160°

How gamers are killing the game industry

There has been a rash of ugliness in the gaming world lately -- and it’s potentially more damaging than court battles or political posturing about game violence could ever be.

A small minority of players are threatening to drive some of the most talented people making games out of the industry with their bullying, harassment, and threats. Polygon's Brian Crecente has worked up the definitive piece on this subject, and it's absolutely a must-read for anyone who cares about video games.

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games.yahoo.com
Godlovesgamers3905d ago

"How gamers are killing the game industry"

What an idiotic article with a very minimum amount of time invested in writing what is essentially a review of the treyarch death threat and this latest bioware death threat.

Gamers aren't killing the game industry, idiots that happen to play games are the ones to blame.

mii-gamer3905d ago

this is expected from yahoo

DragonKnight3905d ago

@mii-gamer: Pretty much, but I was going to say that nothing that comes from Brian Crecente is definitive.

MikeyDucati13905d ago

Those "idiots that happen to play games" are gamers. What are you talking about?

We cannot excuse the behaviors of gamers. Gamers can criticize developers, make online threats in game or on forums, judge people by their opinions and game choices; yet when something is said negative about the gamer, the gamer gets defensive as if they were walking around with halos over their head.

Gamers really need to take a look at themselves and check how they are responding to the industry. The industry will react and it won't be to the benefit of the gamer.

Heisenburger3905d ago

" Gamers can criticize developers, make online threats in game or on forums, judge people by their opinions and game choices..."

No. IDIOTS that happen to play games do.

That is unless you are claiming that you yourself behave like that? Along with every single other gamer on the planet?

Yes? No?

Eldyraen3905d ago

Its a matter of generalizing an entire demographic based on a vocal minority.

The article however isn't near as bad as the click bait Header but it is mostly just a rehash and opinion piece of someone else's work. Its journalism at its finest in other words.

MikeyDucati13905d ago

@Heisenburger

Yet and still they are gamers!! What are you talking about? Some people are idiots. So does that mean they are not homo sapiens because they are idiots? Only aliens can be idiots? Don't be absurd.

It should go without saying that the author is talking about the majority not the entire community of gamers. When somebody says "people are assholes", do you really think they are talking about the entire human population? Use some common sense here people.

Heisenburger3904d ago

You really are off your rocker aren't you?

Aliens?

The truth is out there.

Spooky.

MikeyDucati13904d ago

@Heisenburger

You're an idiot. You didn't read. Hopefully when school starts back up you work harder at reading and reading comprehension. You need to.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3904d ago
starchild3905d ago

I love gaming so much, but I almost can't stand to go on gaming sites or even sites like youtube anymore. Fanboyism is rampant and the amount of hate and needless negativity is completely out of control.

Boody-Bandit3905d ago (Edited 3905d ago )

Agreed

Codeez883905d ago

Is it not the same on any political or sports based website? I almost despise checking ESPN's comment board, and even looking at a political based article's comments on any site is enough to make a sane persons eyes melt. Nothing but name calling and what seems like pure hatred for the other. Essentially my point is that no matter where you go or what topic we are discussing, idiots are everywhere online showing a complete lack of respect for others by hating on everything or everyone they possibly can. Anonymity on the Internet has removed any sort of repercussions for people in my honest opinion.

Abdou0233905d ago

When i clicked on the link i expected to read something totally different, a more mature opinion like gamers do not encourage devs. to be more creative and revolutionise gameplay mechanics, stuff like that.

Instead i found a shitty article about couple of death threats and people getting inro hate arguments ?!!

Godz Kastro3905d ago

@Godlovesgamers

The idiots you are referring to are gamers right?

I agree, we are an immature crowd. Do you see any other entertainment medium act the way gamers do. Look at ps4 v x1 articles.... 99% immaturity. Maybe I'm basing this off of n4g. I really need to find a new site. N4g has gotten down right unreadable at times.

Rimeskeem3905d ago

They should say "how N4G is terrible at writing game articles"

Im sorry but i had to

DragonPs43904d ago

N4G does not write game articles, users submit news from various internet sources.

N4g_null3905d ago

Brian Crecente is one of the gamers killing the industry... he started with the ps3 and then he moved to the wii and then to ms. He doesn't really seem like a gamer at all. This is the main point though isn't. Its the none gamers with web sites that are killing gaming by using flame bait articles and tieing up pr that should be trying to get their product out.

