Are You Still a "Hardcore Gamer" if You Wait to Buy A+ Titles?
3:03 PM PDT, July 29, 2008
The August '08 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has a nice article which in part asserts that modern production costs--along with the increase in casual gaming--is limiting the number of new A+ games on the market. It isn't online yet, so you'll have to pick up a hard copy if you are interested, but the analogy is to the movie industry and in my opinion is interesting both for what it says and what it doesn't say.
 Blockbusters chock full of stunning Next-Gen graphics cost bucket loads of cash, which is apparently what the big boys of hardcore game publishing think the public wants, so the EAs and Activisions of the world (titles licensed by the non Next-Gen Nintendo Wii don't quite apply) keep their development houses on a tight leash and generally stay conservative on what they put out. That means lots of familiar muzzle-flashing glitz, an unending parade of sequels, minimal divergences from proven formulas and in the end fewer games since the monies it takes to bring games to life has skyrocketed and investments on these levels are closely watched. But, do hardcore gamers really want the Next-Gen flash eluded to? Uh, yeah. Do they have a problem with the sequel-oriented mentality that rules modern game development? Not really, unless of course they feel they're being duped; after all we've been conditioned for decades to expect sequels by both the game and movie industries. Do they mind that generally speaking a shooter, is a shooter, is a shooter and that magical "open-world gameplay" functionality has lost some of its luster as it approaches commonplace, at least in usage? No, not really; that is unless the related games totally blow. What they do mind though, at least in part, is the high cost of games. Now I know that part of the accepted definition of a "hardcore gamer" is that they tend to purchase a minimally high amount of games, no matter the price, but at $60 and up (for 360 & PS3 titles) there almost certainly has to be a limit to how far that definition can apply, that is unless gamers choose to put off their purchases for a while, only buying when the price drops. With this in mind maybe it's not a problem if the EGM article's supposition that there are fewer A+ titles out there is actually true. So then, to my original question: Are you still a "Hardcore Gamer" if you wait to buy A+ titles? So what, if there are a fewer games out there. I'll never get to them all/do justice to them all anyway. And are games too expensive? Yes indeed. Does this bother me? Not really because "hardcore gaming" is not about how many dollars you spend. It's about the amount of time spent playing and the number of games you play. I gave up on the standing in line for blockbuster movies years ago in favor of seeing them at a matinee after the hoopla has died down or they make their way to video. The major players in game publishing allow you to do to same with their "Hits" programs without loosing face and I'm all for it. In Sony's case it's a simple matter of economics since it looks like for now their games division is the only one pulling down significant yen. Now if we could only get Nintendo on board with its top, but long-in-the-tooth Wii titles. Yup, still talking about you Twilight Princess. I'm sure that there are gamers reading this with opinions other than mind. Chime in and let me know where you stand on this. --Hobson's Choice
Initial post:
Jul 29, 2008 4:05 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Jul 29, 2008 4:10 PM PDT
JDMS says:
I have no problem waiting for a price drop. I have plenty of games to keep me interested until the hot new title is at a more reasonable rate.
It's all about stretching my dollar and getting more games, instead of paying top dollar to be the first to play a few games.
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