Writings about the... ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL
Fine fine. I will only say this. It's been very hard to ignore the noise the fapping fanderps have been making over the ending controversy of Mass Efect 3. But, this is one of those few times where I actively ignore spoilers and wanted my experience to be pure and so far I'm glad that I didn't spoil myself cause there was a certain moment that choked me up so hard and the feeling wouldn't have been the same if I knew what was going to happen.
Now, the last decade of gaming was an interesting one, with the shift of gaming to the mainstream. It is no longer the obscure hobby of gradeschool 90's kids or that toy parents buy to their children. Gaming, inevitably it's carving itself as the cornerstone of artistic human expression. It is the latest art form (yes, yes it is) to combine visuals, sound and interactivity (enabled by the art of code) in to a unique experience that shapes lives. Like paintings and classic films of their time, you people need to understand that we are standing front row seat witnessing the making of the Sistine chapel ceiling of our time. The TRIFORCE OF POWERS that is the combination of code, art & audio to create a unique sensory experience is something that humanity should be proud of.
As humanity embraces and absorbs this medium the money will follow. The gaming industry generates about $65 billion in economic activity so entrepreneurs of all kinds will take notice. Sure we can look back and remember the warm fuzzy innocent industry of the golden age as much as we remember our innocent childhood but to bring it home, experiences like Mass Effect 3 would not have been possible without the big budgets and ambitions of people willing to take risks and bet on an epic masterpiece that will recoup the investment due to the fact that people now more than ever are part of the ever consuming swarm that is the video gaming market.
With such it also comes the negative. Those that follow the industry know that Bioware (the studio behind Mass Effect) was acquired by gaming global conglomerate extraordinaire Electronic Arts. EA is what you would call the Universal or Warner Bros of the gaming industry. They have become an entity in which its sole purpose is to build the most gigantic money bin that would make Scrooge McDuck blush. EA is (for the longest time) not in this to push the medium further or for the love of art. Every time EA feels like a dolar is being put on the line to make a gaming experience better, they will chose to save the dollar and cut corners. People need to understand this because when you see your favorite gaming development studio get absorbed by these giant conglomerates they shouldn't act all high entitled and surprised about how their experience has been underwhelming, cut or otherwise nerfed. Is the side effect of acquisition. Those studios that don't comply or otherwise fail to meet the juggernauts expectations get shut down.
Some people argue voting with your dollar. As in not buying the game to not support EA or whatever. I feel that this is counter productive. Gaming experiences like Mass Effect can't be delivered by most start up studios with small budgets. In the end not supporting the game would cause a studio like Bioware to shut down and further scare EA in to not taking risks with such type of franchises.
What do we do then? Are we as consumers powerless when it comes to being dissatisfied with our product? No. As it has happened before and continues to happen the gaming industry is an ever evolving behemoth. We have gone trough a birth, dark age, crash, renascence and golden age all the way up to mainstream. There will be another paradigm shift in the way games are developed. As technology moves forward, with games being the catalyst that sets and raises the bar, we will see more empowered development start ups take on ambitious projects that currently are unthinkable budget wise. We are already seeing the empowerment of small development shops and independent developers in the mobile world with gaming spearheading its way to these markets. Thats why the EAs and Activisions of the world go crazy and buy any studio that merely reeks of success before they get to big and pose any real competition. But they can't buy all. And the gaming industry will only get bigger. The empowerment will bring the necessary paradigm shift for independent studios that want to keep their integrity to operate without the backing of a conglomerate.
The technology that enabled small development houses to emerge like those in the 90s will catch on with big budget titles that even for a time on the last decade were thought to bring about doom and apocalypse to game development. I look forward to this golden age, so that one day more Biowares emerge and even the old one could possibly buy its shares back and become independent again.
Now, the last decade of gaming was an interesting one, with the shift of gaming to the mainstream. It is no longer the obscure hobby of gradeschool 90's kids or that toy parents buy to their children. Gaming, inevitably it's carving itself as the cornerstone of artistic human expression. It is the latest art form (yes, yes it is) to combine visuals, sound and interactivity (enabled by the art of code) in to a unique experience that shapes lives. Like paintings and classic films of their time, you people need to understand that we are standing front row seat witnessing the making of the Sistine chapel ceiling of our time. The TRIFORCE OF POWERS that is the combination of code, art & audio to create a unique sensory experience is something that humanity should be proud of.
As humanity embraces and absorbs this medium the money will follow. The gaming industry generates about $65 billion in economic activity so entrepreneurs of all kinds will take notice. Sure we can look back and remember the warm fuzzy innocent industry of the golden age as much as we remember our innocent childhood but to bring it home, experiences like Mass Effect 3 would not have been possible without the big budgets and ambitions of people willing to take risks and bet on an epic masterpiece that will recoup the investment due to the fact that people now more than ever are part of the ever consuming swarm that is the video gaming market.
With such it also comes the negative. Those that follow the industry know that Bioware (the studio behind Mass Effect) was acquired by gaming global conglomerate extraordinaire Electronic Arts. EA is what you would call the Universal or Warner Bros of the gaming industry. They have become an entity in which its sole purpose is to build the most gigantic money bin that would make Scrooge McDuck blush. EA is (for the longest time) not in this to push the medium further or for the love of art. Every time EA feels like a dolar is being put on the line to make a gaming experience better, they will chose to save the dollar and cut corners. People need to understand this because when you see your favorite gaming development studio get absorbed by these giant conglomerates they shouldn't act all high entitled and surprised about how their experience has been underwhelming, cut or otherwise nerfed. Is the side effect of acquisition. Those studios that don't comply or otherwise fail to meet the juggernauts expectations get shut down.
Some people argue voting with your dollar. As in not buying the game to not support EA or whatever. I feel that this is counter productive. Gaming experiences like Mass Effect can't be delivered by most start up studios with small budgets. In the end not supporting the game would cause a studio like Bioware to shut down and further scare EA in to not taking risks with such type of franchises.
What do we do then? Are we as consumers powerless when it comes to being dissatisfied with our product? No. As it has happened before and continues to happen the gaming industry is an ever evolving behemoth. We have gone trough a birth, dark age, crash, renascence and golden age all the way up to mainstream. There will be another paradigm shift in the way games are developed. As technology moves forward, with games being the catalyst that sets and raises the bar, we will see more empowered development start ups take on ambitious projects that currently are unthinkable budget wise. We are already seeing the empowerment of small development shops and independent developers in the mobile world with gaming spearheading its way to these markets. Thats why the EAs and Activisions of the world go crazy and buy any studio that merely reeks of success before they get to big and pose any real competition. But they can't buy all. And the gaming industry will only get bigger. The empowerment will bring the necessary paradigm shift for independent studios that want to keep their integrity to operate without the backing of a conglomerate.
The technology that enabled small development houses to emerge like those in the 90s will catch on with big budget titles that even for a time on the last decade were thought to bring about doom and apocalypse to game development. I look forward to this golden age, so that one day more Biowares emerge and even the old one could possibly buy its shares back and become independent again.
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