There are a lot of times I look at the current games market and I am appalled at the almost tongue in cheek sequel machine guns that dominate the industry. With all of the day 1 DLC’s, pay to win microtransactions, and sloppy sequels that sell faster then Shake Weights – it’s understandable why I might feel so solemn.
However in my fortunate position with a keen eye on what hops, steps, and jumps through the industry I’m seeing more games that are less like games at all. I am talking about games like Dear Esther – the only form of interaction was just walking around. This would not have been a reality 20 years ago, were predominant forms of gaming was still in arcade machines – there would have been absolutely no room for Dear Esther next to Space Invaders or even Time Crisis. For a couple of bucks, I know exactly which of the two I will choose.
But that’s just indie games, let’s have a look at a few bigger titles: FarCry 3. This had some very similar elements to it, the night club scenes, running around in the caves searching for mushrooms – the lulls in the constant roar of danger and action. These lulls don’t exist in Doom 3, or the original Quakes. We all saw how FarCry 3 took the world by storm when it launched. So what does this all say?
It’s not not the industry that is growing up, it’s the gamers. We are taking ourselves seriously, and we are taking the industry seriously. We’ve kicked, screamed, shouted, and cried – and we’ve been heard. As the Australians say
“Onya, Mate.” (Translated: Good on you, Mate)
What do you mean I’m not a kid anymore? I WANT MY HAPPY MEAL!
#Teddyman_AG
