Opinion Piece- Is the AAA game industry boring?
Video games have become boring. It's a valid argument people could make about many sections of the industry but especially the AAA section of it. Sure, we all love a bombastic action game occasionally, but maybe we want more from our games. Unfortunately, more is not what we're getting given.
Some people will instantly reject the idea that indie games are often superior to AAA games because they're "pretentious and wanky" to quote a friend of mine. In fairness, this can often be a very accurate summary. Indie games are the art films of the game industry but that's why they get the respect they do. While AAA games love retreading the old formulas that will make money but often be boring, indie games are willing to try something new and attempt new gameplay mechanics, ways of telling stories or look pretty in a way that doesn't mean five new engines and eight orphans were sacrificed for shadow textures. It's the difference between throwing money at a problem and throwing time and effort at a problem.
Another reason that AAA games are so bland is the pricing. This may sound like a small complaint but let me elaborate. If you buy a AAA game, it'll be around £50 every single time. However, if you buy an indie game, it can cost you anything from £1 to £30. Yes, this is often due to game length and production value but that isn't the point. The point is that every AAA game is £50 because they can get away with it, they never try anything new which stifles the creativity of the industry. Some of the best AAA outings over the last few years have been downloadable releases at reduced prices. It meant that the developers could experiment, be crazy and ultimately, make an incredible game, games like Far Cry: Blood Dragon or Undead Nightmare.
But the real kicker for AAA games is that they have constant sequels, to a similar degree that Hollywood does. Indie games are considered to be such a breath of fresh air because they are often standalone games. You turn up, play the game, enjoy yourself and then your commitment is over. With AAA games, as soon as something is popular, it's going to get milked like the village cow in a drought. Case in point, before Watch Dogs even came out last year, there was an announcement about it's sequel. This game was a totally new IP. With Assassins creed, it get's even worse. Barely two weeks after the most recent one came out, screens were leaked for the sequel. That's pretty damn atrocious, especially considering how broken and poorly made, the two week old game was.
I have been pretty harsh on AAA games here, I'll admit that. But I'm harsh on them because when they work, they really work. But when they don't work, they are some of the most heinous pieces of trash on the market. AAA games can be great, but they so often aren't and they can get dull and totally abuse our trust. We trust them for a reason and I want to love them again but I can't. So yeah, the AAA game industry has got kind of boring, but no one wants that.
Some people will instantly reject the idea that indie games are often superior to AAA games because they're "pretentious and wanky" to quote a friend of mine. In fairness, this can often be a very accurate summary. Indie games are the art films of the game industry but that's why they get the respect they do. While AAA games love retreading the old formulas that will make money but often be boring, indie games are willing to try something new and attempt new gameplay mechanics, ways of telling stories or look pretty in a way that doesn't mean five new engines and eight orphans were sacrificed for shadow textures. It's the difference between throwing money at a problem and throwing time and effort at a problem.
Another reason that AAA games are so bland is the pricing. This may sound like a small complaint but let me elaborate. If you buy a AAA game, it'll be around £50 every single time. However, if you buy an indie game, it can cost you anything from £1 to £30. Yes, this is often due to game length and production value but that isn't the point. The point is that every AAA game is £50 because they can get away with it, they never try anything new which stifles the creativity of the industry. Some of the best AAA outings over the last few years have been downloadable releases at reduced prices. It meant that the developers could experiment, be crazy and ultimately, make an incredible game, games like Far Cry: Blood Dragon or Undead Nightmare.
But the real kicker for AAA games is that they have constant sequels, to a similar degree that Hollywood does. Indie games are considered to be such a breath of fresh air because they are often standalone games. You turn up, play the game, enjoy yourself and then your commitment is over. With AAA games, as soon as something is popular, it's going to get milked like the village cow in a drought. Case in point, before Watch Dogs even came out last year, there was an announcement about it's sequel. This game was a totally new IP. With Assassins creed, it get's even worse. Barely two weeks after the most recent one came out, screens were leaked for the sequel. That's pretty damn atrocious, especially considering how broken and poorly made, the two week old game was.
I have been pretty harsh on AAA games here, I'll admit that. But I'm harsh on them because when they work, they really work. But when they don't work, they are some of the most heinous pieces of trash on the market. AAA games can be great, but they so often aren't and they can get dull and totally abuse our trust. We trust them for a reason and I want to love them again but I can't. So yeah, the AAA game industry has got kind of boring, but no one wants that.
Comments
Post a Comment