Why is AAA gaming dying a slow death? Any ideas?

[FuNb0Y86]

I hear it said all the time now. "I play more indie games more and more. Screw AAA." Sometimes people add, "...they're all the same." I have some thoughts on this stagnation. A lot of it has to do with companies taking safe aproaches to making their games instead of experimentation -- which should be the norm in an artistic genre like creating a video game. Sadly, new ideas can come at a high cost in the AAA world. So, we see independant companies more and more these days with titles that offer unique experiences because they can afford it.

However, these experiences are not always up to par with most AAA graphics and technical expertise, and while they offer a great experience for their price, a great many of indie games are side-scrolling, platformers. I believe that the hunger to experiment in video games is being overshadowed by the desire to make as much money as possible as quick as possible; as cliche as it is to say out loud as it is to type or write, I am going to type it -- greed is killing video games.

Eight years old is when I started playing video games. I will be 34 this year, and I have not lost my appetite for gaming. Although my appetite is here, it is a hunger that is not easy to sate because it seems like I have seen everything, played everything. I say this because for the last 15 years I feel that gaming has only offered a repeat or reinvention of the wheel on every genre made so far. Flight sims, fighting games, first person shooters, RPGs, platformers and their 3d counterparts, the action adventure game, RTS, and every other derivitive of them.

To say I am not easily impressed is an understatement. Perhaps I am too old to play games, and maybe they do not do for me what they used to because of this -- does this mean there is a limit to what games can do? Have I truly seen everything gaming has to offer, and have I truly played the best that AAA gaming has to offer?

Why do I continually see remakes of the same games. and I am not talking about the HD remixes, etc. I am talking about those games that take the very same game play, and grind it up, and serve it back to us like it was something new. Take Square-Enix for example. The Final Fantasy game has remained largely unchanged since Final Fantasy 7. FF7 was a great game, and it is still a joy to play, but I would like to play a JRPG that does not mimick it in any way. I would also like to play a CRPG that does not mimick Baldur's Gate or Knights of the Old Republic or World of Warcraft. Oh, World of Warcraft has been hacked up and served to us through more than one genre. Look at borderlands; that game is rife with WoW elements such as talent specs, quests that take you nowhere, but they function to give experience and upgrades so that the best way to proceed is to camp a zone and quest till you get over the hump for the next area. Okay, that is typical RPG gaming you might say, and I hear you loud and clear, but my resounding displeasure is that the formula should change, and it is simply not changing; moreover, this type of stagnation has hit nearly every other genre of AAA gaming out there.

[Tux]

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

引用自 supertrooper225：

Do you say the same thing when you are about to watch a movie or read a book? "Is it better than a movie I have seen in the past"? Just gotta shut that part of your brain down and experience new stuff. Developers make the best story that they think will fit into their game. Sometimes it is good....sometimes it is Far Cry 3 (AKA: WTF? Awesome game though).

OMG I ACTUALLY HAVE!!!! I totally didnt even think of that. Not often but sometimes I actively think right in the middle of a movie that this would be a great setting for a game. Or a game sequil to this in an expanded story would be AWESOME!

I get that in fantacy and sci-fi stuff. Dont mystake that for me wanted movie games though... oh god those almost always suck.

I think my point is getting thru I think you guys just disagree with me.

I have yet seen a story in a game that isnt basically just bland at best and I know why that it is.
thus, for me when its story time its time to kick back on the bed and watch a movie, not play a game

[supertrooper225]

引用自 Tux：

引用自 supertrooper225：

Do you say the same thing when you are about to watch a movie or read a book? "Is it better than a movie I have seen in the past"? Just gotta shut that part of your brain down and experience new stuff. Developers make the best story that they think will fit into their game. Sometimes it is good....sometimes it is Far Cry 3 (AKA: WTF? Awesome game though).

yes actually I do.

but regardless I think the point is that pretty much ALL movies, TV and books are as good as or better than a story based game (well the story in the game part) and there are reasons for that but regardless I would love to have a conversation about a story based game one things is a 'good' story because the ones that have been pointed to me thus far as actually not good stories

Bioshock has the type of Video Game story that simply cannot be replicated in other forms of entertainment to the same degree. I am struggling to come up with another one right now but there are quite a few. Great stories in games are just like great stories in TV or movies.....they are the exception...not the norm.

