There was a time in the history of the gaming industry when the barriers to entry were pretty massive, verging on insurmountable for most, other than a few select companies. Games typically took three years to develop from initial concept to shelf title; required hugely talented and skillful teams of programmers and designers behind them; and all at a cost of many thousands if not millions of dollars.
It was hardly an enticing field for creative DIY developers to enter on a casual basis - but arguably this ensured a certain level of quality was maintained across much of the industry’s output (and rightly so; with new games typically averaging somewhere between £29-49 it’s only to be expected that a high quality product should be delivered).
In the past, whole teams of staff would work away for many months to perfect graphics, gameplay, plot, user interface etc, to produce a fully polished product. In the recent times though, new and alternative models of operating in the industry have been emerging, and the result is a whole new (and vast) realm of gamer experience.
Electronic distribution systems (such as Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, Wii-Ware etc) have greatly reduced the costs of delivering a title to gamers. No longer must packaging be designed and paid for by games publishers, no longer must costly real-world distribution rates be incurred, and no longer must that cost be passed on to game buyers.
Moreover, users’ expectations have also been drastically re-configured with regard to the types of gaming experiences they desire - largely as a consequence of the success of the Nintendo Wii and the plethora of new avenues it has opened up (Keith Stuart in this week’s Guardian has written some interesting points on this). We are now happy to buy a new game simply on the premise that it offers a new user experience (take most Wii titles as examples) even with the knowledge that the game lacks ‘traditional’ hallmarks of quality such as high-quality graphics or extensive game time.
Small DIY developers can now produce concept-driven titles in as little as six months, distribute them electronically for the price of only a few pounds - and still turn a profit. The graphics are often ‘retro’ at best, and in many cases can be simply dire when measured against traditional standards. The variety of experiences contained within can also be pretty poor; but who cares when the game costs £5, is delivered at the touch of a button, and provides a couple of days great entertainment? It’s still better value than going to the cinema…
Luckily for major studios this new gaming sector is unlikely to impact on the levels of quality within the traditional higher tier of games development. If anything, this new lower/cheaper/quicker tier represents a great arena to try new and daring things that would be too financially risky for major studios, thereby enabling and encouraging creativity. Furthermore, young talent has a safe playground in which to explore and develop ideas and skills, ultimately strengthening the skills base and standards of the sector’s professionals.
The main point really is that we are witnessing the birth of the ‘Independent’ gaming industry - in a sense a lower budget sector that complements the mainstream players in the same way that independent film-making complements Hollywood. Neither is necessarily better than the other; it is often a question of taste - but together they allow for much greater range of entertainment/art/products to be delivered to the consumer. Maybe two-tier description is a little simplistic; in reality there is a very gradual spread across the whole spectrum - but it serves to illustrate the differing methods.
In recent decades digital cameras, video-editing software, and a crucial broadening of consumers’ range of acceptance with regard to new forms, have opened the film industry up to more experimentation, new avenues of creativity and, ultimately, more choice for the public. Now, in the same way, electronic distribution and a changing demographic of users is ensuring that gaming can mean so much more than it used to.
Definitions are constantly being loosened as the form gains new dimensions and becomes more inclusive - and the new development styles, and the titles being produced, are doing a great deal to attract a more casual gaming audience to this entertainment option. All this should go some way to ensuring that the massive gaming industry (worth $9bn in 2007) will only continue to grow more and more as a mainstream entertainment form. All in all, a pretty positive outlook lies ahead for the gaming industry…
Dejan Levi