entirely. In case other readers don't know on certain messageboards i'll go by the name "RCM" or "THE ONE, THE ONLY - RCM." carry on!
Rob
www.gamersunitemagazine.com
www.ecgxpo.com
www.coin-op.tv
4 - C Dizzle
It's very true. Even in recent years Nintendo has stagnated and give us rehash after rehash. The DS is a breath of fresh air. Sure, some games use tried and true methods of play, but there have been some truely innovative ways to play. Look at Pac-Pix, Kirby Canvas Curse, Nintendogs, and Phoenix Wright to name a few.
This is the direction gaming should be going in.
5 - djbeatmongrel
maybe its becuase i have a very similar veiw but the article gives me the "well duh" factor. sad this is, the bigger companies do what is need to apease the majority. the industry tends to be like the music industry, the big compies are essentially the pop artists. nintendo is like the artist that starting losing the top 40 status and went back to the studio to reinvent themselves. other lesser known developers are like the independant artists, lots try to make the pop status but other shine through their sheer unhindered rules.
6 - nugget
interesting title. I thought this was going to be about gaming itself and how it stagnates the development and growth of a person. Gamers are some of the most unhealthy, delusioned, bored, and materialistic people i know.
7 - RF
"Gamers are some of the most unhealthy, delusioned, bored, and materialistic people i know."
I could easily substitute "Gamers" for "Americans." Perhaps that's where you're snarky little comment came from.
Sure there are gamers that fit that bill, they're also gamers that completely defy that notion. I'd comment more but I'm already bored and need to go the gym.
Rob
Gamers Unite
ecgxpo.com
coin-op.tv
8 - Christopher Rose
Rob, although I tend to feel three links to be a tad excessive, it is allowed but at least have the decency and googlove to make them active. Thanks.