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Games Entertainment

Five Ways To Save Video Games 149

Posted by Zonk from the they're-dying? dept.
Games.net has an article up with the somewhat dramatic title of Five Ways to Save Video Games. The piece doesn't feel the need to pull any punches. From the article: "#1 Stop Treating Women Like Whores - Sexy is fine. Titillating can be fun. But when you show stupid jiggle-physics and scantily-clad girls cooing and moaning and wriggling, you show yourselves for what you really are: sex-crazed children. And don't think for a minute that the mainstream media doesn't pick up on this. If you can't stop demeaning women (with skimpy outfits and hyper-sexuality) and men (by glamorizing massive musculature and testosterone-dripping masculinity), then get the hell out of the industry."
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Five Ways To Save Video Games More

Five Ways To Save Video Games

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  • Skimpy outfits? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Jare ( 790431 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @06:00AM (#13555446) Homepage
    It seems 90% of the world is a sex-crazed children, if advertisments are anything to go by. From cars to perfume to... yeah pretty much anything adheres to the "skimpy outfits + huge muscles" trend. Don't even get me started on movies.

    • Re:Skimpy outfits? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Laxitive ( 10360 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @06:50AM (#13555612) Journal

      No shit.

      I still remember when a friend bought home a case of Bud one day. Oh yes, I remember waking up the next day, feeling strangely bewildered and disoriented when I realized that despite the several cans of shitty beer I'd consumed the night before, I had not received even a single blowjob from hot, giggling college girls.

      A rude awakening, that was.. (well, waking up to a vomit-stained bed smelling vaguely reminiscent of that shitty generic beer taste was probably the most rude part).

      -Laxitive

      • Re:Skimpy outfits? (Score:4, Funny)

        by Sylver Dragon ( 445237 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @12:20PM (#13558055) Journal
        One thing to always keep in mind when watching Budweiser commercials. Those clydesdale horses aren't just their mascots, they are their production facility.
        1. Horse drinks water
        2. Horse expels said water in the normal fashion
        3. Anheiser-Busch collects waste water into bottles
        4. Bottles chilled and sold as Budweiser "Beer"
        5. Profit!!
        6. ???
        7. People wake up going WTF did I drink last night?
    • I'm just glad that the very first image was of a nice set of cartoon tubes. Made the whole click thing worth it.
      • "I'm just glad that the very first image was of a nice set of cartoon tubes. Made the whole click thing worth it."

        That's the first time, if you don't count immediately after posting something really boneheaded, that somebody convinced me to RTFA.

    • Re:Skimpy outfits? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ZephyrXero ( 750822 )
      Just because crack and herion are big money makers, does that mean we should all sell it? I know it's more of a problem with our apathetic culture than anything else, but it doesn't mean people have to keep contributing to it. There's a time and place for porn, but not every movie/game/ad/whatever should be trying to achieve the same goals. I want to throw up everytime I see those tire commercials with "sexy people" dancing in the rain...What the fuck does that have to do with your tires? lol

      I've known l
      • Sex sells. Always has and always will. Is it right, good, <insert moral term here>? Who cares? These companies are in it to make money, that is why companies exist. As long as they continue to make a profit following the same formula, they will. And until young males are no longer willing to throw money at a set of tits, it will continue to make money.
        As for capturing the rest of the market (read:female gamers) enough of them are willing to just ignore the portrayal of women as sex objects in g
        • On the plus side, in the hentai game you'd get the added bonus of a good'ol tentacle-rape stage.

          Always a family favourite...or so I hear.
        • Yeah, I'm not saying that all sex and t&a in games needs to disappear...it just shouldn't be the status quo. That stuff will always exist somewhere because people want it... What we don't want is to be beat over the head with it like your perfect example from BG2 ;)

    • Games are worse (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "It seems 90% of the world is a sex-crazed children, if advertisments are anything to go by. From cars to perfume to... yeah pretty much anything adheres to the "skimpy outfits + huge muscles" trend. Don't even get me started on movies."

      I have to disagree. While there is alot of sexuality and t&a on TV, it never gets so infantile as it does in some games. Best example would be to check out Bloodrayne. There is a character in there that runs around with you (serves as the means to teach you how to pla

  • 1st point is totally exaggerated... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @06:11AM (#13555479)
    "#1 Stop Treating Women Like Whores"

    On the grounds of taste, I'd like to agree, but I don't think it matters overall to gaming's future successes. There are plenty of films and music videos that portray women as sex objects and do well out of it. Here's a great example:
    http://www.internetdj.com/watch_video.php?op=watch &mediaid=15089&feature=1 [internetdj.com]
    • Part of the solution is simple. In all games where you play as a protagonist, make it possible to choose between a male or female skin. That's it. Doom 3 would have been a lot less sexist if you could play as a female marine... and why couldn't you? The dialog in the game never refers to "he" or "she," and the plot doesn't hinge on you being male, so why didn't the developers of Doom 3 provide a choice? The game's basically a ripoff of Alien/Aliens, and those movies had strong female protagonists.

      (Give

  • "Saving" Gaming (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @06:22AM (#13555512)
    Seriously, how many articles like this have we seen recently? I don't mind slashdot covering the articles; after all, this is an undeniable trend in gaming journalism of late and deserves to be covered. I do wonder whether the authors of these articles realise just how redundant they're being, though.

    What I've noticed is that, whatever language and specific examples are used to dress them up, most of these articles seem to be trying to point in the same direction. In short, they want to "save" the industry by getting it to drop the practices that have been successful at pushing gaming into the mainstream over the last decade.

    Seriously, how often lately have we read that games should stop trying to be like movies, stop including fmv or, indeed, any cutscene longer than about five seconds. How many cheap (and inaccurate) shots at Final Fantasy X do we have to sit, on the supposed grounds that it was just a movie with a few interactive sequences? What precisely is the purpose of attacking games with "epic" plots? Should every game be about a cartoon plumber running around cleaning graffiti off an island?

