Now Is The Winter, Spring & Summer of Our Discontent

I always get nervous writing what can certainly seem like a pessimistic article about the *trumpet fanfare* State Of Gaming. For one thing, it’s apparently easy to make a flawed logical leap from the idea that things are in a kind of slump to "we are all doomed" in one or two easy moves. I shouldn’t have to point out the cavernous maw that exists between disappointing and certain to die a horrible, impending death, and yet to establish the scope of what I’m talking about I feel like it may be necessary here. Consider that maw to have been pointed at, identified and now clearly marked with a nice sign that says “You Shall Not Pass.”

That said, if I were to use one word to describe gaming in the first half of 2012, it would be “dissapointing.”

Understand, I do not use this word to describe my own feelings. I’m talking more about a pervasive malaise that has seemed to descend upon all aspects of the industry, the culture and the response to what gaming has offered us these first now seven months of the year. I look, and what I see in the traditional industry spaces is a sense of stagnation as the entire business seems to enter yet another year of holding its breath for “what’s next.”

It’s hard to argue that this has been a particularly great year for gaming so far, with several high-profile, long-awaited titles that managed to choke on their own bloated identities and expectations, along with layoffs and closures galore. I suppose that shouldn’t be a huge surprise in the wake of what have been arguably two of the best years in recent videogaming memory. You could argue that we were due for a year that so far feels like one, long, great, big sigh. And yet, here in the thick of it, I can’t help but think of any other word to describe the current mood of gaming except "disappointing."

I submit for your consideration virtually every game so far released this year that has a 3 as part of its name — incidentally, consider yourself on notice, Assassin's Creed 3. From a games perspective, this year is virtually defined by high-profile launches that have been anticipated for years and yet managed to leave fans frustrated and even, for lack of a better term, disenfranchised. There’s no need to rehash the Mass Effect 3 Incident, or the Diablo 3 Auction House Debacle, or even the matter of Oh, I Forgot Max Payne 3 Got Released This Year. These are well documented kerfuffles that could merge into the saddest wagon train of beaten horses conceived by man.

I can’t help but wonder, if the industry and gamers as a whole were in a different headspace, would we have seen the same results? Have we maybe been spoiled by, or even become exhausted with high profile sequels in an age where what we really seem to want is the big, new shiny? At a time where we were rapidly approach an E3 -- an E3 described by many as “disappointing” -- and hoping for some whisper of new consoles and the future of gaming, what we got was a seemingly tainted Blizzard release of Diablo meets Facebook monetization scheme? My point being, I’m not sure I can think of a worse year, a worse stretch of months to have released a major sequel.

And yet, it’s so easy to just target the classic AAA rehash and classically blame lack of innovation. Let’s go ahead and add that horse to our wretched stagecoach team.

The problem is the two games I think most define the exhaustion gamers seem to be feeling are not technically sequels, though it’s hard to argue that they don’t somehow feel like they are. First, there is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Yes, technically this game launched ten days before 2012, and as I recall there was mirthfulness and joy abound for those ten days. But by early January, that goodwill seemed to have turned on a dime and the uniqueness of the story-based MMO seemed to go from innovative to liability.

“Oh,” people seemed to say, “it’s boring traditional MMO combat with some talking Star-Warsy bits in between. Le sigh.” Then they collapsed into their leather chairs with a lonely fire burning nearby, put the back of their hand to their foreheads in a very swoony kind of way and just basked in the cold glow of ennui.

And, look. They weren’t wrong. This game wasn’t some reinvention of the genre. If nothing else it’s served as a neon warning sign that people are done paying a premium for the ability to run around a stagnant world occasionally pressing the numbers 1-9 until some pixels pretend to die.

For me, however, the game that epitomizes the year to date has to be Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Look, it’s far from a perfect game delivered by a far from perfectly managed company, but we’re not so far from a time in the industry where a game like this gets released, sells a million copies over 3 months (which it did) and everyone walks away with some money in their pocket feeling pretty good about things.

