http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131 Just another bbPress community en-US Wed, 22 May 2013 06:48:44 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.vg247.com/forum/search.php http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27697 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:08:23 +0000 sg1974 27697@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Oldergamer - you're right; in the past year or two I've had more fun playing relatively cheap PSN games than anything in a box costing £40+ (somewhat annoying given my strong preference for physical media):</p> <p>BF1943, Dead Nation, Plants Vs. Zombies, Flight Control HD, The Last Guy, WipEout HD, Limbo, Flower.</p> <p>The ONLY game I've bought on disk in the past couple of years that gave me more pleasure than any of these was Uncharted 2. And I've bought and played near 100 games.</p> <p>EDIT: Tell a lie, it's two games. LittleBIGPlanet FTW. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27678 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:28:33 +0000 OlderGamer 27678@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>I agree with Micheal on almost all of this.</p> <p>Some other things to ask, are leading devs/pubs putting out the right kinds of games for this econemy? Instead of multi million doller dev cycles creating 60usd games with a steady dose of DLC, might not smaller budget games that can be made cheaper and faster be a better fit? As proof I point you to Arcade/PSN style games. My fav game this year is Dungeon Hunter on PS3.</p> <p>As the average gamer ages, isn't it reasonable to assume that his/her tastes change(same is true with TV/music/movies), yet often times the industry seems to think that gamers stay 15-25 yr old forever. Want evidence of that look at so called casual games. Many of us are older, married, and enjoy a few games played with the wife. That puts a whole aray of different games in the spot light, and perhaps traditional games aren't always the driving force in sales as they once were.</p> <p>More women play games then ever before. And I am not talking Wii here. Look at the PC its overflowing with small female friendly games, most of them don't even show up on the radar when industy people start talking game sales. But I know a lot of women that play the crap out of yahoo style game services.</p> <p>But mostly it boils down to what can only be called a despression. Call it a rescesion if it makes you feel better. But compare this to the 1929 days, its pretty freaken close. I say worse because it wasn't a global economy then like it is today. Chine owns half our nation, is purposfly under valuing its own currency, and stuff like that compounds the problems. Sometimes I don't see a solution.</p> <p>But we are talking games here, they are just games. I have canceled games. I have stoped preordering. I have becomes VERY selective on what I buy - I canceled BF3 for example. I have thus far only bought one full priced game this whole year. So yea I am with Michael, its the economy. And really games havnm't droped off so sharply that the industry should feel threatend. Tho maybe, they could adapt a bit. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27675 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:38:10 +0000 DSB 27675@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>I don't think it's that far out Michael. There's no conspiracy, and of course the stockmarket is ultimately based on actual facts rather than media hyperbole, but quite arguably it's also not hard to panic a stockmarket and start a cycle where it slowly destroys itself.</p> <p>Big institution crashes, people stop investing, banks stop lending money, people make less money as a result, people lose their jobs as a result of that, leading to even fewer investments with lower spending, and even less money being lent, continuing the cycle. In between all that idiosynchronicity (15 points!) people are going to get spooked, and the spook is going to spread far and wide. This has been the case with every major stock crash I've ever heard of.</p> <p>Of course in this day and age the government immediately provides saline shots for the economy, but at this point it hasn't done very much, except buy time. </p> <p>The sequence of events within the market probably won't ever be attributable to the media, but it does have a tremendous effect on the average consumer, which is still the stemcell of any economy. In my country of Denmark, people still have exactly the same money to spend, and all of their savings are insured, but because the sky is falling every time they turn on their TVs, they're still spending far less, and adding to the woes of the economy. In other words, these people have money, in fact as much money as they always had, but they've been made to feel like they don't. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27674 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:22:10 +0000 daytripper 27674@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>if people are not working, £40/$60 games or buying a console/pc/handheld isnt exactly a top of the list thing to do </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27673 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:17:16 +0000 Ireland Michael 27673@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>"Yes but how much of it is driven by the media WANTING the world to fall back into recession?"</p> <p>Oh please, spare me the conspiracy theories. What are you going to tell me next? The Illuminati are responsible for all this?</p> <p>Nobody is trying to turn the world into an economic wasteland. Except for maybe the crazy basement dwelling anarchists, and they're too lazy to get out of their mom's house to actually make it happen.</p> <p>"But heres a thought, maybe people simply dont want to shell out £30 for slight improvements year on year"</p> <p>That's a ridiculous assumption to make, because right now it's the "slight improvements year on year" sequels that are the only games actually <strong>making</strong> any profit right now.</p> <p>The recession limits people's income. They spend less. There's no more to it than that. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27671 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:13:03 +0000 GrimRita 27671@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>@ Ireland Micheal<br /> Yes but how much of it is driven by the media WANTING the world to fall back into recession? The BBC news story this morning claimed 'yet another think tank predict xxxx end of the world' but then last week, when sales actually picked up, you had to look very hard to see it hidden down in the links of the news.</p> <p>Personally, I think I have spent less this year simply because of the final quality of the game is lacking. But then again, when I decide not to purchase game A I might purchase game B which might be cheaper.