    I think this basically boils down to "disgruntled fanboy syndrome". The journalists writing these articles now are the same breed who, ten years ago (before the Playstation, when gaming could still reasonably be described as niche) were writing about what games needed to do to break into the mainstream. Now that gaming is firmly a mainstream practice, they want nothing more than to push it back into its niche? Why? Ego, mostly.

    A lot of these sages figured that when games became a mainstream activity, the nature of the public would change to fit their past-time. They didn't figure on their past-time changing to fit the public. Look at all the Final Fantasy fans who whinge on (often at great length, in slashdot games comments section) about how Square haven't made a good game since Final Fantasy VI and are just interested in milking the franchise these days? Do their claims stand up to close investigation? Not by any objective standard. FFX had a more intricate and nuanced combat system than FFVI, had more "optional" content and a better range of tools available to convey emotional expression. FFX-2, by no means the most popular installment in the series, was a pretty risky venture, taking all kinds of liberties with established gameplay concepts that *could* have simply been milked further to provide a safe cash-flow. The vast majority of those who publically hark back to the so-called glory days of the series are simply trying to boost their own egos by showing all these pesky newcomers that "WE WERE HERE BEFORE YOU" and assuming that their opinions should carry more weight as a result of this.

    Alternatively, turn the example around and look at Nintendo. Nintendo's course of action over the last few years (and its probable course over the next couple of years) has been pretty close to what most of these articles seem to be promoting. They've eschewed movie-style production values (look at the absence of voice-acting in Wind Waker, for example) and concentrated on "old school" gameplay concepts. If these articles (and the general thrust of opinion on slashdot games) were correct, Nintendo should be market leaders. In reality, they're faced with declining sales, plummeting market share and a near total absence of any press attention out of the strictly specialist media.

    In short, most gaming media articles on "how to save gaming" are in fact nothing more than thinly disguised articles on "how to save the author's job and/or ego".
    • Got any figures to back up those "declining sales?"

      This article [gamepro.com], linked to by TFA, may blow your mind.

      • Re:"Saving" Gaming (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward
        You want figures? I got figures for you.

        Try these [pcvsconsole.com]

        Note a few of the key figures here:

        NES = 61,780,000

        SNES = 49,020,000

        N64 = 32,930,000

        Gamecube = 18,030,000

        Admittedly, the higher figures for the older consoles reflect the greater time they've had on the market, but don't overestimate this - there haven't exactly been many NESes sold over the last 5 years. Now note the really key piece here. Compare the figures for the Nintendo console in each generation with its competitors. The NES beats the Mastersyst
    • While I generally agree with you, Nintendo's "problem" isn't catering to fanboys. Its "problem" is getting back what it lost and Sony gained after the SNES.

      Full 3rd party support from all the major devs.

      Sony has shit for 1st party titles. It is only ruling for its solid 3rd party support. Now you might ask why this is so hard to top...That would be because most devs stick together...where a slight majority go, the rest follow which causes a console to get more gmaes (both good and bad) which causes more
      • Gran Turismo is 1st party.

        Plus, this isn't entirely true. Third party developers are busineses also, the trend of exclusivity is almost over. Why would they stick to one console if they could sell more titles by cross platforming it? The truth is, Nintendo doesn't garner third party support becuase of their approval process. Sure they have some more mature games, and they gave some pretty great games too. But they are no where close to targeting the major gamer age demographic of 25-34. Sorry, thats core fo

    • These sort of articles won't go away until there's some massive change in the industry. Now is it gaming's fault? Probably not since movies/tv/advertisements all pull the same punches... But does that make it right? no. The main problem is our apathetic culture. Because the majority of people today don't care about much of anything, they try to tear down the ones who are trying to take a stand.

      I constantly hear people talk about how Nintendo's still inovating...blah blah blah. Just look at what they're d
    • Civ3 was a flop because of all the boobies.

  • What I want to know is ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Metatron ( 21064 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @06:24AM (#13555518)
    ... is there anywhere I can do a Masters or PHD in jiggle-physics, this seems like a discipline that requires further study.
    • Ther is not... but you could take Physics I and II in college. Then look into ball-and-spring meshes.

      It's fairly easy to simulate a large mass of fatty matter using a 3D ball-and-spring mesh and an algorithm like the one used for dynamic cloth, but link the vertices to other vertices based upon distance, not whether they're neighbors on the mesh.

  • More like... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by stupid_is ( 716292 )
    The entire article is a bit disgruntled - bits seem cobbled together from that Games Manifesto [pointlesswasteoftime.com] and the rest is a rant saying "don't target game content at 14 year old males". Oh, wait. That's the main purchaser of games.

    Maybe it would be nice if games could alsobe targetted at other markets, but I suspect the interest just isn't there. Just look at films - barring the odd Titanic / English Patient (eww), how many blockbuster chick-flicks are there? Granted they do exist, but the film market dynamics are d

    • ...14 year old males". Oh, wait. That's the main purchaser of games.

      Oh, wait. You're wrong. [theesa.com]

      "Ninety-five percent of people who make the actual purchase of computer games and 84% of people who make the actual purchase of video games are 18 years of age or older. The average age of the game buyer is 37 years old. ... Who plays video games? 35% under 18 years, 43% 18-49 years, 19% 50+ years."
      • You might be right, but citing a bunch of crapo game industry propganda statistics doesn't make your point.

        + "Actual purchase" -- obviously counts parents buying games for kids. Duh.
        + "18-49" is a television demographic. Irrelvant, especially if there's a big falloff after age 25.
        + "Plays Games" is nicey broad enough so that we can include grandma and windows solatare in with the kids who get 10 PS2 games a year.

