State of the video game industry

[Beau Knows]

To me game streaming comes off as one of laziest forms of media out there.

I'm sure someone out there is doing something that isn't as bad as the typical over the top reaction stuff that is on the front pages of those sites. But if I want to hear someone's thoughts about a game I'd rather they put some effort into editing an actual video that gets to the point, instead of just live streaming the game and hoping that something worthwhile comes from it.

I'm also uncomfortable with the parasocial relationships that people fall into with streamers, the way some people talk about them it's like they actually think they are their friends.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think my general view is that I'll defend the concept/potential of it and what it ideally can be, but what it usually is/what's popular is definitely aggressively obnoxious and creepy.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

To me game streaming comes off as one of laziest forms of media out there.

I'm sure someone out there is doing something that isn't as bad as the typical over the top reaction stuff that is on the front pages of those sites. But if I want to hear someone's thoughts about a game I'd rather they put some effort into editing an actual video that gets to the point, instead of just live streaming the game and hoping that something worthwhile comes from it.

I'm also uncomfortable with the parasocial relationships that people fall into with streamers, the way some people talk about them it's like they actually think they are their friends.

I really don't understand the appeal of watching a stream live. Like if I was watching to get better at a game I would rather be able to click through a recorded video.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I work in the industry. The best comparison is actually the movie industry.

The best movies (at least for me personally) are low budget movie with great story telling, good character build up along with emotions. These movies are masterpiece and they make decent revenues BUT they don't make much money at the box office, at least not much as they deserve and a lot of people would rather watch them on their own television than watching them on the big screen.

On the other end, you have the blockbusters (Marvel/Star Wars/Fast and Furious/James Bond/Disney) these movies are money maker. They bring huge crowds and so many people watch them in Theatre. They make billions of dollars even though the story line and charcter build up are EXTREMELY repetitive and not original.

That is the samething with the video game industry. For every big innovative new AAA IP that bring crowd there are 10+ more huge failures, that lose tons of money. Therefore, the video games business just focus on consolidating their brands and make sure they appease their fanbase while taking little risk.

Don't get surprised to only see new Call of Duty or GTA with more micro transactions than ever. They are cash cow and their fans will purchase the games even when they are crap. Investing significant sum of money for no name project could literally kill the video game studio. Even Activision figured that out when they sold to Microsoft. The video game industry is saturated and taking risk with new AAA IP put your company at risk of going out of business. Yes, even big studios cannot risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

I do believe to reverse that trend you would need casual gamers to look outside the box and try to discover new games instead of only purchasing the games they only know about like CoD and GTA but that is wishful thinking.

 

[John Price]

A stream's no more of a waste of time than a podcast, director's commentary, or reading a discussion on a message board like this one, really. Count me in as someone who thinks watching people appreciate, interpret, and give their impressions on things can be just as interesting as seeing the thing itself (hell, it's why I enjoy this place). They're essentially like extended in-depth reviews.

The typical gimmicky degenerate popular rage streamer with an attitude problem is definitely pretty insufferable, but some streamers are legitimately insightful, charismatic, and witty personalities with interesting perspectives on videogames (I'm a fan of Kyle Bosman from Easy Allies, for example).

streamers like Angry Joe are irritating but other streamers like Teep and symfuhny are pretty good. Streams are also good for exposing a game, when you see them play it you may want to join in

 

[John Price]

To me game streaming comes off as one of laziest forms of media out there.

I'm sure someone out there is doing something that isn't as bad as the typical over the top reaction stuff that is on the front pages of those sites. But if I want to hear someone's thoughts about a game I'd rather they put some effort into editing an actual video that gets to the point, instead of just live streaming the game and hoping that something worthwhile comes from it.

I'm also uncomfortable with the parasocial relationships that people fall into with streamers, the way some people talk about them it's like they actually think they are their friends.

the commentary for youtube videos can get irritating, which is why I almost always focus on non-commentary gameplay. That said, some Lost Ark commentary is sharp, especially when they point out what builds and spells to use. "Lost Ark Paladin guide."

What sucks is the videos "WHY THIS GAME SUCKS" with guys like Angry Joe who are paid to just ramble on and make angry rants that draw attention and eyeballs

 

[Sniper99]

I really don't understand the appeal of watching a stream live. Like if I was watching to get better at a game I would rather be able to click through a recorded video.

