I would think a retail store staffed with knowledgeable, helpful people who know & play the game, and can help with appropriate selections, would have nothing to fear from online distribution.
Of course if someone is just pushing boxes, then they should be afraid...
It's not just a kids vs. adults issue; there are plenty of kids with little time and adults with lots.
But the real opportunity is for game design to teach skills without insane difficulty ramps and the dreaded save/die/load loop. As fun as *any* section can be, if you have to play it 50 times each time waiting for a loadgame, you'll hate that section by the time you're done.
Requiring time sinks dates way back to useless (and long) mazes in 80's adventure games. It's a cheap way of extending a game, and leaves a bad taste in the player's mind.
Much better to have a shorter game that is enjoyable, or design around the timesink.
Smallball does a nice job of avoiding timesinks. Takes about 10-15 minutes a day to train your team, and then you can launch as many games as you have time for. I've been playing for over 3 years...;-) http://www.smallball.com
Budgets are getting bigger. Development times are longer. Teams are (much) bigger. Licenses are more expensive. Game complexities are bigger.
As long as those trends continue, and they likely will, EA is one of a vanishingly small number of publishers that can fund a significant number of high-end titles. Few publishers seem able to increase their hit rate, so they need to ship several titles annually in hopes of scoring big.
It'll take an order of magnitude improvement in development tools before the smaller guys can compete at this level. And unfortunately the tools developers haven't stepped up to the plate yet.
Look for more consolidation over the next 3-5 years. It's going to get much harder for the little guy before things start to shift again.
Game Over marketed to kids, but was foul, unimaginative drivel. We barely made it through the first episode, and that was mostly due to the promotional ads which were clean and decently cut. The show was abysmal.
The Simpsons works because it's smart. Reboot (rest in peace) worked because it was innocent and forthright.
Game Over didn't know what it was, and figured that "computer generated" and "shocking" was enough.
The report is saying that the descriptors are applied inconsistantly. So the side debates about what the ratings should be for or about, or whether it's appropriate, or whether parents spend enough time with their kids are all beside the point.
What's missing to make this an interesting item is a list of the variations, as they see them, so we can see how outrageous the problem is. Or isn't.
From what I know of the ESRB's procedures, they require each publisher to submit a tape of all content, and that tape is watched completely. So it's quite likely that the issue is either a difference of opinion about what constitutes (for instance) alchohol use, or whether the publisher fully disclosed their content.
If it's the latter, then the ESRB has the ability to severely fine the publisher and force it to correct either the rating or the product.
Online games and video chat rooms are a big part of the social scene in South Korea. Women get dressed up for a night at the internet cafe. Part of the attraction is that if you meet someone online, they generally live in Seoul and so are a short subway ride away...
As recently as a year ago gamers were paying the equivelent of US$25/month for the online MMOG's such as Lineage.
That pales in comparison to the avatar chat people which would pay monthly $10 PLUS US$50+ for clothing & accessories for their avatars. The fashion-concious willingingly pay top dollar for limited edition clothes!
In terms of integrating technology into society, SK is years ahead of the US and Europe.
Slashdot Mirror
CA, I definately agree with you -- I was aiming for a touch of sarcasm in my description of an idealized retail shop.
I expect most of the chains will struggle mightily. And I will not be too upset.
So what's the value-add of retail shops anyway?
I would think a retail store staffed with knowledgeable, helpful people who know & play the game, and can help with appropriate selections, would have nothing to fear from online distribution.
Of course if someone is just pushing boxes, then they should be afraid...
It's not just a kids vs. adults issue; there are plenty of kids with little time and adults with lots.
;-) http://www.smallball.com
But the real opportunity is for game design to teach skills without insane difficulty ramps and the dreaded save/die/load loop. As fun as *any* section can be, if you have to play it 50 times each time waiting for a loadgame, you'll hate that section by the time you're done.
Requiring time sinks dates way back to useless (and long) mazes in 80's adventure games. It's a cheap way of extending a game, and leaves a bad taste in the player's mind.
Much better to have a shorter game that is enjoyable, or design around the timesink.
Smallball does a nice job of avoiding timesinks. Takes about 10-15 minutes a day to train your team, and then you can launch as many games as you have time for. I've been playing for over 3 years...
Budgets are getting bigger. Development times are longer. Teams are (much) bigger. Licenses are more expensive. Game complexities are bigger.
As long as those trends continue, and they likely will, EA is one of a vanishingly small number of publishers that can fund a significant number of high-end titles. Few publishers seem able to increase their hit rate, so they need to ship several titles annually in hopes of scoring big.
It'll take an order of magnitude improvement in development tools before the smaller guys can compete at this level. And unfortunately the tools developers haven't stepped up to the plate yet.
Look for more consolidation over the next 3-5 years. It's going to get much harder for the little guy before things start to shift again.
EA's only real danger is its own weight.
Game Over marketed to kids, but was foul, unimaginative drivel. We barely made it through the first episode, and that was mostly due to the promotional ads which were clean and decently cut. The show was abysmal.
The Simpsons works because it's smart. Reboot (rest in peace) worked because it was innocent and forthright.
Game Over didn't know what it was, and figured that "computer generated" and "shocking" was enough.
It's not. Good riddance.
In other words, women don't play games because the games aren't good enough yet. ;-)
"That was the only video game designed by Data East. "
Um, no... Data East has a fairly long history of developing video & computer games. But that was long ago and those people have all moved on.
The report is saying that the descriptors are applied inconsistantly. So the side debates about what the ratings should be for or about, or whether it's appropriate, or whether parents spend enough time with their kids are all beside the point.
What's missing to make this an interesting item is a list of the variations, as they see them, so we can see how outrageous the problem is. Or isn't.
From what I know of the ESRB's procedures, they require each publisher to submit a tape of all content, and that tape is watched completely. So it's quite likely that the issue is either a difference of opinion about what constitutes (for instance) alchohol use, or whether the publisher fully disclosed their content.
If it's the latter, then the ESRB has the ability to severely fine the publisher and force it to correct either the rating or the product.
ESRB is at http://www.esrb.org/ for more info...
Online games and video chat rooms are a big part of the social scene in South Korea. Women get dressed up for a night at the internet cafe. Part of the attraction is that if you meet someone online, they generally live in Seoul and so are a short subway ride away...
As recently as a year ago gamers were paying the equivelent of US$25/month for the online MMOG's such as Lineage.
That pales in comparison to the avatar chat people which would pay monthly $10 PLUS US$50+ for clothing & accessories for their avatars. The fashion-concious willingingly pay top dollar for limited edition clothes!
In terms of integrating technology into society, SK is years ahead of the US and Europe.