        If they're looking to convince people that games aren't just a kiddie market, they some numbers
  • Heh


    Stop Treating Women Like Whores - ....... If you can't stop demeaning women (with skimpy outfits and hyper-sexuality) and men (by glamorizing massive musculature and testosterone-dripping masculinity)....

    Not that I dissagree with the sentiment (far from it infact), but isn't mainstream movies and TV even worse than games in general, ESPECIALLY in the US?

    At least in games things are obviously fantasy. A lot of TV/Movies are also fantasy, but dressed up as fact.

    • yeah, and it's not exactly like they can treat men as whores (gigolos yes...)

      Sillyness aside, I completely agree - heck, extend that to all media, though the fat and/or ugly guy/girl could make a career in radio if they have a sexy voice (for some reason the 90s song "I might like you better if we slept together" comes to mind, but I've also seen DJs that fall into that category).

      What exactly is not demeaning to women, a tiny breasted lesbian woman with a butch hairdo and pant suit that has a man hating att
    • Uh, so movies and TV have the same problem. That doesn't really change the point at all. If it's a problem, it's a problem regardless of who else has the same problem... and it would sure make the art of producing video games look a lot better if they "solved" it before Hollywood did, wouldn't it?

      It's like the people who say that Linux has crappy printer support, and some guy always chimes in and yells out, "well so does Windows!" as if that were relevant to the issue in some way.
    • Apparently, you do not watch much Latin American or European television. There are topless scenes in daytime television, soft-core porn is shown on many public (i.e. non-cable) channels after 10:00pm, and take a look at their game shows (Sabado Gigante has a segment where the audience judges a group of women exclusively on the sexiness of their legs).

      I just don't see think your argument holds water (or maybe I misunderstood you...).

  • media (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Tom ( 822 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @07:00AM (#13555647) Homepage Journal
    And don't think for a minute that the mainstream media doesn't pick up on this.

    You mean the way I read articles about the male/female stereotypes in hollywood movies every other day?

    The media will pick up whatever it wants, and if it doesn't find something, it creates something.

    Remember all the crying of "think of the chiiiildren" back when they found some boobs in a game labeled 17 or older already? Right, that was a major issue for the 9-13 age bracket.

    I've got another hint:
    Stop worrying about the media and start making better games, you morons.

  • stop and think (Score:5, Insightful)

    by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) <fidelcatsro&gmail,com> on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @07:36AM (#13555773) Journal
    I am a Man , I like seeing women in skimpy outfits .I do not view them as inferior or lessor beings because some women choose to wear something titillating . In fact I admire their courage and their bodies.
    I like jiggling breasts .. It's natural for straight guys to like these types of things.
    It is not Evil or wrong for Games to portray this .

    They are not treating them as whores , they are treating them as beautiful examples of the female form.
    I am not a sexist and believe women deserve equal rights in all things. The fact remains that men like to see scantily clad women and that is not going to change because a few prudes consider this demeaning .
    We are not immature idiots , we know that most real women are not like this , but let us keep our fantasies please.(some women also enjoy scantily clad men , look at the success of male strippers )

    The complaints about the story lines are silly , some games have better plots than others .. but the most important thing is the game-play . Sure a few stories are rather similar and have some plot holes .. but you would think that these people have never read works of literature .. I can tell you from experience that the same things happen even in the greatest of literary works .

    After all these are just games and centre around the interactivity aspect of the story . Sure they do sometimes follow the Hero save damsel from villain plot but honestly it is a tried and true format that works well.

    Special effects can be rather cool , So long as they are not over-used or inappropriately used (or lacking inappropriately ).

    Cinematic experiences can be part of the games style , what is wrong with that . I don't have much to say on this part as it's really not worth commenting on

    • (some women also enjoy scantily clad men , look at the success of male strippers )

      SOME women? Obviously you weren't around a lot of them when the last episode of Battlestar Galactica aired.

      Of course, that's a show that gets everything right: eye candy for women, eye candy for men, eye candy for scifi fans, and mind candy for all!
    • I'm probably going to regret replying to this, but here goes. By "treating them as examples of the female form" and by having them be the only women in a game, you are showing women that their role is to be pretty scenery, unimportant to the plot or action. And what woman wants to play a game like that?
      • "And what woman wants to play a game like that?"
        Not that many probably . Though a hell of a lot of men will want to play it .
        I agree that there needs to perhaps be more games that are of broader appeal (whilst avoiding LCD) whilst still being mature in content , though that is aside from the point.

        We enjoy this type of thing and there is nothing wrong with that if you can separate these things from reality .

        I can not speak for the female gamers out there , not being a woman myself and all. I just took grea

        • Re:stop and think (Score:3, Insightful)

          by emilymildew ( 646109 )
          I just took great offence with the comment on that article that just because a female character is portrayed as sexy that we view them as something derogatory or lesser .

          The problem is that when you teach a woman that unless she's 6 feet tall with a D cup, a 24 inch waist and a vacant look in her eyes that she doesn't belong in a video game, she IS being taught that she is lesser.

          I don't argue that some men appreciate that aspect of the game. Or that some women might like male eye candy. I'm just t

          • Re:stop and think (Score:3, Insightful)

            by FidelCatsro ( 861135 )
            Perhaps , but then how many stumpy over/under-weight geek guys star in games ...
            They are almost all Athletic , muscle bound , Heroic types .(well except Mario and Luigi , but they are still heroic )
            There are also a fair few examples of strong female leads .. who admittedly are also Athletic fully formed heroic girls .

            Guys get the impression that unless they are toned to perfection , can do a 4 minute mile and bench-press a small car that they are inadequate .. or do they

            Yeah games have stereotypes , perh
      • I'm probably going to regret replying to this, but here goes.

