Games under threat
Good day, dear habrazhiteli, in particular that part of it which is engaged in the game-building. I bring to your attention the translation of the article by Thomas Beckdale How In-app Purchases Have Destroyed The Industry , which affected me as an igrodel and player with experience. In this article, the author reflects on the future perception of video games by players and in the further disappearance of notions such as nostalgia and atmosphericity in it, which cannot but worry people like me, each molecule of which begins to revive with only the word “game”.
I do not like to write articles that do not contain a solution to the problem, but in this case, there is no solution. The situation of in-game purchases has reached such a level that we have completely lost it. The gaming industry not only shot itself in the leg, chopped off the second one and lost both hands ... but it also gets involved in a strategy that only hurts it more.
Why are these game studios so intend to kill themselves?
')
Note: Figure from x / f. "Monty Python and the quest for the Holy Grail"
We have reached the point at which mobile games can no longer be called games. Playing a game means having fun. This does not mean that it annoys you for so long that you eventually decide to spend money to speed it up. And for such an old man like me, who remembers the golden days of the gaming industry back in the 90s, it is unbearable to watch.
Let me demonstrate how bad things have become in games with in-game purchases using Nerd 3 'a (by the way a great guy). Let's compare the game from the 90s, with the same game for the iPad today.
I think you will be as surprised as me.
Back in the 90s, one of the best game developers in the world was a company called Bullfrog Productions. She has created some of the best strategy games. You most likely remember games such as Syndicate, Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper.
Obviously, the graphics in these games look just awful today, but we must bear in mind that the highest resolution at that time was only 640x480. In the modern iPad'e 2048x1536.
Let's look at one of these games: "Dungeon Keeper."
You can buy this game today (the full version, plus all the extras) for $ 5.99. The game takes place in a dungeon. Your task is to build your dungeon by “digging” rooms and competing with other underground prisons around you.
Next comes the link to the (long) video from the aforementioned Nerd 3 'and how to play it. You do not need to watch the video in full, just scroll until 2:20 and see how quickly and easily the room is built. [ unfortunately the video in English. language - approx. trans. ]
He builds a treasure in which he will keep all his gold and jewelry. For this room with a size of 45 square it takes only 2 minutes to be built. It is fast and fascinating. You feel the energy and rhythm of the game.
So, it is in the old days:
Just remember this.
Now let's look at the same game, but converted for iPad / Android and in-game purchases.
And again a review from Nerd 3 . The review lasts 8 minutes, but you should watch it to the end. As he ideally illustrates how everything has become breathtakingly bad. [ again in English language - approx. trans. ]
The modern "Dungeon Keeper" is not even a game. This is a social engineering fraud. And since people do not remember or do not know what the games were in the 90s, they give her the highest ratings in the App Store.
This is just incredible.
Two things before you start watching:
But you * should * see this, because many people are not aware of how far everything has gone.
What EA has done here has nothing to do with playing games, and the same is quite applicable to all free-to-play + games with in-game purchases. We have no more mobile gaming industry. We have a mobile fraud industry.
There is no game here. And you know what's the worst thing about it all? I'll show you.
This nonsense is among the top 5 favorites on the main Apple app store page, as an editorial choice. Incredible!
As Nerd 3 put it in his review, the problem is that the whole future generation of players will perceive it as commonplace. They will grow up in a world where people will think that this is the concept of playing a game. That social engineering and deceiving people is an acceptable way of doing business.
But it is not so!
This is a scam ... made by mentally ill people who have nothing left in their lives but greed and selfishness. They should be thrown into prison for such deceitful measures of doing business, and not be selected on the App store as an editorial choice.
When I started writing this article, I would like to finish it on a positive note and with a constructive solution. But there is no solution. It can not be fixed except to stop doing it.
So I appeal to all developers of mobile games and ask you about it. Go to the mirror and look at yourself. Do you like this person you are looking at? Is this someone you would like to remember? Or do you want to be remembered by a game developer like Bullfrog, who everyone loved because they made real games to play?
And if you are one of those few igrodelov who makes these games (without this in-game nonsense), I welcome you. You are my heroes.
Games such as Oceanhorn, Minecraft, XCOM and others. You guys are just brilliant and I certainly love you for the fact that you have the courage to adhere to their principles.
In addition to the above, I made a short comic to reflect the real problem. The problem is not to ask people to pay, but to deceive developers with the promise that we can play their game for free. But waiting is not the same as playing.
