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The Videogame industry...will it mature like Movies and Music?

MayauMiao

Member
The masses don't care who the parent companies are for Netflix, Hulu, Prime. That's how movies hit millions even billions of viewers. But with videogames it's become apparent how territorial and tribalistic some people are solely based off of having to purchase a console.

Funny how video games are seen as responsible in making people to become "territorial and tribalistics", yet companies with their exclusive contents like Disney+ are not seen that way?
 

Fuz

Banned
(You're naive if you think people aren't already developing a tribalistic adoration for Netflix or other services)
 

tygertrip

Member
But it is though, I'm not talking about steaming services specifically. I'm talking movies and music in general. If most people heard that new Spiderman movie was a great movie they'll find a way to watch it not caring who made the movie or what platform it's on...If gamers heard the new Spiderman game is great they would play it if it's on their console of choice, if it's not they're less likely to play it. For example my cousin hates Nintendo consoles thinking they're all "trash" but now he's missing out on every great game they produce automatically.
People aren't like that with movie or music companies.
Clearly, somebody here never came across Megadeth and Metallica fans arguing!
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
At this point do you even enjoy playing games? You're not even playing it the way the creator intended
Sometimes the creators are full of bs or people just want to experience the story of a game. For example my sister wanted to play resident evil but she's trash at videogames, a trainer made it easy for her. That's the beauty of pc gaming, you don't have to use the option, but the option is there. Right now I'm playing a full breath of the wild campaign with princess Zelda, new armors, new story, new side quests, new mechanics. Basically free DLC.
 

tygertrip

Member
You're absolutely right, but that's mainly a distribution issue. The same distribution issue has been part of the comics universe for 50 years - just look at Marvel and DC.
Competition is healthy and fans of product x and product y keeps business going - that's why video games sells more than movies and music combined.
60 years.
 
Ah yes the music industry, a bunch of morons rapping about how much you need to stab someone because they come from a different city area.
Truly the height of human culture
 
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Tams

Gold Member
Ummm, Warner Bros can get fucked for what they did to Johnny Depp. Disney are close to being on my 'fuck you' list too.

And I very much will avoid a musical artist or literary writer's work if I don't like them.
 

Sethbacca

Member
I'm not aware of people not watching certain movies because Paramount Pictures produced it or Warner Bros created it. I really don't think people care who produces the movies or music. People will watch or hear it because it's good content.

I won't chase down movies made by specific studios, but I'll absolutely watch something if it was made by one of my favorite directors, and many directors are attached to single studios. So I guess that's kind of analogous.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
It already has. That doesn't mean it will drop the sort of popular/low-brow entirely, and neither have films or music. Marvel movies and dumb low brow comedies are still popular in film, childish pop music still makes money in the music industry, but there's a range of content out there and the industry itself has at least some artistic credibility.

I think we're already there for games. Where artistic ambitions used to be reserved for indie stuff, now we see very mainstream AAAA productions like The Last of Us 2, God of War, etc that have garnered real acclaim for their narrative heft.

EDIT: Oh you're just thinking about console wars stuff, yawn. People do that largely because hardware locks them in and they need to validate their purchases. People don't do that with Hulu vs Netflix because you can get both on the same device. When people don't have to shell out an extra $500 to enjoy the other side's content they'll stop bending over backwards to convince themselves that the other side's content isn't worth it.
 
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This thread smells like "Baby's first gaming forum thread topic" to me.

Anyway, I'm all for platform diversity and exclusives until all game publishers and developers alike can agree to pulling in their resources to build one singular overpowered console that they all agree they will deliver games for.

Until that happens, I couldn't really care any less about it because up until this generation, so far, it's quite clear how each console and their exclusives utilize their own specs to their own advantage.

Also:

With movies and music I don't see people missing out on great stuff just because of the company that produced it.

Why do you pretend that movies aren't becoming platform exclusives when there are movies exclusive made for Netflix, AppleTV, Disney+ and etc?

Did the diversification of media platforms over the last decade just kind of slipped out of your memory or something?
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
No.

Games are not music, films or TV shows. They're a form of entertainment that started life as electronic toys for children. They shouldn't be trying to emulate films or music. They're all totally different.

Another issue I've noticed, and I'm not sure if other people have noticed this, is that a lot of people grow out of gaming. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this, but I know a lot of people who chucked gaming away as soon as they hit their mid 20s or started a family. It's still seen as a immature hobby that's a waste of time by a lot of people. You don't get that attitude with films, music, TV shows or books.
 
Movie matured? Then why we have the marvelverse?

Music matured? Then why we have hip hop?
Yes, I think it gets very difficult very fast as soon as we start to define what "mature" exactly is supposed to mean in this context. For some people, it seems, play can never be mature. Which is why they don't like games that are meant to be played.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
With movies and music I don't see people missing out on great stuff just because of the company that produced it. Only in videogames will people miss out on great games because they don't like the console it's on. It's sad that developers spend years upon years making a game just to have a good portion of people thinking "it's trash 🤣🤣🤣" because its not on their favorite console.

