Why You Won't Be Playing Video Games in Ten Years

Why You Won't Be Playing Video Games in Ten Years

Why You Won%u2019t Be Playing Video Games in Ten Years: Industry insight from an industry outsider

Yep, that%u2019s right %u2013 and it won%u2019t be because you%u2019re busy with %u2018more important stuff%u2019 (which you won%u2019t be, anyway).
After nearly two decades of gaming, I can say I%u2019ve witnessed many things: vectors, the glory of bit processors, the rise, fall, and reincarnation of Atari, system wars resolved with fistfights, HD, CDs, arcades galore, and the magnificent cultural effect of it all. We all have our own ideas of nostalgia, but something about our industry right now just feels so unfamiliar.
Anybody who offers a glance between generations will tell you the most significant change has always been graphics. It%u2019s expected, isn%u2019t it? Let%u2019s face it: The surge in popularity occurring after the PSX -- that landmark period when so many new people took interest in gaming -- was due to enhanced graphics. Take <ct:Italic>Doom 3<ct:>. It seemed the game was featured more times in non-gaming magazines than gaming ones %u2013 but only for its impressive visuals.
In the past few years we%u2019ve seen other additives: physics, storyline, and AI. Elements which amount to greater realism. But does greater realism mean less game? At a time when industry profile is at a record high, industry creativity is cowering in a corner, afraid to make a move. Lately, innovation is motivated by a demand for more realism; technology is a safer gimmick than new ideas, after all.
Nintendo, once king of the medium in our country, is now struggling. Sure, they manage to appeal to many eastern players, but to the typical demographic statistic, Nintendo %u201Cis for little kids.%u201D
None of this would be a problem if not for one truth: Instead of games influencing the culture, it%u2019s the other way around. Except it%u2019s the money, not the dedication of the fans, that%u2019s doing the influencing. If hardcore fans aren%u2019t the most profitable, it doesn%u2019t matter how hardcore they are; their favorite franchises are being cut to build budget for the next game based on a movie based on a comic-book. So if we%u2019re forsaking our Toejams, Bubs, and Eccos, what are we approaching?
Several industry pundits have said that, soon, we most likely won%u2019t be calling this medium %u201Cvideo games.%u201D Some believe the term is obsolete already. %u201CFully-immersive entertainment%u201D was one suggestion.
Challenge has already been replaced by hours of play. Dialogue is considered %u201Csomething compelling.%u201D You%u2019d think the competition in games would ignite the popularity of cyberathlete leagues, but single-player is still enough for the spendthrift casual-gamer demographic. As we pawn all our fantasy for realism, will a typical piece of %u201Cimmersive entertainment%u201D be a soap opera sim? Or for the adventurous, Metal Gear Cubicle?
Maybe it won%u2019t be that bad, but gaming is now well into the mainstream, my friends, and don%u2019t be surprised if G4TV becomes the MTV of video games. How about a reality TV show about a Nintendo groupie, a Microsoft %u2018fanboy%u2019, and a Sony cultist all living in the same house? Be careful with what you%u2019re buying; at this rate, it could happen.