The industry crashed back then largely because there were too many shitty games and no real industry-focused journalism to report on the quality of anything.
I think having too many shitty games is real, but we have plenty of insight to know that a lot of the shittiest games are the ones made by the industry giants.
I agree that there have been some absolute stinkers from the big companies. That’s definitely a conversation worth having but I can relate to the main conceit of the article that there’s just a growing mountain of games on my wishlist and backlog that I’m sure I would enjoy but can’t imagine how I would play all of them without ignoring every one of my responsibilities for weeks if not months while also ignoring every new one that releases
Except this line of reasoning is empty and it will only ever be wielded by games journalism and large gaming companies to convince you to adopt the streaming model of gaming where you don’t ever buy any games. They will make you feel like you are being so much less wasteful, because oooooooh think of the horrorable backlog of unplayed games you would have owned otherwise!?!?!!
The thing is, who cares if you never play all the video games you buy? Video games are art for fucks sake, it is ok to buy them because you love artists even if it doesn’t materially change your life, you can still be happy about having collected the work of art, ESPECIALLY when it is in digital form.
I am so tired of this “my backlog is too big crap”, nobody cares, great you have a big backlog stop going along with the narrative that we need to “spotify” gaming to solve this “problem”.
That’s not my point at all, I actually agree with most of your comment. I buy games to enjoy them and I wish I had the time to enjoy them. Of course I won’t be able to play every game or any other media for that matter but can I not lament that? I want to experience the hard work and creativity that people have poured hours of their lives into but there isn’t enough time of day. I think the point of the article and my comments are that there are artists making amazing games but because there’s so much of it they are not getting recognized
Totally understandable. But apply the same thought to books, TV, movies, art, etc.
There’s no way to indulge in everything. It’s only a problem from the business side, as it takes more and more effort to stand out and sell something. It’s not really a problem for the consumer.
Most of last year’s Steam games went undiscovered and unplayed by the majority of users. But a surprising number were received quite well. Of the 1,431 games released last year that garnered more than 500 reviews — an indication that they were played by at least a few thousand people — more than 260 were rated positively by 90% or more of the players. More than 800 scored 80% or better.
In other words, this isn’t like the 1980s, when the US gaming market crashed due to a flood of poorly made products. Today, there are too many video games, and many of them are great.
Today’s titles are also competing not just with the new games released every year but with countless old “service” games designed to keep people playing forever. The three most-played games on Steam are almost always Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds, all multiplayer games that have been around for years. Some of the other biggest games in the world, such as League of Legends and the top titles on Roblox, would be alongside them if they were on Steam.
Are we back in 1983?
The industry crashed back then largely because there were too many shitty games and no real industry-focused journalism to report on the quality of anything.
I think having too many shitty games is real, but we have plenty of insight to know that a lot of the shittiest games are the ones made by the industry giants.
Did you read the article? It directly addresses your question
My rhetorical question of being back in time…? 🤨
Mea culpa, haven’t had coffee yet.
I agree that there have been some absolute stinkers from the big companies. That’s definitely a conversation worth having but I can relate to the main conceit of the article that there’s just a growing mountain of games on my wishlist and backlog that I’m sure I would enjoy but can’t imagine how I would play all of them without ignoring every one of my responsibilities for weeks if not months while also ignoring every new one that releases
Except this line of reasoning is empty and it will only ever be wielded by games journalism and large gaming companies to convince you to adopt the streaming model of gaming where you don’t ever buy any games. They will make you feel like you are being so much less wasteful, because oooooooh think of the horrorable backlog of unplayed games you would have owned otherwise!?!?!!
The thing is, who cares if you never play all the video games you buy? Video games are art for fucks sake, it is ok to buy them because you love artists even if it doesn’t materially change your life, you can still be happy about having collected the work of art, ESPECIALLY when it is in digital form.
I am so tired of this “my backlog is too big crap”, nobody cares, great you have a big backlog stop going along with the narrative that we need to “spotify” gaming to solve this “problem”.
That’s not my point at all, I actually agree with most of your comment. I buy games to enjoy them and I wish I had the time to enjoy them. Of course I won’t be able to play every game or any other media for that matter but can I not lament that? I want to experience the hard work and creativity that people have poured hours of their lives into but there isn’t enough time of day. I think the point of the article and my comments are that there are artists making amazing games but because there’s so much of it they are not getting recognized
Totally understandable. But apply the same thought to books, TV, movies, art, etc.
There’s no way to indulge in everything. It’s only a problem from the business side, as it takes more and more effort to stand out and sell something. It’s not really a problem for the consumer.
FTA