Instead, what happened was that everyone frowned because they didn’t sell 3 million copies, a bunch of people didn’t get any money at all, and the governor of a small state started shouting at the news about Curt Schilling. In short, things got real ugly, real quick. And all this in the wake of what, at its heart, was a pretty good game set in a pretty promising new universe. Yes, a lot can be said about the missteps that led to the fall of 38 Studios, but I also remember just after the game launched how this company was reaching out and interacting directly with fans to talk about how to make the game better. Whatever you may think of Schilling and some his politics, manner or business acumen, the guy sunk what sounds like everything he had into wanting to be a part of creating something he was passionate about in a game space he was passionate about.

I understand the anger that surrounded 38 Studios’ collapse. I understand the frustration, sadness and hurt feelings. I understand that the business model was flawed in the realities of today’s environment. I understand why the studio collapsed and I understand the awful impact it had on the employees of the company. Beyond everything else, it was just disappointing. Disappointing that a game that sells a million copies just can’t cut it. Disappointing the way the whole event unfolded. Disappointing that someone who seemed so enthusiastic about making games wasn’t actually able to execute.

I don’t really know what the final five months of the year hold. I look at the release list and I see pockets of areas worth getting excited about, but to be honest I don’t feel the same way I did going into fall 2011 and 2010. It’s fair to say that there is a bright spot in gaming within the indie scene, whose evangelists are likely, and from their perspective correctly even now constructing in their head the clearly phrased rebuttal that rejects the notion that there is anything but puppies and sunflowers on gaming’s landscape. And, as always, I believe you get out of the industry what you put into it. Those that make the effort to explore interesting independent titles, try new areas of gaming and most of all keep the whole thing in perspective will probably get the most out of the next few months.

But, ultimately this feels like an industry that needs to transition. It’s like when you’ve been working for too many months in a row, and the best thing you can do is put a week’s vacation on the calendar. Even if it’s three more months away, it’s something to focus some enthusiasm on. Something to look forward to. Frankly, I think until Microsoft and Sony commit to describing the next generation of gaming, it’s just going to feel like another month behind a too familiar desk.

Comments

To me it seems simplistic saying "it's the best time", the way I see it there are just so many companies that could be doing so much better, and use poor excuses why they aren't.

I love Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning... so sad what happened to 38 Studios. Of course the love would have stopped at single player had they made their MMO -- I'm done with MMO's.

It feels like to me that the companies that used to do incredible games... now that they have a layer or 3 of parent companies... lawyers... biz-guys... the fun has been... tempered... watered down...

Know what's exciting right now? Going back in time... Gog.com... www.baldursgate.com (new content!). Also, the DRM fighters at Gog.com... new titles like the Witcher (never played, no "porn" switch so I can skip the skeevy parts).

Valve -- God bless you guys. I mean, after reading your employee manual... I cannot understand HOW you're still in business but... somehow you make it work. You obviously have extremely talented folks that are extremely motivated. Portal 2 -- JK Simmons... much love. Oh wow... Steam client for Mac and now.. Linux? Awesomeness.

And where are the RPG's? The JRPGs? My 360 has lay dormant for quite some time... since... Blue Dragon? PS3... Final Atrocity XIII... and WTH XIII-2... Sakaguchi-san makes the Last Story for the Wii?? Nintendo won't publish it outside Japan? (it's coming now -- God bless XSEED).

AuctionhouseCraft III... I enjoyed my first time through (somewhat). Probably because it was shortly after launch and long before any nerfs. Random dungeons... events... awesome! Always connected... lag during single player... teh sucks.

Maybe I should thank the game industry... I've been clearing my Netflix queue with a fervor not seen before.

Raelic wrote:

Also, the DRM fighters at Gog.com... new titles like the Witcher (never played, no "porn" switch so I can skip the skeevy parts).

For what it's worth, unless you're playing in an environment where it has to be zero, there's not that much 'porn' unless you actively go and ask for it, so to speak. That said, the sexuality is just one aspect of why The Witcher is considered a mature title, there's still plenty of unpleasantness to go around if you remove that. I personally think The Witcher gets more flack than it deserves for including sex/nudity.

MeatMan wrote:
Dyni wrote:

Botanicula came out this year, therefore, it cannot be disappointing.

FTFM

I just dropped about 90 minutes into Botanicula the other day and must concur. What a charming little game.

Mukman wrote:

My gaming group has been knee deep in League of Legends which has been that sweet spot that we never found with a game. We always had too much skill disparity in FPS titles and could never quite sync our characters in MMO's. LoL isn't for everyone, but it gave us that tight knit MMO team play, with a level reset every match and a never ending learning curve that keeps things interesting.