7-8 years ago i was visiting my friend in Toronto and we were in his apartment he was watching a streamer play some game i knew nothing of, i thought to myself, "this is the dumbest shit ever" didnt really tell that to my friend, to each his own I guess,

5-6 years ago my friend was streaming Dark Souls on twitch, that game is slow AF for me to watch but wanted to hangout in his chat etc. He logged off his stream, I thought to myself, well what else games are on here that people stream, I was actually surprised people streamed sports games like MLB The Show NHL etc. I spent an hour watching a couple different mlb the show streamers we chatted about baseball and I learned more about the players and teams etc by chatting with them while they streamed, I thought that was pretty cool, as really my focus was just on the Jays and not the rest of thee league and players.

Im STILL to this day watching these same streamers stream the show etc. Hell I even mod for 3 of them.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

the commentary for youtube videos can get irritating, which is why I almost always focus on non-commentary gameplay. That said, some Lost Ark commentary is sharp, especially when they point out what builds and spells to use. "Lost Ark Paladin guide."

What sucks is the videos "WHY THIS GAME SUCKS" with guys like Angry Joe who are paid to just ramble on and make angry rants that draw attention and eyeballs

That's just what sells. News always gets more views when it's negative. It's a shame but it's how most people are. And I say that as someone who typically enjoys Angry Joe's videos.

 

[Shareefruck]

^ Either that or overly fanatical, hype-fanning Youtubers with almost cult-like positivity. Equally annoying, IMO.

I work in the industry. The best comparison is actually the movie industry.

....

True for most creative industries, really.

 

[Panthaz89]

That's just what sells. News always gets more views when it's negative. It's a shame but it's how most people are. And I say that as someone who typically enjoys Angry Joe's videos.

As negative as he is the amount of negative press he gives to absolute shitty game practices like Ultimate team and lootboxes in paid games is sure a god send along with calling out all those stupid fake box opening videos on youtube. Its always funny to see him shit on Madden every year like it deserves.

 

[MMC]

It's been 8 months since I made this thread, and when I originally made it, despite being displeased with where the industry was at, I was really excited about both Starfield and Tears of the Kingdom. Both have since been delayed to next year, and I honestly cannot remember the last year there was not a single video game release that had me excited. Anyone else not really excited about any 2022 release?

 

[John Price]

We were told to wait until holiday 2022 for anything good, but still nothing good is on the horizon. I guess GoW if you like that stuff, but I've not played a single one of those games.

Hogwarts Legacy is good, but they keep pushing it back. Until then I'll continue to grind my freemium games until something good is available

 

[Panthaz89]

It's been 8 months since I made this thread, and when I originally made it, despite being displeased with where the industry was at, I was really excited about both Starfield and Tears of the Kingdom. Both have since been delayed to next year, and I honestly cannot remember the last year there was not a single video game release that had me excited. Anyone else not really excited about any 2022 release?

Mount and Blade Bannerlord officially comes out late October leaving early access if you want to count it but I guess its not that famous of a title.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

It's been 8 months since I made this thread, and when I originally made it, despite being displeased with where the industry was at, I was really excited about both Starfield and Tears of the Kingdom. Both have since been delayed to next year, and I honestly cannot remember the last year there was not a single video game release that had me excited. Anyone else not really excited about any 2022 release?

For the rest of the year it’s mostly smaller scale stuff like Plague Tale: Requiem and High on Life. A slower year like this has really made me realize how I really prefer the smaller games. Elden Ring was 70 hours for me, but I can only do one of those games maybe once a year at most. Starfield will be the next one.

Some games are just unnecessarily large with bloat and a possible reason for some delays.

 

[Unholy Diver]

We were told to wait until holiday 2022 for anything good, but still nothing good is on the horizon. I guess GoW if you like that stuff, but I've not played a single one of those games.

Hogwarts Legacy is good, but they keep pushing it back. Until then I'll continue to grind my freemium games until something good is available

I hadn't played the previous GOW games, and picked up the 2018 release and enjoyed it quite a bit, I think it's worth a go

As for me, I am looking forward to Ragnarok, and previously was pretty interested or eagerly awaiting Dying Light 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and enjoyed Tiny Tina's wonderlands a good bit as well

 

[pistolpete11]

This is an honest question.