</p> <p>Miles Jacob from Si games stated this week that piracy is to blame for the lack of sales of Football Managers previous outings - but heres a thought, maybe people simply dont want to shell out £30 for slight improvements year on year - I know lots of people who always skip a year on FiFa for example. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27670 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:10:44 +0000 DSB 27670@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>@GrimRita Oh I'm no economics expert, and entertainment is a pretty recession-resistant business, but being camped out in the American south at the moment, it feels like a lot of people are struggling just to survive, and that goes for people on disability, to soldiers, and small business owners.</p> <p>Americans are kinda reckless, so I'm sure that some of those people are taking out risky loans and buying stuff on credit, but I think most of them are more concerned with making sure they have food rather than Arkham City.</p> <p>I could be wrong, but that's how it seems to me! </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27669 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:07:39 +0000 Ireland Michael 27669@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>*headdesk*</p> <p>There's a WORLWIDE RECESSION going on.</p> <p>It really is that simple.</p> <p>Do you have *any* comprehension of how bad things are right now for the world's economy?If you did, you wouldn't even have to ask this question.</p> <p>The problem has nothing to do with the gaming industry.</p> <p>/thread </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27668 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:06:40 +0000 Phoenixblight 27668@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Well in that case no my habits havent't changed recently, granted I am not a 18 year old with no bills or a child to take care of so I can throw money whenever a new game comes out. But since I have my own place, wife and child I have limit myself to maybe 2-3 games a quarter and if there is an extra game I want, well I do odd jobs since I am a student to pick up the slack. Just look at what I am getting this quarter; TOR, Batman, Skyrim and I was planning on getting the Silent Hill games that were supposed to come out this fall. Thats 300 bones right there does it look like I am cutting back? </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27665 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:57:46 +0000 GrimRita 27665@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Phoenix - one month increase isnt a year on year increase and naturally, you cant expect to have 2011 data until the year is actually over. But year on year thus far, sales are down. GAME/HMV/Gamestop have all seen huge drops but Gamestop's preowned sales have picked up.</p> <p>Yes I am aware that NPD dont have all the data. I dont own a console and buy almost all my games from either Steam or Amazon. I'm just curious if peoples spending habits have indeed changed.</p> <p>Maybe the industry is putting all its eggs into one basket by releasing nearly all their triple A titles in the final quarter of the year. There's no right or wrong answer, just interesting to see what people from here are doing when spending their hard earned cash</p> <p>@DSB<br /> There was me thinking sales would be up with all those out of work and (probably) living at home spending their money on games instead of watching Jeremy Kyle or looking for a new job.hehe </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27664 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:57:20 +0000 DSB 27664@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>There's a difference between being in a decline and actually being in trouble, although looking at Ubisoft and THQ, I could see why some would see the videogames industry as a wounded animal these days.</p> <p>I think there are lots of obvious reasons why a lot less is being sold, and I don't think it's the reasons that the whiners would like it to be.</p> <p>First you have a terrible US economy, where a lot of people are losing their businesses, jobs, and homes. There's no money to go around, and that means a lot less games sold. And while console titles have started dropping drastically in price shortly after release, that still presents a delayed reaction, and most likely leads to fewer sales when the hype is at its highest around release.</p> <p>Secondly you have an array of old consoles, which may provide a large install base in theory, but could also just mean that a lot of people are pretty tired of playing their Xbox or PS3, beyond a game of FIFA or NFL.</p> <p>Thirdly you have a PC market that may be on the rise, but still isn't big enough to pick up the slack from the consoles. I doubt it'll get to that point before the consoles launch their next hardware, but it's only going to get bigger until then.</p> <p>Games journalism has always been pretty decrepit. As a profession, it chose to hire gamers, rather than writers and critics. There's no reason why a serious editor would like to have a critic on his staff who just loves everything. Quite arguably you'd want the Jim Sterlings and Tom Chicks of the world to do your games reviews, echoing people like Roger Ebert for movies. People with actual, living breathing opinions. If you like everything as long as the production values reach a certain level, then your opinion is completely invalid, and sadly that's the case for at least 80% of games writers.</p> <p>That's aside from the fact that they're so far up the ass of developers and PR people, but that's all circumstancial, their reviews speak for themselves.</p> <p>I always give my opinon on that, it doesn't have a lot to do with sales...</p> <p>Overall I don't think the industry is in crisis, I just think times are bad, the prices aren't being adjusted to account for it, and the consoles are old hat. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27663 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:54:37 +0000 Ireland Michael 27663@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>This has to be a joke, surely?</p> <p>Do you people ever watch the news? We're in the middle of a worldwide recession right now that is starting to make the Wall Street Crash of 1929 look like someone just lost some spare change.</p> <p>Gaming isn't "in decline". People just don't have any fuck money.</p> <p>This has affected business the world over. All things considered, despite the decline, gaming is probably in a far healthier state than some other forms of media right now.</p> <p>@viralshag "I do think most of game journalism is going down the shitter."</p> <p>Gaming journalism has always been in the shitter. Go read over any of those gaming magazines you used to read as a young kid and you'll realise just how juvenile, badly written and poorly researched most of them were. