Opinion: Do gamers REALLY want innovation and creativity?

Gamesradar writes:

There's a perpetual irony within the gaming community. We're constantly decrying the sequel-heavy dearth of originality in today's safe-bet-driven industry, yet time and time again the imaginative, artistic and flair-filled games that Gamesradar claim Gamesradar want absolutely tank while gamers all play more Call of Duty. So Gamesradar think it's time to ask what Gamesradar really want. Do People want to take chances on new experiences, or are People secretly much happier just taking more of what people know gamers like?

[Nate-Dog]

Yes.

[GWAVE]

Maybe.

We simply want solid, fun games. Halo has never been innovative nor creative yet because the gameplay is so solid, it is one of the most popular FPSs in the industry.

[Darkstorn]

Adam Sessler did an excellent soapbox on this topic.

He found it disturbing that gamers reacted so negatively to Sucker Punch's changes for Cole in inFamous 2. Sessler compared it to the elderly fearing change in their medicare plan.

I think Sessler has a point, but for the most part we DO enjoy innovative experiences, it's just that we are skeptical of changes that may hinder our gaming experience somewhat. I think it's sad that a young generation has such an aversion to changing gameplay mechanics, but I realize that the fear of change in our medium is not universal.

[NecrumSlavery]

Gamers fear change. That's why DLC Games sell so well. DLC games are usually the most creative and original, at least as of late, and gamers will put out $10 to try something different. But for $60, many gamers only buy what everyone else buys. When 15 mil peeps buy MW2 over LBP or Alan Wake, people can clearly see there is a problem. open your mind people.

[dillydadally]

Oh man, I think this article is way off base - all the games he mentioned didn't fail because they were innovative - they failed for other reasons - those games failed because they weren't appealing to it's target audience or the word didn't get out about them. Jet Set Radio? Looked fruity and was about spray painting (I played it and enjoyed it, but can you see why it wouldn't catch a lot of interest?). Mad World was overly gruesome on a platform used for family activities. Games like Psychonauts fail because the creator didn't do a good job of making it appealing to its audience - it looked weird and people didn't get what it was about at the time.

On the other hand, the games he attacked, like CoD and Halo, became what they are today because they WERE innovative. The perks, killstreaks, challenges, unlocks and experience system in COD4 revolutionized the industry. Halo has a different style of gameplay than any other shooter (consistantcy rather than frantic) and also revolutionized the industry over and over again with controls, a map making mode on consoles, a theater mode, matchmaking, etc. These games are incredibly innovative and that's how they got their fan base. All we see now though is their huge fan base and the most recent iteration which just built off the original innovative ideas, but you're not going to crack into this industry without innovation. Just look at the FIRST game in these series to see how they innovated and originally got their fan base.

[n4gno]

[email protected] and cod ""inovations"&a mp;q uot;, you probably did'nt have a pc before that diddidadally ? unreal tournament and others say hello to you.

"Ps3 gamers do. "

you are right, but not all of them ;)
@osu gamer, he don't say "xbox gamers don't", so you are wrong, and it's a fact that ps3 gamers like more variety, and quality games, xbox only gamers are not that open minded, or real gamers)

[Dac2u]

If the games in the article were actually marketed like MW2, they would have sold far better than they did. It's not that gamers don't want these games, it's that the publishers are afraid to market a game that hasn't been proven to be a seller. So, word never really gets out about these games. I had to actively hunt, to find Psychonauts, I was searching through countless reviews to find a game I might be interested it. I came upon Psychonauts and read some really great reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I had never heard of the game until I found it in a list of reviews.

[SeanRL]

Sometimes, games don't always need to innovate, they just need to be fun. Murdering zombies isn't all that creative or new but we all love LFD2.

[Nate-Dog]

@Gwave + PSfan: It depends on what sort of genre it is at times. I mean particularly with games like FPS' you tend to have the same sort of gameplay since once one system is found to be good and enjoyable, people want more of the same but with minor tweaks here and there. But it doesn't just apply to how games play in regards to their engines, I mean think of differences with story modes, extra items and weapons you can use, changes between 2D and 3D, etc.

Even with things like LFD2 or even simply the zombie mode on Call of Duty, yeah it may work how it is, but certain things will always need to be changed or tweaked so that the player gets a different and better experience and so that they keep coming back for more. The only exception to this that I find it MW2 in comparison to CoD4, because it literally took the same story and same gameplay, and just put in different guns and perks and bang - they expect full price for it.

I suppose that's how I see innovation anyway, I love to see brand new IP's from thrid-parties that have never been heard of before or games in genres that have never really been explored before (LBP being an example of both). But still, even things like series that have the same sort of idea going through it most of the time, you always need to freshen things up with new ideas and new ways to play.

[pippoppow]

Played so many similar games for over 30 years that an original game is very welcome. Now it isn't a deal breaker but can make a great game something truly special.

[DigitalAnalog]

But the game it utilizes MUST be solid or else some other devs would take advantage and take credit for what it did.

-End statement

[gillri]

Great article, Okami is simply the most beautiful game I have played, in my top 5 games of all time but it sold awful
dont people read at all1? it has a metacritic score of 93 so why didnt more people buy it1?

Psychonauts is another extremeley overlooked game which I played only recently, very funny, unique and clever, Jet Set Radio also (and the sequel), which I had for the DC and loved

Guys!! if your any kind of action adventure fan, get Okami!

