Bleak Future for Videogame Customers

jvm writes "A recent commentary on Curmudgeon Gamer speculates on the future of the videogame market. Among the predictions: no more rentals from video stores, no used games market, no lending games to friends, less upgradeable computers, pay-as-you-play software subscriptions, and other consumer-unfriendly changes. In all, less gaming value for your hard-earned dollar."

Bleak?

[sczimme]

With a name like 'Curmudgeon Gamer', would you expect an upbeat article?

:-)

Keep Trying Harder

[Anonymous Coward]

If they try hard enough, maybe they can kill off the gaming market althogether.

Damn, now I have to compromise national security

[John Jorsett]

Quake players didn't find themselves looking for a no-CD hack and Half-life players didn't need to connect to a master server to play single-player games, but DooM III and Half-life 2 owners just might have to.

This is going to make it really tough playing it at work in a DoD Tempest-shielded room. I may have to drill a hole to run a net cable ...

(Just kidding, guys: put away your ISP subpoenas)

Problem will solve itself

[fleener]

Don't worry. Any self-respecting gamer who has played with voice chat on Xbox knows pay-for-play is doomed.

The idea seems cool, until you strap on your headset and start listening to your teammates' squeaky prepubescent voices. No thanks. I'll stick to lan parties.

Re:Poorly written and poorly conceived.

[Babbster]

Of course. Also in "the future," I will also have a jet pack and a robot maid.

The Sky Is Falling

[superultra]

Also in the news, e-books from Amazon will obiliterate the printed book market, grocery delivery services will annihilate the brick and mortar grocery stores, DigiScent [wired.com] smelling PC devices are the next video cards, broadband video retails are the wave of the future, and PointCast [businessweek.com] rocks.

(I'd have thrown in more digitally oriented links, but the websites are all, well, gone)

Re:Physcal media is dead, long live the bit...

[MMaestro]

Only certain games have that, and thankfully I haven't run into any games like that. The last thing I wanna have to tell my friends at a LAN party is :

Me : "Hey guys we gotta go out and by X copies of the game for CD keys because we can play!"
Them : "Its 1 AM, shut up and find up a CD key generator then."
Me : "Right-o, looking for a CD key generator."

Hmm, nevermind then..

Re:Physcal media is dead, long live the bit...

[SScorpio]

They don't need cracks because they are crack.