FPS the future of Gamimg???

[thespyder]

I recently read an article on CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/17/finishing.videogames.snow/index.html
The article was ostensibly about how fewer and fewer games were actually getting finished these days, but there was a section of the article that really struck me.

The section is called "The Future? Shooter games" and it goes on to explain how the subject matter experts in the article believe that the future of games is FPS games. They go on to explain that the market has changed and that with average of 40-50% completion rates, and that with only 10 hour game play, that the attention of gamers is sliding. and that the gaming industry is sliding inexorably towards Shooters being the future of the industry as a whole.

Personally, I am appalled by this. Although I have all three consoles, and i do play occasionally (usually they were purchased for an individual game) with games like Arkham Asylum and God of War, I primarily play PC Games. And in my PC gaming, I expect (nay, demand) something a bit more mentally challenging than an FPS. And I gage my skill not against how many teen age boys with no job can kill me in 10 minutes, but in the full robust nature of the strategy and complexity of the gaming experience.

Unfortunately, the gaming industry doesn’t see it that way any more. Where I would like to see full robust RPG games and Strategic 4X games, these are becoming a thing of the past. Even the iconic development houses (Bioware, Stardock, etc…) that have historically created these types of games are running more and more to the Run and Gun approach to the RPG industry. And the “Let’s add Real time” into the mix of the typical 4X games, but they have to dumb it down to do it.

Am I the only one that sees this and is appalled?

 

[Stuxnet]

The fact is, people loved video games because it stimulated the shit out of their brains. Now that we've been playing them for so long, they're not as stimulating. Hence, shorter attention spans.

 

[thespyder]

the article makes some very good points about the average age of gamers being older and older. and what with jobs and families etc... that there is less disposable time to play the games.

But I think another component is that the industry as a whole has expanded to include those who are less willing to think about a game and more interested in merely entertainment (i.e. the SAW crowd). And the more visceral and the less mentally challenging these games get, the more this crowd likes it. Only there are more of them in the industry than ever before, so the game execs are seeing this as a "Shift" when it is merely a new segment.

but what about the segment that was here before? And remains? And wants games to stimulate more than their nether regions.

 

[Iron Wolf]

God, I hope that isn't what happens, seeing as how I can't even play FPS games. I am one of the minority of people that gets headaches, dizziness, and motion sickness when I try any games with a first-person view, including FPSs and some RPGs.

I think the immediate future is bright though. MMOs are still going strong, Diablo 3 and SC2 (part deux) are on the horizon, and Heroes6 is about to be released. Not to mention all of the great non-FPS games from Indie devs. The point being, I think the PC has a lot more to offer than simple FPSs, and as long as people are willing to buy and play different types of games, there will be others willing to make and sell them to them.

 

[thespyder]

So I get that. I am looking forward to Diablo 3 and SC2 (part deux) and Skyrim. But take a look

Dragon Age: Origins lead to DA2 which was primarily a Console Port and was a lot more dumbed down than the original.

Mass Effect was a successor of KOTOR and was less RPG and more ARPG with heavy on the Action. And ME2 was significantly more so.

I liked Oblivion, but it was clearly CLEARLY a step towards FPS from where Morrowind was. I have hopes that Skyrim will not be another step that direction.

I liked Wings of Liberty and will play Heart of the Swarm. But honestly, if you compare SC2 tactically to a game like Galactic Civilizations 2, there is no comparison. And even GC2 is succeeded by Sins of a Solar Empire which is a significant sell out to the Action crowd imho.

And if you take a look at the successors to Neverwinter nights series (i.e. Neverwinter and Daggerdale), they LOOK like total console ports dumbed down. I have horrible visions of Dark alliance.

and Dungeon Siege 3??? What a travisty.

And what else is there in the RPG Space? Certainly nothing on the order of Baldur's Gate series. And no, I am not glorifying that game. I am merely saying that, for the scope and bredth and tactical capacity, there has been nothing even close to it come out since.

And although I think highly of Stardock, if you played elemental, it is NOT a successor to the Gal Civ game line.

