Peter Molyneux Asks For Gov't Help For Small Shops

spot35 writes "Maybe the gaming industry isn't as healthy as I thought. Peter Moluneux has gone on record stating that creating a successful video game is too expensive for the smaller developers. According to this BBC article he suggests that the government helps the smaller developers to keep them afloat. This other article gives a very brief profile of the man."

Comments

Sorry Peter...

[Dalroth]

I lament the small business as well (in all industries), but government financial support is the worse idea possible. Things change, times change, and most especially business changes. It's the belly of the beast out there. The best thing we can hope for is that competition stays alive and the government prevents any one company from taking over the entire market. As long as competition reigns supreme, the market will thrive and that's all that really matters.

Re:Sorry Peter...

[Pharmboy]

Why would a corporation hire more people when it can now afford to give even better benefits to the CEO and the other corporate elite?

With all due respect, I don't think you understand corporate philosophy very well. Any decent CEO understands investment. Its not that he needs $ now, so he will invest in anything that will return MORE than the cost of the investment. If you can borrow money for 10% to add more inventory you can easily sell for 20% net profit, then its a good investment.

People are an investment, too. They are not as likely to invest it in people who already make $1 million, since ITS NOT DEDUCTABLE. (Yes, you can't deduct pay to anyone over one million. Ask your CPA) You CAN make it so attractive to invest that many will.

And yes, you can rag capitalism, but the fact is: when you cut taxes (to a degree) you increase the amount of taxes collected. Once again, its NOT a zero sum game. When the US cut capital gains from 28% to 20%, they generated about $7000 in extra taxes from ME for example. I would not have made the investments otherwise, the risk wasn't worth the reward because of the taxes. Then it was, and I did, and I hired, and I made, and I paid. So from ME (a very average small business owner) that created a job for someone that now pays several thousand a year in taxes, plus thousands per year from me, all initited from a tax cut.

If you don't understand that, then you just aren't trying and do not care. Being anti-capitalist is easy when you don't have anything to offer the public that its willing to pay for.

Re:Sorry Peter...

[govtcheez]

Sure, the creature AI was interesting and everything, and all the little gimmick things were cool (including Outlook contacts as villagers, having similar weather as your zip code) - I can't deny that. The problem was, at the end of the day, there wasn't enough "game" in there. I spent more time trying to keep my creature from eating its own shit than doing anything fun. Something being innovative doesn't equate to it being a decent game.

Serious Sam was a cool game because it went over familiar ground, and did it well. Wave after wave of guys came out, and you killed them. Why? Who cares why - it was just damn fun to do. I like to have plots in my games, but sometimes it's a refreshing change of pace to kill the screaming thing running at you and not have to worry if it's someone you'll have to talk to to get a key or a plot point.

screw that!

[DevilM]

The government shouldn't be in the business of helping companies out. Just think how better the airline industry would be if the government didn't bail them out. Companies like SouthWest, JetBlue, and AmericaWest are making money and are generally kinder to the average consumer. Giving money to the other airlines only hurts the profitable ones that are actually doing good by the consumer.

Smaller companies = smaller games

[Flarg!]

There is a huge, emerging market for small games that fit on portable devices (Palms, cellphones, and even GBA). You don't have to publish games on the PS2 and X-box to be successful. They could also join in cooperative ventures with other small design houses to make bigger games, if they want.
If they can't find a way to survive, they deserve to fail.

America's Army

[presroi]

Governments are already involved in the gaming industry. America's Army is just one example of computer games produced for state PR (read: propaganda).

There has always been a long tradition of anti hate-games in Germany, funded by the ministry of the interior. The game series is called "Dunkle Schatten" (dark shadows").

If Peter wants funding "just for fun", he might think of giving something back to the one who funds him.

Oh, that reminds me of one question. Are the ads and banners in sport games (for making the game more realistic) sponsored by real companies?

aproaching Film budgets.

[jellomizer]

The problem with gaming indrustry with the cashflow is what people expect and want in the game has became more expensive to use. Back in the 90s and more so in the 80s games were programed by developers they did not have the technology readly available to make the games look perfect so almost any software developer with margninal art skill can make a game with good graphics and have it competitive in the market. But todays vidio games are aproaching film like budgets because of inhanced vidio and music so except for a ragtag team of software developers you now need Professional Artests, Musicians, Writters, and Actors. A story of Your are stuck in the castle and now you need to get out. Dosent seem to work with top games. We are now expecting more in games. Just like the film indrustry most popular movies now need millions of dollars to be popular the games are now needing to be the same. Because people are demanding their games to be just as good if not better then their movies they watch. As for me I am happy with kspaceduels. But I am not the average game player.

Agreed, Sorry Peter...

[Mullen]

If your company can not stand on it's own two legs, then it should not be. That goes for airlines, car and game companies. If there is a desire by people willing to pay then someone will run a successful business providing that service or good.

I don't understand this attitude that says, Privatize profits but socialize loses. Just because you can't come up with a good idea and implement it, does not mean my taxes should be raised to cover any loses.

And do you really want government to stick its nose into gaming content? Yes, there is a rating system, but it does not limit what can be in a game. The last thing I want is John Ashcroft and President Bush looking over John Carmacks shoulder telling him he can't put in the monsters of my soon to be nightmares into Doom 3.

Molyneux overrated? I think not

[WIAKywbfatw]

Let's face it, Peter Molyneux is overrated. Black and white was very pretty, sure, and it was a good idea, but it got tedious very quickly. It simply wasn't a very good game. He got lucky with a few games early on, that's all.

Peter Molyneux overrated? Got lucky with a few games early on?

Man, just what are you smoking?

Ever heard of Populous, the original "god" game? It created a whole new genre and blew the socks off everything else out there at the time.

How about Powermonger, Magic Carpet, Syndicate, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper and their derivatives? All original games, all great plays and all great successes.

Care to name some other developers with as impressive a track record of producing original, highly-addictive games that have been as popular?

So you didn't like Black And White. Fine, you're entitled to your opinion. But to dismiss one of the industry's most creative and productive minds as "overrated" and "lucky" is ridiculous.