        Ditto here.

        you are showing women that their role is to be pretty scenery, unimportant to the plot or action.

        Emily, please stop jumping on the defensive and speaking in absolutes. No one here makes the assumptions that you always make. (Anyone who does either has not yet finished puberty or is not representative of the "normal" male.)

        I agree that there would be no harm in making games with strong, female characters, or al least desi

    • Re:stop and think (Score:5, Insightful)

      by realityfighter ( 811522 ) on Thursday September 15, 2005 @08:25AM (#13565361) Homepage
      Let me see how delicately I can put this...

      I am a woman. I disagree. Games like Rumble Roses and Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball make me feel pretty shitty. The kind of "appreciation" you're expressing makes me feel pretty shitty, because for most men that appreciation comes before all others. It's demeaning to those of us who actually work to do something of value and meaning with our lives, to have our accomplishments swept aside by that natural titty lust. And somehow you expect a woman to like it simply because you're complimenting her body. What you don't understand is that most of the time what we want is appreciation for what we have done, not for the incidental shape of our tits. (And for those guys who say, "Gee, I wish people treated me like a sex object, hur hur hur!" - No, you don't. Trust me.)

      If your body, which is something you have simply by virtue of existing, is the sole reason that people pay attention to you, what worth are your mind, soul, personality, opinions - in essence, the things that make up your sense of self? There's not much value in being "appreciated" like this all the time. Now think about how you would feel if you were ignored for a CGI image of a better body than yours - and probably "better" because you chose to spend your days, say, coding or writing instead of primping and dieting?

      Again, this may not reflect how you feel or act, and I don't mean to say that this kind of portrayal is Eeevil in the moral sense. All I'm saying is that you might want to know what goes through my head when I, an actual woman, see a game like this, and why it makes me feel degraded.

      I can feel a wave of moronic, misogynistic replies coming because of this post. I'm sorry, guys. If you don't want to understand things like this, it's not our fault that women seem mysterious to you.

      • Re:stop and think (Score:4, Insightful)

        by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) <fidelcatsro&gmail,com> on Thursday September 15, 2005 @09:53AM (#13565927) Journal
        Look at the men in those games ... seriously Do you think most of us guys have a single hope in hell of ever looking like that . The men's bodies are as much idealised as the women's.
        Most men even if they sat and worked out constantly could never attain these looks couldn't .Well without major plastic surgery and steroid injections .. about the same thing women would have to do to look like those characters .The men are in the stereotypical roles that most of us would not want to fill in real life And the normal guy is ignored in favour of the Adonis type fable .

        So why am I not offended by it .

        I will tell you how at least one man feels.
        I feel that I am secure in myself as a person .I don't need to feel inadequate just because I don't fit some idealised model of what some people think is normal .

        You are perpetuating a stereotype of men as immature and driven by physical attraction , men who blindly lust after stereotypes . Some men do , just as some women do .
        Men are not from mars , women are not from Venus .. bar a few extremely minor genetic alterations .. we are not that different .

        This is how you feel as a specific woman and maybe a lot of other women feel like that .Honestly you shouldn't , there is no need to and the only person making you feel bad is you. Perhaps that some total immature prats .. and trust me there are women who are just the same and who make men feel bad about the way they look.

        What it all boils down to is the separation between reality and fantasy
        Do you really think I want to be some Adonis killing machine who has relationships with women who have the IQ of a watermelon . In real life ..not a hope in hell , but it makes for some great escapism . That's why it sells , People don't want games that reflect real life.

        I have been married for a number of years to a wonderful intelligent woman who I think is the most beautiful thing in the world on all levels. She also does not fit in these stereotypes.

        I apologise if this reply seems moronic or misogynist , It was not intended to .It was intended to be egalitarian and give you a little perspective into the male psyche and how I as one man view these things. I would hate to think I am the only man like this but i know for a fact I am not .

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Makes you wonder what the women who make 3d models and textures think of all this. They don't seem to care, at least in Team Ninja's case.

      We don't know if they care or not. They knew the target audience of the game and designed accordingly. They might have not given a flying fsck or they might have been outraged at the idea. In the end, they created a hot selling game.

      On average, men prefer slim women with D-sized breasts. Women prefer guys with musculature. Looking at ads and movies just proves the poin
    • On average, men prefer slim women with D-sized breasts.

      Could I get some stats on that? I don't think that's true at all.

  • Great maths :( (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Doctor Ian ( 452190 )
    Article: Instead of spending $20 million to make "THE NEXT HALO!!!,... why not spend $4 million to make five solid games with interesting themes? You might not sell 8 million copies, but with budgets like that, selling 300,000 units will make you serious bank.

    5 * 300,000 = 1,500,000.
    1 * 8,000,000 = 8,000,000.

    8,000,000 > 1,500,000.

    • 8,000,000 > 1,500,000.

      Now, now. The article sucked, but don't go criticizing them for no good reason. You're right that gross profit will be higher, but you've got to subtract costs. Figure each of those games cost $50, and then you get revenues of $75 million and $400 million. Subtract the alleged production costs, and you're left with profits of $71 million and $380 million.

      Okay... that's still a big difference. That's why all they said was $71 million would be "serious bank". They didn't sa

    • 1,500,000 * $40 = $60,000,000 - $4,000,000 = $56,000,000

      8,000,000 * $40 = $320,000,000 - $20,000,000 = $300,000,000

      Looks even worse when you de-flaw your calculation (claim was based on profit, not on copies sold).

    • Article:

      Instead of spending $20 million to make "THE NEXT HALO!!!,... why not spend $4 million to make five solid games with interesting themes? You might not sell 8 million copies, but with budgets like that, selling 300,000 units will make you serious bank.

