video game industry starting to declinewith sales?

[seddy-0]

well, i will not lie. most of these new games don't even make me wanna jump out of my chair and get them. too many poor sequals.. quick game play and rather boring online play is my reason..

here is an article i found on yahoo:

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged...222612072.html

[Bugs Bunny]

Well let see...
back with older systems...there was a little something for everyone! It wasn't just action RPGS or FPS, and there were FPS and Action RPGS back when. Now if you don't like those games too bad! That is all that comes out anymore really. Oh wait I forgot "sandbox rpgs" Elder Scrolls...

But seriously, another thing, PS2 and even xbox had at least 6 main games coming out almost every month with many "smaller" games, now I hear about a game every... 3 months...maybe... and even then they keep getting pushed back anyways...

As far as the article saying that "next console will turn things around"
I have to 100% disagree with that! next console of games will cost even more money than games cost right now, you think people wanna spend that much money on a game? I don't I wait till I find it on sale or even buy it used off amazon for far less.

[PhoenyxAngel]

Maybe if I didn't have to spend 60 bucks on a game I'd actually buy more of them. I don't have the finances to buy games and considering the state of the economy: not many people do.

[Æsahættr]

Sequels are a quick way to make more money; people like more of the same, and in truth, sequels often DO improve upon the gameplay of originals. A lot of the time, they lose the atmosphere and excitement that the first game had - you only need to compare BioShock 2 to the original to see this - but nonetheless, there are usually improvements to be made. A lot of developers seem to be treating the first game they make as an acid test for the market these days, and then release the sequel with improvements - in other words, the game we should have gotten originally - afterwards, to make even more money. Some developers can catch the fish just by crooking a finger - for example, Monolith Soft - but most feel the need to spread their bait across the entire bloody pond with sequels, prequels and series, to make sure they keep their fish hooked. It's just the way the industry has become.

It's difficult to compare past generations to the current one though, not only because of the state of the economy, but because how gaming itself has changed. For starters, there is the updated hardware, meaning that it takes longer to make games, and it costs more. Gaming is fast becoming a rich man's sport with the kinds of price tags that are being attached to them. When I first started gaming, £40 - the standard price for most PS3 games in the shop - could have bought me two Gameboy Advance games. Developers are getting very greedy, especially when you consider DLC and online passes thrown into the mix. Half the time, you're not just purchasing a video game, you're buying an incomplete product.

Accessibility is a key factor, as is time. Indie developers are on the rise; they can make games that are simple and fun with minimal cost and reap high levels of profit, and since Nintendo threw the doors of video gaming open to every Tom, Dick and Harry with the DS and the Wii, there is a shift in gaming. This should mean more sales, but bigger developers are still catering to the needs of the minority and charging ridiculously expensive prices for their products, which are also noticeably shorter, with the average playtime for some genres being less than 10 hours. It's no wonder their sales are dropping: the economy is in ruins, costs are ridiculously high, and we're not seeing anything new. Gaming has become more "casual" and since these big names aren't casual, their sales are suffering for it.

iOS is difficult to take seriously, but it delivers something not even handhelds can: games that are very easy to access. Out and about, I'd pull out my iPod and have a quick round of Plants vs. Zombies when I was bored; I wouldn't take my 3DS or PS Vita (assuming, for a second, that either platform had more than one game worth playing on it) and play those instead. It's not that gamers are getting bored of their devices - if that was the case, there would no absolutely no market whatsoever for PC Gaming; PCs have been around for decades - it's that there are new devices that do what their consoles do, and more, and do it on the go. The titles aren't as high quality, but all that really matters when you're gaming is that you're having fun, and things like iPods are much more accessible than consoles or handhelds.

There is also the general stagnation of the industry - after all, we're seeing a LOT of more of the same, and whilst there is plenty of praise, there are also plenty of complaints - to consider, which has become all the more apparent with this generation; we've seen it all before, multiple times over, and I imagine a lot of older gamers stop playing just because they're bored of seeing it. There might be something to what Square Enix said about developers hunkering down and preparing for the next generation, but to be honest this isn't something I'd credit very far. The Wii-U might be on the horizon, but the Wii-U has been rushed, just like the 3DS, and is playing on current trends. The PS4 won't be out for a while yet in all probability - at least a year; they'd almost certainly reveal it at E3 - and the sequel to the 360 will likely be around the same time. The next generation is a long way off in monetary terms, and waiting for it would be pure stupidity.

[Martian Manhunter]

I can't say I'm shocked honestly. All these companys focus too much on graphics instead of gameplay, and that's the big downfall. It sucks that in todays world, all people want are life like graphics out of video games. Also let's not forget the ridiculous prices for games these days. Alot of games are hardly worth a huge price tag like 40 to 50 bucks. Why spend that amount on 1 game when I can get 3 or 4 games for the PS1/PS2 that will most likely be more fun?

[Big Casino]

Maybe if I didn't have to spend 60 bucks on a game I'd actually buy more of them. I don't have the finances to buy games and considering the state of the economy: not many people do.

yeah exactly. They like to blame the 2nd hand market for ruining game sales but whos gunna pay more for the same product if they both do the same thing? No one. You go for a the cheaper option. If you wanna stop people byuing 2nd hand then stop reeasing brand new games at £45 and get a grip with the psn store. Why the fuck would i pay £40 for mass effect 2 nowadays when i could get it online new for 20 or 2nd hand for probably around 8. Corporate greed.

[Ewan]

I'm not an expert, but if you have a quality product that is reasonably priced, I reckon people will buy it. I mean fuck it, it doesn't even have to be the best game in the world, it just has to be something fun to do in your spare time (which is how I play games now).

Some of the prices are just stupid though. I checked the PSN store a few weeks ago and Assassin's Creed 3 was £50. Are you pulling my pisser? You can get it for £45 in the shop, and you'll get it for a fraction of that if it's 2nd hand.

I don't think you get good value for money so obviously it's going start pissing people off and the gaming companies will suffer. Which is good, because AC3 was a piece of shit and I hope Connor Kenway gets chlamydia.

[Rydia]

I haven't really had time for games lately and nothing new really excites me. There are some 3DS games that I would like to play, but I don't feel an overwhelming need to go out and buy them. I also have so many games that I haven't played and they just sit and collect dust. I can't justify buying a new game when I have a stack of unplayed games lying around.

Also, I don't care for shooting games. I tried to get in to them but I get bored quickly. Unless its a zombie shooting game.