State of the Industry

I’m not really sure if anyone’s caught on to this yet, but the reason we can’t have nice things is almost entirely in our control. Not the jocks who play Halo at keggers or the housewives who sit at home and play Peggle. Us. The people who rescued the Princess, knocked out Tyson, fought 25 bipedal tanks as an androgynous rookie, and cried when Aerith died.

Everyone wants original games, right? Whether it’s a highly stylized game like The World Ends With You or something that’s just an updated version of something old, like Super Paper Mario, we want the fresh feeling that’s associated with it. We need the new, otherwise the industry stagnates and we all move on.

Lately, due in large part to the Wii and it’s masses of shovelware and “family friendly” software, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of complaints of how the industry is being ruined because all the casual gamers are pulling focus away from us, the people who’ve been playing games all our lives. Fair enough. There have been a lot more games like Cooking Mama and Bejeweled, and, yes, developers do cater to the casual market quite a bit more.

But, really, whose fault is that? Of course, there’s blame on the casual gamers, but they’re not doing anything wrong on purpose. They just want to have fun! They’re not concerned with the state of the industry. No, the blame falls almost squarely upon our shoulders. Let me explain exactly why.

How many of you have played Halo 3? Of course, everyone in the room raises their hand. Solid game, Bungee did a damn fine job on it. Oh and how many have played Super Mario Galaxy? Yeah, most of you. A phenomenal game, very fun. How many of you have played The World Ends With You? OK, I see five people out in the back. Damn, guys! It’s a very good game! Fine, whatever. How many of you have played Odin Sphere? All right. I see two, three hands out back. In fact, the game was a spectacular addition to the annals of video game history, not to mention art as a whole.

Now, my complaint doesn’t lie with who played what game, but what each core game is built around.

Odin Sphere is a beautiful, hand-drawn, 2D action-RPG. The game’s plot is unique, the art is creative and went places I would’ve never imagined even as an artist. Everything about this game is great.

The World Ends With You isn’t all that different. It’s a 2D action-RPG, focused in a graffiti aesthetic. The action is unique, a bit confusing, but masses of fun. The plot is deep, dark, and rather disturbing if you think about it a little bit.

Halo 3 took the core mechanics of the Halo series and added new vehicles, new maps, and equipment. One of the best multiplayer games I know of.

Super Mario Galaxy shot Mario in to space, where his opponents weren’t just Goombas and Koopas, but gravity and comets as well.

The problem here is that the last two I mentioned were not original games at all. They were very, very good games, but the mechanics were based entirely in their predecessors. The former, however, had little basis and went off on their own yet still managed to gain critical praise.

Hence, this bullshit:

Halo 3: 9.67 million sold
Super Mario Galaxy: 7.95 million sold

The World Ends With You: .43 million sold
Odin Sphere: .31 million sold

The reason we don’t have nice things is because you won’t buy good games. These developers took a risk and you decided that they didn’t deserve any of you money, even though their games were fantastic. You decided to give it to Nintendo and Bungie two of your nemeses in this conflict of casual games vs. hardcore games. Bungie’s games cater to everyone, nerds and jocks alike. Nintendo… well, you know their story.

Of course, some of you might say “RPGs are a niche-market! Your point is null and void!”

You know who Tim Schafer is? No doubt you’ve heard of his upcoming game Brutal Legend. But have you heard of Psychonauts? Maybe. Have you played it? Doubt it. It’s total sales across the Xbox, Playstation 2, and PC were barely 100,000 sold, despite the fact that it was a good platformer, used unique concepts, and made me laugh more than most comedy movies. A high-profile developer, the man who essentially MADE Monkey Island and Grim Fandango, and his game goes almost completely ignored. What? Why?

Maybe this isn’t your fault. Maybe it’s the media’s fault for not giving enough attention to these games. Maybe. But if you’re the kind of people who go around and look at gaming sites, I’m guessing that you’re a little bit more interested in games and would look below the surface for a gem.

This is not meant to be offensive to you. It is meant to be a call to arms. It’s meant to inspire you to go fight for something (semi) important! Save our industry! Save our games!

Now comment, dammit!

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