40°

What Does It Take For a Game to 'Cross Over'?

Hardcore Gamer: The near infinite number of subgenres in the gaming world has allowed niches to be created and filled. Beneath the obscurity and limited identities, getting a video game to cater to a wider audience involves a number of tactics, many of which rely on accessibility and apparent gratification. There are so many things that a developer can do wrong to make a game unappealing to a mainstream audience, so many things that have since resulted in new niches appearing down the line. Due to so many subgenres, different categories of games are becoming isolated from each other. A great JRPG isn’t likely to appeal to a fan of traditional, side-scrolling shooters. From these divisions comes a strong desire to stick to the guns. Each subgenre has its own set of rules, principles and beliefs, so it’s rare to see something escape its own obscurity and become something that can earn a significantly higher level of expanded success.

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hardcoregamer.com
70°

Blizzard Monetizes The Trader’s Tender In WOW

Blizzard just made it possible for players to purchase the Trader’s Tender for real money! The decision has left the community spewing with rage.

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consolebandit.com
Dudeson58d ago (Edited 58d ago )

Never had a problem with monetization for anything that's purely cosmetic. If you want to look extra cool so badly, you must like the game to a point where it's worth the money to you. If not, you can still grind to get it in wow's case, maybe a slow progress but having that option is always a plus.

Now the moment someting that gives an edge in the gameplay is purchaseable, I'll understand the rage.

Edit: Also, a bit more on the middle side of things: when rare transmogs that needed a big achievement were to be purchaseable, I would also understand the rage of people who worked hard and want to show that off.

bababooiy58d ago

Its funny how we have have come so far that people are comfortable saying playing the game to get something is a "nice plus" like you should be grateful they even allow it. Truly sad honestly...

Dudeson58d ago

It's just that I don't really care about (paid) cosmetics, especially in games like wow. And the only plus I meant with that is that you can atleast get it both ways, not just that it's entirely gated behind a paywall. But seriously why would you care so much about cosmetic options that don't mean anyting more than showing of some style or spending ability. Just like branded clothes, really don't care about brands, just give me quality.

Kaii58d ago

Boiled frogs should be shot.

Kaozz197958d ago

D4 next with Stash tabs, Gem tabs etc. a 'la PoE.

niiopi58d ago

The game is on the decline and so they will start monetizing everything. So many other MMOs have done this when their popularity started to wane.

160°

Disrespecting The Consumer: The Critical Problem With Live Service & GAAS

Live service games are vehemently criticized and companies need to rethink & prioritize respectful game design for consumer benefit.

Kaii60d ago

Gabe says not being publicly owned is a huge part of what makes Valve so successful.
"The whole point of being a privately held company is to eliminate another source of noise in the signal between the consumers and producers of a good."

Looks at Destiny 2 > I used to go into a store to find a game. Now I go into a game and find a store.
"Bungie reportedly expressed concerns over how engaging The Last of Us multiplayer project was"
Bungie at GDC "Beware of overdelivering, quality doesn't matter, a live service being fast is more important than quality"

meh

P_Bomb60d ago

I remember that headline about Bungie and Factions. I’m not a Bungie guy, but I am a Factions guy. Can’t help but wonder if their GaaS input will be to my liking. 🤔

DeusFever59d ago

I always thought Destiny would be better if Bungie built the game and then handed it off to another company to run it.

Christopher60d ago

That's kind of the GaaS whole thing, though. This is like telling wolves to stop behaving like wolves.

P_Bomb59d ago

Was looking at the top games in my country as per the PS Store and it’s overwhelmed by service games. Blood is in the water.

senorfartcushion59d ago

The issue is that journalists mostly ignored this issue as it was arising. Games like Overwatch were considered exciting until lesser news websites and organisations began taking opinion pieces on the problem. From then it’s just gotten worse.

DeusFever59d ago

A lot of “game journalists” are just extensions of the corporate PR teams. Remember when Bungie flew people out to Bungie HQ and showed them the 4v4 multiplayer in Destiny 2? Everyone who attended said this was the best decision for multiplayer. Less than a year later, Destiny 2 went back to 6v6. Everyone who attended said this was the best decision for multiplayer.

FinalFantasyFanatic59d ago

The issues are so prelevant, that I just immediately skip over the majority of GaaS games, hardly any are worth the time. The mainstream media glossing over the issues is nothing new, you always have to wait a few months for the real reviews or opinion pieces (that tends to include video game reviews as well).

FinalFantasyFanatic59d ago (Edited 59d ago )

This is why I won't spend money on a lot of these games, not only do they nickle and dime you at every opportunity, but a lot of these games have a very short life span, not many of them survive for multiple years like Fortnite has.

I also feel like most MMOs in generally are more aqueduct in terms of content, for what you pay, I feel like a lot of them give you a decent amount to enjoy.

Profchaos59d ago

Gaas the game doesn't end untill people stop paying

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180°

10 Most Peaceful Areas in Games

Here are the most peaceful areas in games that are otherwise quite violent, offering players respite from chaos in the game world.

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gamefreaks365.com
Babadook763d ago

My first thought was the safe rooms in the resident evil series. When you hear that enchanting music you know you’re safe.

Killer2020UK63d ago

I literally just came here to post this. That music in the Resi 1 safe rooms is playing in my head.

Rimeskeem62d ago

I was thinking TLOU work benches. Although I remember one time where it was a false security.