Monday, 09 November 2009

• An Objection to Originality

  
  

  
  

  Courtesy of David R. at Koku Gamer
  

  Every few months, I hear the same desperate cry: “We want more new!” It is a seemingly endless stream of complaints emanating from the same frustrated mouths. Games need to be more diverse. Originality is needed. New experiences need to be had. Creativity is key. The industry requires more titles that break from the traditional mold and really experiment.

  Even on a lesser scale, ignore changing the established genres and play styles, we crave new intellectual properties: new characters to meet, stories to unfold, and worlds to explore. We want the same formulas with a fresh new taste because, why should we swallow more of the same when we can experience something new?

  Do we really?

  I do not think we actually want ‘new.’ We take solace in the familiar, and as much as we say we desire the new and exciting, we still pass it by and purchase the old and comfortable. Yes, that is what this is all about: yet another complaint about putting your money where your mouth is. We are all guilty of this to certain extents. Regardless of how much we support these ‘new’ games in development, we purchase the safe bet when it come to release.

  Let us set the way back machine to 2008.  Several new franchises began, some of them were blazing trails into new methods of gameplay and some just provided a shiny new coat of paint. Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space, Littlebigplanet, Left 4 Dead, Valkyria Chronicles, No More Heroes, Castle Crashers, Braid, and the list goes on. I know that some of the titles will bring up some fond memories, while others you will still remain blissfully ignorant of. That ignorance is the point. Left 4 Dead and Castle Crashers sold fantastically, while the others did either decent or remarkably less so.

  

  The other side must be mentioned as well. Grand Theft Auto 4, Burnout Paradise, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and several more sequels hit the market place. All of these games sold well. Is it that sequels just sell better? That is a hard point to make, since these were all new intellectual properties at one point. Is it marketing? Also a challenge, since several of the new intellectual properties had great marketing techniques as well.

  For the most part, it is us. We, the ‘hardcore,’ are the problem. We are the single driving factor in whether or not a game sells. Sure, the masses have a sway in how well a game does, but we are the vocal minority. We scream at the top of our text in message boards. We send scathing emails. We vote with our dollar. We are the backbone of the industry. We even sway the masses because who do the masses ask for suggestions? Yes marketing plays a sizable role, but we provide the swaying statement to confirm their inclination.

  As our economy continues to nosedive, publishers have to determine for what they want to pay. They know that the Call of Dutys, the Maddens, and the Need for Speeds will sell well to both the masses and us. Why should they bankroll these new ides when they could just make more of the same and reap the profits? Well, the developers want to flex their creativity just as we demand them to. I can think of a few obvious solutions to this problem.

  

  Buy the new and original title in which you are interested. Just do it, do not think, just buy it. Do not wait until the price drops or used copies are available. Be adventurous for once and pay the expensive original price. You can wait for your copy of Gears, Halo, or GTA, but that copy of Brutal Legend wants you to buy it and could use that sale more than the others. I gladly bought my copy of Halo 3 ODST on day one, but I also gladly bought Brutal Legend. Now I must choose whether or not to get Borderlands or Modern Warfare 2 because of this and I am heavily leaning towards the former. It is a very difficult line to walk, but these are the choices we must make.

  So, why do we not want originality despite cries for the opposite? Put simply, we buy that which is comfortable and familiar because we know exactly what we will get from it. I have made an effort to buy an original title first and it is a very difficult proposition at times. I missed out on buying Dead Space new and greatly regret it knowing that I could have waited longer for the easy to find Fable 2. Please, just think about it. The new experience will be just that: new. Give it a try. I am not telling you what to buy, I am just telling you to either buy it or shut up.

  Is originality still possible without going overboard?

  URL: http://kokugamer.com/2009/10/19/an-objection-to-originality/

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