Gaming Right: Positive Trends in Modern Gaming

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Posted April 30, 2012 - By G4 Staff

Joust

We have our share of problems in this field, that’s for sure. But sometimes, it’s good to take a look around, check out all the progress that developers and fans are making, and admit to ourselves that there’s no better time to be a gamer. Following up on our discussion of negative trends in the industry, here’s a look on the sunny flip side, with the trends that are currently making us oh-so-happy to be around games all day.

Unprecedented variety

It may be a stretch to call it an embarrassment of riches, per se, but there have never been so many choices for gamers. Indies are flourishing – and the best are rising to the top, gaining series mainstream attention (see: Fez, AntiChamber, Sword and Sworcery and many more). AAA games, which have begun rivaling mainstream action movies in terms of cinematic wizardry and polish (just take a look at Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3), have never looked or played better.

Game engines (and other game making tools) have started to become accessible enough for non-technical artists and designers to start sharing their ideas with the world, allowing for “personal” games that folks like Anna Anthropy have started to make popular. Experimental games and out-there gameplay ideas are starting to make their way into the public consciousness, thanks to exhibitions like IndieCade. Finally, “folk” games are starting to emerge from the abyss, with titles like Johann Sebastian Joust leading the way.

What does this mean for gamers? It means we can play a few quick rounds of a mobile/social game while we download a heralded indie (like, say, Journey on PSN) and simultaneously play a few rounds of whatever mega budget FPS we fancy. It means we can play truly personal, artistic work (such as Dear Esther) and then switch over to a nostalgic “retro” puzzle-platformer with the click of an icon. We can subsist on a steady diet of free social or web games when times are tough or dive in to multiple full priced releases as our hearts desire.

We have “brown” games, “green” games, gritty games, and just plain weird games. Games about Matroyshka stacking dolls and child labor, about young men who fear commitment, about killing nasty aliens, about making tough financial decisions on low income wages, about submerging yourself in a blind undersea world, and every imaginable thing in between.

Last but not least, this kind of variety also applies to the various devices we can play on. Most of us have a Smartphone – perhaps the most viable gaming platform ever devised. We can play on PCs, play with peripherals only (once again, Johann Sebastian Joust), dance without pesky controllers ruining our groove (Dance Central), or take in 3D from the palms of our hands.

At this point in the evolution of gaming, we can play pretty much whatever – and pretty much however – we’d like to. If that isn’t an awesome, empowering trend, I don’t know what is.

Mass Effect 3 FemShep Is Officially A Redhead

The Rise of the female protagonist

Let’s call this a proto-trend – a small but promising wave of events that we hope will continue throughout the next few years. We’ve been seeing growing support for strong, complex female protagonists lately. You could say it started with the fan-led campaign to make a female Shepard an “official” part of the marketing materials for Mass Effect 3. We’re hoping it continues with this year’s reboot of Tomb Raider – which seeks to reclaim Lara Croft’s reputation as a buxom badass into a more realistic (yet still badass) hero.

If Ryan Peyton (of metal Gear Solid and 343 Studios fame) and company are able to make Republique – based on their Kickstarter project: the “AAA” iOS title will “Feature a believable, non-sexualized female lead”.

This certainly isn’t to say that gaming hasn’t had good female heroes in the past – but for every Samus Aran and Joanna Dark, there are about 16 male leads (not to mention the portrayal of Samus in Metroid: Other M). There have also been plenty of heroines who are just as “one-note” as the generic “bald space marine” archetype we all know and love (to make fun of). What we’re seeing here – and what we hope to continue to see - are well-written, reasonably complex female heroes that don’t fit a stereotypical mold.

The fact that we’re really starting to see this in “genre” movies – like The Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsman – can only help this trend get a foothold in the entertainment industry at large.

LittleBigPlanet

Do It Yourself finally makes good on its promise

For several years now, “DIY” and “user generated content” have been buzzwords and increasingly important concepts. What started with level editors for console games morphed into games like Spore and LittleBigPlanet and WarioWare: DIY, where entire communities grew up around games that were all about making your own awesome stuff.

Now, games centered on making things have their own genre (MineCraft, anyone?), LittleBigPlanet has become a full-on phenomena, and those levels aren’t going to make themselves, are they?

Even more revolutionary is the low barrier to entry on actually developing a game yourself: we now have low-cast and free programs such as Game Maker, Stencyl, Game Salad and Adventure Game Studio, which allow even the most technically inept person make full, functioning games. Taken to the next step, game engines like the indie friendly Unity are user-friendly enough for individuals or small teams to pick up and make their own games for free (under the indie license). Unity itself is revolutionary – and it has powered some serious downloadable hits (like the awesome Rochard, Battleheart and Snuggle Truck), meaning that literally anyone with a good idea, time to spare, and the willpower to learn the tools can get their stuff out there – even in the big, competitive world of commercial sales.

What we’re witnessing is the democratization of game development. You don’t need to be a millionaire with the cash to build a massive game studio to make awesome (let alone functional) software anymore. Nor do you need to be the kind of genius who can build his/her own game engine, program crazy gameplay, sling pixels like a modern day Picasso and still not break a sweat. You just need inspiration, know-how, and a few trusty e-books to teach you the basics.

It all ties in to the first trend of the feature – more voices in the game making world means more variety, more kinds of expression, and more games for us all to play.

Danielle Riendeau is a freelance writer, digital media professor, and nonprofit web ninja from Boston.

Tags: Features, Videogames

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Jon Smitty

"Game engines (and other game making tools) have started to become accessible enough for non-technical artists and designers to start sharing their ideas with the world"

...which will be true for about a year or two, when new consoles start rolling out and restarting the cycle or mediocre but beautiful games, steadily progressing to becoming masterpieces for the following five years. Except on PC.

Posted: May 2, 2012 1:04 AM
cwbys21

Author seems to have gotten most of the media buzzwords in there...

Posted: May 1, 2012 7:51 PM
gojumpinalake

I think you could list alot more positive trends but keeping it at three mirrors the negative trend article and keeps it short. I'm surprised the author didn't mention several great games from 10 years ago or more getting great sequels and remakes.

Posted: April 30, 2012 4:52 PM
nobita

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Posted: April 30, 2012 4:41 PM