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Why Bother With Episodic Games?

Posted by Zonk on from the fun-in-bite-sized-chunks dept.

Gamasutra is running a piece today entitled Why Bother With Episodic Games? Author Rick Sanchez ponders the rationale behind this business model, and offers up a few reasons why 'the next big thing' is actually a good idea for both gamers and game developers. From the article: "Traditional game development does have a feedback loop, but with years between results. Betting the studio that the design decisions made for a sequel were the right ones can be disastrous if you were wrong. With short iteration cycles, gameplay mechanics that an audience responds to can be used to turn a moderate performer into a hit. This model still needs to be vetted out in the video game world, but it works in every other form of media that we consume, so there's no reason to think it won't work for games."

3 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. Games are hardly standalone as a result by Sciros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We have "episodic nature of games" to thank for some of the most unfulfilling ending sequences ever. And to say it works everywhere so it should work in video games is rubbish, because it doesn't always work everywhere (I cite the ending of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which IMO was reminiscent of Halo 2's ending in terms of closure and satisfaction).

    --
    I like basketball!!1!
  2. Not an excuse by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The problem with the potential of episodic games is that they can all-too-easily become an excuse to:

    • Release buggy games--figuring that "We can just patch them with the next update"
    • Release half-assed or unfinished game--"We don't HAVE to have much content with this one, we'll just fix it in the future"

    This may be all well-and-good for a $5-$10 game. But if you're going to release a $50-$60 game, you'd better make DAMN sure it delivers more than just promises of FUTURE content and FUTURE fixes.

    -Eric

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Developers should stop... by SetupWeasel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    telling us why episodic content is great and start showing us. Yes, I know about all the advantages, but maybe we should start talking about overcoming the hefty drawbacks rather than pretending they don't exist.

    I honestly do not see a future for episodic content. Like microtransactions, the thought of the idea becoming an industry standard makes me sick to my stomach. But hey, I'm waiting for someone to prove me wrong. That's the problem. For all the talk, no one has done it.