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The Video Game Industry’s New Year Resolutions
Tuesday evening, december 27th, “Druide” bar, Berlin, Germany. The video game industry and I have a couple of beers and a good talk. We know each other for a long time, had good moments and not so good ones together. Talking about this and that, about the fun we had and the arguments, we drank more and the evening turned into night.
And as you do in the final week of december we talked new year’s resolutions. A transcript of our conversation…
Anjin:
So… any new year’s resolutions?
Video Game Industry:
Yeah. Plenty, actually. There are a couple of things, I think need to happen.
Anjin:
Alright, interesting. Care to tell me what you’re planning?
Video Game Industry:
Well, yah. Where to start… Okay, here are some hopes for next year. No particular order.
I’am rethinking pricing policy for AAA titles… You know, 60$, man, that’s harsh.
Anjin:
Okay, neat. I of course am with you on that. Who wouldn’t be? But games are expensive to make.
Video Game Industry:
Yeah, they are expensive to produce… but the actual disc is as cheap to ship as any DVD… downloads even cheaper.
But let’s say I cut the price in half. 30$. So people could buy twice as much games for the same amount of money. This means more happy game owners, more potential DLC buyers, more people waiting for a sequel, more fans buying merch, less need for used game buys, less need for piracy…
I haven’t calculated this through though and it would take quite some time to have publishers adjust, I guess.
Anjin:
If it is not one super anticipated game, I always wait a couple of months, till the price drops significantly, before I buy it. 30$ would be a nice incentive to buy early.
Video Game Industry:
Exactly. I still would sell 60$ games too, but special editions only. There are always gamers appreciating the value of a nicely produced box or a clever bonus feature. Anyway, I also wanna have some social games, that are cool.
Anjin:
Whoops, that’s one weird switching of subjects here.
Video Game Industry:
Hey, I said “no particular order”. Social games can be a fulfilling experience if not done just to push people to buy virtual goods. And it can be a great way to get people involved in important issues. Make it happen.
Anjin:
I’m on it. But first a new round of beer. (a quick signal to the barkeep and the bottles were sliding our way)
Video Game Industry:
Music to my ears.
Anjin:
What else?
Video Game Industry:
Oh, uhm,… Games for current motion controls and the upcoming Nintendo console, that do more than just exploit the interface gimmick. Decent gameplay, immersion, grand adventure. I’m so fed up with all the half assed mini-game collections I’m pooping out…
Anjin:
(nodding) Oh, I feel you man. It’s so weird to have a Zelda game deliver, when the console basically is on its way out.
Video Game Industry:
Then I want to stop treating indie games like some sort of amateur branch. I mean there are quite some amateurs there, but damn, look at the success indie games had this year. How good some of them look, how addictive they were, how well they sold. And still the guys from the major publishers consider themselves to be the big boys club and the indies to be the guys outside, standing in line.
Anjin:
Yeah, but I think this will settle all by itself. Due to the many ways of easy distribution nowadays, indie games will do just fine. There is no need to look up to major publishers anymore. No worries.
Video Game Industry:
I will also pass a few laws. Not real laws, but you know, stuff I don’t wanna see anymore. Certain gamers and game makers sometimes are an embarrassment for me.
Anjin:
(laughing) For example?
Video Game Industry:
Misogyny. Duke Nukem was not just bad it was beyond tasteless. Rape is not funny, period. Homophobia. The way most of the community reacted to some man on man love in Dragon Age 2 was painful. Some dudes like to do it with dudes, and yeah in your games too, get over it.
Anjin:
I’m looking forward to male commander Shepard’s exploits into same sex relationships and am quite curious what the reactions will be there. Maybe you need more studios like Bioware pushing for that kind of content. So it becomes more common in games.
Video Game Industry:
Yeah, on both issues. I’m quite proud of Bioware’s depiction of female characters in Dragon Age 2. Next, Capcom. Releasing follow up games to their fighting games, which make the first iterations completely obsolete, forcing gamers to buy content twice instead of using DLC to bolster the game… not cool. On my list too.
Anjin:
Can I suggest something? How about Dark Souls or that overblown Dead Island trailer? Wouldn’t it be nice to have gamers in general have better standards than hyping this stuff?
Video Game Industry:
Argh, shut up, you snob. I’ve read your opinion pieces and you overrate your view on things. Entertainment products are about entertaining people. And if a game or trailer is popular, it has done its job fairly well. No matter what your precious standards say, you can’t argue with popularity.
Anjin:
Sure I can!
Video Game Industry:
Okay, but you’d lose.
Anjin:
…
Video Game Industry:
Next beer is on me.
Anjin:
Hey, but that “your mother will hate it” marketing for EA’s Dead Space 2 really was not okay.
Video Game Industry:
No, Yes. That one was fucking bullcrap. Well, enough about me. What are your resolutions?
Anjin:
Stop smoking.
Video Game Industry:
huh? But you don’t smoke anyway.
Anjin:
See? Already a winner.
Video Game Industry:
Typical. Happy New Year, fella.
Anjin:
Happy New Year.
Cheers.
Best one in a while, both for original style and good points. Well done mate!
Thanks for the rescue…. words fixed. :)
nice article,
you spelled buy wrong 2 times.
“So people could by twice as much games for the same amount of money”
“forcing gamers to by content twice instead of using DLC to bolster the game”