[ChronoJoe]

I buy games I like the look of. The only genre I'm intimidated by is flight combat... I can't play those.

[rhood022]

A small percentage of gamers..maybe.

But the majority of people who play games? No.

All you have to look at is what games sell to see that innovation and creativity mean jack s*it. From Mario to Halo to God of War, and everything in between, developers will stick with what works and publishers will publish what makes them the most money. While taking a chance (Brutal Legends, Okami, etc) every so often.

[OSU_Gamer]

I don't think our love for sequels that stem from proven formulas takes away from our love for new and innovative games (atleast not for me). If a new game is innovative and creative but overall just bad then it won't be liked.

I LOVE the halo series. To me, Bungie has proven that they can take the same concept and improve on it enough to make me enjoy every sequel.They may not be the epitome of imaginative from sequel to sequel but I still love them. At the same time I am so thankful devs got imaginative and creative with games such as LBP, Alan Wake, and UC1 because without that imagination and creativity we wouldn't have those games.

Bottomline: Imagination and creativity does not automatically make a game good.

Edit:
I wish I could explain why great games like Okami never really sold. All I can think of is lack of media attention.

[LightofDarkness]

Obviously we do, but if those innovations aren't particularly fun or add nothing necessary to the enjoyment of a game, I will either steer clear or not be too bothered about it. Many developers use their innovative new features as a marketing ploy, simply employing them in an attempt to mask the game's overall lack of fun, or gameplay.

[theonlylolking]

Ps3 gamers do.

[OSU_Gamer]

Thats a ignorant statement. As a 360 gamer, creativity and innovation matter to me. Alan Wake was very creative and that was a day one purchase for me. I can definitely say that games have been less creative on the 360 as of late, but I'm not going to sell my 360 and only play on my PS3 because of it.

I still enjoy Halo, Gears, and Fable.

[theonlylolking]

I am talking about the majority. I could ask any 360 gamer and ask them what are your favorite games to play. Most would say halo, call of duty and Gears of war or Left 4 dead.

[xman06]

+ Bubble

Could not have said it better.

[Optical_Matrix]

Yeah but most of all I want good games lol Uncharted 2 hardly innovated, it was just EXTREMELY high quality. Neither did God of War III. Yet they remain some of the 2 best gaming experience I've had on any system to date. The problem this gen is that a lot of franchises have lost their identity to true and appeal to larger audience for example Resi and Final Fantasy.

[tiamat5]

I don't mind if a developer uses the same concept several times but you must make sure it is a strong sequel. Example R and C. Everyone always says that it is the same game over and over again and maybe to an extent it is. But the strong characters, beautiful worlds, cool innovative weapons and engaging story see it through.Games like Halo and LFD are another story. They have many weaknesses from story to repetitiveness to expansion pack like gameplay and each version instead of improving on the last instead remain stagnant and try to hold your attention with multiplaeyer maps, half decent weapons and DLC.So in every new version of the game its weakness multiply and become more and more apparent. It's only my opinion but there are a lot of franchises that could do with a lot more innovation from the start instead of trying to bleed you dry trying to extend the life of a game that was average from the beginning.

[cheeto101]

Games are kind of like food. You might enjoy going out for something creative and exotic but there is always something to be said for the familiarity of the food from your favorite dishes. I like games that push the creative envelope but I also enjoy games like Halo, COD, SC2 etc that arn't the most creative, but are well polished and very fun.

[pixelsword]

No. Gamers do not want innovation.

Lair's controls had a steep learning curve, but people dismissed them as broken when all it took was time and a little more instruction; people were used to the controls doing everything for them instead of learning.

People laughed off the Wii until it became the best selling console... including me

Kinect isn't even out but people have tanked it in their minds already which I won't make the same mistake twice

Lost Planet and Mafia II had different controls but people wouldn't take the time to learn it and/or will avoid it because of simple things like that.

No, gamers want "fun" firstly and mostly not creativity or innovation or something that might make you think differently.

And on top of all of that, gamers have a nerve to want to react harshly when an art critic says games aren't art.

[Optical_Matrix]

The same happened with Killzone 2. Once you get used to them the controls are great, but everyone still had their COD goggles on and dismissed it as the game having poor controls. It's quite sad really

[OSU_Gamer]

Gamers do want innovation and mistaking poor control layouts combined with an not so quality game can hardly be called refusing creativity.

I haven't played Mafia 2, but from what everyone is saying, the R2 button used to shoot is more of a nuisance than a misunderstood showing of creativity. Like I said, I haven't played it so I dont know, and I'm assuming you haven't either.

No one really laughed off Wii except for the hardcore gamers..including me. I still laugh it off, because to me it isn't considered a hardcore game console, and not because it was creative and different. Instead, because I am forced to play the few hardcore games released with an innacurate motion controller.

I gladly welcome truly creative games, but I'm not going to pretend that just because a game is different that it is creative and worth $60.

Edit:

@Optical_MAtrix

Thats definitely one game that did get a bad rap because of the difference in controls.

[OpiZA]

Yes

[BuIIetproofish_]

Creativity is good, but making shit sparkle doesn't mean it isn't shit.

[kraze07]

Doesn't matter which as long as the game is fun.

[DrJones]

Yes.