The main point of a gamer is to play games... any one doing more of some thing else might not be a gamer. This is the media attacking the mess they made. Why not enjoy your games and leave all the negativity out of your articles.

also any developer dumb enough to listen to a troll needs to be shut down. If some thing sucks in gaming then it will eventually go away if ignored, there is no reason to give it article space and free pr. Yet if people like it and you dont then. Then why bash them and what you dont like? Well for money of course.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3904d ago
BLAKHOODe3905d ago

You are going to come across "jerks" and bullies in every line of work, every where you go, no matter what. That's life. I'm sorry if there are some people in the game making business who are so terribly sensitive to such things that they are quick to pack their backs, take the money and run, but GET OVER YOURSELVES. Grow a backbone, get out of your mommy's basement and catch some sun.

GAMERS are not killing the game industry. Without them, there would be no game industry.

Shadowstar3904d ago (Edited 3904d ago )

Yeah... um, so you're okay working in an environment so toxic that you get death threats against you and your family?

It takes courage to stand up to that kind of thing, and you have to really believe that what you're doing is worth it. And making entertainment products seriously isn't one of those things I'd be willing to stand against death threats over. "Gamers" aren't killing the industry, that's true, but it's not the game creators that need to get over themselves, it's the assholes who think death threats aren't serious.

BLAKHOODe3904d ago

I'm going to kill you if you ever post here again.

I'm not, but if I had left it at that, would you still be okay posting here afterwards? By your standards, that comment would be enough for you to tuck tail and run away. I deal with jerks and bullies on a daily basis and the best thing to do is put them in their place early, because if they think they can run all over you, they will.

Developers put themselves in the position to be pushed around by the gaming community, just as movie stars and directors do. But I don't see any of them grabbing their film and running home.

Cliff Bleszinski gets more hate than anybody.. and he LOVES it! He plays into it. But then, Cliff Bleszinski is a bigger jerk than the jerks messing with him.

Shadowstar3904d ago

Well, it depends on whether or not I thought you were serious. Given the discussion, I wouldn't think so. In a different context, I would report you to the moderators and get you banned. If lots of people were harassing me, I'd probably just give up, because there's other things I can do with my time. If you said it and then posted my RL address, I'd stop posting and call the police because I would honestly believe you to be a psycho.

Some people, like CB, are obviously cool with it... but I don't think that invalidates the people who aren't, and I don't think it means they're not people we want contributing.

I don't think we should give the assholes a free pass, and I think that's what people are essentially doing when they say "just deal with it."

magnetite3900d ago

There have been people who have gotten arrested for making online threats. Most places just ban you, but this article is the first time someone got arrested for it.

http://www.xojane.com/issue...

^ See here.

magnetite3900d ago

Depends what kind of gamer you're talking about. Casual gamers, or hardcore gamers. Most casual gamers don't even visit sites like this and are too busy playing the game and having fun. They are also the ones who don't go online, sign petitions or make a fuss about [insert random topic here].

MikeyDucati13905d ago

Gamers are affecting the industry. They won't say it. They will have every hammer and gavel ready for everyone else besides themselves. They will cruficy MS and demand that they "prove" their worth. They will spit upon Randy Pitchford's picture for offering a season pass without all DLCs included even though it stated that the choosing of what's in the pass is at the discretion of the developer. Even this site display the hypocritical, bratty, self serving natures of gamers.

Rather you like it or not, gamers are affecting the industry to some degree. Gamers complain about franchises and games that carry the same framework as other games, yet if a developer tries something new, he is chastised for it.

Gamers really need a class in decorum and tact. To say otherwise means you're one of em.

admiralvic3905d ago

"They will cruficy MS and demand that they "prove" their worth."

If M$ wants my money. Why is it wrong to expect them to prove the item in question is WORTH my money?

"They will spit upon Randy Pitchford's picture for offering a season pass without all DLCs included even though it stated that the choosing of what's in the pass is at the discretion of the developer."

There is so much more to this problem that it isn't even funny. First and foremost, most people thought they were buying GEARBOX produced add ons. While GB did make Tiny Tina (arguably the best DLC), the other 3 were not made by them. Several people felt taken advantage of and were less than thrilled with the way the DLC was handled. Krieg made matters a little worse, since he was added so late, had a hefty price tag (No fighting game character has EVER cost $10 dollars on their own...), added little value and released roughly the same time as the level cap increase. The LCI was also a hot button issue, since GB did a LOT of flip flopping on the issue (it was impossible, it would break the game, we balanced the game to be perfect at 50 and never thought ahead) and there was a quoted 1,000 hours or something absurd of work that went into the increase. Now that the level cap is increasing again... well wouldn't you be put off by all the double talk? Plus this all happened the same time Aliens CM released and god knows they took a beating on that one too.

