One reader asked why publishers insist on high-end graphics and complex storytelling when the most popular games don't have either.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who was a little shocked after reading this week's Newzoo report. Not because it says anything we didn't already know, but because it was really eye-opening to see all of the game's issues detailed in such neat little graphs.
There's a lot to take away from it, but what struck me is the list of the most popular games in different formats. Again, not necessarily surprising, but what do you think are the similarities between Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, Counter-Strike, League Of Legends, Apex Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, and Fall Guys?
Granted, they're all live-service games, some of which have been around for over a decade, but another thing they all have in common is that none of them have particularly impressive graphics ( Of course, it's not for non-player viewers). And none of them have any real story elements.
I'm sure all avatars in League of Legends and Valorant, and probably others too, have a backstory, but as with fighting games, only the hardcore fans know about it, and it's For others, games are purely about gameplay. There is nothing.
Well, maybe nothing else. There are some other obvious similarities, with the top three games (Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft) all being based on customization and creation. This isn't something you commonly see in other games, and it's not something that traditional publishers have really picked up on, even though it's clearly very popular.
All games also emphasize online communication and social interaction, which is a big part of why even games like Valorant, which are mediocre to play, are so popular. Well, it's free.
It has always been said that graphics are not important. I've been reading his stuff since the '90s, too, and when it's proven so clearly with these graphs, I wonder why publishers are so obsessed with graphics. Why do they think people care? I mean, the guy who spends all day complaining on the internet cares about the 1% of super hardcore fans, but no one else cares.
The only valid excuse is that you need decent graphics to tell a big triple-A story…but these games don't even have a story. Spider-Man 2 isn't in any of the top 10, but Starfield is a game with sub-par graphics and almost no story. Being free on Game Pass definitely boosted its ratings even more, but it was still the only example of a single-player game outside of Switch that didn't rate highly in terms of graphics or story.
Unfortunately, knowing all this doesn't mean you can easily change it. People may not care about graphics in general, but they have been conditioned to expect them when it comes to single-player games. And if there is any attempt to change that, that 1% will complain more bitterly than ever.
Publishers are largely to blame here for prolonging the problem and making it worse in terms of the time and money required and the expected quality of graphics. I guess they think it might be too late to put the oil tanker back together, but they're spending this much money to make a game that most people don't really care about, so I guess they'll give it a try. you need to try it.
From reader Shoebop
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