Observations and opinions regarding the gaming industry
An off-hand comment in a post on The Ancient Gaming Noob today about EverQuest Legends reminded me of the passing of Brad McQuaid over six years ago. The reminder sent me on a bit of a journey that took me to a video that inspired some feelings.
…
Sony would like you to know that any reasonable gamer would know that purchasing a game is just licensing a game (Video Games Chronicle), not owning it. And there is truth mixed in with a bold-faced lie in that statement.
…
I came across this post over on Engadget about Warren Spector retiring from the games industry. It caught me a bit in my emotions, and stirred up a few thoughts.
…
Rock, Paper, Shotgun had an interesting article on the activities of the consumer protection group Stop Killing Games (SKG). The article inspired some thoughts on my part about what SKG and similar groups are trying to do on the behalf of gamers.
…
This is the third week of Blaugust, and the topic of discussion for the week is creator appreciation. Who, either individuals or corporations, do we look to and respect for certain qualities of the items they produce? Saying thanks to these entities is what this week is all about.
…Creator appreciation: Bethesda and CD Project RedRead More »
Wolfy had some words to say about the difficult news coming out of Microsoft recently. Thousands of layoffs, studios being closed, games cancelled: it is tragic. My familiarity with the specifics of the Microsoft situation is limited, but I do have some more general thoughts on where the industry is and where it might be going.
…
I was over on Wilhelm’s TAGN site today enjoying a good read about the disaster that is Xbox Games. I generally agree with everything he is saying: Microsoft has done a terrible job running their game business and it is showing. But I also have a somewhat different experience as a user of the Xbox console that I feel bears mentioning.
…Xbox games is struggling… but maybe not on the consoleRead More »
Wilhelm over at The Ancient Gaming Noob posted about the sad state of affairs at the modern incarnation of Electronic Arts. What EA has become over the past thirty years is both sad and despicable: they are often times more damaging to gaming and the industry than they are beneficial. And now the stage is set, as Wilhelm describes, for things to become much worse.
…
I’ve been playing a few games lately, and finished Avowed over a month ago. But I haven’t made much progress on writing a review- I don’t have an excuse other than sometimes writing is hard.
But I do have a little inspiration to capture some thoughts on a gaming related topic. I’ve ran across a few posts about the reality of digital licensing lately, including one by Wilhelm over on The Ancient Gaming Noob. This discussion has become more relevant in recent years as the percentage of games being purchased in purely digital form has increased.
What does our purchase of digital media actually entitle us to? Pretty much nothing in the current system, which seems a bit one-sided. Clearly digital licensing doesn’t impart ‘ownership’ in the traditional sense, but shouldn’t it give us something we can count on?
…I like my XBox 360. It entertains me, and when I want to play a game it basically just works (ignoring that RROD incident a while back…). But Microsoft has, in my opinion, had trouble in the past coming up with good advertising that appeals to the mass market. This little Youtube video from Microsoft that plays off the avatars in the “New Xbox Experience” user interface changes the tone, and it seems to me that it has appeal that extends beyond the hard core gamer:
Here’s hoping that Microsoft can win over a few of the less hardcore who may be getting tired with their Wiis…