In the previous part, we highlighted games that, despite being great, have had negative impacts on the gaming industry. Let’s continue to explore in Part 2!
Early Access Version – Minecraft
There’s no denying the success of Minecraft over the past decade, partly because it has set many trends in the gaming community.
Among them, the most prominent is Early Access. This is a version still in development, somewhat like a beta game. Gamers only need to pay a small amount to access the game while developers continue to complete the remaining parts. The key point here is that those who buy Early Access will receive the final version of the game for free.
The Early Access version of Minecraft generated $33 million, which paved the way for many other games to follow suit with “Early Access”. This led to the creation of the Early Access program on Steam in 2013. Although it has helped many games secure the funding they need – like Don’t Starve, Kerbal Space Program, and PUBG – this system has also been abused and transformed in many ways.
Since Early Access games are still under development, players may not know whether the game will ever see the light of day, meaning there’s a risk of losing money without getting any value. According to 2014 statistics, only 25% of Early Access games were completed.
Furthermore, because developers already have the money in hand, they often lack the incentive to finish the game as initially intended.
“Incomplete” Game – Destiny
At least Early Access games let you know that they are still in development and are sold at a lower price. In contrast, some games are sold at prices equivalent to AAA games but have little content.
The prime example is Destiny. When it launched, it was highly sought after by gamers, but once they started playing, they were disappointed and “let their anger out”. Notably, Destiny managed to pull players back even when they charged extra for additional content.
The key point here is that as long as the game looks cool and grand, it doesn’t need to be a complete game at launch. Similarly, No Man’s Sky initially lacked interesting content, and only later did the developers gradually add more features and content to the game.
Clever developers have discovered this “model”, so they release half-baked games at the price of a complete game and then start to “fill in the gaps,” or even require players to pay extra for that content.
Worse, some games haven’t added any content at all, leaving them still lacking, like Fallout 76, for example. Sadly, many publishers continue to apply this model in their games.
Loot Box – Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is not the first game to feature loot boxes, but it is the most successful game in exploiting the psychology of gamers and applying gambling mechanics to earn profits.
Loot boxes in Team Fortress 2 were introduced around the end of 2010, and players could open boxes with keys that could be purchased for real money. In the following years, countless AAA multiplayer games included this loot box mechanic, such as Halo 5, Overwatch, Call of Duty, Gears of War, FIFA.
Things were fine until EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II came out. The loot boxes in that game could be earned through gameplay, but it was extremely time-consuming. Therefore, those who spent money to buy boxes had a significant advantage over those who chose to grind. This led to an uproar among Star Wars fans and the gaming community in general, prompting EA to backtrack and ease the situation.
As a result, gamers no longer support the loot box model as enthusiastically as before. However, it still exists, and it’s unlikely to disappear in the future.
“Good Enough” Games – Gears 5
Xbox Game Pass is a fantastic service for gamers. It’s like Netflix; you pay for a monthly (or yearly) subscription and get full access to all the content the service offers.
However, there is a concern that it sets the stage for developers to create games that are only “good enough”. To put it simply, you might not be willing to pay close to a hundred thousand VND to see a B-grade comedy at the cinema, but if that movie is included in your Netflix package, you’re likely to watch it. After all, you’ve already “bought a ticket” to that movie, right?
Similarly, Game Pass and similar subscription services can pave the way for the creation of games that are just good enough, theoretically. Take Gears 5 as an example. Being one of the first AAA games included in the Game Pass, it does have interesting and engaging elements, but overall, it is a rather unimpressive entry in the Gears of War franchise, if not forgettable.
If the game had launched in a traditional retail format, it likely wouldn’t have received as much praise from the gaming community. However, because it was “free” for those who purchased the Game Pass, it garnered a lot of acclaim. The same goes for Crackdown 3.
The subscription-based gaming model is a viable option for players, but it comes with downsides that we hope we won’t have to face in the near future.
Thriller Genre – The Last of Us
The Last of Us by Naughty Dog is a landmark title, and there’s no denying that. It’s a game that leaves a strong impression with its captivating storyline and deep characters.
Of course, when a game is successful, many others will try to follow in its footsteps. However, most of them are “unremarkable” compared to The Last of Us.
A prime example is the PS4 exclusive Days Gone. Players can easily see that Days Gone was inspired by The Last of Us, but it fails to deliver and its survival mechanics are all over the place.
Just like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight challenged other “dark” films that tried to follow suit, which ultimately failed due to a lack of human elements; The Last of Us challenges future developers to create action-drama games that still maintain depth and human factors.
Source: What Culture, translated by Gearvn