      5 * 300,000 = 1,500,000. 1 * 8,000,000 = 8,000,000.

      8,000,000 > 1,500,000.

      That may be the case, but you also have to figure in the cost/profit ratio... I mean, investing $20 million *BETTER* have a greater return than $4 million, to be sure.

      • Except for the fact that the investment in BOTH cases is 20 million. Either 20 millino on one game, or 4 million on each of five games.
        • Except for the fact that the investment in BOTH cases is 20 million. Either 20 millino on one game, or 4 million on each of five games.

          The article isn't exactly specific on that. It's vague enough (the way it's worded), that they could be saying $4,000,000 for all 5 games, or $4,000,000 per game for 5 games.

          • Well, considering 4,000,000 x 5 = 20,000,000, it would by quite the coincidence if they meant it any other way. Especially with the "either or" type wording.

            But hey, whatever, us arguing about it won't make the studios try the non-block buster route.
      • >> Spend it on 5 games that will each sell 300,000 copies (at a profit of $75,000,000 each).

        Your final calculation is for 25 games selling 300,000 copies each. You have multiplied by five twice. 300,000 * $50 = $15m.

        25 games would certainly be worth it assuming that all 25 could be done with the same budget. The small loss in profit would be justified by the massive reduce in risk. As you said in your other reply the article isn't really clear on what the values mean and from my point of view they wer

    • Re:Great maths :( (Score:3, Informative)

      by mdielmann ( 514750 )
      Well, here I was going to moderate on this article, but everyone is botching the maths so badly that I had to reply. This post is in response to all the people who apparently can't count above 4, and can't keep track of two sets of numbers at one time.

      Option 1:
      Number of Games = 5.
      Cost = $4M.
      Units Sold = 300,000.
      Revenue Per Game (based on $50 per unit) = $15M.
      Profit Per Game = $11M.
      %Profit Per Game = 200% [(11-4)/4*100].
      Total Revenue = $75M.
      Total Profit = $55M.

      Option 2:
      Number of Games = 1.
      Cost = $20M.
      Units
      • Except the revenue per game is nowhere near $50 per unit. Once you take out manufacturing and delivery costs, retail markup, the publisher's cut, the amount of revenue to the developer will probably be closer to $10-$15.

        Okay, this hardly matters since it still means the total profit for the $20 million game is higher, but I'm just assuming we're after some sort of realism with these figures. If we could make $50 per sale, we'd be laughing.
      • I'm qualified. Check out my sig! And to stay on topic, notice that my sig is related to the first point in the article...in a round-a-bout kind of way.

    • Re:Great maths :( (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Idolminds ( 547797 )
      Your one game may bomb. You've put all your money into a single game and have it only sell 300,000 copies. By spreading the money out into 5 games, if each one sells only 300,000 then you're ahead. Or if 3 bomb and they other 2 take off you're still in better shape overall.

      Dont put your eggs in one basket. Which I think is a better point to make.

  • Ads (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by secolactico ( 519805 )
    Memo to games.net: I know that times are tough and you fund yourself with the revenues you get from ads. But making me go thru a a full page ad every time I click on a link is annoying to no end.

    I'm not saying that I won't visit your site again, but I'll think twice before clicking on another games.net link.
  • Its just that the entertainment industry's creative muscle has atrophied and instead of offering new and innovative titles, we get the same formula based and derivative "sequels" and "clones" based on other successful franchises.

    Most companies while earning billions of dollars don't want to waste millions developing a software title that may fail. The same is true in Television and Hollywood. The entertainment industry has resolved itself into only a few major companies that generate billions in revenue,
    • It's not that the industry has lost creativity, it's just that it's gained a lot more blandness. Don't listend to the marketing, just go to a gamestop and look at the walls. They're covered with games. There are a ridiculous number of games being released. Ignore the big cardboard cuts outs and kiosks that they set up in the middle of the floor. That's all for the three or four games that are currently being hyped. If you listen to that marketing, yeah, you're only going to see the crap that the big compani
    • Almost every game that's an incredible success is something new, though. Look at The Sims, GTA3, Katamari Damacy, etc. Sure the market's full of clones, but sometimes taking a risk can yield great rewards, and I'd certainly love to see more of it.

  • REAL Best Way to Save Video Games (Score:3, Insightful)

    by tommertron ( 640180 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @09:04AM (#13556264) Homepage Journal
    I thought this article was about saving your current game in games, which is a problem that really bugs me.

    To me, the best way to save video games is to be able to save whenever the hell you want, not run around the building/city/world/universe trying to find a save point.

  • Why the hell would the market leader want to change what has always worked, and will always work, to wit, pandering to the lowest common denominator? The masses love the stupidest games. Look at the sales for frogger, and "101 solitaire games" compilations and weep. Now, multiply that by the number of adolescents who will bite their own hands off for a chance to own the fashion statement of the moment. PS2, XBOX, both tried to become the Von Dutch shirts and Diesel jeans of videogames, and now, The Big N is

    • Re:Riddle me this (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Erm... I hate to break this to you... but people are voting with their wallets. Just because people don't share your tastes does not make them stupid, uneducated or in need of your enlightenment. If you think it does, please graduate from junior school and then make another stab at holding an adult conversation when you think you're ready.

      Let's look at the games you highlight here...

      Gran Turismo: probably the most detailed driving simulator around (even if the single-player racing aspects leave a bit to be
  • Ok, so we're seeing an article like this about once a week now. It's getting a little redundant.

    Most of the points are agreeable don't get me wrong, but do they really think anything is going to change? These developers are going to play it safe until they are out of business and I can't wait for that day to come.

    It basically boils down to lazy an unimaginative game designers and the scumbag publishers that reinforce the behavior because the shit sells. I'm not going to point fingers at any one developer
    • It basically boils down to lazy an unimaginative game designers and the scumbag publishers that reinforce the behavior because the shit sells.

