I'm afraid I disagree, and I can't see myself being in a position in any of the next say at least 5 years where my mind will change. Social gaming is on the rise but it will not take over gaming consoles and the "core" gaming market will not crash anytime soon whatsoever because social gaming is gaining more attention than ever before. These studies and whatnot always seem to indicate that many of those people playing social games on the likes of Facebook and Google+ (well, soon enough at least) are ones that are also "hardcore" gamers too but I just don't believe it at all. It seems to me the mainstream media seem to love these sort of studies and whatnot because for some reason the gaming industry is always the one made to be a scapegoat for almost any reason possible and it seems to me that everyone keeps saying that social gaming will take over and conquer console gaming / core gaming because they simply just want it to happen and want to see the end of our type of gaming. They'll be sorry down the line if something like this ever does happen because they'll have to find something else to blame for things going wrong in society and whatnot. They're two vastly different animals at the end of the day yet social media seems to ignore that fact.
But a good article making some quite good points and facts and figures on the discussion though, compared to some of the usual drab that just simply says "console gaming going to hell - social games to take over the world" just because of Farmville and Angry Birds and with nothing to back it up. The gap isn't as wide as it first was perhaps but I still don't see anything changing anytime soon unless social gaming really becomes, well more than simple "social gaming".
Yeah, I agree, the hardcore crowd will always be here, and as long as we are, developers will keep making games for us. That's why we need to support good, hardcore games.
Truthfully, i know too many people who are consumed with games like Angry Birds, yet they couldnt guide their way out of a brown paper bag with a dual thumbstick gamepad.
Its depressing, but thankfully there are just as many people out there who grew up with Playstation and Xbox consoles like me who will not just simply toss them aside. Just like how the Atari 2600 and NES were childhood staples for alot of gamers of that generation, the N64, PS1, and Original Xbox were the staples of mine and i dont think ill ever quit buying the latest console out. I imagine many feel the same.
The casual crowd may be affected, but not people buying hardcore games like Gran Turismo 5 etc. Right, a hardcore gamer is going to stop buying games just so they can play Farmville and Angry Birds, because that's what gets FPS junkies off, some good ol' Bejeweled lmao bahaahaaaa
The core gaming market as it stands may be hardcore, but what social games are doing, they are making these easy nifty small games accessible to people who otherwise wouldn't play. and the fact is that these people outnumber the hardcore gamers. so hardcore gaming may stay the same, but social gaming will rise drastically.
Not even remotely close to the truth..why waste energy even trying to explain this one..just laugh and maybe come back look at this next year and laugh even harder
Funny thing is. Which some dont realize is the growth of the casual market has alerted many non gamers to become gamers an even slowly turn them into hardcore gamers as they become more hungry for better gaming experiences.
I like mobile gaming, but there's no way in hell my Xperia Play or any other phone for that matter will replace the likes of the PSVita, the 3DS, the 360, PS3, PC or any other gaming platform.
Well, conceivably, mobile devices will have as much horsepower as the enthusiast desktops of today. It all comes down to who owns the OS and the platform.
It's going to take a while for mobile devices to balance horsepower and battery life though. And even then they'd have to start implementing proper control methods (touch screen is a pain in the ass, Xperia Play is a step in the right direction).
I am surprised at what I've seen so far, N64 emulator running beautifully on the Xperia Play, and NullDC port working with little to no slow down.
Do these idiots think these things happen by magic or something? Even if this happens it will happen gradually. There will be at least a PS4 or Xbox 720 before anyone even thinks of going in that direction. I mean lets ignore all the non-gamers and 'casuals' for a second. What true gamer can play Angry Birds for more then 20 minutes without getting bored or use their tablet or phone as their main source of gaming?
Also lets not forget the main point is that family and friends cannot gather around the cellphone or handheld or tablet to play their favourite games. A console will always be the thing that sits in your living room so you can sit on your couch and kick your friends and family members' butts at games. Not phones or computers but consoles. You can stream videos to your cellphone and computers but do you sit in front of them for movie night or to watch your favourite action movie or snuggle with your girlfriend holding cellphone or tablet in front of you. No. You buy TVs and Bluray or DVD players.
There will always be a distinction between folks who play Farmville or Angry Birds to kill time during mundane parts of their daily life, and the folks that take time out their mundane life to play videogames daily.
The only thing i could potentially imagine ending the console era is the rise of cloud gaming. And even that concept is too new to appeal to people who are used to traditional consoles and PC's.
My prediction is that consoles are here to stay for at least one more decade. But hey, I'm no Micheal Pachter.
"My prediction is that consoles are here to stay for at least one more decade. But hey, I'm no Micheal Pachter."
I like your prediction, and if you're no Michael Pachter than your predictions aren't wrong 90% of the time with the other 10% being what is clear and obvious to everyone!
"There will always be a distinction between folks who play Farmville or Angry Birds to kill time during mundane parts of their daily life, and the folks that take time out their mundane life to play videogames daily. "
I am one of those guys who like to play video games to have a good time, have experiences that cant be done in real life, and of course enjoy some good storylines time to time (Uncharted anyone?)
