Games Industry Things We Should Leave Behind in '07

MTV's Multiplayer blog has a list of nine videogame concepts we should be 'leaving behind', left to rot in the now-passed year of 2007. From the countdown clocks to Halo 3, their snarky list leaves no stone unturned: "The Phrase 'Next-Gen' - Ladies and gentlemen, 'next-gen' is now. Everyone from PR firms to development studios are still using this phrase. Please, I beg of you, stop using "next-gen" until the PS4, Xbox 4000, and the Nintendo Super Wii are slated for release. Those consoles will officially be 'next-gen.' The PS3, Wii, and 360 are the current generation of games. Now is the time to accept it."

The 9 things

[Jim Hall]

It's a short article, but here are the 9 things for those of you who don't want to RTFA:

1. The Phrase "Next-Gen". (It's not "next gen" until the PS4.)
2. "Halo 3". (Similar to the above, Halo is done, the fight is finished, no need to refer to the version anymore.)
3. Bad Virtual Console Releases. (Referring to Nintendo.)
4. Game Delays. (I'm with him in hating delays, but good luck on that one.)
5. Countdown Clocks. (I guess I never noticed a countdown clock on gaming web sites, but maybe that's because I don't really visit web sites for not-yet-released games. I suppose they have them.)
6. Japan-Only Releases. (If the game is done, why not also release it in the US? Maybe it will do well, maybe not. Give it a try.)
7. The PlayStation 2. (Please start pushing developers to the PS3.)
8. 711 selling Video Games. (Doesn't like the idea of being able to buy a Slurpee and a video game in one stop.)
9. Totilo and N'Gai's Love Affair. (These guys are friends and they talk about each other in their articles, but we'd like to hear more about games than the other guy.)

# 1 should be ethernet cables!

[HappyDrgn]

Really, I was shocked that the Xbox needed a cable running to my living room for net access. Climbing around by attic running 50ft of network cable is not my idea of a "next gen" experience. I realize that you can buy all sorts of things to overcome this, but please can we put a $5 wifi chip into so called "next gen" consoles from now on?

Re:Misogyny

[sanosuke76]

Heh, you say that as if the fangirls who play Final Fantasy DON'T get all excited about the guys. :p

Re:WEP is pointless

[IKnwThePiecesFt]

While it may not be great, WEP is a far cry from nothing. A WEP key is the difference between random neighbor going "oh, I don't have to pay for internet!" or not. 99% of the population doesn't even know that "WEP" is a kind of encryption, let alone that it's breakable.

Re:How about poor supply chain management?

[NonSequor]

The Wii sold more at launch than the PS3 or 360 though (not as much as the PS2's launch, but it did more than make up the difference after the fact).

Re:Misogyny

[Catnapster]

I think one of the major barriers to the video-game industries quest for mass media acceptance is the stuck-in-the-1980s tendency to portray women as sexual objects with boys-club-only lack of shame.

This would make a great deal of sense if:

• Video games weren't part of the mass media.
• The (other) mass media weren't also portraying women as sexual objects as early and often as possible.
• The (other) mass media ever had any shame whatsoever.

Since video games are part of the mass media, the mass media loves to portray women as sexual objects, and the mass media never had any shame, neither your premise nor your argument make any sense.