      If they are doing it because it sells, then the blame is on the shoulders of the consumer. Scapegoating a company for selling something that is popular is stupid.
  • This article makes me wonder if the author even plays games. Most of the people I know play games to escape, being the only person around and saving your entire race is a damn good way to escape. Looking at scantily clad women (also a good way to escape). I enjoy being the only person who can save earth, now if there was only sequels to certain games such as HALO, Half-Life and Advent Rising I would probably survive. The author also seems to forget entirely about games such as Rainbow Six, BattleField (I kn

  • A few questionable examples... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dreamquick ( 229454 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @09:38AM (#13556534) Homepage
    For the most part they are pointing out the obvious, however I found it rather ironic that their choice of images to prove their points shows how little they understand games or have bothered to research their choice of imagery beyond "that looks good, we'll use that".

    #2 Your Storylines Suck--Get New Ones

    The image they've chosen to match this one against is from System Shock 2, one of the few immersive story driven FPS games from that time.

    The original system shock defined a genre in a period when "shoot, shoot, shoot, grab the key" was about as deep as the stories in FPS games were. Then half-life 1 stole system-shocks crown by doing nearly everything the original while not leaving you feeling as isolated by adding lots of NPCs you could interact with.

    System shock 2 was a fine sequel that built upon elements of the first system shock and made it truely atmoshperic and immersive to the point that it was capable of scaring you.

    Yes the storyline still left you as the only live "person" on the ship and partnered with an operator, but that is system shock's style. Maybe they could have done more with it, but honestly I think the team that designed system shock did themselves proud on both the storyline and the game itself.

    #5 Cinema is Sinful

    The image they've chosen to match this one against is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with the general feel of "stop trying to make games like film, because it doesn't work".

    Again, really poor research - yes SA did have cinematic cut-scenes but the majority were amazing and really helped define & enhance the underlying story and hold your interest.

    Yes, they could have tried doing it all in locked 3rd-person mode so it didn't break the immersion but that wouldn't have worked nearly as well at keeping peoples attention, or setting the scene.

    For example in Half-Life and Halo the narrative is delivered from bystanders but for the most part these people are extras who could (and often would) never be seen again so you don't need to develop any attachment to them. Contrast this with SA where you and your extended family are all major characters, each with their own backstory and plotlines which are woven into the main story.

    By the time the last "chapter" of SA begins your character has been used and thoroughly betrayed, some of which helps the player remain motivated and understand the events of the final chapter which would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the game.

    Hmm ... this may well be the longest thing I've posted on slashdot...

  • The Attack of the Straw Men (Score:3, Insightful)

    by tolendante ( 865207 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @09:40AM (#13556557)

    "Ok, so here's a big one. Why is it that half the games on the market begin with your character as the sole survivor of some mysterious holocaust?"

    Hey, I've got an answer for him...they don't. Using hyperbole like this to establish an argument when there are actual real issues that could be discussed is simply bad writing. There are many ways to see that this is a straw man argument. An examination of the past year's releases and the upcoming year's releases shows how lame this argument is. Of the Top 10 releases of 2004, none involve a character who is the "sole survivor of some holocaust." Actually, none are close, though we almost got a holocaust in Halo 2 and we likely will in Halo 3:

    • 1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) - 5.1 million
    • 2. Halo 2 (Xbox) - 4.2 million
    • 3. Madden NFL 2005 (PS2) - 3.2 million
    • 4. ESPN NFL 2K5 (PS2) - 1.5 million
    • 5. Need for Speed Underground 2 (PS2) - 1.4 million
    • 6. Pokémon FireRed (with adapter) (GBA) - 1.2 million
    • 7. NBA Live 2005 (PS2) - 1.2 million
    • 8. Spider-Man 2 (PS2) - 1.1 million
    • 9. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) - 1.1 million
    • 10. ESPN NFL 2K5 (Xbox)- 1.0 million

    (Note: I'm not interested in his other points at the moment, but it doesn't look like jiggly boobs and a cinematic experience hurt GTA sales all that much and I'm not sure that any of the other titles included T&A. Heck, less than half of them featured a "hero" as the main character. GTA, and arguably the Halo games, feature an anti-hero. The sports games don't focus on a single character, nor do the racing games. So, only Halo, Halo 2, Spiderman, and Pokemon have the player playing as a hero. Only GTA features T&A. Only GTA, Spider-man, and the Halo games feature cinematic cut scenes. Of those, only the Halo games commit his sin of being, God forbid, Epic. I'm not aware that any of the games have you getting captured half-way through the game and having to recover your weapons. I've played lots of games that had you do that back in the 90's. I don't think I've played a single one on the current consoles, but I might be forgetting something.)

    Additionally, here is a list of the upcoming releases on the PS2 as previewed by one of the major video game sites. I have marked the ones that don't feature a solo hero in a post-holocaust setting.

    • Jak X: Combat Racing****
    • Ratchet: Deadlocked****
    • World Poker Tour 2K6****
    • Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks****
    • The Sims 2****
    • The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer****
    • Tak: The Great Juju Challenge****
    • Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood****
    • Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers****
    • True Crime: New York City****
    • Driver: Parallel Lines****
    • X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse****
    • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire****
    • Heroes of the Pacific****
    • Ultimate Spider-Man****
    • World Racing 2****
    • Gene Troopers
    • DT Racer****
    • S.L.A.I. -Steel Lancer Arena International-****
    • Knights of the Temple 2****
    • Radiata Stories****
    • Conflict: Global Terror****
    • One Piece Grand Battle!****
    • EyeToy: Kinetic****
    • Ponkotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot****
    • Evil Dead Regeneration
    • Pac-Man World 3****
    • World Series of Poker****
    • Ryu Ga Gotoku****
    • Shining Force Neo****
    • Guitar Hero****
    • NASCAR 06: Total Team Control****
    • StarCraft: Ghost
    • Black
    • 24: The Game****
    • James Bond 007: From Russia With Love****
    • Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves****
    • Aeon Flux
    • Fatal Frame III: The Tormented****
    • Trapt****
    • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe****
    • Call of Duty 2: Big Red One****
    • Crash Tag Team Racing****
    • Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico****
    • Pri
  • #1 where women are treates like whores - isn't this simply a reflection of society, where women choose to wear skimpy clothing? While most "normal" people don't do that, it just takes a small group to damage everything.