Music and TV (and through it Movies in the home) grew from a free to watch/listen model with monetization via ads. Home media was always a one-off purchase, with future purchases completely unrelated to previous/future purchases. If Music/Movies had ever presented with some type of content that provided a method for purchases to tie to other future purchases, you absolutely would have seen proprietary formats from competing publishers. You can see that shaping up now with streaming, every major network clamoring for their own piece of that recurring revenue.
 

T0minator

Member
For Movies as I said there is no real barrier. At the end of the day you are buying a ticket whether it’s Paramount or Columbia. When it comes to streaming its a similar price point of 10ish bucks a month. If Hellblade 2 or Horizon FW were on the same console and all It took was paying the same amount of cash, you wouldn’t have the bickering you are talking about. After all you never have anyone within the Sony camp saying that I will never buy an insomniac, sucker punch game, etc.

Because there is a financial investment in owning a console it can become an emotional investment over time. You also see this in phones where you have the android and apple fanboys going at each other. But take away the financial element and most of the bickering will go away.
I guess that's what it was boils down to, because there is a financial investment in buying a console it can become an emotional investment over time.

Its true that people will argue incessantly about anything that they have invested money into. That's really what breeds fanboys which in turn develop into trolls on the internet sometimes. It's really annoying to me. I guess it annoys me more mainly because I love all 3 consoles right now. I hate to see Microsoft get trashed in silly ways, I hate to see Sony get trashed for reasons I'll never understand and same with Nintendo. Those people that are trashing these companies and not trying their content are really missing out. That financial investment at this point is really the starting point of all this, I guess
 

T0minator

Member
It's all about games being exclusive, which pnly drives console wars, because once the content is available everywhere nobady cares, you all enjoy the same stuff.
Wouldn't that be a great future? What if an Amazon paid Sony and Microsoft to have their first party games on their service for a certain time. It would diminish the console wars a bit. Idk, I just wish more people stopped console warring and experienced games more...they're missing out on great stuff.
 

T0minator

Member
There are a lot of series that are exclusive to whatever subscription services.
Yeah but do know of anyone that denies themselves of watching a show just because it's on Hulu and they favor Netflix? Claiming "Hulu is garage 🤣🤣🤣" so they stick with Netflix and avoid anything on Hulu? That's not as common as it is in the videogame industry. That's my whole point
 

gtrwll

Member
With all those Superhero movies I feel movies have lost their maturity a lot in the past years, well at least the most popular movies.
Well the same applies to mainstream popular music, but the degeneration has been going on for longer, so that ”mature” could be interpreted as ”senile”.
 

cireza

Banned
Yeah but do know of anyone that denies themselves of watching a show just because it's on Hulu and they favor Netflix? Claiming "Hulu is garage 🤣🤣🤣" so they stick with Netflix and avoid anything on Hulu? That's not as common as it is in the videogame industry. That's my whole point
It is segmented nonetheless. And I don't see your point, I don't know of any gamer that denies a game because it is not on his platform. He is simply going to play whatever is available on his platform, that's the exact same thing.
 

laynelane

Member
No.

Games are not music, films or TV shows. They're a form of entertainment that started life as electronic toys for children. They shouldn't be trying to emulate films or music. They're all totally different.

Another issue I've noticed, and I'm not sure if other people have noticed this, is that a lot of people grow out of gaming. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this, but I know a lot of people who chucked gaming away as soon as they hit their mid 20s or started a family. It's still seen as a immature hobby that's a waste of time by a lot of people. You don't get that attitude with films, music, TV shows or books.

I've noticed that trend of people moving away from gaming in my own circle of friends. I think it has to do with time and energy investment. It's simple enough to turn on a movie or show, but a game requires more investment. Different games have different routines too. For example, a friend of mine with two young children will dabble in mobile games here and there but feels the need to schedule 2-4 hour time periods where we coop a game on console. So, we game less now. I think it's partly due to her youngest being a baby who wakes up every few hours to be fed and partly that the kind of games we coop take more mental energy and time than mobile games or movies/shows.
 

NickFire

Member
Yeah but do know of anyone that denies themselves of watching a show just because it's on Hulu and they favor Netflix? Claiming "Hulu is garage 🤣🤣🤣" so they stick with Netflix and avoid anything on Hulu? That's not as common as it is in the videogame industry. That's my whole point
Umm, I can't say I've heard anyone say Hulu is garbage. But ever since cable TV offered different premium channels, I've heard people say I don't watch that because I don't have that channel. And ever since streaming became a thing, I've heard people say I don't watch that because I don't have that service.

