The art of originality; to modernise, innovate and functionalise new and fresh ideas into public consciousness, in essence, the complete opposite of the stagnated mediocrity that makes something ‘normal’. Without originality where does that leave us? Humankind, technologically speaking, is constantly striving for positive and innovative change in both work and leisure...
Videogames, bar the occasional die-hard professional, is certainly a medium we’d associate with the latter, and until relatively recently, one heavily associated with progressive forward change.
On the flip side of the coin we have the desire for material gain, economic prosperity, or to put it bluntly; raking in the cash. When innovation and the cash cow have conflicting interests, as would seem to often be apparent within the current state of gaming, the cogs stop turning, the original ideas dry up and generic blandness can slowly creep over a once flourishing playing field.
There is no doubt that videogames are enjoying the most profitable time of their contextually short lives, but what effect does the desire to generate maximum revenue over a fulfilling playing experience have on us, the gamer?
Lets start by looking at software. It seems that the underlying trend for studios in the current games market is to play it safe, stick with what’s been repeatedly tried and tested, and subsequently not stray too far away from the beaten track. Ideas that once were at the forefront of gameplay innovation become over saturating core mechanics encompassing entire genres, often resulting in an abundance of mediocre titles littering the shelves.
One example that springs to mind would be the cover system, most notably popularised by Epic’s Gears Of War in 2006. A relatively simple concept, somewhat avant garde for the time, can now be seen in practically all third person action/adventure titles; if there’s enemies to be killed, there’s objects to hide behind, almost to the extent that you’d be surprised if the developers didn’t at least attempt to include a cover system just to place a tick in the box next to ‘generic gameplay inclusions synonymous with this game type’.
When the system is executed well, fits within the context of the game and therefore merits its own inclusion, then there is no problem to bemoan. A recent example I’ve played however, where this is not the case is Red Faction: Guerrilla, where the cover system is sticky, unresponsive, and in fact I found to be detrimental to my chances of killing enemies. This was often because of the randomness with which the game decided which pieces of debris I could and couldn’t hide behind. It basically seems like a rather unnecessarily contrived and ill-conceived inclusion along side the heavily destruction based ‘Geo-Mod 2.0’ engine that is integrally important to the strategic nature of the combat.
Of course I’m just highlighting one small mechanic in the entire medium of gaming, but the point could be microcosmically representative of the wider problem of stifled creativity. The same generic building blocks that make up so many games simply because it’s a ‘working formula’ can be seen everywhere. If it works it’s more likely to sell, and its hard to begrudge anyone, be it minor or major developers or publishers for wanting to make money, but originality is often the sacrifice to secure even a relatively minor degree of success in the market.
So often, it is the case that bold originality and economic success simply don’t go hand in hand, hence the endless uninspiring sequels, bland shoot ‘em ups and dreadful cash-vacuuming movie tie-ins dominating the retailers, but can we say the same of hardware? You’d have to take one look at the phenomenal success of the Wii, the impending release of further rival motion control technology and the answer is glaringly obvious.
The console’s stratospheric sales figures massively aided by Nintendo’s breaking of the ‘casual’ market have triggered a response from Microsoft and Sony, obviously citing the area as one where the cash cow has become somewhat gluttonous. Motion control will now be accompanying Japanese and American giants with the impending release of ‘Playstation Move’ and ‘Kinect’ respectively in an attempt to convert the swelling fan base of their competitor, and perhaps to win over some of the staunchly hardcore demographic simultaneously. Once again, a novel idea well exploited by Nintendo in 2006 onwards, has ruffled feathers in Sony and Microsoft HQ, eager to tap into the motion control, and therefore the casual gaming goldmine.
Fair enough the technology is superior to the Wii (no one can dispute that no controller, although not to many gamer's tastes, is an inventive way to play) but the gameplay elements on display; boxing/fighting, improving fitness, driving sims etc… are nothing that haven’t been previously attempted, played and placed aside.
Move and Kinect are impressive modern updates of a proven, money spinning formula, which if they sell even a fraction of what the Wii has, will have done well, but as for innovative gameplay, many of us currently remain under whelmed. Having said this, its unfair to dismiss the systems before they have had a chance to establish themselves and flourish. However, if the main focus switches from the hardcore, whom lets face it, Sony and Microsoft owe a great deal due to the success of their current consoles, to the casual, then they run the risk of alienating a loyal base of players. That said, cash talks and these two global giants will certainly follow the money trail, no question.
It’s easy for the little guy to take essentially harmless pot shots at the gaming powers that be, but are we the buyers, the ones sat pad in hand (or flailing our limbs spasmodically in the case of motion control) also to blame for innovative shortcomings?
Perhaps our own unwillingness as players to embrace change is equally to blame for the lack of diversity and ambition in gaming at the moment. The constant reliance on the safety net means that for many gamers, branching out beyond an established comfort zone is a rarity. Games that challenge ingrained conventions and attempt to push the boundaries beyond the common standard are often unaccredited with the success they rightly deserve. We’ll flock in our millions to buy the latest Call Of Duty instalment, yet titles such as Psychonauts, Okami and more recently, say Bayonetta, though met with critical acclaim, fail to convert praise into unit sales, and therefore its easy to see why studios become disillusioned with the idea of bold experimentation.
It must be noted however that sometimes innovation and commercial success can go hand in hand. Bioshock for example challenged the conventional norms of the first person shooter in terms of morbid, noir story telling and art deco scenery design. Four months after the game's release in 2007, Bioshock had reportedly sold two million copies worldwide, a figure that one can only assume to be practically double that three years later, especially after the PS3 conversion.
With that level of success, the inevitable sequel arrived earlier this year, the overriding criticism levelled at the title being a distinct lack of progression from the original. Once again, the cash cow seems to have halted the initial radically thinking intent and replaced it with a ‘more of the same’ philosophy, something that as we’ve seen is becoming glaringly commonplace.
Ambition and business, occasionally it works; creative, innovative talent justly rewarded by critical acclaim and commercial success. In many cases however, the two simply won't flourish and one becomes a driving force while its respective counterpart never gets out of first gear. Money makes the world go round and the games industry is certainly no different. When a breakthrough concept in hardware or software reaps financial rewards, the cloning process begins and what was once lauded as cutting edge originality slowly becomes a generic formality.
Let’s hope that in this rapidly advancing and relatively young medium, there’s still an abundance of innovative, progressive products in the near future and beyond, excelling ahead of the overwhelming sense of undistinguished mediocrity.
(Photo credit: Cayusa, z--x, Colony of Gamers)
It may not be anywhere near a record time, but it has certainly helped me justify my outlay - and I've enjoyed it thoroughly.