[Tahl]

Bioware games. Then try Deus Ex, vampire the masquer... type in vampire to steam store and yeah. ^_^ Im dyslexic so forgive the spelling, or lack of.

Side scrolling indie games also get raved about -often- for having good stories.

... I know Im missing something big but If I cant think of it Ill mention it l8er.

[Tux]

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

Bioware games. Then try Deus Ex, vampire the masquer... type in vampire to steam store and yeah. ^_^ Im dyslexic so forgive the spelling, or lack of.

Side scrolling indie games also get raved about -often- for having good stories.

... I know Im missing something big but If I cant think of it Ill mention it l8er.

I heard that the Last of Us is supposed to be a good story but in reality the plot is fairly predictable and ok as a story rather than ground breaking.

What I think is that you guys dont know of or watch any good TV shows or movies so your comparision is all wacked...

that is what I thihnk

[supertrooper225]

引用自 Tux：

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

Bioware games. Then try Deus Ex, vampire the masquer... type in vampire to steam store and yeah. ^_^ Im dyslexic so forgive the spelling, or lack of.

Side scrolling indie games also get raved about -often- for having good stories.

... I know Im missing something big but If I cant think of it Ill mention it l8er.

I heard that the Last of Us is supposed to be a good story but in reality the plot is fairly predictable and ok as a story rather than ground breaking.

What I think is that you guys dont know of or watch any good TV shows or movies so your comparision is all wacked...

that is what I thihnk

The Last of Us is more of a blockbuster story than anything truly novel, it is just acted very well. I have definitely seen some good movies and TV and no game equals The Godfather or anything like that. But they don't really need to. I know what good stories are and games do have them. Ssying that none of us have watched any good movies or TV is "all wacked". You just have to open your mind and you will find games with some decent stories.

[Tahl]

^ I didnt mention movies. Oh god that list would go on for days. My fav movie is probly 'The Book of Eli'. Thats tied for number one with Serenity.
Ill leave it there as aposed to a list.

[Tux]

I just read an article on this subject with a view I completely agree with.

the best stories can be told because they have your complete attention and they are guiding you thru the exprerience.

Player freedom and story are almost complete opposites by definition. The better the story the les control the player has, the better the game the more control the player has an the story suffers.

This is why I feel games are a terrible place to try and craft a story to your audience.

[supertrooper225]

引用自 Tux：

I just read an article on this subject with a view I completely agree with.

the best stories can be told because they have your complete attention and they are guiding you thru the exprerience.

Player freedom and story are almost complete opposites by definition. The better the story the les control the player has, the better the game the more control the player has an the story suffers.

This is why I feel games are a terrible place to try and craft a story to your audience.

It is just a different medium. Better game stories typically have far less freedom than a minecraft game. But that is not to say that they cannot have freedom within the story. There are several RPG's out there that promote player freedom while telling a great story for example.

[Tux]

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

But thats exacly why games are amazing. The shades of grey. Story telling would suck hard if it was just black and white.

what make games amazing is that they allow players to create, interact and explore.

those three items are completely terrible tools in story telling.

[Tux]

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

引用自 Tux：

what make games amazing is that they allow players to create, interact and explore.

those three items are completely terrible tools in story telling.

Well I h8 to say it but.... Says you. The millions that buy into it would beg to differ. Last time I checked the Skryim comunity page there were still over 100K ingame.

I love Skyrim and I have about 250 hours of game play in it. However, I have zero idea what the story is. zero idea. because I dont care.

I am not saying represent all players but I am saying I am not sure people buy games explictly because of the story.

more over...think about the same story but in movie format....yup

[Noctuary]

The reason AAA will stay around is because

1) consoles

2) people want to just play games without all of the crazy dev drama, early access scamming, and general low budget of indie games

[Tux]

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

引用自 Tux：

I love Skyrim and I have about 250 hours of game play in it. However, I have zero idea what the story is. zero idea. because I dont care.

