Game Design: Game Variation and Reliance on Similar Game Models

     One of the differences I have personally noticed between gaming over 10 years ago, and gaming now, is the lack of variation amongst games. What I'm talking about, is how back in the day, there seemed to be less fear of failure in the gaming industry, because video games were still a relatively new thing, and they could take more risks, because even if your game sucked(Superman 64) and people hated it, they would still buy and play it, because it was a video game.

     That isn't the case these days, and some of that is good; it means that a gaming company can no longer get away with selling something as horrible as Superman 64, but that doesn't mean they have to be creative anymore. One of the few exceptions of a game that was so horrible that it had to be gotten rid of, was E.T. way back in 1982, but that was very early on, and there haven't been many games that bad.

     Since then however, I have noticed that games seem to settle for the mediocre. Sure we get some really good games every now and then, but for the most part, games seem like a copy of Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, or Halo. I've said this before I know, but it really does seem true. Games like Destiny, Titanfall, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor(although I consider this to be better than many of the Assassin's Creed games), are all examples of games that have very similar game play and styling to already established and popular games.

     Now, don't get me wrong, there are a ton of older games that are terrible, but the difference between them then and them now, is that developers were still learning and were throwing out lots of ideas; the gaming industry just seemed more free and creative, and sometimes they ended up with a bunch of games that sucked and made no sense, and other times they ended up with games that were pretty amazing, like Alien Versus Predator(1999), or a game series that makes Grand Theft Auto look like something for children, Postal(1997) and Postal 2(2003).

     Part of the problem, a huge part, is that games just aren't that challenging anymore. They aren't hard. They walk you through practically everything and hold your hand while they show you exactly what to do and the only thinking you have to do is whom your going to shoot next. This could actually be an entire post in and of itself, just on how games are not nearly as challenging. Games used to be really hard. That's what made them even more rewarding when you beat them. More on that another time though, because that's just a part of the problem, even if it is a huge part.

     Variation Within Video Games and Opinions goes into much of what I'm talking about, plus some. The author seems more positive than I though, with hopes of more variations of characters for the future, from different backgrounds. I'm not so sure though, and will believe it when it happens. Until then, we may just guess.