You are not part of our weekly 5v5 game nights. Fix this now por favor.

http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1...

Just to throw a few state of gaming positives into the mix - these are the points that stick out to me for 2012:

- Journey inspired conversations about gaming, and what a game can do, that I'd never heard before
- Kickstarter has brought about enthusiasm, comraderie, and insight into indie(ish) games that I'm a big fan of. I love all the documentary footage of the game-making process that's coming out
- Boardgames are coming to IOS, making them cheaper, easier to learn, and more accessible
- Competitive gaming has gotten bigger and better than ever before

Something that just struck me, it's interesting to see all the people saying "gaming is fine, look at all the innovative little games" which contrasts with "we need new consoles". It's very much like the industry is pulling in two directions, and one does look like it's walking into the New Mexico desert with a shovel.

Scratched wrote:

Something that just struck me, it's interesting to see all the people saying "gaming is fine, look at all the innovative little games" which contrasts with "we need new consoles". It's very much like the industry is pulling in two directions, and one does look like it's walking into the New Mexico desert with a shovel.

New consoles are a sure bet for driving sales, both up-front (likely at a loss) and over the long term. They will also drive software sales, including rehashes of existing IP. On some level, gamers have become enamored with buying "HD" remakes of games, and a new generation of hardware will allow for even more of that to occur.

I suspect that there's a second contingent of gamers that's been around for long enough to just not care. Great example: in the Space Sims catch-all, we have one guy chatting about his latest MOO2 experiences, I'm replaying Wing Commander I via GOG, and we regularly talk about fairly obscure 4x games such as Distant Worlds. You could release a massive new Xbox or Playstation, and it wouldn't scratch the itch of anyone interested in that kind of gameplay; the latest shooter (and I like shooters, so don't misunderstand me) would not be a reason to shell out for the hardware. Why? Simply because I have no reason to think it would be more interesting or exciting than what I already have.

As a primarily MMO player I've felt like we've been collectively holding breath for awhile. We keep waiting for the next 'big' thing. Every new launch has that potential to show us what that will be and we keep getting dissapointed.

TheHipGamer wrote:

I suspect that there's a second contingent of gamers that's been around for long enough to just not care. Great example: in the Space Sims catch-all, we have one guy chatting about his latest MOO2 experiences, I'm replaying Wing Commander I via GOG, and we regularly talk about fairly obscure 4x games such as Distant Worlds. You could release a massive new Xbox or Playstation, and it wouldn't scratch the itch of anyone interested in that kind of gameplay; the latest shooter (and I like shooters, so don't misunderstand me) would not be a reason to shell out for the hardware. Why? Simply because I have no reason to think it would be more interesting or exciting than what I already have.

For a while I've been thinking that even a modest console upgrade, for things like RAM and CPU would help for things like loading and simulation (and others), things which are often felt to be where consoles are held back. The problem I see is that I'm not sure how many developers will actually use it for that, to make the core of their games better instead of more shiny things. I'll be glad to be proven wrong, but I don't see them taking any road but one which makes the cost of making and buying games higher, while the games themselves stay the same.

I just can't think of much evidence from the AAA sector (which I think the OP is addressing) to give me confidence, and it's left to non-AAA to make things that get my gamer-juices flowing.

Something that just struck me, it's interesting to see all the people saying "gaming is fine, look at all the innovative little games" which contrasts with "we need new consoles". It's very much like the industry is pulling in two directions, and one does look like it's walking into the New Mexico desert with a shovel.

It is interesting indeed, and the nice thing for the indie crowd is that they are relatively impervious. I'd even argue that there are really two, or three, or maybe four video game industries. AAA traditional, digitally distributed niche PC, indie, iOS/mobile, consoles. I'd argue only one of those is truly healthy right now, so I get why that sector is saying, "gee, looks like a sunny day to me." But, then again, I also think that group gets so wrapped up in its own echo-chamber, group-think that I have my own issues with that analysis.

ranalin wrote:

As a primarily MMO player I've felt like we've been collectively holding breath for awhile. We keep waiting for the next 'big' thing. Every new launch has that potential to show us what that will be and we keep getting dissapointed.