"Gamers complain about franchises and games that carry the same framework as other games, yet if a developer tries something new, he is chastised for it. "

First off... why does it seem like no one understands that the complaints typically come from different people. It's silly to expect everyone to agree on something, since different opinions exist and this will always end with conflicting messages. Furthermore, I would say that innovation done right can pay off big time, where as changes done poorly (Dead Space 3... adding online to everything, etc) will result in complaints. Not every complaint is unrealistic and sometimes the problems stem from people NOT listening to fans. DmC is a prime example of this and really all you need to look at it.

"Gamers really need a class in decorum and tact."

A lot of people do or at least start to, but most companies don't care till they have to. You read enough posts on N4G or any gaming forum and you would see that a lot of companies are simply ignoring their fan base and THIS is what is killing the game industry to a degree. Instead of taking a second to see the demand for say Kingdom Hearts III, we have companies blaming used game sales (to further their control with DD and max profits), terrible reviews (Look into the Duke Nukem Forever review drama), and several other things that boil down to them screwing up.

starchild3905d ago (Edited 3905d ago )

You can try to justify it all you want but the bias, hypocrisy, irrationality and just plain mindless hate is out of control.

I'm not even going to buy an XB1, but the truth is, the Microsoft bashing is FAR out of proportion.

Likewise, Call of Duty has never been something I was into and I'm not buying Ghosts, but, again, the COD bashing is undeserved. It may not appeal to me, or to you, but it obviously appeals to a great many people and the amount of changes that the developers make between games in the series is comparable to virtually any other series in gaming.

Dead Space 3 might have more action elements than the previous 2 games, but it is telling a new story with a new context and the more action-oriented sections of the game make sense in that context. And it still has plenty of the kind of horror gameplay I loved from the first game. Most importantly, it is simply a damn good game.

It seems like a certain segment of gamers are just looking for things to complain about and/or reasons to hate something. I'm tired of these whiny, entitled gamers.

admiralvic3905d ago

"I'm not even going to buy an XB1, but the truth is, the Microsoft bashing is FAR out of proportion. "

Sites do it for views.
People do it to troll.

Out of hand or not, this is why it happens. Not like the hate for any of the consoles is really rational or logical. Just something that always gets views / a reaction. If these articles / people were ignored, then it would probably stop.

"Likewise, Call of Duty has never been something I was into and I'm not buying Ghosts, but, again, the COD bashing is undeserved."

Same as above, though CoD doesn't receive a lot of changes between games. Probably because they're worried about killing the goose who lays the golden eggs.

"Dead Space 3 might have more action elements than the previous 2 games, but it is telling a new story with a new context and the more action-oriented sections of the game make sense in that context."

Isaac way back when was just a repair man who was thrown in the middle of a conflict. Since then, he has become something of a gun expert, which really doesn't follow the story thus far, nor does it really follow his character. It wasn't as bad as some people made it out to be, but when you consider he went from using repair tools to fight off enemies to throwing markers at a moon monster in between 3 games... well, it certainly jumped the shark to say the least.

MikeyDucati13905d ago

All that breaking down of my post just reads that you are merely excusing actions of gamers. Either you're young or young minded. The attitude of gamers are outta control.

N4g_null3905d ago

Seriously that is what the law is for. Hey gaming use to be about hey Ilike this game oh you do too yay! Now It's all about some made up problem with some thing you dont like.

Its best to not feed the trolls and cry babies... the developers are not at risk, they just have to be better business men and stop fanboying...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3905d ago
AceBlazer133904d ago

if you studied some economics u would have an idea that consumer and producer could care less about each other both parties will always appear greedy.

josephayal3905d ago

The modern-day military shooter is killing the gaming industry

sdozzo3905d ago

That's why it sells the most units.

godofboobees3905d ago (Edited 3905d ago )

Call of dookie is killing the game industry

annus3905d ago

It's not CoDs fault that it sells a bunch and other companies want to make similar games in hopes to sell more.

That's how companies work, and has been around forever. It's no coincidence that most products are similar to others on the market.

Show all comments (45)
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.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv721d 3h 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.

solideagle14h ago

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

Sonic188111h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio11h 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:

Lightning776h ago

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

Cacabunga13h 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.

shinoff218312h 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.

Cacabunga11h 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

itsmebryan7h 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

S2Killinit15m ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus236h ago

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

darthv726h 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.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 15m ago
purple10116h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos15h ago

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

DOMination-5h 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.

XBManiac15h ago

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

SimpleDad14h ago(Edited 14h 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.

purple10114h ago

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

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos14h ago(Edited 14h 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

Kornholic12h ago

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

MrDead5h 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.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5h ago
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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 1h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno21h 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.

jwillj2k420h 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.

Zenzuu21h ago

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

MrCrimson20h 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

Read Full Story >>
gameluster.com
Rebel_Scum1d 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.