BabyHeadCrab
The Freeman
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 602
Wake up, "PC Gaming community"
The way video games are being monetized is fundamentally changing, and some how this is coming as a shock to people. The fact that we're being charged $60 for an identical product on a console is labeled as robbery. The lack of dedicated servers is pegged as neglect of Infinity Wards "PC roots" and the vocal minority of gaming pressers and forum regulars seem to have been tugging their hair out for the past few weeks.
My question is exactly this: how exactly is any of this a surprise? ActivisionBlizzard is rapidly becoming the only massively successful and publicly traded game developer/publisher for a reason. They've found a market niche that works splendidly (ed: internationally, mind you, not just in North America or Europe)--in the form of subscription services, downloadable content, and various other purchasable digital goods. Without starting to sound like I'm copying my damn thesis outline word for word--the video game industry is growing up like any other pioneering media outlet ever has in our capitalist dominated society. Bobby Kotick and his buddies at VUG and ActiBlizz are business men and women.
It's only a matter of time before folks like Jean-Bernard Lévy, Bobby Kotick and Morhaime become household names--these guys are becoming filthy rich pioneering technologies and marketing strategies that have proven largely recession proof (again, I'm talking the movement of money here, not necessarily industry innovation). If history has anything to say about pioneer markets and companies like ActiBlizz (whose Call of Duty, regardless of the artistic integrity of quality of the product offered, is now the fastest selling piece of distributable media ever released) and those who follow suit will begin to turn major wall-street heads.
What we have is an interesting cultural phenomenon that can be explained (in part) through the transgression of media platforms such as television and radio. For a time niche cultures existed [albeit without the exposure offered by the net generation] who were understandably upset when the prospects of mass appeal entered the picture. Even a decade back video game consoles were not the household items they are now, the "culture" didn't exist--seemed niche, was labeled as being exclusively for nerds. This is changing. fast. Yes, franchises you adored in your childhood are being stripped of some of the same versatile and creative, competitive elements enjoyed in the past--but that's part of the natural progression of such a connected industry, and has been since the rise of capitalistic mass media.
Take for instance the rise of cable television, Fox News, and Rupert Murdoch's bold and daring acquisition of exclusive rights to broadcast National [ed: American] Football League game rights. At the time, major buyouts like these appeared as market suicide. The archaic mentality remained that not all TV owners were interested in selective TV viewing, and that Fox brand power alone wouldn't be strong enough to warrant such a bold and expensive move--but lo and behold, much to our possible dismay, the inevitable happened and Fox and News Corp are some of the most influential, powerful and, yeah, scary monetized and publicly traded media conglomerates around (though the web era has since threatened this strangle hold, maybe.)
Essentially what I'm trying to say is this: we live in a money driven world. Anyone who's jaw dropped and panties were subsequently soiled when they found out Infinity Ward, who is a property of what is now potentially the most powerful media conglomerate in the world, had created a game in which the consumer was allowed less creative control--and pigeon holed them into DRM, should take a good look back at the history of major media outlets. It's not a popular opinion, particularly among this forum, but I think this is largely a good thing: here's why.
The Light at the end of the Tunnel:
Indie developers have never had more tools at their disposal, and PC gaming has plenty to work with between the UDK, the Steam platform and a plethora of readily available and increasingly flexible and easy to learn software suites. This not only means more jobs and more opportunities to deviate tired IPs, but also a chance to build a hefty resume or start a business of your own more easily than ever before.
I have no problem with people trashing something like Modern Warfare 2 or World of Warcraft (or even Guitar Hero) on a surface level. Sure, they're becoming some of the most tired franchises in the industry. If this didn't trigger any red flags given the economic landscape of the societies that birthed these products as far back as the 1990's, you've been decidedly delusional.
tl;dr: The monetizing and regulation of PC and console gaming alike should not come as a surprise to anyone with even a remote understanding of first world economic history. As video gaming becomes more popular, opportunities arise to move past what has become an outdated and oft-stereotyped industry. The same thing happened with Television, Movies and Radio--and it didn't spell out a certain "death" to grass roots creative efforts.
Sure, the quality of those IPs you once treasured may appear diminished. Yes, you won't be able to enjoy your IPs in the same way you did in the late 90s--but acting as if we've all suddenly been back-stabbed is decidedly ignorant, and makes people appear completely oblivious to any of the real business behind an industry that reaps in more than Television and Movies combined.
The loss of dedicated servers and suggestion of a heavier focus on monetizing services like IW.net and battle.net has not only been predictable for years, it's the culmination of years of decision making between the most lucrative publishers and developers the industry has ever seen. XNA, Steamworks, UDK, Apple App Store have all provided outlets for even the most casual of game developers to begin careers in the industry. The "old" method of PC Gaming is not dead, it's just moved on to other, less stale, avenues--and so should the rest of the community with more than a passing interest in the continuation of a subculture which we've all come to cherish.
