Originality In Gaming: An Observation Of The Industry Today

DualShockers writes, "Right now if you were to ask me which game I thought would win game of the year 2010 my response would probably be a sequel of some kind. Things have become quite banal in games as of late. Personally, it seems like we just see one big shooter after another, with various tidbits of unique titles here and there. It’s the middle of July, meaning there are less days left in 2010 than there are days that have gone by. What fresh noteworthy game has come this year? As difficult as it might be, try to limit your response to non-sequel games also. You may find that the pickings are quite slim. For perspective, let’s reflect on what made 2009 a great year in gaming and explore whether or not there is still hope for the rest of this year...."

[Hitman0769]

This is a great piece which really outlines what we need more of in this industry, a focus on art and a focus OFF money.

The sequels and rehashes will not lead us in good directions because the truth is more than half of the time the fans like the original better. All of these companies that refuse to put out new ideas are really just shooting themselves in the foot and then wondering why it stings when they walk. Sure sales are nice, but do they really want to sacrifice the hard-earned loyalist fans and the respect of the industry for dollar signs? Don't let greed consume this beautiful art medium...

[JoelT]

a great piece! Unfortunately sequels, rehashes, and reboots have been around as long as the industry.

[pippoppow]

The problem is fear. The prospect of developing a new game with little to no return has scared most in the industry. Why take a risk when a good game with shooting mechanics, racer, open world GTA style game or sports game will usually sell over a million easy. I believe it is the reason for less genres and more sequels.

Although ultimately gamers are at fault, the media is culpable due to not informing their audience properly. Negative news is hardly ever talked about, is glossed over or laughed about instead of being heavy scrutinized. Also good news about lower budget games are hardly heard about and are forgotten, the games that usually are the most artistic and original. This all leads to ignorance and low sales of good original titles.

It is a tricky balance. Devs need to come out with popular games to stay afloat but also need to take risks here and there for varieties sake at the least and maybe hit that jackpot in sales due to gamers craving a new experience.

I think most Devs should have different levels of games. Small budget downloadable titles along with The $1-5mil games and then the big bockbuster titles. The lower budget titles could be more artistic and creative while the big blockbusters can just be lots of high tech eye candy with lots of fx. Going all out all the time with high budgets could be disastrous, especially relying heavily on sequels and rehashes.

[booni3]

@ jon
100% agree.
i feel like this year is a blatant and shocking representation of where the industry is headed. its a very scary thought: in 2012 will we see any new IPs? or will it all be sequels, rehashes and shooters? im not sure how to answer, heres to hoping it gets better and not worse.

[Ninferno]

To be fair, we have seen plenty of new IPs, but they all feel like the same game.

[Hitman0769]

Feels like we are being dumped on with more sequels and remakes than ever in my opinion.

[Non_sequitur]

Some fans feel comfortable in buying the familiar. Fear in trying new or different things holds back gamers and ultimately the industry.

[meiamsome]

To me it all just seems like the same stuff is thrown out by developers with a different title slamed on it. I want unique game interfaces and fun new ways to play games.

[Hitman0769]

I completely agree.

[Chadness]

Heavy Rain attempted this and largely succeeded in my opinion. One of the more unique titles this year.

[pippoppow]

Agree. HR, VC, Demons Souls and some others are examples of trying something a little different. We need more games like these and not generic flashy shooters.

[Chadness]

I think sequels are alright, but you need a happy medium. I love supporting new IPs. Sometimes I think support for these new franchises is the problem, because gamers are generally rightfully skeptical.

I'm a big RPG fan, so looking to the past we see new IPs like Lost Odyssey and The World Ends With You that gained critical acclaim but didn't sell very well, probably because people just didn't want to place their money in a risky situation. What if they were horrible?

