Relative to what, you ask? Good question! Rate your CURRENT level of gaming fandom, compared to your lifetime MAXIMUM level of gaming fandom. So, if you're enjoying games more than you ever have, you would say 10. On the other hand, if you used to loooove games, but barely play them anymore... maybe a 1 or 2?

And after you vote, post about why. Is it a reflection of the current gaming scene? Or just a shift in the role that gaming plays in your life?

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@New Forms


Bahahahahaha, that Farming Simulator video is epic!

@Secret_Tunnel
@Oldmanwinter

Yeah, Farming Simulator is a pretty easy target to clown on, but that's okay. I thought the whole scene was bizarre & lame myself when I was on the outside looking in. ETS2 was a bit of a gateway drug into the strange genre as it's one of the most polished of its kind with gameplay that isn't too far removed from traditional driving games, one of my favorite genres. By the time I made it around to Farming Simulator I had a better understanding of what to expect from the genre and the requisite flexibility needed to live with the drawbacks associated with tiny dev-teams and budgets. Ironically, these games do really well relative to the project budget and man-hours, with FS13 pulling in 400K sales the week it launched.

Anyway, changing gears.

I've noticed a number of comments saying they're generally dissatisfied with the direction that the industry is headed. I'm curious what ideal scenarios would reverse this sentiment. What would it take to make you guys feel better about the industry and what it has to offer the consumer?

I guess I'm just confused because I see more diversity in content and delivery systems than any other time in my life. From mobile to handhelds to consoles & PC (both casual and core), I've never witnessed more choice. Small digital games to meaty titles printed on disc. Intimate, indie experiences developed in garages to sweeping epics made by teams of hundreds. Games with creative ideas that never would have flown in an age when software was only delivered on a cartridge greenlit by a big publisher.

I've certainly found myself hot and cold on gaming over the years. Having periods of boredom with both the hobby and the genres that I traditionally enjoyed. But it always comes back to the choices I'm making at any given time and how wide open my eyes are. I've been guilty of getting into gaming ruts and kicking dirt around because of it, oblivious to the myriad of choices out there just waiting to be explored.

I'm not all enlightened on the topic or anything. But I'll also never quite understand a gaming malaise in the modern age.

New Forms said:

I've noticed a number of comments saying they're generally dissatisfied with the direction that the industry is headed. I'm curious what ideal scenarios would reverse this sentiment. What would it take to make you guys feel better about the industry and what it has to offer the consumer?

I want more platformers and puzzle games and RPGs and other genres I like, and more games with fantasy settings instead of realistic/gritty ones.

@Mop it up

You should consider donating a couple bucks to the Humble Bundle to get Incredipede, a puzzle game by the guy who made Fantastic Contraption, which I used to adore, and Anodyne, a game I had never heard of until seeing it in the bundle that looks very much like a 2D Zelda game.

And there's a tooon of other stuff out there. You just have to look for it! Or ask around.

SM3DW will take me to a 20/10.

@New Forms

I want Nintendo to make more games I'm personally interested in. And not just sequels in the usual series. I want them to surprise me. And I want to be able to play those games online with you guys.

That's all I really want. Hang the rest of the industry. I'm a Nintendo fanboy. When Nintendo releases a farm simulator, I'll play it. (I'm joking... Sorta...)

If you are into Indie gaming you get a really diverse pool of genres and scenarios to choose from.

If not, you don't

@Pokefreak911
@kriswright

I don't see why it matters who makes the game. Isn't the most important thing the quality? I love The Beatles, and it sucks that they aren't around anymore, but I'm not gonna stop listening to music because of it!

@Secret_Tunnel
Some people don't like indie gaming. Some people also dislike digital only games.

kriswright said:

That's all I really want. Hang the rest of the industry. I'm a Nintendo fanboy.

You took up your weapon and struck down the Hedgehog with all of your hatred! Now your journey to the Nintendo side is complete.

*Tents fingers*

@Pokefreak911

Is this better?

@Secret_Tunnel

I'm suddenly very interested. Think he'll be in Smash?

@kriswright

In all seriousness, I'm curious to see if Commander Video will get a little nod in the next Smash Bros. game. Maybe as a sticker or something. Though I guess at this point the series is pretty far from being Nintendo-only.

The Super Meat Boy devs actually tried getting Reggie to be a playable character in the game back when it was on Wii.

@New Forms I'd say a heck of a lot more variety in the styles, themes, and genres of the big and even medium budget games. Yeah, the indie explosion has been awesome but indie games are still limited in a lot of ways... you're not going to see an indie team make the next Super Monkey Ball, Ace Combat, Shadow of the Colossus, Maximo, No More Heroes, etc.

It just kind of feels like certain stuff isn't really "allowed" anymore unless it's smaller budget, limited scope type stuff.

@Zero

I guess that makes sense.

Even though games are indeed being made in the genres noted by you and others, the scope and budgets are not to your liking.

Unfortunate that you would take a pass on them for that reason, but understandable.

I wonder if the industry just goes through natural cycles of fashionability where what's popular at the moment gets the most funding and marketing? From what I can tell, no single genre or aesthetic style stays on top forever. I think the public gets bored with oversaturation and moves on over time, just like they have with popular touchstone genres in the past. Every console cycle dating back to Atari 2600 has dominant genres that defined the hardware and window in time.

That’s what’s so exciting about digital distribution and indie self-publishing. Long-lost popular genres are no longer destined for obscurity because there’s enough people still passionate about them that they can be developed and distributed on a smaller scale whereas at one time it just wouldn’t happen with the Big Publisher Gatekeepers and static pricing models. Because of this flexibility, virtually every game genre from past to present is represented in the modern marketplace. I’m personally amazed at the resurgence of 16-bit era content (platformers, adventures, rpgs, puzzlers and more). It’s pretty ace, imo.

At this point, probably a six. I do a good bit of gaming, but it's mostly retro gaming. I think I prefer talking about it more than playing it.

@New Forms

Where are the modern text parser adventure games?

I voted 7. I've certainly been more interested in games in the past, but I've also been much, much less interested as well. And I bet I'll be close to a 10 in a month because of Mario 3D World and Zelda 3DS.

@Pokefreak911
I'll be honest. What I really want is the creativity and diversity of the indie scene with the production values of the AAA side. I don't see that happening any time soon realistically though..

I'd still say that I'm at about a 9 right now. Having someone to play local multiplayer with on a consistent basis for the first time in almost 20 years has helped a lot.

@ludist210

That's a good point and I agree. I enjoy talking about gaming more than actual gaming myself too. :)

Not always, but most of the time.