The Good Ole Days

February 10, 2003

Here is some good news. Ain't It Cool News has started Ain't It Cool Games, which is supposed to be a behind the scenes look at the video game industry with some occasional commentary. It's always good to have another source. Moving on.

Today a "manifesto" was posted about the lack of innovation in modern gaming. This is a common and potentially intersting discussion. The author claims that innovation is sparse and even big name games like Zelda or Mario are just rehashes of previously successful versions. I can't argue with that. What I think is more interesting is the reason this is happening.

As the video game industry grows larger it will start to model other mainstream industries (film, music, etc.) and focus its attention on big budget games. Most of the time they won't be innovative because innovation isn't guaranteed to be profitable. (Think about the proliferation of sequels in film. A proven commodity is always safer than innovation.) Does that mean innovation will be completely abandonned? Of course not. There will always be small development houses looking to make a name for themselves and many people in the industry are still interested in innovation, but since it is no longer needed like it was twenty years ago you will find that those in it for the money will stick inovation in the back seat.

I could go on for a few more paragraphs, but instead I'll say that it will be fun to watch the development of this industry. This will likely be the only medium that I'll get to see completely develop in my lifetime and I imagine it will be amusing to look back on this post in 20 years.

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