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The state of games

Ah, gaming; it’s been a prominent part of my life since I was about 7 years old and continues to be at the ripe old age of 21. To me, there’s nothing like coming home after work or school and turning on a videogame to unwind a bit before bed. 

Even as I continue to enjoy games today, I can’t seem to get rid of the pit of worry in my stomach about the current direction of the gaming industry. (As a game design major, I think about these things quite a lot.)

A good number of game publishers and developers seem to be putting profit ahead of the quality of the game. Money should be made, of course, but there are so many games that are over-advertised, over-hyped or announced with pre-order bonuses and paid downloadable content (DLC) before the game is even shown to potential players.

Advertising is a large part of the budget used to develop many of the games published today – without advertising, the game will just collect dust on Wal-Mart shelves. However, many ads for games tout pre-order bonuses and DLC before the game is even shown to consumers or make the game out to be much more than it is (throwing shade at you, “Watch Dogs”).

Don’t get me wrong, DLC is great for games – it keeps much of the content fresh. But today, it seems like the base games offer less and less, while there’s more and more DLC to purchase and pre-order bonuses are so minor that it isn’t worth paying $60 before the game is even released (have I mentioned how expensive gaming is as a hobby?).

Another trend that’s becoming more common is the remastering of older titles for new gaming consoles. Many developers are taking classic games and improving graphics, doing some bug-fixing and adding content, then re-releasing the game as a “remaster.”

I think this is a pretty cool idea, but in some cases, not so much. “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare”, a game from 2007, is getting the remaster treatment: updated graphics, improved gameplay and a lot of other fancy enhancements. But there’s one catch: in order to get the shiny remaster of the Call of Duty favorite, you have to purchase the newest Call of Duty title, “Infinite Warfare.”

Purchasing that new title won’t be a problem for some, but the game’s trailer hasn’t exactly gotten favorable reviews from many older fans of the series. If you don’t believe me, look it up on YouTube; the trailer has more than 3.2 million down-votes, compared to about 540,000 up-votes.

Just let that sink in.

It’s awesome that an old favorite has been remastered, but it’s not so awesome that the only way to get it is to purchase a game no one in the gaming community seems to want. It’s like the publisher, Activision, knows its new game won’t be able to top some of the previous titles in the series. 

There seems to be more and more examples of these events occurring in the gaming industry as time goes on. Unsatisfying games and a bucket-load of DLC won’t be the end of the gaming industry, but I feel like they can highlight some of the issues that currently plague it.

Insert Pink Floyd’s hit “Money” here.

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