Truth or Skepticism: The Risks of the Classic Gaming Industry
Maybe you’ve ever had to wear your siblings’ old clothes? Or maybe you imitated their behavior and interests? If the answer is yes, then you understand the relationship between such siblings as the world of classic games and the world of crypto games. So similar, yet so different… We already lovingly scolded the younger sibling in the first part of this article, and now it’s time to scold and praise the older one!
Criticism of Fi
It may seem strange, but the financial side of the issue is just as relevant for classic games as it is for their young GameFi sibling. If you look at the numbers, the sales turnover is quite impressive, although the Fi part never found its place in the gaming industry. But wait, what are people paying for?
- Buy the game! Pre-order, buy the DLC, buy a subscription, buy the remake, and if you missed it, wait for the sale! Yes, developers create content and want money for it. But lately, they’ve been sucking penny after penny in the most unscrupulous manner.
- Battlepass. This model is already well established and deeply rooted in gamedev. Season Pass — free version with extremely limited number of rewards. The paid version, on the other hand, will shower you with them. But if the player buys a Season Pass, they will be forced to keep playing the game and be as active as possible during the season.
- Cosmetics. No comment, the devil himself is envious of developers making tons of money on yet another recolor (the cosmetic effect of a game item is simply a color change). And, no kidding, this is probably the most honest kind of monetization.
- Pay-to-Win. Yup, those kinds of mechanics are still alive and not going to die anytime soon. Much-loved and well-known freemium! There are far fewer games now that allow this, but the recent Diablo scandal is smiling and waving its gilded hand at us.
- Loot boxes, sweet loot boxes. Another form of gambling. Unfortunately, it is also very common in GameFi.
- Hardware. Yeah, yeah, big sibling has taken a big step forward in terms of graphics, and with it, the requirements for PC hardware specs. So, feel free to empty your wallets, otherwise you won’t be able to play! Oh, and the RTX 4060 graphics card will need its own room…
Traditional games also require investment in hardware and content as well as time, and there is still no guarantee of quality. Refunds, alas, are not always possible. Thus, the risk is still the same, because the gamer may be left with expensive equipment, a huge library of games and an equally huge disappointment. So, surprise, surprise: in “non-commercial” games there is not less, but even more commerce.
Of course, there are positive aspects as well. Players’ finances are put on the back burner, leaving the principle of entertainment unchanged, not allowing the lust for profit to turn a potentially enjoyable experience into yet another attempt to stuff pockets with cash.
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On the other hand, money rules the world, and both siblings of the game industry understand that. We see games the way the Marketing Department sees them. That is why every year new sequels of successful franchises, remasters, remakes and other Call Of Duty 9999s are announced.
Criticism of Game
As time goes on, things get boring. The release of a good movie used to be a big deal, but now no one seems to care anymore. The allure of novelty is fading, and games are also becoming a thing of the past. The plot twists are getting old-fashioned. Of course, eye-catching novelties still attract attention, but the excitement is no longer the same. Yup, my point is that there is also a crisis of ideas in the game industry.
Which of the recent hits managed to stay on the radar for a long time? The original indie Stray, the hardcore Dark Souls, and another Resident Evil from which only the name remains. Оh! And everyone probably remembers the failed GTA remakes! And, well, that’s it — alas, no more interesting news.
Fundamentally new mechanics or genres — a phenomenon that is beyond belief. The innovation of new games is only in the growing system requirements and higher price tags. Indie games were expected to stop the stagnation, but even the release of the luxurious Hellblade did not affect the picture as a whole. VR was “promising” and remains so to this day, because there are still not so many VR games. Marketers continue to argue that there is no need to break a working mechanism, because if the franchise “machine” drives and brings money, then let it be! A focus on mobile games and simplification to satisfy the mass consumer — this is the motto of gamdev yesterday, today and probably tomorrow, too.
And suddenly the younger sibling sneaks onto the main stage. A fundamentally new approach, new bright ideas — the younger sibling already has all this, the only thing left is to learn how to do it as high quality as the older one. The main thing — do not repeat the fate of the older sibling, no one wants to see another Axie Infinity remake or StepN on Unreal Engine 5 with 1000 sequels.
Final Thoughts
Here we are, gossiping about classic gamedev. Each of the siblings wants the lion’s share of the profits, but each in its own way. All we have to do is stock up on popcorn, place our bets and wait for the big news. In what direction the siblings will go this time, one can only guess. Given the recent news agenda, I think there’s every chance of seeing a joint performance, and it’s a sight you definitely don’t want to miss!
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