So where are all of the good "Substance" games?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

It's where the money is. There's a lot of interesting indie games that are coming out though. I'm very interested in this one called "The Witness". It's supposed to be a puzzle game by the guy who made Braid. I think it's possibly a fps though lol. I like reading the dev blog for the game.

Another one is project zomboid. It's a sandbox style zombie game with crafting. There's an alpha tech demo out and I had a lot of fun with it.

 

[Iron Wolf]

Well now you've just got me depressed, Spyder.

I think the first time the "dumbed-down sequel" syndrom hit me was Spellforce vs Spellforce 2. However, I'm in the minority I know when I say I actually preferred the simplified gameplay of Civ5 vs Civ4 (not the other problems the game had, however).

The game I'm most looking forward to is the TBS Might and Magic Heroes 6, but that is still 2 months out, assuming the release date doesn't slip again. I've played the beta and it is a lot of fun. It is also a bit deeper and more complex than Heroes 5, which itself was a dumbed-down sequel, so at least they are moving in the right direction.

As far as RPGs go, a lot of people loved the Witcher 2. I haven't played it, but supposedly it is much better then the original.

As far as RTSs go, AoE online looks great, and has retained the depth and options of the original games. Now if it just wasn't so damn expensive...

 

[shortylickens]

As is often the case, CNN is about 5 years behind the story.

 

[gorobei]

single player games are massive undertakings: world building, backstory writing, art style, asset creation, voice recording, soundtrack, game coding. All for what will eventually be dinged for being too "linear" or "on rails". Why bother when multiplayer games dont require any development of an antagonist because the other players are the enemy. Given the number of trolling griefers on any server, you already have a built in base of "heels" to rival any wwe lineup.

the best AI is another human being, the only enemy worth defeating is one that can beat you.

 

[wuliheron]

CNN is totally clueless. People have more free time then ever, spend more on entertainment then ever, and last year video games sold more then all the Hollywood movies combined. What CNN and so many others refuse to state publicly is that the video game industry has been putting out endless crap. Nobody wants to finish a shitty game, nobody wants to buy a shitty game, and at least a decent shooter can provide the occasional twenty minutes of instant gratification.

Gamers have been demanding (God forbid!) real plots and characters, serious dialog, professional quality sound tracks, great artwork, eye popping special effects, and all the usual things you would expect from a good movie. Developers have been struggling to keep up with the demand, but its a huge change for what was just 20 years a medium dominated by a few geeks working in their garage. Hopefully with the next generation consoles both the technology and the developers will catch up with the demand.

 

[Texashiker]

The section is called "The Future? Shooter games" and it goes on to explain how the subject matter experts in the article believe that the future of games is FPS games.

Looks to me that the authors of the article are noobs. Where have they been since 1995 and doom, quake, quake ii, half-life, team fortress,,,,,,,?

Anyone that says fps games the future, have been under a rock for the past 16 years.

 

[thespyder]

single player games are massive undertakings: world building, backstory writing, art style, asset creation, voice recording, soundtrack, game coding. All for what will eventually be dinged for being too "linear" or "on rails". Why bother when multiplayer games dont require any development of an antagonist because the other players are the enemy. Given the number of trolling griefers on any server, you already have a built in base of "heels" to rival any wwe lineup.

the best AI is another human being, the only enemy worth defeating is one that can beat you.

Why make quality and thought provoking content when some idiot intending to grief me with no back story or reason or actual thought is just as good? I wonder.

 

[mmntech]

As is often the case, CNN is about 5 years behind the story.

I think the same can be attributed to all the mainstream network news. Like CBS infamously thinking the Sega Genesis is still a current system. Though these networks are catering to a demographic that aren't likely to game.

Online shooters and MMOs are where the money is. They can be churned out quickly, especially in the case of Call of Duty and Battlefield. All they do is update the graphics from year to year, maybe add a couple new modes. Not that these games are bad or they're not fun, there's just not a heck of a lot to them. It's a gigantic game of tag, with guns.