    #2 might have merit, but it is minimalistic. The problem is not with plot, but with the attempt at poor plot being a crutch to negate (or explain) bad gameplay. As a side note, the screenshot is for System Shock 2 - where the "Aliens" are from Earth.

    #3, as most /. readers have experience w
  • I took the time to read through some of the other articles on this site, and I am convinced that these writers are all just a big bunch of cookie-cutter rantaholics. They seem to enjoy bitching and nothing else, and at least in the articles that I read, they don't really know what they're talking about.

    As an example: there is an article [games.net] up there entitled "I hate Puppies, or how Nintendogs will ruin the world," the general gist of which being that Nintendogs is stupid, and I'll be over here playing real g

    • I agree mostly with what you've said. Others have pointed out that some of these qualities are desiriable in some form or another. Cinematics can add drama to an action game when done right (most can be skipped out of anyway). A better critique would have been cinematics that can't be skipped. I bet almost everyone hates that (especially your third try on the level). Anyway, I think it's ranting and poorly thought out ranting at that. Most of these characteristics are desirable in some form or another
  • "#1 Stop Treating Women Like Whores

    Well that's fine and dandy, but there is a reason people demand 500gb hard drives. And it's not all to download episodes of Futurama.

    Not that I go around devoting entire hard drives to storing high quality jpg files or something like that... *coughs* Not me. I swear! *coughs* But it's the nature of US society even though no one will admit to it.
  • That's why Duke Nukem, Serious Sam, and the rest of the games like that don't sell.

    Oh wait.
  • I can't imagine why this new #1 women's breasts are too large in video games + variations is coming out, unless the geeks who write the articles (who have hard time getting dates anyways), are maybe recieving some kind of other pressure. But this last one really baffles me. Whores? With the exception of GTA, I'd like you to point out one game where a female character doesn't at least have some kind of "Action Oriented" participant role in the game.

    One other, please?
  • I have my own opinions. I don't need a hack writer trying to put forth their opinions as gospel to me.

    If anything, I'd say I don't like how men are shown in FF games. They are looking more and more female. I don't want to play a big muscle bound character, but I'd like an average guy character that doesn't look female! I guess to start pleasing the female audience the next FF game should include the stick girl with no boobs, the big butt girl, the girl with thunder thighs, the short girl, and of course the

  • Five ways to save video games (Score:4, Funny)

    by ArmorFiend ( 151674 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @10:57AM (#13557262) Homepage Journal
    Five ways to save video games
    1. File>Save As...
    2. put the CDs in your gun vault
    3. cd /dev/cdrom warcraft3.iso
    4. wait till the game's in the $5 bin and buy an extra copy
    5. just pirate the game from your buddy, and let him worry about it!
  • So apparently everything I've ever liked about videogames is what's wrong with them?

    Let's go over some things. The way I see it:
    • Boobies: Good. 'Nuff said.
    • Storylines/Epics: I happen to like playing the hero. It sure as hell beats a game about being an average Joe going to the local gas station to pick up a pack of twinkies.
    • Spectacles: I like pretty graphics. Gameplay is more important, yes, but I appreciate the depth some games give by immersing the player in a realistic world.
    • Cinema: Okay, got me th

  • "sex-crazed children" (Score:4, Funny)

    by HTH NE1 ( 675604 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @11:22AM (#13557480)
    But when you show stupid jiggle-physics and scantily-clad girls cooing and moaning and wriggling, you show yourselves for what you really are: sex-crazed children.

    Won't someone please think of the sex-crazed children?!

  • But when you show stupid jiggle-physics and scantily-clad girls cooing and moaning and wriggling, you show yourselves for what you really are: sex-crazed children. And don't think for a minute that the mainstream media doesn't pick up on this.

    You know what? I really don't think the mainstream media cares. In fact, I'd say if they were interested, they'd harp on that fact, which would not only sell the product to sex-craved adults and children, but also make them money. Sex makes you watch TV. It makes those

  • I agree that when cinematics absolutely need to done, they should be short, probably everyone agrees.

    My question is, how do people feel about cinematic scenes done as pre-rendered movie clips vs (my preference) scenes done within the game engine itself, such as in KOTOR.

    I noticed that KOTOR does use prerendered clips for cinematic scenes that don't feature the player's character.
  • #5 Stop posting top 5 lists #4 Stop hiring morons who can't write #3 Stop hiring writers who don't know games #2 Don't take yourself so seriously #1 Don't invent problems. Gaming is not dying. It is more popular than even. Whoever wrote this should be smacked around with a trout.

  • Stop whining (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Gravedigger3 ( 888675 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @01:33PM (#13558768)
    Wow i've seen this same article written by 15 different people. Its ironic to see a writer complaining about originallity as he writes the same complaints that have been posted dozens of times on a number of different sites.

    And for the record I LOVE having hot busty women and big testorone filled guys in my games. I dont want to play DOA with some 45 year old fat chick that looks like the lunchlady from my old high school. And i dont want the hero of Far Cry to be some gangly redneck with a beer belly.