I'm not primarily an MMOer, but I really love MMO's as a concept. I have played a few of them fairly extensively, and an absurd number of them briefly. I'm a junkie for virtual worlds.

And I completely concur with you, Ranalin. There have been some very decent games released (like Rift, TOR, Secret World, etc), but none that have delivered that true next step in MMO gaming that we're waiting for (and we don't know what exactly we're waiting for; it'll be one of those things where we go "ooh, that's what I've been wanting!"). The last MMO to really truly capture me and refuse to let me go was WoW for its first few years - basically through Burning Crusade. Even though I played Wrath extensively, it was due to the in-game friendships and comraderie rather than the game.

You guys should really, you know, play more games. Have you seen the size of your Steam game pile in a while? Good Lord, man, go give it some attention. The industry should really just take a break for a little while so we can catch up.

Archangel wrote:

You guys should really, you know, play more games. Have you seen the size of your Steam game pile in a while? Good Lord, man, go give it some attention. The industry should really just take a break for a little while so we can catch up.

That doesn't really address the issue.

The fact that Clocky has not posted once in this thread leads me to the obvious conclusion that Sean's account has been hacked.

I am in the great year of gaming so far camp, but I have mostly been playing titles that came out in 2010 and 2011:)

SallyNasty wrote:

I am in the great year of gaming so far camp, but I have mostly been playing titles that came out in 2010 and 2011:)

Isn't that just it though, you're playing the games of good previous years, not 2012.

Scratched wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

I am in the great year of gaming so far camp, but I have mostly been playing titles that came out in 2010 and 2011:)

Isn't that just it though, you're playing the games of good previous years, not 2012.

That is kind of the point that I was making, but that also there is no shortage of great games to play.

Sean, can I call you Jimmy Carter?

There is a malaise, but it is more a function the industry and people being located in the real world. We are not living in happy times now, is it a wonder that it is seeping into games/the gaming industry?

None of the things that went wrong this year were any different from assorted years in the past IMHO. The difference is we are living in a world now where everything seems to be crumbling around us and that is bound to magnify the failures of the industry, even if they are ones that have been pretty common.

Jaedor wrote:

"Then they collapsed into their leather chairs with a lonely fire burning nearby, put the back of their hand to their foreheads in a very swoony kind of way and just basked in the cold glow of ennui."

I'd mostly agree with this but I'm not sure it's the majority so much as the very vocal minority. Every kind of gaming forum I've read so far this year seems to be populated by the whiny, the bored, the content locusts and the addicted to adrenaline. Result? Boredom and disappointment.

Exactly, all the non-whiny non-bored gaming forumgoers are playing videogames.

TheHipGamer wrote:

I think that major releases do tend to be bland. They're Major Releases; it's like saying that the latest blockbuster movie lacks depth, or that the latest major fiction release isn't well-written.

Politely: well, duh.

I'm not (really) a hipster, if only by merit of age, but I continue to find that the interesting stuff seems to come from the periphery rather than the mainstream. Sometimes, it's good enough to either become or to influence those more well-known releases, as has happened with Minecraft or DayZ. However, if you want to keep yourself engaged and surprised, especially if you've been playing games for a long time, I believe strongly that you need to be seeking out releases that don't coincide with massive marketing campaigns.

Holy crap, I just agreed with everything TheHipGamer said
Although I will add that what I do is simply seek out the titles that play exactly like I want them to play and often emulate a genre with which I grew up rather than "artsy" indie flicks games. Avengers was awesome however! Really I think hollywood and AAA game makers are better at what they do then they were ten or so years ago.

I know I edited this article and all, but I can't really spend any more time on it. Too many great games in my Steam folder, and all. But then, I haven't really even considered a Blizzard game since I finished the WarCraft 3 campaign, and I still have Mass Effect 2 in my 360 drive.

If you need me, I'll be slowly marrying off Swedish courtiers.

wordsmythe wrote:

I know I edited this article and all, but I can't really spend any more time on it. Too many great games in my Steam folder, and all. But then, I haven't really even considered a Blizzard game since I finished the WarCraft 3 campaign, and I still have Mass Effect 2 in my 360 drive.

If you need me, I'll be slowly marrying off Swedish courtiers.

And also playing Crusader Kings?

Yes, also that.