Unfortunately, the cinematic games don't cell. I'll bring up two cases. Grim Fandango and Okami. Both are considered to be among the best of the best in their genre, are considered masterpieces, and consistently make everybody's top game lists. Both sold poorly. Mirror's Edge, which was a radically different first person game sold poorly. If there's a lack of games that gamers claim to want, it's only the gamer to blame. They're not buying them.

 

[Zenoth]

CNN is totally clueless. People have more free time then ever, spend more on entertainment then ever, and last year video games sold more then all the Hollywood movies combined. What CNN and so many others refuse to state publicly is that the video game industry has been putting out endless crap. Nobody wants to finish a shitty game, nobody wants to buy a shitty game, and at least a decent shooter can provide the occasional twenty minutes of instant gratification.

Gamers have been demanding (God forbid!) real plots and characters, serious dialog, professional quality sound tracks, great artwork, eye popping special effects, and all the usual things you would expect from a good movie. Developers have been struggling to keep up with the demand, but its a huge change for what was just 20 years a medium dominated by a few geeks working in their garage. Hopefully with the next generation consoles both the technology and the developers will catch up with the demand.

If there's no demo, the only way to know if it's shitty or not is to buy it in the first place, and sometimes the demo isn't sufficient and the game is purchased anyway. Additionally, players do buy shitty games, if shitty games are being made non-stop it's because they sell. But then again, most gamers don't know if a game is shitty before playing it in the first place, be it on a demo, on a friend's 360 or via pirating, the principle itself applies in most cases, buy it then you'll know if it's shitty or not, and then it's too late to return it or to regret it since your money escaped your wallet already.

 

[bart1975]

Or just play F2P games and it costs you nothing if the game is shitty.

 

[wuliheron]

If there's no demo, the only way to know if it's shitty or not is to buy it in the first place, and sometimes the demo isn't sufficient and the game is purchased anyway. Additionally, players do buy shitty games, if shitty games are being made non-stop it's because they sell. But then again, most gamers don't know if a game is shitty before playing it in the first place, be it on a demo, on a friend's 360 or via pirating, the principle itself applies in most cases, buy it then you'll know if it's shitty or not, and then it's too late to return it or to regret it since your money escaped your wallet already.

Demos are just another word for "free samples". If you want to buy a car or something expensive you take it for a test drive or get a free sample. In the early days of video games they gave away lots of free samples to develop the market, but now its up to the consumers to pay more attention to what they buy. They aren't vacuum cleaners that need to be sold door to door. Its a cheap thrill that can cost pennies just a couple of years after it first hits the market.

 

[Sureshot324]

I'm actually fine with single player FPS games being shorter. 10+ hours is too long for an action/adventure story to play out.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

There is a large market for FPS games but I'm more looking towards Skyrim than BF3 and MW3 combined.

 

[videogames101]

I miss sandbox games like Tropico! <3

 

[thescreensavers]

I have never really finished a game, I go right to multi player and thats it. I hate having to play against computers bleh

 

[thespyder]

Or just play F2P games and it costs you nothing if the game is shitty.

In most things, you get what you pay for. Just sayin.

 

[bart1975]

Been playing League of Legends a good amount lately and it is a awesome f2p game imo.Team Fortress 2 is also a fun game that is f2p.

 

[AVP]

Been playing League of Legends a good amount lately and it is a awesome f2p game imo.Team Fortress 2 is also a fun game that is f2p.

Gotta add Global Agenda to the list.

 

[BladeVenom]

God, I hope that isn't what happens, seeing as how I can't even play FPS games. I am one of the minority of people that gets headaches, dizziness, and motion sickness when I try any games with a first-person view, including FPSs and some RPGs.

Ginger is suppose to be one of the best things for motion sickness. Stop at Trader Joe's and pick up a package of candied ginger for your next gaming session.

 

[PrayForDeath]

The author used RDR as his example for having a low completion rate (10&#37 even though it was "Game of the Year". Well no shit, it's a huge world full of distractions and sidequests, not to mention the multiplayer that you can easily spend months on without getting bored.