The Fickle Nature of the Videogame Industry
Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad, other things just make you swear and curse, when you’re chewing life’s gristle, don’t grumble, give a whistle and this’ll help things turn out for the best...
Whether it’s lacklustre E3 showings, unfulfilled promises, constant SKU changes, being a launch day adopter of the PAL N64 and then being stung by Nintendo slashing the price by £100 one month later, too many sequels and modern reimagining’s of games we didn’t like in the first place, too few sequels and modern reimagining’s of games we loved, the lack of simultaneous world-wide launches, PAL game delays or total absentees, the disappearance of Sega as a hardware manufacturer, Nintendo’s old direction, Nintendo’s new direction, the videogames as art debate, the videogames as toys debate, the price of gaming, the lack of a plot, too much plot and, worthy of a special mention, rabid, fanboys and ungrateful, cynical, gamers alike... It sometimes seems as though the entire industry is set to disappoint.
The Gaming Industry – for not making a next-generation action game that allows me to control a guy with a jet pack (preferably in a 1950’s setting) who has to fight giant robots. - James
And yet...
Despite all of the disappointments on display both here and in episode one of this piece, we still partake of this pastime and get so much from it. We still buy the software and the hardware, we still read about the inner workings of the industry in print and online, we still discuss the merits and flaws of a company, console or software release and we still wile away hours on end playing through our favourite retro classics and modern day masterpieces. Gaming as a hobby can be frustrating, unreasonable and crushingly disappointing. It can also be rewarding, compelling and ‘you-wouldn’t-believe-what-just-happened’ exciting.
That, however, is a whole other piece...
The current generation - Why do all 3 consoles have to have great games on them? I can’t afford to buy each of them and it saddens me to choose between Sackboy and Banjo. - YoshiKart64
Thanks to all that shared their tales of woe with us, I’m off to play some games.