    We are playing games to escape into a fantasy world and I want to see fantasy characters. I love the hot chicks in revealing clothes and the tough guys with big muscles and so do most people i know personally. In fact I have never met anyone who complained that the chicks were "too revealing in DOA" or that the main character in Halo was "too tough"

    If you want real life go walk around outside. If you want hero's and fantasy worlds and hot women with unrealistic proportions play games.

  • Save? from what? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by AzraelKans ( 697974 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @01:34PM (#13558775) Homepage
    I dont know if you've heard, but right now the gaming industry is BEATING the movie industry. Right now people are a lot more hyped about getting their clutches on a "next gen" console and titles than in any movie coming this or next year.

    And yes they are making halo 3, MGS4, GTA for PSP and DOA4 plan on banking several million bucks, apparently disregarding your "saving" extreme advices.
     
  • Stop generalizing. Not all games have macho heroes (ico-psychonauts, katamari) not all games have scantly clad women, not all games try to be movies there are tons of diferent games aimed at diferent audiences with different tastes.

    What you are doing is the equivalent of comparing all movies to action/horror or even porn. You sound like this: " How come in every movie I see all the girls are desperate on having sex with some guy they just met? I mean seriously whats up with that? and why are people on their
  • Save video games from what precisely?

    Being the fastest growing area of entertainment spending in the world to the extent that its crushing the music industry already in terms of stealing the discretionary purchase allowances out of the hands of its former customers and Hollywood is quaking in its boots?

    In short, save video games from being overwhelmingly succesful? I don't take the point at all. Yeah sure, we can have a debate about how to make video games fresh and new, how to make the industry the progres

  • I'm going to go out and buy it right now.

  • Why is it that half the games on the market begin with your character as the sole survivor of some mysterious holocaust?

    Because then they'd actually have to make more interactive characters! If you're the last one to survive, there's nobody around to interact with, aside from using your shotgun to interact with the assorted zombies, demons, and wildlife left behind.

  • Anyone find it interesting... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Forum Joe ( 841804 ) on Wednesday September 14, 2005 @07:52PM (#13562123)
    ...that he's criticising the best selling games of 2004-2005? One slashdotter was correct when he commented above that these industry commentators just want to push gaming back into a niche market. They can't handle the fact that it's grown into the mainstream.

    I mean, come on, lets look at what points he really has:

    #1 Stop Treating Women Like Whores
    At least he admits that television and movies have been doing the same for years, but no one has said that those industries should stop it if they want to be "saved". Why is computer gaming any different? Sure, he has a point, but I don't really consider it a problem until all games are treating women like sex objects. There's enough counter-examples out there (Resident Evil, Beyond Good And Evil, Perfect Dark, Final Fantasy X, etc) to not get worried yet.

    #2 Your Storylines Suck--Get New Ones
    Wait, what? Let me get this straight... He's ciriticising System Shock 2 and Half Life for having derivative storylines? Two of the most highly rated FPSs of all times, both having won many Game Of The Year awards, yet they both have derivative story lines. Oh I'm sorry, Mr "there is only one story in the world" you come up with something better. FPSs are exactly that, First Person Shooters. The story will always revolve around one man (or woman) because it's First Person, and until the technology for realistic squad AI or personal interaction came along, it was decidedly easier to reduce the human interaction. Besides, people who play FPSs don't want to be swamped by character interaction. A little bit, maybe, but mostly they just want to shoot things. So developers write story lines around that. Now, mister smarty pants, you develop an "original" story that involves one person, unravelling a mystery, without any character interaction. Go on, I dare ya! Chances are it's going to involve:
    a) Getting transported to an alien planet (Doom)
    b) Armageddon (Doom 2)
    c) A Killer virus (Pariah)
    d) Zombies (Resident Evil)
    e) Conspiracy Theory (Max Payne)

    If you can come up with a better reason why one man might be alone against the masses then suggest it. Until then, I think your argument is pretty weak. There are only so many story lines out there, especially for one lone soldier.

    #3 Enough with the Epics
    Oh. Sorry... Yes, you're right, we don't need anymore epic games. We need more mundane games where people do mundane things. Paperboy, anyone?
    We need less heroes? We need more "everyday people"? I'm sorry, but I'm an everyday person, and I play games for escapism. I play grand theft auto because I do things there I can't do in real life. I can't shoot cops, I can't fly helicopters, I can't ride bikes ten times faster than the speed limit. The last thing I want to do is play an everyday game with an everyday character. I find The Sims boring, though I understand its appeal. But I also think its a niche and more sim-like games will fail to succeed. Why on earth would I want to play a game about everyday people?
    Same as with the first example, if every game in the world were basing themselves on a heroic character that has to save the world, maybe I'd be worried. There are enough counter-examples not to worry.

    #4 Stop with the Spectacles
    This one's a bit iffy, and I do think some of the games he mentions have problems. Doom 3 is a classic example of too much work on the graphics and the engine and not enough on the gameplay. Sure it looks pretty, but I think the game suffers because of it. Halo 2 I haven't played, so I can't comment on, but in answer to one of the questions he poses on Half Life 2... Yes, I think it is a great game and the physics model complements the game experience rather than dominating it. Spectacles are great to enhance a good game, not to make a bad game into a good game. But that just comes down to basic game design "What makes a good game?" Developers shouldn't stop building spectacles, they should jus
  • top Treating Women Like Whores

    Why? It obviously works everywhere else. They aren't treated like 'whores' just because they are half naked (as are men in many games). Really, if you want to save the video game journalism industry get them off the hyper-feminist kick they have been on for the past 5 years.

    Frankly, nobody wants you here if you're going to make us all look like fools. Let's face it: the last thing we need is another Hot Coffee-style sex scandal, especially when this crap is so pueril

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