tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post8287802784303594029..comments2020-05-11T19:30:14.785-07:00Comments on Above 49: Ending Up Back in the ArcadeNels Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-60878185594716003972009-10-07T07:19:59.573-07:002009-10-07T07:19:59.573-07:00@Seth With the efforts of Nintendo and casual game...@Seth With the efforts of Nintendo and casual game companies, I think the game-playing demographic is broader and more diverse than ever before. Are we just not seeing the effects of this shift yet? Or does it need to progress further yet?<br /><br />@Julian, Jordan I hope that's the case. I'm quite curious as to how much of that conversion takes place. Seems like there's a big research void that could be usefully filled.<br /><br />@mashedmarket To be fair, it's unclear how much of this is just hype and investors throwing money at the wall, hoping something will stick. And as other folks have said, maybe peaceful coexistence is possible.<br /><br />@WorldMaker Definitely. It's just with so much money going to the casual companies (Popcap scoring $22 million in funding earlier this week), I hope folks looking for funding to do more rich, meaningful things with games aren't finding that well dry. If there's an equilibrium to be found, awesome. I just don't want to see things move too far in one direction and not make their way back.Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-32298622103115943982009-10-06T21:08:57.928-07:002009-10-06T21:08:57.928-07:00I think you may be somewhat antagonistic to social...I think you may be somewhat antagonistic to social/casual games here (which I'm also not sure those two "genres" should necessarily be lumped together, but that's another argument).<br /><br />They may not be "the future", but they certainly are a viable form, for now, and an interesting place to experiment, when the market is truly free.<br /><br />On the other hand, I do decry that there is still too much of a lemming tendency in the games industry (but the same happens to a lesser extent in Hollywood and most other industries). I'm not afraid to say that Zynga and Playdom are the new Rocket Science. (The fact that these companies seem to make a bunch of money with their schlock is worrying, but we'll see what happens.) I also am not afraid to say that I see PopCap as no better than "all I want to make are franchises" Activision. (I started a personal boycott of PopCap games a few years ago, actually. Not that it matters, or that it affects their bottom line. I'm not even actively encouraging anyone else to join my boycott.)<br /><br />I think there is room in the industry for all of it: the "core" games and the "casual" games and the "social" games. Variety is the spice of life, and it is good to see variety in the industry. The key is intelligently balancing it all, and backing off a little bit from money-grabbing market-following to more intelligently described production portfolios.WorldMakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14660526008419248096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-30370032216621792702009-10-06T18:51:37.849-07:002009-10-06T18:51:37.849-07:00Nice post Nels, and I definitely agree with you. A...Nice post Nels, and I definitely agree with you. At the same time I fell with Julian like the whole mobile/social thing is pretty fadish at the moment, and I think there are enough--for lack of a better word--"core" gamers out there to sustain the market for other kinds of games.Jordan Magnusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248966421394794951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-70622526649889498972009-10-06T12:39:22.052-07:002009-10-06T12:39:22.052-07:00Wow. Thanks for voicing my concerns. As you stat...Wow. Thanks for voicing my concerns. As you stated above, this is "something I've been trying to understand and articulate for some time now," but I feel you've put it quite well. <br /><br />Part of these reason I've been hesitant to plumb the depths and kind of come to grips with my own feelings on mobile and social gaming has to do with this supposed "future" they're going to dominate. Since people are making PREDICTIONS, I keep expecting great new developments within, say, a decade. But the portable/group thing is kind of taking off right now, isn't it? And there's nothing (that I've seen) adding any real meat to the available experiences.<br /><br />Freaks me out, quite frankly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-58646597126779225602009-10-06T11:27:21.450-07:002009-10-06T11:27:21.450-07:00I think the people prognosticating the domination ...I think the people prognosticating the domination of browser/mobile/social games at the expense of traditional AAA console/PC games are simply overreacting to current trends. YES, those types of games are trending up, but there hasn't been a precipitous drop in the quality or quantity of larger-scale games. Which means it's quite possible that both types of games can co-exist.<br /><br />Maybe some new gamers only play Peggle and that Mafia game and stop there. Maybe your mom just plays Wii Fit and Brain Age. But mMaybe somebody gets hooked on Time Donkey, and then picks up Braid, and before you know it they're avidly following the latest action games. Maybe somebody plays Desktop Tower Defense or Field Runners, or Defense Grid, and decides they want to pick up Warcraft 3 to play the original, which in turn gets them hooked on hardcore strategy games. I think expecting all gamers to follow the same path to gaming is unreasonable, and some people just don't want a more in-depth experience. By the same token some people just watch summer action movies, soap operas, and HGTV. That doesn't mean that people aren't also making and enjoying deep and engrossing movies and TV shows.<br /><br />I blame the trend chasing hype on people catering to shareholders. It's easier to get people excited about a concept to the point they want to give you money if you paint things in broad strokes. If you say things like "this is the future of gaming" to uninformed people enough times, they might actually start to believe you.Julianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05684168826773165763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-61188317084426782842009-10-06T09:21:23.994-07:002009-10-06T09:21:23.994-07:00I have recently come to the opinion that games wil...I have recently come to the opinion that games will primarily be about such diversion until there is some kind of demographic shift in those who make and play them. I've kind of given up on expecting amazing and deep expressions of the human condition in an interactive format. Maybe then I will be surprised when it actually occurs. Until then I'll just load up some Peggle.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02053204400921589867noreply@blogger.com