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Game Developers Becoming Similar To Hollywood Studios?
CNet is running an article that looks at the growing parallels between the major movie studios and some of the most successful game publishers, which have gradually turned into the juggernauts of the industry as they've absorbed a variety of smaller developers in recent years. "If we consider Hollywood — the model to which the video game industry is always compared — it doesn't take long before we realize that it's dominated by a handful of studios that effectively control a large percentage of the industry, while the independent studios are left trying to defy the percentages and get their innovative and artistic films to the masses. Since most fail, it's the big studios that enjoy profits as the independents try to find some way to stay alive." Gamasutra has a related piece suggesting the opposite trend: "Smaller, less expensive games made by smaller, more agile teams seem like a very logical step, now that the industry structure is better able to support it, with no less than three venues on which to distribute content as a small team. These are downloadable console, direct to consumer PC downloads via Steam-like services, portals, or direct sale, and iPhone and potentially DSi downloads."
the marketing! I know I will be cursed, booed, spit on and generally carried out on a rail after being dipped in oil and feathers, but i work in marketing. The need for large entities in the business will still be there since marketing costs a lot of money. Sure you can self-publish a game but it will almost certainly drown in the flood of games that are released. A bad game with marketing will almost always outsell a good one with no marketing. The almost part will always be the luck factor.
Because they consolidate the industry? You know, steam has been very friendly to indie developers.
Or maybe it's a simple issue with DRM. Oh well, the games are (mostly) cheap, and they can be installed on multiple computers. It's good enough for me.
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
Yes, isn't it dreadful how Steam makes it so easy to buy games?
I can order a game from Amazon.de (Germany), have it at my doorstep the next day and pay 5-10EUR less then buying it on Steam and of course I get a printed manual and a box too. With that given digital distribution doesn't look so great any more.
Movies have star power. The general public doesn't care who made the game.
One word: Blizzard
Not true - you are free to take the game elsewhere, as you are free to install on as many machines as you please.
.exe - it'll just work, even off a USB stick.
If you get a new machine, just copy over the STEAM folder and run the
You also do not need to connect to STEAM to play - once it's installed, and you've run it once, you can play it in offline mode from that point on.
Whilst I have heard of people losing their VAC standing, which means they cannot play online on VAC secured servers, the only time I've heard of STEAM locking entire accounts is when a fraudulent purchase is made, or a charge does not process correctly.
and if Valve ever goes out of business, they have already developed and tested a "kill switch" patch for the client, to remove all activation requirements.
Not to mention they can decide at ANY time you are a filthy pirate and demand you pay TWICE and you have NO say or choice in the matter. I know because I was fucked by HL:GOTY edition. Some pirate group put out a keygen that could spit out valid numbers like nobodies business, so what happens to us that actually PAID for the game? That's right, we got fucked by Valve. I even offered to email them a pic of my discs with the days paper behind it so they could see I owned the damned thing but nope, pay again was all I got from their rude ass customer "service" which acted like I was a dirty scumbag for actually buying their product.
Well I learned my lesson. It will be a cold day in hell before I EVER give those bastards a penny. And if it is on Steam? Too bad because I will never use it. All of you with Steam accounts are just one keygen away from losing one of your games or more. Enjoy that sword of Damocles hanging over your head. Now I won't own any game that I can't find a crack for FIRST. That way I DECIDE when and where it works, not some company. When I pay for it it is mine, NOT yours.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Your buddy's 15-year-old game had to be rewritten for the Wii. The director, actors, editors, etc. have to do NOTHING to take a movie to another medium. Yeah, you can use a emulator -- but how many real people, i.e. Wal-Mart shoppers, use emulators?
Just thought I'd point out that, no, it wasn't rewritten. All those games on the Wii's Virtual Console are running in emulators. Do you honestly think they would go through and rewrite every single one of those games, even going so far as to reproduce the original glitches? You can also buy & download games for the original Xbox and Playstation over Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, too. If those Wal-mart shoppers have a current-gen system and have bought downloadable games, then yes, they're using emulators.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
I'll concede the region locking point - however, I wonder what would happen if you were to contact Valve, should you move and lose access - I expect you'd have to proof it was your account, though.
.gcf and .ncf files.
If you want to take it elsewhere, just put the applicable folder from steamapps and put it on a USB stick - I have an 8GB USB stick with STEAM installed, Audiosurf installed via STEAM, and the rest is music, and I can take that, plug it into any computer, log in and play. Likewise, I have previously installed L4D and Gmod onto the same USB stick, and both worked flawlessly.
STEAM also allows you to back up entire game packages, be that to USB, DVD, or something more esoteric, merely by rightclicking the game on the list and selecting backup. or, if you prefer, manually backing up the
Oh, and note; if you purchase a third party game via STEAM, you get a key. it is very easy to view said key - merely rightclick the game on your game list, and select "View Game Key".
I personally have a great deal of faith and trust in Valve - call me a fanboy if you will. I feel they have created a powerful platform, and that STEAM will only grow in years to come - it and Impulse are the only examples of Digital Distribution done right - no install limits, idiot proof. if you want to complain about something, complain about the goddamned adverts, and the fact that some of the third party files seem to take a lot longer to download.
If you want to complain about third party pricing, keep in mind that Valve don't get an awful lot of say in that.
Then you're not buying the right games.
Game booklets used to be tons of fun, with of course the general controls in it, but also lots of trivia, back story and other stuff.
For example, take Age of Empires, it includes:
* A CD-ROM with the actual game.
* a 3 A4 sheet fold-out with stats of various units on one side, a complete tech tree on the other.
* a huge book with of course install instructions, game play tips and other hints, a complete back story of each civilisation in the game, really detailled information about stuff in the game, tactics.
And some other things I've lost over the years.
Age of Empires wasn't an exception though, I remember Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis containing both a CD-ROM with the game, as well as 9 floppy disks with the game, a user manual, a really thourough walkthrough, a poster and some other goodies.
Of course, you can't fit loads of crap anymore in these tiny dvd-cases, but I find booklets and stuff always expand game experience. I never knew about certain types of station building in Transport Tycoon without one for example.