The Change in Game Creation

Alpha Protocol 2010

If you are in your mid-twenties to late thirties, chances are you grew up playing many great games from the earliest days in gaming, to the current high tech era we live in today. Great games have not disappeared, and many recent games offer some sort of fantasy fulfillment. But, it is not in the same way that we had even a generation ago. Then again many things changed during the last decade of gaming. Gaming went from being obscure like comics once were, a wonderful artform that had a dedicated fanbase; yet, it was still more or less a nerds hobby. Now it has become a huge mainstream phenomenon, rivaling many other current art forms.

This attracts big money; as gaming went from making solid numbers, to rake in as much or more cash than any other form of media. Gaming was never the money maker that film, or even music was around a decade and a half ago. But, all that has changed now, which brought the same types of changes to the industry, that film, music, and all other art forms have faced. The name of the game is not creative and passionate game designers bringing their ideas of fun to the screen; but, what the "accountants" think will drag in the most revenue.

The Thing The Game 2002

Money is needed to make games, to make anything in our world, but ticking boxes to make that money is not always a sure thing. The reason why most things sell and thrive, is rarely the box that the "accountants" think need ticking. The main reasons why most games are so successful is the effort that went into creating that experience, and the reasons why those efforts were so motivated. Nine times out of ten that reason, was a developers passion for a genre, theme or idea.  The whole reason they went to create these experiences, was because they wanted to have those experiences.

It just brings a different sense of work ethic to the project. These designers were influenced by film, novels, comics and many other art forms; they wanted to craft an experience that reminds them of something they admire. This led to Halo, Half-Life, and many other games, made by people who loved films like Alien. There are far more examples but the point is this, games were created out of the spark of an idea, for an experience that would be rewarding and fun. This led to games we adore and games that made the medium what it is today. The recipe for success is not that last game did this specific thing, and that was what made it so incredible.

ShellShock Nam 67 2004

We got a couple of amazing Vietnam shooters back in the early 00's, and we got so many more after that due to the idea being that the setting was key to the game's success. It is not the setting, it is not the mechanics, or even the themes and atmosphere; it is how all those elements come together that created the incredibly memorable games we love to this day. Much like other forms of media, it is not uncommon for the "money men" to get art wrong; they see trends and think that is what makes money, sadly this is not true.

Following trends can create some good games, but we lose out on the games that would have been made instead, games created out of that spark of creativity; not the inclination to check a box in hopes of big numbers. That rarely works well, sums of money get lost, mediocre games are made and the "money men" scramble to figure out what went wrong. Well, you told the artist what to make instead of giving the artist the means to create. Because of this we lose variety in our games, gamers start losing interest, and the medium survives based on chasing trends and finding more and more ways to milk money out of the common gamer.

BlackSite Area 51 2009

What strikes me so odd, is that there is a much better way to make the numbers these companies want. As a matter of fact, there are two ways that are near surefire recipes for success and bank. First much like when VHS, DVD & Blu Ray debuted, it was not just to release the latest films, it was to preserve and provide the entertainment so many love. The argument here, is that only a seldom few games aged well enough to be worth playing in this era. This is really not true, while there are the "Classics" that are timeless, there are other games that may be rough around the edges, but would still be loved by many. 

The risk is nill, all it takes is getting the rights for the project then porting it to the latest tech. It may take a bit of design work to get these games running on modern hardware, and it would take a bit of money to remaster them; yet it is surely a better use of resources for both the fun these games offer, and the history of experiencing something that inspired your favorite recent release. The second and perhaps even easier way to make big bank, give designers the freedom to create what they are inspired to make; also just a thought give them the time needed to polish the experience. 

But what about the recent examples of just that being done, and the game failing to sale?

Mafia III 2016

Mafia III is perhaps the poster child for this sad and frankly, strange turn of events; as the game did not get bad press, the game was also a masterpiece. So why did it not make huge numbers? This game has an easy answer sadly, controversial subject matter; what makes it strange is that Grand Theft Auto can thrive on the same practice. I am sure that is a major reason why the game was able to be made, it was a semi Succesful franchise and could follow in the same steps as the biggest game in history. Yet it has now nearly killed its developers, this is also the case for a great number of other games and development teams. 

The people in charge assume all the wrong reasons for these games failures, most of these amazing games that fail to meet their potential, are due to the time of release and product awareness. If you release your game in a window that is full of other games, or when a huge game is about to hit that has so much attention, you are setting yourself up for a bad time. Worst of all, sometimes these release dates being pushed would have allowed more polishing, either nullifying game bugs or making the experience that much better. 

It is why gamers are now finally coming around to many great games that are only a few years old, games that may have been seen as failures at launch, now finding whole new fan bases. However, while gamers benefit from this in the short term, they suffer in the long term. A game's success is not seen based on marathon principles, its based on sprinting for the gold. The game has to sell huge in a very short window now for it to be seen as a success. This puts many great game makers in danger, look at how many incredible studios have shuttered in the last decade due to the "accountants ideas".

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim 2011

Thankfully some games have not seen the same bad luck, in fact, some games have gotten the treatment that all games deserve. Being preserved and brought to a wider audience, one that either loved it upon release, or perhaps missed the chance to experience it all together. As gamers our worst issue this generation is the lack of variety in our games. Rereleasing older games would remedy this, and it could save some studios from shutting down. It also could inspire trends that are actually profitable, because they are providing solid entertainment and perhaps planting the seed for the next great gaming experience.  

As the medium evolves it surely will undergo another change, while many hardcore gamers see the future as grim; I think that we are seeing things slowly turn around in this industry. For every misstep there is one in the right direction, the wrong direction is to solely cater to seemingly profitable trending ideas. Sure games like PUBG are big today, much like modern online shooters were a decade ago, it is a trend that will dominate the online gaming space, like the modern and future settings did. But when we look back on those games, it is the trendsetters that are remembered, because they were not following an idea, they were following their ideas.

