One reader considers the mass layoffs at video game companies and suggests that the entire industry needs to shrink to 1990s levels.
The recent wave of layoffs at many gaming companies has been the subject of much heated debate among gamers, and my heart goes out to everyone directly affected. I don't work in the gaming industry, but my employer has instituted layoffs for years, and it's always scary to go through. Even if you keep your job, it can be very stressful and upsetting.
But what no one seems to be addressing is the question of whether the gaming industry is simply too big. Consider these statistics. The NES, the best-selling game console at the time, had 1,395 officially licensed games of his, released from 1983 to 1995 (figures from Wikipedia). That averages out to just over 100 games a year.
In contrast, the previous generation's best-selling console, the PlayStation 4, had 3,343 games and was sold from 2013 to 2024. That averages out to just over 300 games a year, or about three times that amount. (Outside of the console realm, the numbers are much higher. Similar to mobile platforms, Steam releases thousands of games each year, but a very high percentage of them are shovelware, making it difficult to identify ” It's hard to get a fair picture of the game) in these spaces. )
What I'm trying to say is, is it better to have more games than before, or is it better to go back to a more manageable output? Personally, I think games today are better than ever before, so I'm not making a nostalgia-based argument for quality here, but in terms of quantity, we don't need as many games. there is no.
Having grown up as a gamer in the 1980s and '90s (yes, I'm old too), I've had some idea of the major games worth playing each year. But today this is simply not possible. There are too many games for one person to play rationally.
I would like everyone reading this to think about their own situation. If you look at your backlog of games you've bought but haven't played, and all the games available for “free” through subscription services, there are at least 50 games you can immediately identify as ones you'd want to play and probably enjoy (Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, and many more), but we know you'll have a hard time finding the time.
And I'm a so-called “hardcore” gamer who plays games almost every day. So what's the point in having so many games available if you or I never plan on playing them?
That's why I argue that further contraction of the industry is actually not a bad thing. You don't need that many games. That means we don't need as many game companies or people working at game companies.
I realize that the opinions expressed here may anger some, but it's interesting that this rarely happens in other fields. Let's compare this situation to streaming platforms, for example. I think most people would agree that there's simply too much (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple+, Paramount+, etc.) producing more content than any one person needs.
Few people would shed a tear if I suggested that many of these should be shut down. But this also means layoffs, just like when movie studios, music companies, and book publishers shut down, and no one is that upset about it. The truth is, industries are constantly waxing and waning, growing and contracting. Although this is painful for those affected, we will all benefit if the gaming industry contraction is managed properly and there is support for those affected.
Reader Written by Roger Stevens
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