Blogalongabond 4: Thunderball

Ink My Gaming Words

If you're not into videogaming, you should probably stop reading right about now.

 


Words 'n' shit, innit?



Still here? Hi. Christ, have you washed lately? Just kidding, you smell fine. No, I always wear a gas mark, what's your point exactly? Anyway, this is just a short, now slightly-dated, humour-free email I fired off to PSM3  - my favourite PlayStation-specific periodical - that they were good enough to publish. Still not Star Letter mind, and it's my second printed. I'll have that free game one day I will. Oh yes, then you'll see.

Anyway, take it away Miles from the recent past...



R.I.P

"Bye bye Bizarre Creations. In music terms, gaming is the indie genre at the heights of its Britpop stage; huge levels of public success, but with unrealistically massive expectations for every subsequent band signed that said populism entails. The COD’s, FIFA’s and the GTA’s might have the critical and financial momentum to drive gaming to the popular media but in its wake leaves publishers demanding similar returns for every title released, not allowing for the fact that the bigger games are the exceptional sellers, not the norm’.



Shooty shooty yawny shooty



Consequently, we’re left with heavy investment in generic pastiches of existing franchises (ahem, Medal of Honour)  - a steady glut of the familiar, solid and unexceptional - and a marketing budget-starvation for smaller games sent out to die by disinterested publishers (Mirror’s Edge, Blur etc). Or, as we’ve seen in now departed Guitar Hero’s case, a brand ran into the ground with game after game that should have been DLC, rather than physical releases. There simply aren’t enough gamers to sustain a consistently saturated market. It’s elementary maths, not business studies.

And of the future? I’ve no idea, I’m a square-eyed finger-waggling polygon-blaster, not Robert bloody Peston. All I do know is that as creativity and risk-taking suffer so too does the job market of the developers and ultimately, choice for the gamers. We gamers vote with our wallets and I vote for variety, not bland uniformity. Who’s with me?"

 



Me.

Not me.





Next time: more swears.

Disclaimer. Miles does not write for PSM3 Magazine, though would like to. Although in order to achieve this, would have to make at least some sort of cursory effort.