COLUMN: Gaming 101
The video game industry is an ever evolving commodity. Each generation of consoles is powered by newer and newer technology, delivering a vastly different experience. Change is good – but it’s not without its drawbacks.
When I close my eyes and reminisce of the good old days of gaming, I’m reminded of a time when technology coexisted peacefully with games. There wasn’t any fuss or mess. Playing a game was as simple as pushing a cartridge into your favorite console.
Regretfully, gamers today are being mistreated to an entirely different experience. Read on as I analyze the good, the bad and the ugly of video games in the 21st century.
The good – The Internet undoubtedly makes this the golden age of gaming. If someone told me six years ago I could rent movies, surf the Web, download games and chat with friends, all without putting down a gaming controller, I would have said, “Yeah, right.”
Furthermore, I remember when I was young, I had to buy gaming magazines just to play game demos and read about quirky Japanese titles. Now I can do both of those things by simply connecting a console to the Internet.
But it doesn’t just stop with game demos. Indie developed and arcade games are more readily available than ever because of online services available on all three major consoles.
The bad – Technology isn’t free. I wish it was, but it’s not. Technology in part has raised the average price of game consoles above $200 and online services are creating new fees.
High-definition TVs and cords, hard drives, headsets and keyboards also aren’t free. Gaming in the 21st century is becoming a huge expense for those seeking a complete experience. “But it comes with a Blu-ray player,” is a valid point, but it doesn’t decrease the price tag any.
Also, developers have found a great new way to get more money from consumers; it’s called downloadable content. It’s nice having a product constantly being supported with new characters and weapons, but is it really an “extra” feature when it’s often being sold the same day as a game’s release?
There’s no delicate way to put this – gamers are being ripped off. It’s one thing to have additional content released a year later, but on the same day – that’s just unethical.
The ugly – When consumers spend money, they have certain expectations. For example, if I rent a movie, I have expectations that it won’t skip. Or if I go to Taco Bell, I expect my order will be correct.
Somewhere down the road, gamers’ expectations diminished. Now when I buy a new game, I expect to sit and wait while a 20 minute mandatory install progresses. Or in order for the game to work properly, I’m subjected to a patch update.
Since when was it ever OK to buy a broken product? It’s as if developers are using the Internet as an excuse to release games before they should be. The “we can always patch it later” mentality is overused and not acceptable.
I’d wager at least once a month, a new game I buy can’t function properly without a patch update. Sometimes the mistakes that need patching can be so detrimental that the game’s basic functions are sacrificed.
Such was the case with the recent release of Penny Arcade Episode 2 on the PlayStation 3. The game’s save files were corrupt upon purchasing, rendering all previously saved data useless.
I wish that developers were more honest and ethical, but the sad reality is – quantity over quality is very real. When it comes down to deadlines, gamers are paying the price.
–tim.russell@aggiemail.usu.edu