The “Call of Duty” Blockbuster: Opiate for the Masses, Killer of Innovation?

Are big-time blockbusters like Call of Duty and Mass Effect preventing videogames in general from being true art?

[Elderly_Cynic]

This is sort of a double edged sword. As with the movie industry, it's the money made from these giant blockbusters that fund the development of smaller games... but unfortunately that means that most of the resources are poured into the big blockbusters...

[32froshes]

It's almost as if the industry is dependent upon indies for innovation, but dependent on blockbusters for funding. I mean, the actuality is nowhere near as simple as that, but...

[JBSleek]

Killer of innovation?

That is completely insane for someone to even say. So because millions of people enjoy CoD or similar high profile it is taking away from gaming? If anything they are helping gaming.

It is hard to now turn a profit in full on titles now therefore people are adopting to what works but that isn't high profile titles doing it. That is the state of gaming.

Is Avatar and Titanic and Avengers killing th movie industry?

Is Justin Beiber, Eminem, Skrillex killing the music industry? (I know many people say Justin is but those are haters therefore they don't count torwards the consensus)

[sreiches]

The idea is that, because something as dominant as a Call of Duty game or an Avatar-scale movie has to continue appealing to the audience that makes it successful, it's unlikely to innovate on any meaningful level. Further, when big name studios see the success of something like Call of Duty, they strive to emulate it in hopes of grabbing a piece of the pie. It happens in the movie industry, too.

Remember Deep Impact? Armageddon? The one literally exists because of the other. When a big studio in Hollywood gets wind of another's major blockbuster, they often copy the concept in hopes of cashing in.

[TekoIie]

Then maybe Devs should attempt to make the next COD (popularity wise). Complaining wont make stop the masses from buying it...

[ritsuka666]

More and more people are beginning to enter the light of realizing CoD is stupid like you and me. One day we will live in a world were CoD is infamous for sucking so bad

[32froshes]

I think we'll live in a world that remembers CoD for the innovations the series made to the shooter genre as a whole with the original Modern Warfare. People tend to remember what they love about games, or what a game did to carve a notch in gaming history, rather than for being stagnant and repetitive.

[ShaunCameron]

Not really. COD will be remembered for the great moments it had with MW2, 4:MW and BO.

[ForTheFallen]

Comparing CoD and Mass Effect is impossible, they're completely different games catering, in particular, to different sections of the market.

Mass Effect, to my knowledge, has it's gameplay and story. CoD only innovates selling the same game for more money as the years go on, as well as worshiping the US military in new and creative ways, and I wonder if anyone could tell me what happened to the most recent country who lauded it's military to the point of worship.

[sreiches]

On a content level, you're correct. The thing is, both have shown that they are readily swayed by market forces.

It's not even the obvious stuff, necessarily. There's the Mass Effect 3 extended cut, of course, but there's also the whole "choose the default FemShep" thing that happened leading up to its release. Somewhat more innocuous that changing the ending of the game on demand, but still a case of the masses in some way dictating the nature of what could be considered a work of art.

[ginsunuva]

It is stopping the industry from maturing.

[FrightfulActions]

When games like this stop being fun to the general public and people start getting bored, they will innovate and find new ways to keep it exciting. If however business is booming and millions of people are downright addicted to your product, is there really much need for innovation?

Give the people what they want and you'll make a profit. Who loses out on this deal exactly? The companies making money or the fans spending hours upon hours playing something they enjoy?

Games aren't art. Games shouldn't be art. That doesn't mean they CAN'T be art, certainly they can. Most games are just that, though, games. Fun entertainment to enjoy and relax with. I don't see the obsession some people have with games being art. I've seen 'traditional' art. It's pretty boring. Games are games.