One of the biggest problems facing the gaming industry today is greed. Greed, as it were, comes in many forms. From overpricing to multi-layered monetization efforts, and microtransactions gamers' money is taken without a second thought. This alongside live service game oversaturation only serves to thin out the earnings of those who aim to exploit the paying player.
It is an unsustainable business model that will not only bleed dry the well of potential income for developers and publishers, but will also kill off gaming as we know it. The more gamers are abused through heavy handed greed the less gamers are going to be able to pick up the tab, and make game development a viable option for making money.
Money and gamers are a finite resource, at the end of the day, while greed has no end. You can never satiate a quest for infinite financial growth with such a finite resource. As times grow tougher, and gamers have to weigh paying the bills, buying groceries, or buying the next game release they are more likely to ditch gaming for the necessities of life.
As invested gamers we have seen gaming prices continually escalate over the recent years while the cost of living also rises. It breeds a competition between survival, and luxury that is a no question contest. In an economy where luxuries are no longer the priority survival will be front and center, always. This along with the constant battle for attention, and patronage from paying players for consistently released live service games stretches thing any gain to be had for any one studio.
In all honesty I do not think the Triple A gaming market has a place in modern day gaming going forward, nor does the live service free-to-play games. New generation technology drives up the cost for adoption, and development which passes down to gamers like a cascading waterfall. It's why we see Triple A studios not making ends meet on their returns.
The only viable options in the way of game development are budget indies, and indie games in general. These are usually small studio efforts that offer more bang for the buck, and incentivizes bulk buying by the masses. You get more value from paying less for something richer in content and without added monetization, and in turn, the developer and publisher make that earnings goal.
While I'd like to see the evolution of gaming to continue, greed and the high cost of technologically advanced game development is not the way to go in the here and now. Not only do we have those glaring issues to mind, but the fact that the finite resource of the gamer and their money are being stretched thin to a point that gamers may very well be an extinct consumer class in the near future is the biggest problem of all. For when gamers go so too does the gaming industry.
Game studios, publishers, and vested interests must carefully tread with their moneymaking schemes going forward. Focusing more on affordable indie games, and less on the greed infused Triple A releases that will never make a profit big enough to satisfy infinite growth. A studio that has a sound foundation built on affordable low cost quality games is more likely to succeed than one so desperate to exploit and abuse their audience for short term profitability.
Those are my thoughts on the matter. What are yours? Do you think we'll see the end of gaming in the near future? Do you think the indie industry will sav gaming again? Let me know!
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