[geeks] nVidia 8800GT for Apple Mac Pro

[Shannon Hendrix]

On May 23, 2008, at 21:24 , Nadine Miller wrote:

>> Because console game are marketed primarily to people who want  
>> instant action satisfaction, shallow stories, and guided on-rails  
>> game play.
>
> I disagree with that.

You are free to do that... :)

Me, I look at the games on the shelves and that's primarily what I  
see.  Maybe gamers want more, I believe a lot of them do judging from  
conversations I have with them all the time, but the marketing  
departments clearly don't get see it.

> There are multiple ways to look at the gaming market, and I think  
> the way that console game marketing looks at gamer is based on "hard  
> core" vs "casual" gamers.  The majority of game sales are made off  
> of the hard core market that has certain expectations about game  
> dynamics, tropes, and difficulty levels.

If that's true, then why are the majority of the games on the shelf  
nearly the opposite?

>> Personally, I don't see why they do that.  A game should be  
>> designed to be a good game first and foremost.
>
> You have a misunderstanding of the business of games.  A game is  
> designed to be sold; if it is a good game on top of that, then  
> that's a bonus.

No, I don't misunderstand at all.  I'm very well aware of how it works.

I also am very well aware that it is broken.  A lot of the game  
industry has no idea what people want, and survive mainly because  
there are enough instant-gratification sales to keep them alive, for  
awhile anyway.

Some have even openly admitted they have no idea what gamers really  
want and/or they got it totally wrong.

The most successful games long-term are precisely those which are not  
dumbed down, shallow entertainment, but a lot of industry players  
still can't seem to get that through their heads.

I think that the game industry *believes* they are designing the game  
to be sold, but are failing to understand that short-term sales focus  
is hurting them, and not providing what a lot of players want.

> This is why so much moeny has been dumped into MMO's; the companies  
> reap more ROI from them due to monthly billing--gaming becomes a  
> service instead of a one-time payment.

There is also the fact that this means they don't have to spend the  
money on a good story, which is often as expensive and even harder  
than the pretty pictures.

> There are some games like that.  For instance, I've never seen a PC  
> game with the "alignment" system like that of Fable (well, OK, they  
> ported Fable to the PC, but it was XBOX first).  Gladius (console  
> only AFAIK) is a strategy which is comparable to X-Com, IMO.

Um... nearly ever PC RPG has an alignment system and has for 15 years.

> One of the big constraints with console games is the need for first  
> party testing and approval of games to get the console logo on them.

...and the inability to easily modify them, which can limit their  
sales to short periods.

PC games have frequently been on sale for 5 years or more.

Anyway, I am happy to see more gamers starting to ask for more  
involved games, and a lot of people are starting to realize that the  
online games are often an excuse to milk them and avoid paying for  
good writers.

I personally find a lot of the online games boring, because the base  
story sucks, and at the same time there is no real method in place for  
the players to weave their own.

A lot of people seem to like it, but it gets really old after awhile  
to me.

The other issue is gamers are getting tired of being unpaid beta  
testers, particularly in the USA.

In fact, that's the drive behind the new "Gothic 4" game coming out.   
The previous developers have been fired, and a primary focus is on  
long-term play, mods, and reliability.

At least, that's what the company says they are trying to do.

Bethesda is hardly perfect, but they did a good job with Oblivion,  
even with the console dumbing down.  Their main flaw is in not  
releasing enough tools to make it easy for third party expansions.

A wish of mine:

A game engine that runs for many years, where the "world" just keeps  
expanding.  New engines released are compatible with the world  
description, even if it means staying at a certain graphics level.

For example, I'd be perfectly happy with Oblivion level graphics for  
the next 5 years, if I could see the world gradually expand.

Hard sell, I know...




-- 
"Where some they sell their dreams for small desires."