5 Video Game Genres In Decline

[spacecaps]

Thought this was pretty interesting....
5 game genres on the decline | Games Blog - Yahoo! Games

[Figuremod73]

About four years ago I probably knew everything about every system, now Im to the point where I have little interest in whats coming out. I dont think games have gotten worse its just seem like its mostly because its more of the same. The motion senser thing seems about the coolest thing ive seen in the last few years and ive barely played even that.
It may be my age but I think classic gaming is where its at. Theres even a ton of ps1 and ps2 games im still discovering....maybe someday i'll get to the newer (by then old) stuff, lol

[Werewolf]

I'm surprised they didn't include JRPGs. Loved them in the NES and SNES era and now I can't stand them. I guess my tolerance level for spikey haired emo tweens has been reached. Much rather play RPGs like Skyrim now.

[spacecaps]

And for an even better article, heres another gem from cracked.
5 Plot Devices That Make Good Video Games Suck | Cracked.com

[torgospizza]

Every now and then, we think we've seen it all and then a God of War, Medal of Honor, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo, Tomb Raider, or Tekken comes out and is a beacon on an otherwise bleak landscape, giving us some positive reinforcement that maybe there's hope. Even a game like One or maybe Klonoa can change your view, just because the devs were trying a new approach with fresh ideas. It still happens. I think we need creators to just auteur their work, like how God of War was handled. They get inspired and chase down that dream. Of course, that mess Too Human was pretty much made the same way, but someone needed to reign that guy in.

[jwyblejr]

If mascot games are on the decline,why is that new Spyro game doing so well on all platforms?

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

So, everything but shooters then?

Don C.

[Captain Big Trousers]

The problem with the video-game industry (and most industries) is copycatting.

It has always been this way. There were Pong rip-offs, Space Invaders rip-offs, Pacman rip-offs... but now the video-game market is so huge, there are far more mediocre games to wade through. And those games can be hidden under nice shiny graphics - it's only after three levels of being awed that you realise it's actually rubbish.

Jaded adult gamers aren't falling for that anymore. Kids, of course, are idiots who lap this junk up (well... they buy it and throw it on the pile of unfinished games and then beg for Rubbish 2 - Rediscovered "because it has this awesome bit in it that I saw on the trailer").

One of my pet peeves that drives me insane (and drove me away from gaming) is intentionally difficult-yet-unimaginative puzzles/jumps designed purely to slow you down in an otherwise short game. Particularly when failing the jump/puzzle sends you halfway back across a level to perform the same 15 minutes again and again until you get it right/fluke it.

I'm... er... an older gamer now, and what's left of my incresingly short lifespan is far too valuable to be spent screaming at a puzzle designed my someone much younger than me, who has more life left to live, and probably has more money in his bank account. I'd rather go for a walk.

Bah humbug!

You know what's missing from the video-game market? Good space shooters. There used to be one on the original Playstation, but that was so long ago I can't remember the name. You'd think being able to draw spaceships on a predominantly black background would be easy - that they'd be able to churn out dozens of space shooters almost weekly. Where are they all?

[VintageMike]

I've never gone with those trends anyway. I always buy what has always interested me: wrestling, superhero/comic and classic/classic related type games.

[Captain Big Trousers]

Okay I've just given it a few minutes thought and come up with Space Shooter of the Decade! (!!!!11!!!!!lol!1).

Massive multiplayer good vs evil (pick a side). No menus. No loading screens.

Press play and get dropped into the universe. Buttons on ship's dash (controller) to "warp" to other battles (or escape the one you're in). Ability to put out "distress" calls which will summon other players who are about to hit Warp. Reward for not making distress calls. Ability to automatically detect friends and warp you into their battles. No loading screen because the "warp" effect will cover loading. Female voice saying "30 seconds to drop", etc.

Spaceships blah blah blah, battlecruisers... blah blah, something that looks suspiciously like a death star but isn't litigable ( ), planets whose atmosphere you can fly though, realistic physics (gravity sucks), etc. Ship/weapon upgrades issued automatically based on win/reward record. Repair ships. Action, action, action. LENS FLARE!

There ya go. Game of the year.

That wasn't hard at all.

[Brad]

I've never gone with those trends anyway. I always buy what has always interested me: wrestling, superhero/comic and classic/classic related type games.

I'm the same way. I buy racing games, the Madden games, the Call of Duty games, and that's pretty much it for me. We now have two PS3s and our 16 year old son uses one of them. He likes adventure games and Marvel themed games the most. He buys way more games then I do.

[Figuremod73]

What I find amazing is even after more than thirty years I still look FORWARD to playing Pac-man or Ms Pac-man when I get the chance. Now the only difference is I can play exact copies at home. Now those are games that never seem to go out of style!

[spacecaps]

I'm playing Blades of Steel on my NES in a few minutes....

[Bruce Banner]

Interesting article.

I recall not too long ago when it seemed that every other game that came out was either a beat 'em up or a platformer (admittedly the limitations of the hardware and what kinds of games could be appropriately well presented was a factor.)
The transition to polygons continued this as many developers updated their franchises to 3D, before other genres began to edge them out in popularity.

I kind of miss traditional JRPGs.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Some salient points:

5 Things The Gaming Industry Will Never Fix (And Why) | Cracked.com

The Day the Gaming Industry Died: Impressions from E3 2010 | Cracked.com

5 Reasons It's Still Not Cool to Admit You're a Gamer | Cracked.com

More Proof the Video Game Industry is Out of Ideas (E3 2010) | Cracked.com

Don C.