Gaming is as popular as it's ever been and it's arguably never been a better time to be a gamer. Games are becoming more complex and in-depth, graphics are improving at a speedy rate and there's more choice than ever when it comes to what games to play and what platforms to play them on.
However is the gaming industry now suffering from the consequences that being an multi-billion dollar industry brings? Whether it be greedy publishers, early access or copyright strikes on YouTube, what's the state of the gaming industry in 2017?
Let's take a look at a few of the problems facing the industry in 2017 and beyond.
Early Access
Prison Architect, an example of Early Access done right!
It feels like Early Access has been around for almost an eternity, however in reality it's only been a few years since it really became mainstream. It started off as being PC exclusive but has managed to seep its way onto consoles, and that's not always a good thing.
For every success story in Early Access, there's a dozen games that never fulfil their potential and leave a sour taste in the mouth. The platform with this biggest problem is of course Steam. Thankfully, they've tried to tackle the issue somewhat but they themselves can't guarantee whether or not a game will be completed.
As a result, we've seen the tone towards Early Access games shift dramatically with many more gamers being reluctant to invest early on or being more critical when they do. The introduction of Steam's refund policy has definitely helped ease the pain and is a welcomed addition.
Microsoft haven't avoided the controversy of Early Access either though with a few titles coming to Xbox One. Two games that come to mind are ARK: Survival Evolved and We Happy Few. While neither are bad games, they've gained a bad reputation for considerably upping their prices both during Early Access on Xbox One and for when they finally leave the process.
Asset Flips
Dead Inside, a classic example of a Unity Store Asset Flip
Since Steam launched its Greenlight programme a few years ago, the problem of asset flips has grown and grown. It got to such a stage that even Valve themselves decided enough is enough and stepped in. Their solution was to scrap Greenlight and introduce Steam Direct. Unfortunately, while it has improved the situation, asset flips are still one of Steam's biggest problems and it's likely they will continue to be for as long as Valve refuse to do some sort of quality control.
The most common asset flips tend to be from someone who has bought a project from the Unity store and released it as their own game, changing nothing but the name.
DLC & Season Passes
One of the gaming industries most distasteful practices is as rife as ever in 2017. Whether it be overpriced season passes and expansions or content stripped from a game to make way for a DLC, we've made little progress in this area in 2017.
These days, it's strange not to see a triple A game have a season pass. One game that did it right though was Titanfall 2 but unfortunately few others have followed suit.
The latest controversy to surround DLCs involved the upcoming Shadow of War game where you could purchase an in-game character as a DLC. The point of it was to commemorate a developer who sadly died during development with the funds raised supposedly going to his family. However after failing to think things through properly a series of miscommunications, Monolith came in for heavy criticism after it emerged that not all of the money would go to the family and it would depend on your location as to whether or not any would reach them at all.
Personally, I don't have a problem with expansion packs, so long as they are done right. If they offer a lot of new content and add hours of gameplay to the base game, there's no issue. Unfortunately we're seeing paper thin and overpriced expansions way too frequently for it to be healthy.
For as long as I can remember, we've had different editions of games with FIFA being no exception. Thanks to the success of Ultimate Team, EA offer several different editions which grant additional in-game items. While they may be over-priced, it's down to the consumer whether or not they pay the price. However, this year EA decided to release FIFA 18 a few days early for anyone who was willing to cough up extra money up front. For me, that crosses the line as you're trying to squeeze as much money out of gamers as possible knowing that we're an impatient bunch.
Sadly, I feel this tactic may be one we're likely to see more often in 2018 and beyond.
The Future
All of the problems I've mentioned above won't be going away anytime soon. While there's been a few improvements on some fronts, we're still a long way away from seeing big changes. Those changes can and will only come about by us, the gamers, voting with our wallets.
Thankfully, it's not all bad news. Games are becoming more ambitious in scope leading to immersive experiences that wouldn't have seemed possible a decade ago. This is thanks to an improvement in technology as well as the introduction of virtual reality.
I expect VR to become a bigger player in the next year. We've got Fallout 4 VR releasing soon which should be a success and therefore show a demand for such a game. If more developers like Bethesda follow suit, more gamers will take up VR. It should also coincide nicely with a price reduction.
What do you think the problems are with the gaming industry in 2017 and beyond? Where do you think we're heading? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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