I think that mentality needs to change, but I can understand why it doesn't. Perhaps if new, unproven IPs reduced their retail price to $40 or even $50, it might be incentive enough for gamers to go out on a limb and we would see more of these great new ideas floating around. (They need to take a hint from Atlus, who released a great $40 PS3 game this year, which you forgot to include in your original IPs for 2010 - 3D Dot Game Heroes.)

[pippoppow]

Good idea about selling new IPs at a discount or making it a lower budget game. Variety in all it's forms is needed.

[oldjadedgamer]

It's almost like the people running the show in entertainment are out of ideas. From movies to videogames, it's all about remakes and sequels. In both industries its seems like there a only a few devs/writers/etc that continue to bring out new bold flavors.

In times like these, I would like to see the big dogs turn to the smaller, indie community to see what they are up to. I wouldn't mind them giving a smaller team a change to produced a AAA game.

[iceman06]

It's that the people with the money don't want to take chances. I am sure that there are plenty of new, original ideas out there. However, if they are not guaranteed to print money then chances are they won't see the light of day. It's based on an old and tried formula. Tell the people what they want. Give it to them. Make them feel like they got all they want. Give them more of the same. Rinse and repeat. It's worked with the music industry and the movie industry. Now, it has finally reared it's ugly head in the video game industry. It's all about cashing in...whether it be the newest, hottest trend like motion control or the popularity of the FPS. Until someone actually takes that chance, and is hugely successful, we are doomed to the mediocrity of repetition.

[booni3]

thats real talk brohuffman.
if anything, the most innovation has come from the downloadable titles thus far.

[oldjadedgamer]

I really feel that innovation and new ideas are out there. They just get swept away by the big dogs because they didn't think of it first.

Give the best indie company the resources to build an AAA title and I think everyone will be amazed.

[jashmister]

Indie Dev and innovation reminds me of World of Goo

[telekineticmantis]

Some games deserve sequels or need them to display the potential that the franchise has. Though the industry is getting heavy on sequels and we are starting to see lots of unoriginality, but there are some devs and publishers that produce us with fresh experiences. I think they should be praised more, and as consumers we should support them. I personally love to have a diverse library. Ican't play the same types of game all years.

[BeaArthur]

Developers and publishers will go with what works. A proven IP is a safer bet than a new one.

[dinkeldinkse]

If developers with established IPs would take breaks between games in that series and make a new, different IP and then go back to the established IP. I think in the long run, that would help get rid of the ridiculous amount of sequels and end up making the sequels much better games.

[Monteblanco]

The blame is in ourselves, the gamers. Considering how much stable is the sequel sales and how uncertain is the introduction of new IPs, I cannot blame publishers to do sequel after sequel -- although I blame them to do it in a such fast pace that banalize the games or to significantly drop the quality in many cases. We asked for high definition graphics. Now we have it. However, the cost of producing a AAA title increased so much that publishers cannot afford to be original more than often. If we want more original productions, we should look to the cradle, games with low cost production cycles. I am pretty sure we will find more creativity in iPhone games than in the mainstream market, even if we have to look in the middle of thousands of shovelware apps.

[dizzleK]

with all due respect, look at what gets the hype in the gaming media: killzone 3, halo reach, infamous 2, lbp 2, cod 7, a medal of honor rehash, etc.

the gaming media could be doing their part and exposing us to these original games but they're not. they're quietly released, have a 7 slapped on them and are quickly shoved from the front page due to breaking modern warfare news.

reviewers could also do their part by not obscenely overrating these sequels. maybe some of the sequel fever would die down if something like cod actually got the 7s it actually deserves and not an overrated 9.5.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

Plenty of fresh gaming experiences exist,they just fail to generate the amount of marketing hype that the big mainstream franchises garner and are often overlooked.Some succeed eventually,like LBP and DS but who wants LBP when one can shoot his way into Valhalla on the COD horse.....
It isn't that gaming lacks originality per se,rather the gamer.When something 'original' appears....it is immediately swept aside by a billion marionettes lining up to purchase the next COD or Halo.This will change but not overnight. :)
Support it and it will grow and prosper.