And honestly, I think the vast majority of people who poo poo on a specific console, are doing so because they can't afford / justify spending money on two consoles. It's not really any functionally different than people who skip out on movies / TV due to not subscribing.
 

iHaunter

Member
I don't care about console wars, they are fun.

The people who are against "console wars" take it more seriously than the actual fanboys do. The fanboys are mostly just trolling in good fun.

EDIT: I thought this thread was going to be about video games maturing in terms of writing/themes... THATS where we need to mature.. Developers need ot take some fucking risks.
Movies don't take risks either. What % of movies are PG13? I would say most.
 

EDMIX

Member
I've noticed that trend of people moving away from gaming in my own circle of friends. I think it has to do with time and energy investment. It's simple enough to turn on a movie or show, but a game requires more investment. Different games have different routines too. For example, a friend of mine with two young children will dabble in mobile games here and there but feels the need to schedule 2-4 hour time periods where we coop a game on console. So, we game less now. I think it's partly due to her youngest being a baby who wakes up every few hours to be fed and partly that the kind of games we coop take more mental energy and time than mobile games or movies/shows.

A lot of it is also because gaming as a medium has not kept up with the actual age group of its users on lots of genre. They are still stuck in this fisher price, its a toy and comic book, Saturday morning cartoon show vibes that you simply won't see much games take on the tone of a Narcos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men etc. Gaming simply isn't there yet and it seems many are scared to make that leap of making a game for an older audience and keep trying to force in this toy like mindset that they'd never fucking factor in a film, show or book, yet as soon as they are writing it for a game "make sure no ones feelings are hurt here, make him die by saving 100 babies" lol The medium simply isn't mature enough to handle a lot of that reality and instead seeks this kid like or comic like approach where the want all things to be fair in life, no one's feelings hurt, everyone gets what they want at the end etc. That simply isn't how real life is, but when you have a medium so use to this shit, anything different is seen as some attack on "gaming" instead of just moving it forward or allowing for different themes.

I just don't know if the medium is mature enough to handle a theme about rape, babies getting killed etc They always want this fake as fuck silver lining, good guy makes it as the hero in the end saving everyone, all is well lol Real life simply isn't like that all the time, I think any game seeking to do this will have gamers loose their shit and you'll see several pages of them fucking crying over shit, that you won't see from films, books, televisions etc as they are used to this concept. Gaming is in a state were you have take the bottle away and take the training wheels off lol Its clear its not growing with its install base and finding games that fit adult themes and realty are becoming more and more difficult and rare.
 
Easy Access isn't really a thing in Music\Movies\TV industries
We have multiple Streaming services, TV Channels
Marvel Disney+ Shows for example, a lot of things can't have a middle ground.
and that applies to movies and music as well in different ways.
The abundance of content makes it easier to get a sip of your cup of tea, there are a lot of cups.
As for games, to be honest, if gaming was easily available on any platform that would be great for software companies.
But many games designed for special controls on particular consoles with a certain model on mind which makes, for example, a lot of DS games unplayable on a PS4.
Not even mentioning the technical prowess needed to boot up these games.
PC is becoming the "ultimate platform" allowing the user to play many games of older hardware, via ports or emulation, but that's just it.
Games sales are pretty dependent on hardware and vice versa. PS fans will love TLOU, GOT, GOW, etc... and Xbox fans will have Halo and Forza and this will become a lot bigger catalogue
Having every big company trying to bring out the ultimate RPG will increase the competition, decrease prices or allow for better services and in the end, we will have a lot more games.
If this competition doesn't exist, we will just have UBI clones and that's not a future I'd like to see
 

laynelane

Member
A lot of it is also because gaming as a medium has not kept up with the actual age group of its users on lots of genre. They are still stuck in this fisher price, its a toy and comic book, Saturday morning cartoon show vibes that you simply won't see much games take on the tone of a Narcos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men etc. Gaming simply isn't there yet and it seems many are scared to make that leap of making a game for an older audience and keep trying to force in this toy like mindset that they'd never fucking factor in a film, show or book, yet as soon as they are writing it for a game "make sure no ones feelings are hurt here, make him die by saving 100 babies" lol The medium simply isn't mature enough to handle a lot of that reality and instead seeks this kid like or comic like approach where the want all things to be fair in life, no one's feelings hurt, everyone gets what they want at the end etc. That simply isn't how real life is, but when you have a medium so use to this shit, anything different is seen as some attack on "gaming" instead of just moving it forward or allowing for different themes.

I just don't know if the medium is mature enough to handle a theme about rape, babies getting killed etc They always want this fake as fuck silver lining, good guy makes it as the hero in the end saving everyone, all is well lol Real life simply isn't like that all the time, I think any game seeking to do this will have gamers loose their shit and you'll see several pages of them fucking crying over shit, that you won't see from films, books, televisions etc as they are used to this concept. Gaming is in a state were you have take the bottle away and take the training wheels off lol Its clear its not growing with its install base and finding games that fit adult themes and realty are becoming more and more difficult and rare.

