I mean, honestly. You’ve been saying for a while now that 1) developers tend to like making games that please themselves, and 2) gaming has gone ridiculously far into the cinematic gaming era (which was supposed to be over by now, right?). And these friggin quotes prove it!
“If we felt like we could deliver the cinematic experience we were going for on other platforms, then we would gladly move to that platform,” said Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling. “Right now, we don’t think the Wii can deliver the exact experience that we’re doing. We like to be very equal across all platforms, and if it’s not equal then we won’t do it.”
“Infinity Ward, Bowling says, makes Call of Duty games because the studio has fun doing them. “And when it stops being fun, we’ll move onto something else.” And that something else probably won’t be on the Wii.”
Now what’s healthier for this industry? A company that makes games to please itself, or a company that makes games to please the customers? I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that developers make games to please themselves, or the fact that developers openly admit to doing so.
I don’t think this is a case of that. When you think of “Game Industry”, think ‘Pavlovian Machine’.
These Infinity Ward guys are making lots of money. They are making so much that other game developers wish to be like them. Note that they do not wish to be Infinity Ward because consumers like them or anything like that. No, they are envious of the money.
While Activision is trying to spin the lack of dedicated servers to be ‘a small price for greater consumer experience’ (which is laughable and no one is buying that line), we all know the lack of dedicated servers is to line up all the customers so they can get hit by DLC offerings. In other words, a Pavlovian machine.
There are game developers out there who view gaming as nothing more than a Pavlovian exercise. Do X and get reward Y. Ring the bell, the dog slobbers.
DLC cannot be done on the Wii. THIS is why they don’t like it. DLC, I mean by Modern Warfare 2’s standards. There just isn’t the space for it on the Wii. In fact, most of the “Game Industry” Pavlovian Machine cannot be exercised on the Wii. The Wii prevents them from selling the same game but in “HD graphics”. They hate it.
So our benevolent and wise “Game Industry” decided to create a “Casual Game Industry” (i.e. another Pavlovian Wheel) to rope in Wii consumers. These are the ‘Birdman’ games. To their horror, the Expanded Audience will not accept the Pavlovian Wheel type tactics. The Expanded Audience cannot be hyped, will not buy DLC, will not be wowed by graphics, and the “Casual Game Industry” (as defined as a Pavlovian Wheel) has crashed and burned.
What I am deliriously happy about is the situation with dedicated servers and Modern Warfare 2. I am not happy that they are being removed. But I am happy that our hardcore friends are waking up to realize that they are being seen as nothing more than tools. Hardcore gaming is nothing more than a marketing invention to extract more revenue from the same consumers. “Are you a hardcore? Then buy this limited edition! Buy DLC for a hardcore experience!” etc.
Activision has to be worried about these woken-up PC gamers. They are spreading seeds of realization everywhere, even to console gamers. This could begin a long line of dominoes as more and more gamers turn against Activision.
Activision, along with Infinity Ward, are not interested in making the best GAME. They are interested in making the best INDUSTRY. Note how all the ‘greater consumer experience’ is defined only in taking away previous features or the consumers paying more money. A better customer experience translates to always more consumer control.
This is why I use the term ‘Pavlovian Wheel’ instead of ‘revenue hungry’ or ‘greed’. If these companies were so greedy, why do their games price drop so fast? They are like zombies following out of date business books. Dropping the price so fast you can really see them spin that Pavlovian Wheel around. And it is why they never, ever allow greater consumer control over the product.
From their perspective, the product is supposed to control you, not the other way around.