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27661 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:41:36 +0000 viralshag 27661@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>And to the other points: Or, is it down to money? Are you spending less on games and being more selective at the day #1 purchases you make?</p> <p>I don't think I have spent so much money on games in my life as I have this year.</p> <p>Maybe, you're turning more and more to pre-owned?</p> <p>I'm turning more to Steam more than anything for new cheap game fixes.</p> <p>I do think most of game journalism is going down the shitter. Too much sensationalist and try-to-be-witty writing for my liking these days. Personally, too many writers are trying to be the game-journo next big thing. Unfortunately, with that aspect of the industry being so over saturated with choice, being a solid, to the point, games reviewer just doesn't seem to cut it anymore.</p> <p>It's a shame, there are a lot of good writers out there that will never get the credit they deserve. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27660 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:41:30 +0000 Phoenixblight 27660@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>@AHA </p> <p>Yeesh someone doen't know how to write in that article its like a giant wall of text that has been broken down into rows. Again the person is going off of YoY. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27659 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:35:35 +0000 AHA-Lambda 27659@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p><a href="http://www.the-ghetto.org/content/the-decline-of-console-video-games-is-upon-us" rel="nofollow">http://www.the-ghetto.org/content/the-decline-of-console-video-games-is-upon-us</a></p> <p>idk is it really this bad as this articl suggests? =s</p> <p>i know personally i still play loads of games but i do buy alot less due to having a lovefilm subscription since last year </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27658 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:34:11 +0000 Phoenixblight 27658@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Hahha I thought it was funny you said that you like a post from January for the 2010 YOU and then for April 2010. Really you should try harder. Took me 5 seconds to find my links. </p> <p>"Software sales declined 6.0% year over year to $9.36 billion."</p> <p>YoY is a snap shot its not something to base the entire industry on. THats just senstionalist writing. YoY is just saying at this point last year we were making x dollars and now we are making y. It is not something to base off of the entire industry on. </p> <p>NPD is not something to rely upon either sense they don't have access to all of the digital sales through consoles or Steam. </p> <p>I am currently attending GDC and they are saying quite opposite where the industry has increased in revenue by 6%. </p> <p><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34636/NPD_US_Game_Industry_Retail_Sales_Up_20_Percent_In_April.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34636/NPD_US_Game_Industry_Retail_Sales_Up_20_Percent_In_April.php</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.gamespy.com/articles/118/1181592p1.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.gamespy.com/articles/118/1181592p1.html</a></p> <p>My point is that they can paint a whole other picture in the following months and more accurate than January. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27657 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:29:08 +0000 viralshag 27657@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>I'm not sure the link paints an accurate picture tbh. They seem to be going off NPD sales which doesn't include digital sales.</p> <p>Not to mention the sales are based on the fiscal year, I would like to see the figures in the reports next year. I have a feeling this final quarter of the year will show a rise in game sales.</p> <p>Edit: Until we see clear cut sales figures from the digital market, I think it's very difficult to judge the position of gaming. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27656 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:23:13 +0000 GrimRita 27656@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Trolling Phoenix? And I actually forgot to include the link.</p> <p><a href="http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2011/01/17/video-game-sales-decline-in-2010/" rel="nofollow">http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2011/01/17/video-game-sales-decline-in-2010/</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/npd-us-april-sales-plunge-22/08465" rel="nofollow">http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/npd-us-april-sales-plunge-22/08465</a></p> <p>Taking out smart phone and social network gaming, physical sales are down again but digital isnt picking up the slack. Hence why, maybe more people are buying second hand or being more selective with what they purchase. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27655 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:19:04 +0000 Phoenixblight 27655@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>If you want to start a discussion you want to provide a link prooving your point otherwise you look like you are flame baiting. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27654 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:15:30 +0000 Bluebird 27654@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>Is it actually in decline? I would argue the opposite is the case. What about all those webgames and games for your smartphone of choice? Those seem to do well enough.</p> <p>PS: Unless it's a game I know I will enjoy I always wait until they are discounted or available second hand. Online passes are not stopping me from buying second hand because I hardly ever play online. </p> <p>Reviews don't play a role at all in buying decision. </p> http://www.vg247.com/forum/topic.php?id=5131#post-27653 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:07:52 +0000 GrimRita 27653@http://www.vg247.com/forum/ <p>I thought it would be a good idea to see what everyone actually things of gaming lately due to the low sales and its decline.</p> <p>Is it due to the fact that some of the so called Triple A games have shipped with glaring bugs/issues that remain broken for weeks(or forever in some cases)</p> <p>Or, is it down to money? Are you spending less on games and being more selective at the day #1 purchases you make? Maybe, you're turning more and more to pre-owned?</p> <p>Are games being rushed out just to make a quick buck and most of the time, Journos are too scared to actually print what they think, especially with the big publishers - how much do reviews play a part in your decision to buying new/second hand/day 1 releases? </p>