Lack of Creativity in Gaming Software

[Computer Hobbyist]

Here is an article (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=3&u=/nm/20040328/tc_nm/biztech_games_dc) that talks about the decline in creativity in the gaming software industry. That's funny, I never knew there was any creativity in gaming software. :)

[Nuclear Krusader]

There is actually a LOT of creativity in games. Any of the RPG games from the defunct Black Isle would prove my point.

[Force Flow]

Games are art forms in themselves. You create and model landscapes, environments, characters and more.

Not only that, but there is also story telling involved as well as puzzles and sometimes mind games.

A lot of creative juices go into the making of a game.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Not to mention that games is one of the main driving forces in the development of the computing technology. Just check out the Radeon 9600/9800 videocards and tell me if they were designed for word processing and internet browsing.

[mbossman2]

I agree with all of you. the point the article is making is that games are just becoming a re-hash of a franchise, over and over again.

Games are specifically being developed more for the franchise (TV, movie, book rights) than for the gamer him or herself.

Instead of breaking new ground, games are just going back over the previous game with more difficult puzzles and faster reflexes (and hardware) required.

This is not a new phenomenon, current TV programming is the same way:

Scientific Investigation Crime Shows (CSI: Vegas, CSI: Miami, Crossing Jordan, NCIS etc)

Reality TV Shows (ad nauseum)

Law and Order (a franchise unto itself)

Wrench-head TV: Monster garage, American Chopper, American Hot Rod, Monster House etc

I am hoping this is just a creative lull before someone steps up and rocks the industry with something "new".

[Nuclear Krusader]

Yes, mbossman, I agree. It also amazes me the producers' struggle to escape the clutches of intelligence.

[mbossman2]

Originally posted by Nuclear Krusader
Yes, mbossman, I agree. It also amazes me the producers' struggle to escape the clutches of intelligence.

they want to embrace the clutches of $$$.

[Jaggannath]

I don't know about you, but I reckon thinking up new and interesting concepts for games could be quite difficult.
Plus I think the driving force is the fact that they've realised once we find a game we like, we're most likely going to buy any sequels on the strength of that, and therefore there's less risk for less capital invested in it

[mbossman2]

Originally posted by Jaggannath
I don't know about you, but I reckon thinking up new and interesting concepts for games could be quite difficult.
Plus I think the driving force is the fact that they've realised once we find a game we like, we're most likely going to buy any sequels on the strength of that, and therefore there's less risk for less capital invested in it

yes, creativity has to be balanced against profit, but there is also the sense of ego - I created this new and ground breaking game (don't you think that John Romero and John Carmack both got their yaya's off for creating one of, if not the 1st, FPS game?)

I doubt the next big game revolution will be lit off by a major player (too much $$$ at risk and it has been the downfall of many a game company) but rather from a smaller more nimble (and less risk averse) gaming house.

[Strider]

Every once in a while a game will break new ground and be creative, some games in the past that come off top of my head - Black & White, The Sims {Very 1st one, although SimCity could be a precussor to that}, Undying, etc..

[Jimmy White]

games are staying in the same catagory i wonder if a new one can be invented and what it would be called FPS and RTS games are getting repetitve like the UT series. even though they are improved with every new one its still based on running around with a gun.
That why i played a MMORPG game for a year and a half it was so different to any game i had ever played before. But again it started getting repetitve and there all basically the same with different player models and tweaked graphics