How many 'good' games need to come out in a year for it to be a 'good' year?

I'm relatively new to gaming. Most of the games I have been playing are 3+ years old anyway, so I haven't exactly been in short supply of good games to try.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

This is an honest question.

How many 'good' games need to come out in a year for it to be a 'good' year?

I'm relatively new to gaming. Most of the games I have been playing are 3+ years old anyway, so I haven't exactly been in short supply of good games to try.

This question made me feel old, cause I remember 2007 like it was yesterday. That year had banger after banger, and if you were a fan of shooters then boy oh boy were you in for a treat.

 

[Mikeaveli]

Video games are one of my primary hobbies and this is my list of new game purchases for this year:

Elden Ring
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
NHL 23 (maybe)

That's pretty pathetic lol. 2023 will have quite a few new games I'm interested in given they aren't delayed (Starfield, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Hogwarts Legacy, Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Baldur's Gate 3).

 

[pistolpete11]

This question made me feel old, cause I remember 2007 like it was yesterday. That year had banger after banger, and if you were a fan of shooters then boy oh boy were you in for a treat.

I'm still old. I just didn't play video games other than the NHL games and some CoD.

 

[Shareefruck]

Another piece of business kills art news pretty relevant to this thread's attitude. Disco Elysium's a masterpiece, IMO.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

It's been 8 months since I made this thread, and when I originally made it, despite being displeased with where the industry was at, I was really excited about both Starfield and Tears of the Kingdom. Both have since been delayed to next year, and I honestly cannot remember the last year there was not a single video game release that had me excited. Anyone else not really excited about any 2022 release?

Same boat for me.

The only new release I got this year was Elden Ring, and I wasn't even able to get into it. I've mostly been re-playing some of my favorite classics and streaming games here and there.

My favorite game I've played this year was probably Myst and that game came out in 1993, lol

 

[Rodgerwilco]

To me game streaming comes off as one of laziest forms of media out there.

I'm sure someone out there is doing something that isn't as bad as the typical over the top reaction stuff that is on the front pages of those sites. But if I want to hear someone's thoughts about a game I'd rather they put some effort into editing an actual video that gets to the point, instead of just live streaming the game and hoping that something worthwhile comes from it.

I'm also uncomfortable with the parasocial relationships that people fall into with streamers, the way some people talk about them it's like they actually think they are their friends.

I think that this is probably the worst part about streaming culture. Especially when you sit down and look at the shear number of internet streamers who turn out to be absolute dog-shit people.

There are two streamers that I follow regularly and support financially, but it's because I really support the work they do (one is an in-depth Fantasy Football channel and the other is a predator-catching channel). But I am always careful to keep the fact that these people are not my friends, I do not know them personally, and they are possibly not very good people.

 

[Cubs2024WSChamps]

I'm also uncomfortable with the parasocial relationships that people fall into with streamers, the way some people talk about them it's like they actually think they are their friends.

It’s the same thing with YouTubers.

Streaming within the meta verse is the next evolution of social media.

When they make a camera small enough to put on one’s forehead or re-innovative Google Glass everyone will be going about their lives and streaming at the same time.

And everyone will be watching it.

Streaming video games was what opened the door. You invested money into a generation that now thinks streaming yourself is normal.

Not trying to go full blown conspiracy theorist, but when you take something that’s done by kids, video games, and desensitize having a camera on watching you, then promote the money streamers make, your doing something to that audiences mind.

Just wait, in five years you’ll get pulled over and asked by the cop why your camera wasn’t on and that’s why you got pulled over.

 

[MMC]

Playing Multiversus and Overwatch 2 recently, I can’t state enough how much I absolutely loathe the fact that the dumbass “Battle Pass” system has made its way into every f***ing game now. One of my biggest gripes with where we’re at. Multiversus has skins that cost $20 IRL, and idiots for some reason still shill out for some corny cosmetic in a mediocre game. What the f***.

 

[Ceremony]

There are more video games being made right now, available now, on a wider range of platforms than ever and in a limitless amount of genres. If you're complaining about playing free to play competitive games, maybe look a bit harder for something to play.