Reading your post made me think of a few games that stood out to me when I played them. These games were quite different from what I was used to. Silent Hill with its themes of child abuse, religious zealotry, drug addiction, and parent/child bonds and lack thereof. Silent Hill 2 with its themes of murder, sexual assault, bullying, child abuse/incest, and animal abuse. Two games that also stand out were GoW1 and TLoU1 because there was a point in each when I suddenly realized the person I was playing in the game was in no way a hero or even a good person. I wound up loving these games and others like them.

There are games like that even now, but you have a valid point. They are few and far between, aren't they?
 

DaGwaphics

Member
A lot of it is also because gaming as a medium has not kept up with the actual age group of its users on lots of genre. They are still stuck in this fisher price, its a toy and comic book, Saturday morning cartoon show vibes that you simply won't see much games take on the tone of a Narcos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men etc. Gaming simply isn't there yet and it seems many are scared to make that leap of making a game for an older audience and keep trying to force in this toy like mindset that they'd never fucking factor in a film, show or book, yet as soon as they are writing it for a game "make sure no ones feelings are hurt here, make him die by saving 100 babies" lol The medium simply isn't mature enough to handle a lot of that reality and instead seeks this kid like or comic like approach where the want all things to be fair in life, no one's feelings hurt, everyone gets what they want at the end etc. That simply isn't how real life is, but when you have a medium so use to this shit, anything different is seen as some attack on "gaming" instead of just moving it forward or allowing for different themes.

I just don't know if the medium is mature enough to handle a theme about rape, babies getting killed etc They always want this fake as fuck silver lining, good guy makes it as the hero in the end saving everyone, all is well lol Real life simply isn't like that all the time, I think any game seeking to do this will have gamers loose their shit and you'll see several pages of them fucking crying over shit, that you won't see from films, books, televisions etc as they are used to this concept. Gaming is in a state were you have take the bottle away and take the training wheels off lol Its clear its not growing with its install base and finding games that fit adult themes and realty are becoming more and more difficult and rare.
I agree with you to a certain extent. I definitely agree that having content of all styles and tones is the best way.

But, I can see why game makers tend to try and bring forward some sense of a "happy ending" in most games or at the very least some kind of escape, etc. that constitutes a positive outcome. Players have invested a lot of time into most games by the time they finish them and to reach an ending that feels like you lost, no matter how good you played, is a bummer. Games that have tried that (ME trilogy comes to mind) tend to get a ton of backlash from players.
 
When was the last time you sat down to watch a movie in a theatre and during the two hour run time:

-The film crashed and had to be rebooted. Twice.
-Each time there was an explosion on screen, or maybe just a large crowd of people, the frame rate dropped to near zero for a few seconds.
-For a span of about 20 minutes, the actors were sliding around each scene frozen in a T-pose. Still delivering their lines without moving their mouths.

If this actually happened in a theatre you bet I would have my money back and I bet you would too. What if this happened later on with your 4K disc at home? Seems like people would just ignore it and put up with it, like they do with games that have the same kinds of chronic problems.

"Fix it later" and "minimum viable product" don't fly in other forms of entertainment, yet those types of game launches make bank on the regular. Until the bugged releases become the exception, comparing games to any other medium is laughable. Quality and consistency are too low and a big reason games are still ignored as a "serious" medium. Games makers, publishers and developers, can only blame themselves for not being taken seriously.
 

Javthusiast

Banned
suspicious ned flanders GIF
 

EDMIX

Member
Reading your post made me think of a few games that stood out to me when I played them. These games were quite different from what I was used to. Silent Hill with its themes of child abuse, religious zealotry, drug addiction, and parent/child bonds and lack thereof. Silent Hill 2 with its themes of murder, sexual assault, bullying, child abuse/incest, and animal abuse. Two games that also stand out were GoW1 and TLoU1 because there was a point in each when I suddenly realized the person I was playing in the game was in no way a hero or even a good person. I wound up loving these games and others like them.

There are games like that even now, but you have a valid point. They are few and far between, aren't they?

Silent Hill's themes are criminally underrated and I just don't think the medium can grasp those types of themes. I agree with you on gow and the last of us greatly, its rare we get those types of shades of grey type stories in gaming. Its like the community fights change extremely hard even if it helps the industry as a whole.

With the success of The Last Of Us 1 and 2, I'm surprised we didn't see more explore that theme. A market exist for this that wants to see the medium actually grow.
 

JLB

Banned
Its even worst. There's people that dont give a shit about retrocompatibility because "who's gonna play those games?".
I guess they are the same very type of fine people who will never watch Citizen Kane or listen Sgt. Pepper.
 
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