Valley of the Dying Stars

by Xavier Brase

At the most recent Game Developers Conference (GDC), a discussion erupted regarding the future of the gaming industry. Originally starting on a weblog by Greg Costik, Warren Spector (of Deus Ex and System Shock fame) quickly joined in, defending the stance he had adopted at the GDC. One claims the industry is a practice in futility, he other says it's a practice in engineering. Yet, between the two assertions of Costik and Spector lies the most possible (and the most enjoyable) line of reality.

Costik spoke ill of the atmosphere at the GDC; it was, "fundamentally, one of despair." The publishers which rely solely on software to make money are all encountering financial difficulties (with the exception of EA); the only ones making significant cash are the manufacturers: Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. With less money coming in from games sales as more is pumped into development, publishers are naturally becoming unwilling to publish new and innovative titles (unless they have a big name backing them). Thus, we're given games like Final Fantasy X-2 and Airport Tycoon. We laugh at the jokes on Penny Arcade about stuff like Tycoon Tycoon and cry when we even hear the words Final Fantasy X-3.

Costik claimed that an independent publisher is very much needed in this business, to avoid sequels to trequels. The GDC does offer ways out of these cubbyholes: classes on Self-Publishing on the Internet and the Independent Game Festival. The classes are packed, the IGF's floor is swamped. The demo machines are rocking from morning to last call. Yet when the hangover hits you, and the sunlight comes, you read the fact: "… no IGF title has ever gone on to major publication and success." So why all this frantic demoing? Why running around, learning how to get your stuff on the Internet? Well, the Internet is the world's greatest independent publisher. The only problem is getting noticed; it's about as hard as getting into the entertainment industry. You need to make a few friends on big websites, and then beat them until they allow you to put on whatever you want.

Spector acknowledged that the industry is becoming repetitive, and that as game designer's they are often given tasks like making a Scooby-Doo game, or the next Tycoon. Not being a game designer, I can only relate this to being assigned to write a paper about Hamlet in college - you did it a million times in high school, and now you have to do it yet again, on now-dull material. Warren claims as designers, it's their duty to take whatever game they are assigned, and make it the most innovative as they can. Take that Scooby-Doo game. Sure, it's on a dumb subject. But you could make the gameplay so immersive, or so fun that even adults would want to play (to keep the market large and economically viable). Mario did it. Zelda, too. The only difference is Scooby-Doo has a 35-year old history. Now, if you can make a successful Scooby-Doo game, the publishers may be more likely to let you work on something more interesting, possibly of even your own creation.

These are effectively the words he spoke at the GDC. A number of designers talked to him after, thanking him for the words of encouragement. Many of them felt their games had been pointless and lackluster, but they were intrigued by making each game, even if it's a franchise, as good as it can be. On a side note, this is why I'm dying for Final Fantasy XII - it seems to be one of the coolest and most innovative Fantasy games in a number of years. The director is a brilliant man (of Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story fame), and can create cinematic-styled games with loads of gameplay. I'm sure his second work in the Final Fantasy series will rock me - and you. But I digress.

The video game industry should take a cue from the music industry (surprisingly) - and also the movie industry. The latter two industries both spew out a lot of nonsense (music: Avril, Good Charlotte, Fabulous, etc.; movies: Just Married, Stealing Harvard) but they also make quality, and the flailing video game industry should follow this path (and it partially does, already). Set up sets of games that are bound to succeed: Final Fantasy, Command and Conquer, so on. Then, on the side, have the innovative new games that turn into hits, like Animal Crossing and Halo. The video game industry is quite young, and while it's achieved massive popularity, it's still shifting into this pattern, of producing the big sellers with the quality. Instead of being in the times of when video games - all of them - were risky, there are now video games that will sell blindly. If the industry follows this pattern, at least successful business models will rise in the shaky companies, and the industry will become stable. Then, we can work on amazing games; yet until the industry brings in money on regular titles, the publishers will be unwilling to fund the new games of the future.