I am not saying represent all players but I am saying I am not sure people buy games explictly because of the story.

more over...think about the same story but in movie format....yup

Um... skyrims a story based game. The gameplay itself is widely excepted even by the devs to be sloppy and only supports the story, the world.

You dont represent 'all players' but nobody said otherwise.

I do think about the same story in movie format. Often. Rarely with good results.
You said yourself you dont know skyrims story which is horrible sad, but as a movie it would suck. Itd be about an hour long and would have the same depth as a teen zombie flick.

I dont think you are following me completely.

I am saying that not all players buy Skyrim for the story is what I mean to say. I dont represent all players but I do represent a lot and in addition one should be able to see that there is various degrees of people like me. I am the extreem in that Skyrim is one of my favortite games of all time AND I play lot AND I dont know what the story is (multiple metrics there to measure).

On my other point, basically if you just sit and watch the cut scenes and or other important parts one can (and have) made interesting youtube videos in which you can be exposed to the story in the context of the story itself in full without ever playing the game.

aka...that could be turned into a movie, would said story be as good as other movies? usually not.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

引用自 Tux：

but regardless I think the point is that pretty much ALL movies, TV and books are as good as or better than a story based game (well the story in the game part) and there are reasons for that but regardless I would love to have a conversation about a story based game one things is a 'good' story because the ones that have been pointed to me thus far as actually not good stories

I might be jumping into this conversation from thin air, but...no, there are many very engaging stories in videogames, and many very unengaging stories in movies and TV shows.

引用自 Tux：

I just read an article on this subject with a view I completely agree with.

the best stories can be told because they have your complete attention and they are guiding you thru the exprerience.

Player freedom and story are almost complete opposites by definition. The better the story the les control the player has, the better the game the more control the player has an the story suffers.

This is why I feel games are a terrible place to try and craft a story to your audience.

The best stories are ones where the audience is immersed in the experiences of the characters.

The interactivity of videogames allows a very great possibility of immersion, of taking on the role of a character and imagining oneself inside a fictional setting.

[Tux]

引用自 Quintelligent Calcium：

引用自 Tux：

but regardless I think the point is that pretty much ALL movies, TV and books are as good as or better than a story based game (well the story in the game part) and there are reasons for that but regardless I would love to have a conversation about a story based game one things is a 'good' story because the ones that have been pointed to me thus far as actually not good stories

I might be jumping into this conversation from thin air, but...no, there are many very engaging stories in videogames, and many very unengaging stories in movies and TV shows.

引用自 Tux：

I just read an article on this subject with a view I completely agree with.

the best stories can be told because they have your complete attention and they are guiding you thru the exprerience.

Player freedom and story are almost complete opposites by definition. The better the story the les control the player has, the better the game the more control the player has an the story suffers.

This is why I feel games are a terrible place to try and craft a story to your audience.

The best stories are ones where the audience is immersed in the experiences of the characters.

The interactivity of videogames allows a very great possibility of immersion, of taking on the role of a character and imagining oneself inside a fictional setting.

so as I understand from multiple sources The Last of Us is supposed to be a good story.

From what I have been told by sources I trust the story is actrually ok at best nothing all that interesting.


so not sure which games you are refering to, speaking for myself I dont expose myself to much to the stories but as I have said if I want a story I want to give it my complete attention and I dont watch to play a story while I am sitting at my computer with a cup of cofffee

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

引用自 Tux：

引用自 Tsubuyak¡：

Well I h8 to say it but.... Says you. The millions that buy into it would beg to differ. Last time I checked the Skryim comunity page there were still over 100K ingame.

I love Skyrim and I have about 250 hours of game play in it. However, I have zero idea what the story is. zero idea. because I dont care.

I am not saying represent all players but I am saying I am not sure people buy games explictly because of the story.

more over...think about the same story but in movie format....yup

Well I know I do.

Off the top of my head, the following games have very engaging stories, which I'd prefer over watching just some movie:
* Chrono Trigger
* Cave Story
* Ys Origin
* Final Fantasy VI
* Metroid Fusion

Heck, I'd prefer all of them even over highly-touted story movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy.