140°

79 Things Games Developers Need to Stop Doing

"Tropes are over-used conventions or plot devices. Analysis of them is common in TV and movies, but in fact tropes are even more prevalent (and damaging) in games than they are in other mediums. Tropes can be a crutch for developers; a cliched element of design that is both lazy and unoriginal. Here are the 79 worst, most commonly occurring tropes in games. If you’re a developer, why not try to avoid these? The result will be a better, more original game!" says CalmDownTom

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calmdowntom.com
mewhy323942d ago

The very first thing is that they need to be programming to take full advantage of all the power of each platform and not developing for the lowest common denominator. My fear is that the xbone will hold games back on the PS4 because instead of taking advantage of the superior PS4 tech they'll instead program for the inferior lowest common denominator xbone. Only in the Sony exclusive will we get the full potential of the PS4's superior tech.

Wintersun6163941d ago

Really? I don't completely disagree with you but there's no need to start that debate here, because quite frankly it's pretty much off topic.

KingKevo3941d ago

As the other guy said, COMPLETELY off-topic. What sense does that even make dude. Click on the article first, then read it and than make a comment about the article and don't just troll around on here. How do you even have 7 bubbles? You should have one tbh.

On topic: It thought it was a funny read. Off course it's just for entertainment and should not be taken too serious, because games are just games, but it's funny if you compare how things work in games to how things work in real life.

Wenis3941d ago

I never understood the hate for red barrels... I like them

RBlue_Desire3941d ago

Was a Long and good read, but you can't really take out most of the stuff like Zombies/aliens/whatever coming out of vents, and stuff.

Also I like that in some games the factor that affect stealth is noise you make rather than crouching.
Its just fun walk slowly back to someone rather than crouch running.

3941d ago Replies(2)
s45gr323941d ago

I like this list just keep the red barrels, I see monsters /zombies and aliens coming from the floor or roof, or it takes over the main character.

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270°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv721d 2h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle13h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188110h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio10h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning775h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga12h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff218311h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga10h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan6h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus235h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv725h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10115h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos14h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-4h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac14h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10113h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic11h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead4h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein1d ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno20h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k419h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson19h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu20h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson19h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

70°

5 Of The Best Narrative Twists In Video Games

GL compiles a list of some of the most mind-blowing video game narrative twists in recent memory, from The Last of Us to Outer Wilds

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gameluster.com
Rebel_Scum23h ago

With articles like these cant you tag the games mentioned so that we can know ahead of time if there’s a spoiler to avoid?

Not clicking on your article otherwise.