PUBG 2017

Now games like PUBG are made following an idea, then we get the waves of imitators, it would be fine if these games were other designers copying these ideas out of their love for the idea. Yet, we know that is not the case, it is not the designers choice, their sole choice most of the time once owned by a huge company, is do what you're told to stay open. In that time you hope you make something good enough, that you are given the freedom that only a select few have, to create the experience you so want to bring to the gaming public. So while gaming is in a state of flux, support games that are made well, by passionate people bringing new ideas and experiences to the table. 

United Against Prohibition, An argument for compassion

A funny thing happened on June 26th, people stood together and demanded compassion. While I was happily celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage, something else was going on as well. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=0

See June 26th was a day set up many years ago by the UN, as a day to fight against the illicit drug trade. Which of course is a part of the US’s war on drugs. A war that has been going on for far too long.

People came together this time, not to protest drugs, but to fight for compassion. A basic human right, stolen from so many people who have been swept up in the prohibition for illegal drugs. While I care deeply about the legalization of marijuana, there is something far more important to put an end too.

Because of the prohibition of drugs, countless lives have been ruined. People who needed help, love and compassion. We're instead locked up and treated like criminals. I will state right now, that I am totally against the use of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, meth and countless more that only destroy your body. But the people using these drugs, are not bad people.

Many of them are simply trying to ease their own suffering, they are not trying to hurt anyone, or do anything wrong. They simply are trying to live their life and ease their pain. And yes they are in my opinion doing great harm to themselves, and truly ruining their life. But is the answer to that criminal charges and jail time?

On June 26th, 2015, people stood together and said no it is not the answer. People stood for compassion for their fellow man. They stood for basic human rights that we all deserve. 150 cities stood together in protest of the gross miscarriage of justice that prohibition causes.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/150-cities-come-together-demand-end-drug-war

The majority of people who use any form of drugs, are not trying to break the law or do something bad. At the most basic level, they are seeking something to improve their life. Will most illicit drugs truly make your life better? No, while Marijuana has many positive uses, the other harder drugs do not.

http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4

Still, while alcohol and tobacco can cause just as much damage to one's body, people are free to make their own choice regarding those substances. And they are not treated like criminals. People who are already suffering, and using drugs to ease their pain, they do not need to be punished, they need care and compassion. Locking someone up does nothing but destroy their life. And their only crime was using a substance, that people made illegal to try and protect others.

Prohibition did not work in the 20’s, they made alcohol illegal and that directly caused the creation of major organized crime. And today drug prohibition puts money in the cartels pockets. It funds some horrible crimes. Where there is demand, someone will supply it. And because these things are illegal, of course the real criminals will find a way to make a profit.

http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/origins-of-organized-crime

Prohibition has only caused harm to innocent people, and allowed the true criminals to thrive and prosper. It has labeled many decent people, as something less than human. Instead of seeing another human being who is suffering, they see nothing more than a pest. Instead of offering help and love. They throw them in a dark hole, and leave them to rot and suffer more than they already do.

Ending drug prohibition does not mean you support all forms of hard drugs. You don't even have to support something helpful like Marijuana. It means you are supporting basic human rights and compassion. On a day when so many are finally being given equality. Others stood up and said enough is enough, stop punishing people and start helping them. Show care and love, do not exile and mistreat them. Help people rebuild their life, do not destroy it even more.

I am so happy, that so many people are finally standing up for one another. So many different people stood united to end the harmful prohibition of illegal drugs. The Harm Reduction Coalition, The Drug Policy Alliance, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and many more, all stood together for a common goal. They stood in front of the UN building, on a day created so many years ago to push this harmful prohibition agenda.

It is not about making drugs more accessible. It is not about encouraging the use of harmful hard narcotics. It is about basic human rights, compassion and caring. And I look forward to the future, with far more hope now. Because the world needs more understanding, more love and the decency to do what is right for another person. And I am so happy the rest of the world finally got the memo.

Preserving gaming history

As I was playing Assassin's Creed Unity; I could not stop thinking how great it would be to play the last gen games from the series. Then it hit me, the last generation we had over 20 games from the past generation ported over; and with the recent release of the Halo Master Chief Collection, it really occurred to me, that there are a ton of games from last generation that deserves that treatment. We have seen a few already with Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Grand Theft Auto 5, and The Last Of Us.

I can think of at least 15 games deserving an HD remaster, but at the same time, I can see how some would see these releases as an uninspired cash grab. Still, at the same time there are so many new gamers, that it would be a shame for them to lose out on some of the best experiences of the past generation. However, that is not the only reason HD remasters are a good idea; unlike any other medium, games are lost once a console is obsolete. While many gamers do keep a collection of games; why is it that older games are not moved over to the new hardware, there are some cases where they are, but those are the exception, not the rule.

When film moved from VHS to DVD, it was not just a few older films that moved to DVD; When they went from DVD to Blu-ray, older films were brought along too. Why is it that gaming is the only entertainment medium that does not preserve its history? One reason that the Master Chief Collection impressed me so much, is that it preserves a vital part of gaming history. You do not have to like Halo, but it is impossible to deny the impact it had on the industry. The same could be said for Call Of Duty Modern Warfare, Grand Theft Auto 4, Gears Of War or Uncharted.

As a gamer it would be great to relive some of those old memories, but I feel that it is even more important to preserve our history. While that may sound cheesy or even stupid; gaming is a major part of our culture, and it deserves to be preserved in the same way we preserve any other meaningful memory.