Are gamers responsible for the lack of innovation?

There's a problem with the games industry, and that is the lack of innovation. There's a whole lot of rehashing of old mechanics going on, and I feel like we gamers are partly to blame. We continue to crave our favorite brands, and developers are more than happy to deliver. I think we as gamers need to expand our horizons, we need to step outside of our comfort zone and require more innovative gameplay and story telling.

If all gamers require is the standard FPS, that is all we are going to get. How can we expect an advancement in the industry when we continue to demand the games that hold us back? I, like everyone else enjoy a good FPS, but I don't enjoy the same brand year after year, in a different setting. We are essentially giving developers a free pass to remake the same title, put it in a different setting, and re-tool an old gameplay mechanic. They aren't required or given the chance to innovate, and frankly I can't blame them for not trying. We keep shoveling them our dollars and expect only visual overhauls and new guns in return.

Publishers and developers want more brand loyalty from gamers. While I think thats a great thing to shoot for, I also think it stifles the industry. If a brand (i.e Mass Effect, Assassins Creed) are doing things that drive the industry forward in terms of gameplay and narrative, I'm all for supporting them. I think though that devs and publishers take brand loyalty for granted. If Call of Duty sells 10 million copies day one, that tells the developer “Hey, we love this, make another one, and make it prettier. Oh, and we want it as soon as possible.” Unfortunately for us gamers, they are happy to deliver on those demands.

I sincerely hope things change in the future. There is no reason for us to be playing games that employ mechanics and narrative techniques we've seen in the past. I've heard the argument “We've done everything, all that is left is rehashing the same mechanics”. I find that offensive, and so should developers. The games industry has a distinct advantage over other entertainment mediums, and that is feedback. We get to interact with our games, you can't do that with movies or books. There is, and should be no limit to what is possible in videogames.

So from now on I am challenging developers. I am challenging them to use their creative abilities to innovate and move the industry forward. If it means taking feedback from fans, and other outside influences, then do it. Having the same minds couped up together doesn't lead to innovation and forward thinking. Sometimes you need inspiration, and a fresh face or opinion to think outside the box.

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Robert Grimmick

June 26, 2010

I think part of the lack of innovation comes from the consumers, and part of it from the publishers' perception of the consumers.

When a developer really runs outside the box with something, there's a much higher chance of things going wrong. Genres like the standard FPS, RPG, etc. are well established and developers know what works and what doesn't. When you step outside that, there's a lot that could go wrong in the implementation.

Take Mirror's Edge as an example. The idea was certainly innovative, but the execution just fell short. A lot of gamers don't really feel like shelling out $60 for a sub-par execution, and so DICE and EA didn't see any financial reward for the innovation. Gaming is a big business, and when a single title can make or break a publisher, there's a lot of hesitation to sink money into something that's untried.

Tim Larkin

July 04, 2010

FPSs are not the problem. They're actually the leaders in innovation. The problem is nostalgia for old-school Japanese games like Final Fantasy or Street Fighter. Another problem is seen in games like God of War and Heavy Rain. I thought QTEs were a sin? (I guess it depends what console the QTEs are being used. I seem to remember Shenmue being blasted for have a few QTEs.)

The reason why FPS is popular is the realism. They are as close to real life as you can get on a console. You aim, you shoot, and the bullet travels exactly like real life. The camera is another factor. You control the view and can see things up close. Now we see the FPS evolving with more story like Bioshock.