Why do we keep saying "handheld gaming" then following it with "phone games." Did we all forget the simple phone games that have been around for ages? Everyone that had access to games on their phones played them, period. All of a sudden Apple wants to market something and things change? These are not big budget games! They are simplistic time wasters and nothing more.
Fact is I don't know a single person that rushes through things or waits to get home to play Angry Birds. No. Instead they pull it out in btween meetings, waiting for class to start, when they are away and have nothing else to do.
I also like how the only example is the "failing 3DS" and thats it. Why not mention of Vita? Why is the fact that the DS, which is still on the market, being the highest selling handheld so insignificant?
Now console games. "Sales are down" Notice how sales are down for every single industry in our crap economy right now? Then they state a "rise" for every single company except Take Two and Activision. Now lets look deeper? Activision cut ties with Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero (the biggest money maker they had), Take Two has no GTA releasing from Rockstar. All this coming AFTER they mention COD will most definitely break records in sales AGAIN.
Fact is If I made a game that was readily accessible on every device you have and opens within seconds and takes less than 30 seconds to play, you will try it. If it has multiple levels you will keep playing it. Does that mean my game competes with the likes of big budget titles? no. Its like saying Youtube will destroy the movie industry because more people are watching crap 3 minute videos than going to the theater.
There is and always will be room for both markets. Key word, "Markets" Not one but TWO. I love the quick pick up and play iOS games and the like... but I compare the 2 markets to a old hand held marble in a maze toy to a interactive paintball arena. They are two totally different experiences.
It should have read "MW3 will end the MW franchise forever"
I guess I can only dream that Activision stop releasing the same old game every time. Glitches, broken online, inequality across the platforms, unbalanced gameplay, same engine, mediocre campaign and the same old look and feel to everything. No innovation or change.
I think at this point, they are taking the viewpoint... if it is still selling just keep adding those neat stickers and cool cases and it should keep moving off the shelves. *digital shelves too I better add.
I don't understand why people keep settling for all the bull the franchise is now! I mean the last good game was COD4:MW. Everything now is just a rehash of that. Every year we get the "leaked" footage... obviously a ploy to generate hype and chatter. Secondly all these promises of a "better game" when the campaign is rubbish, with a poor story, no characters that any one can form a link with... the online is riddled with problems and by the time that game is fixed to the standard expected, another COD is launched. The game is even priced higher than the regular RRP. For what? Activision keeps shovelling out this crap and people keep lapping it up.
There are many better games out there that deserves attention, and have much more to offer. Games that offer new and intriguing gameplay and story, with better online. I just wish people would wake up.
No, no, no. Core gaming and mobile gaming are both parallel economies - one doesn't thrive at the expense of the other. If one is rising while the other is faltering, it's not because people are buying Angry Birds instead of Gears Of War 3 or Resistance 3. No-one has ever said "I'm not going to buy a PS3 or Xbox 360 because I have a smartphone and Facebook." They're both sides of the same coin.
The exception is dedicated handheld consoles. Once tablets reach comparable levels of performance and onboard hardware (not long now), there'll simply be no need for portables. I reckon that the Vita could well be the very last.
Try to play Gears 3 or Resistance 3 or any other modern PC/Console core type game on a button-less device like an iPod/iPhone or similar. They are definitely not on the same side of the coin in my opinion. That is like trying to play Star Craft II on the Kinect.. LOL
Finally something we can all agree on, cant wait to see what will come with the next gen, hope they dont let us down, the real gamers, they owe us that lol
I'm afraid I disagree, and I can't see myself being in a position in any of the next say at least 5 years where my mind will change. Social gaming is on the rise but it will not take over gaming consoles and the "core" gaming market will not crash anytime soon whatsoever because social gaming is gaining more attention than ever before. These studies and whatnot always seem to indicate that many of those people playing social games on the likes of Facebook and Google+ (well, soon enough at least) are ones that are also "hardcore" gamers too but I just don't believe it at all. It seems to me the mainstream media seem to love these sort of studies and whatnot because for some reason the gaming industry is always the one made to be a scapegoat for almost any reason possible and it seems to me that everyone keeps saying that social gaming will take over and conquer console gaming / core gaming because they simply just want it to happen and want to see the end of our type of gaming. They'll be sorry down the line if something like this ever does happen because they'll have to find something else to blame for things going wrong in society and whatnot. They're two vastly different animals at the end of the day yet social media seems to ignore that fact.
But a good article making some quite good points and facts and figures on the discussion though, compared to some of the usual drab that just simply says "console gaming going to hell - social games to take over the world" just because of Farmville and Angry Birds and with nothing to back it up. The gap isn't as wide as it first was perhaps but I still don't see anything changing anytime soon unless social gaming really becomes, well more than simple "social gaming".
Well said
minyanville?....never heard of it.
Very funny article