Do you think we will see a 2nd video game crash?

[GKDAIR]

If one looks at what was happening in 1983, and looks at what's happening now in 2013, it's pretty scary how similar they are.

I fully believe another crash is coming.

This video also argues a strong case for it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZxXEidtxHk


What are your thoughts on the matter.

[CodingGenesis]

This video has already been posted here. One can never say for sure, only time can and will tell, but to share my thoughts on that, the least I can say is I think another video game crash might be possible.

[Sonikku]

It is inevitable. As for when, I could not say. Not all of it is the industries' fault, there's simply nothing you can do about other entertainment industries rising in the form of netflix/smart phones and ipads. There's more forms of entertainment competing for your dollar than ever and gaming developers are left battling for space in an ever shrinking sized pie. It doesn't help that ever since the economy meltdown people have less disposable income to spend on their hobbies either. But the industry does do some things that are very much in their ballpark that only seem to hasten their demise. Shipping out unfinished products with the belief that you can always patch later turns off a lot of fans to a franchise. But developers these days are so desperate to keep cranking out the titles at lightning speed to survive that they can't see their own desperation is diminishing their own long term longevity.

[Let's Get Sweaty]

Second? There have been at least eighteen, apparently.

[GKDAIR]

I agree, it seems like 90% of triple AAA titles coming out now are yearly releases, and I feel smothered.


It will all lead to another crash because consumers just can't keep up. I just bought AC3 2 weeks ago, and the very next day, AC4 was announced. Are you kidding me?


I cannot stand EA. I am a buddhist, so I don't try to hate anything, but EA comes mighty close. They are just...they are just awful. If Shenmue 3 was released by EA, dare I say, I wouldn't ever finish the series because of it.

[Bambi]

Second? There have been at least eighteen, apparently.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXDo4dL7SU[/youtube]

[Samanosuke Akechi]

As long as companies don't learn from the past,they will keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

[ys]

But the industry does do some things that are very much in their ballpark that only seem to hasten their demise. Shipping out unfinished products with the belief that you can always patch later turns off a lot of fans to a franchise. But developers these days are so desperate to keep cranking out the titles at lightning speed to survive that they can't see their own desperation is diminishing their own long term longevity.

People have been talking about this for a while and it wouldn't surprise me if it happens quite soon. Some series just have a new game out and immediately after you get an advertisement for the next one in the series. It was refreshing to read a recent statement from Rockstar that they don't want to release a new Grand Theft Auto every two years to keep quality and avoid oversaturating the customer.

I thought about this a week ago after reading a preview of the PS4 in a paper. The journalist was going on and on about how boring it was. My first reaction was that he sounded a bit too jaded. But it also got me thinking that maybe the industry had gotten too mainstream for its own good. To the point where business is the only driving factor instead of a balance between profit and creativity. I read a book recently about the crisis in some science fields because of the same reasons : it got too businesslike resulting in much less room for creativity. Excessive streamlining to fit into a business format forced people to follow certain trends if they want to keep their careers. The conclusion was that there needs to be a mix of risk and playing it safe. I found that this also applied to the gaming industry.

[white lotus]

I've been thinking of this over the years, especially in this current generation of consoles. I was just looking at an old EGM from 1999, in fact, the very first video game magazine I ever owned and flipping through it, it felt so hopefully, so fun, so new and exciting. This was just before the launch of the Dreamcast and I knew I wanted one. I got it and it quickly became my favorite system of all time.

Then Sega died.

I heard that news and I knew my childhood was over. My heart broke that day and in terms of gaming, I've never been the same. The only thing that really REALLY got me excited after that was JSRF and Shenmue 2X on Xbox, but I was already broken. I think today's games are complete garbage. The developers and gaming console manufacturers have lost their charm.

Sony, who was once great really lost their charm, but I believe that PS4 will be better than PS3. I think they are the most traditional of the three companies right now. They have to be. Their in 3rd place in the US and their financial situation is pretty bad. They cater to the more mature, traditional, niche gamer because need to. Microsoft did really well with the original Xbox. I loved that. They got greedy with the 360 and I know their greed will grow with the 720 or whatever it's going to be called. Nintendo really died for me after the N64 and especially after the Gamecube. I remember the day I stopped liking Nintendo. I was playing the Wii and something felt...off. Like a part of me died. I wanted to like the Wii. I really did. Like Sega, Nintendo lost their way. Each iteration of their franchises has gotten more stale and the Wii U just looks...I don't know...not interesting. I don't give a shit about what anyone says. Nintendo now runs of pure nostalgia from their hardcore hipster fan base and controller gimmicks.

What I feel now is a bit of despair in the gaming industry. It might not go through a crash, but as video game sales slow down, developers will take even more less risks and they will cater more to the mainstream to stay afloat. The western developers will bloom while eventually the Japanese developers will start closing up shop, especially with Japan as a whole on the decline. I think after PS4, 720 and Wii U, a lot of gamers and gaming enthusiasts will just slowly disappear. People will grow up and move on with tablets and phones. Its happening, and even Nintendo couldn't secure the casual crowd for the Wii U. Next in line on the chopping block will be the hardcore gamer.

I hope for a crash. The industry deserves it. I hope it will one day be born again, renewed with life. If Shenmue 3 gets announced and actually comes out, I might have faith in the industry, but for now I consider myself an "ex-gamer" or "former-gamer". I hope for a day when a video game makes me feel emotions like Shenmue and Shenmue 2 did. Nothing will ever touch those two experiences for me. They are forever burned into my soul as memories of when life was good and so was gaming.

I am sorry for being so pessimistic, but I'm a realist. Let's have one last hurrah as gaming goes down the drain. A toast before the ship begins filling with water. Good luck, it's a hard world out there.