I do not like to write articles that do not contain a solution to the problem, but in this case, there is no solution. The situation of in-game purchases has reached such a level that we have completely lost it. The gaming industry not only shot itself in the leg, chopped off the second one and lost both hands ... but it also gets involved in a strategy that only hurts it more.
Why are these game studios so intend to kill themselves?
')
Note: Figure from x / f. "Monty Python and the quest for the Holy Grail"
We have reached the point at which mobile games can no longer be called games. Playing a game means having fun. This does not mean that it annoys you for so long that you eventually decide to spend money to speed it up. And for such an old man like me, who remembers the golden days of the gaming industry back in the 90s, it is unbearable to watch.
Let me demonstrate how bad things have become in games with in-game purchases using Nerd 3 'a (by the way a great guy). Let's compare the game from the 90s, with the same game for the iPad today.
I think you will be as surprised as me.
Dungeon Keeper, 1997
Back in the 90s, one of the best game developers in the world was a company called Bullfrog Productions. She has created some of the best strategy games. You most likely remember games such as Syndicate, Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper.
Obviously, the graphics in these games look just awful today, but we must bear in mind that the highest resolution at that time was only 640x480. In the modern iPad'e 2048x1536.
Let's look at one of these games: "Dungeon Keeper."
You can buy this game today (the full version, plus all the extras) for $ 5.99. The game takes place in a dungeon. Your task is to build your dungeon by “digging” rooms and competing with other underground prisons around you.
Next comes the link to the (long) video from the aforementioned Nerd 3 'and how to play it. You do not need to watch the video in full, just scroll until 2:20 and see how quickly and easily the room is built. [ unfortunately the video in English. language - approx. trans. ]
He builds a treasure in which he will keep all his gold and jewelry. For this room with a size of 45 square it takes only 2 minutes to be built. It is fast and fascinating. You feel the energy and rhythm of the game.
So, it is in the old days:
- Full version of the game + add: 5.99 dollars.
- Build a large room in 45 square in just 2 minutes
Just remember this.
Dungeon Keeper for iPad / Android 2014
Now let's look at the same game, but converted for iPad / Android and in-game purchases.
And again a review from Nerd 3 . The review lasts 8 minutes, but you should watch it to the end. As he ideally illustrates how everything has become breathtakingly bad. [ again in English language - approx. trans. ]
The modern "Dungeon Keeper" is not even a game. This is a social engineering fraud. And since people do not remember or do not know what the games were in the 90s, they give her the highest ratings in the App Store.
This is just incredible.
Two things before you start watching:
- The cost is only: $ 5.99, 45 squares can be dug in just two minutes.
- Still, Nerd 3 used quite “liberal” words, and most likely you should not listen to it with audio speakers.
But you * should * see this, because many people are not aware of how far everything has gone.
What EA has done here has nothing to do with playing games, and the same is quite applicable to all free-to-play + games with in-game purchases. We have no more mobile gaming industry. We have a mobile fraud industry.
There is no game here. And you know what's the worst thing about it all? I'll show you.
This nonsense is among the top 5 favorites on the main Apple app store page, as an editorial choice. Incredible!
As Nerd 3 put it in his review, the problem is that the whole future generation of players will perceive it as commonplace. They will grow up in a world where people will think that this is the concept of playing a game. That social engineering and deceiving people is an acceptable way of doing business.
But it is not so!
This is a scam ... made by mentally ill people who have nothing left in their lives but greed and selfishness. They should be thrown into prison for such deceitful measures of doing business, and not be selected on the App store as an editorial choice.
When I started writing this article, I would like to finish it on a positive note and with a constructive solution. But there is no solution. It can not be fixed except to stop doing it.
So I appeal to all developers of mobile games and ask you about it. Go to the mirror and look at yourself. Do you like this person you are looking at? Is this someone you would like to remember? Or do you want to be remembered by a game developer like Bullfrog, who everyone loved because they made real games to play?
And if you are one of those few igrodelov who makes these games (without this in-game nonsense), I welcome you. You are my heroes.
Games such as Oceanhorn, Minecraft, XCOM and others. You guys are just brilliant and I certainly love you for the fact that you have the courage to adhere to their principles.
In addition to the above, I made a short comic to reflect the real problem. The problem is not to ask people to pay, but to deceive developers with the promise that we can play their game for free. But waiting is not the same as playing.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/211614/
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