Gaming in America is diminishing.

[Rydian]

I never did understand how Call of Duty sets records every single year. How is it able to beat it's own records every year?

It does better each year than the past because there's more people buying?

As time goes on there's a wider available audience, the games can appeal to more players (updated graphics, voice acting, etc.), and an individual series often has more exposure.

A Link To The Past sold ~4.5 million.
Link's Awakening sold ~6 million.
Ocarina Of Time sold ~7.6 million.

Of course, as the Zelda series shows, if you change too much about a game or restrict the platform, people won't be as interested. Twilight Princess sold a respectable 7.1 million, Spirit Tracks only sold 2.6 million.
CoD doesn't suffer from this, as they seem intent on sticking to the same proven (in terms of sales) gameplay.

 

[Vampire Lied]

Gaming isn't diminishing. Maybe sales are. One thing to take into account is that the US economy is shit. If gas wasn't claiming the extra money I have then maybe I could support my gaming habit. Still, a small decline doesn't mean gaming is on its way out. I expect the Wii-u to get huge sales upon release even if I'm not hyped about the system myself.

 

[stanleyopar2000]

Maybe stop charging for a full game price then only getting to enjoy a quarter of it and forcing people to pay extra to get the full game that they paid for. This is the second worst bureaucrat made recession in the the history of the shitty economy of the US. On top of that, with the 3DS going the same fiery path to hell, game companies are getting greedy and wanting to shaft gamers over more. Maybe then they are finally tired of it and they are voting with their wallets?

When I was younger I remember: "you have unlocked" not "you may purchase."

such bullshit.

 

[Izzy011]

Maybe stop charging for a full game price then only getting to enjoy a quarter of it and forcing people to pay extra to get the full game that they paid for. This is the second worst bureaucrat made recession in the the history of the shitty economy of the US. On top of that, with the 3DS going the same fiery path to hell, game companies are getting greedy and wanting to shaft gamers over more. Maybe then they are finally tired of it and they are voting with their wallets?

When I was younger I remember: "you have unlocked" not "you may purchase."

such bullshit.

Yeah, it's become a rule of mine to wait 2 months after a game release to see if the price drops by half, or gets a "GOTY" edition with DLC included.

 

[godreborn]

I think the quality of games has diminished. For example, I can't say I've heard anyone who's said that the ps3 was better than the ps2 or ps1 or that the wii was better than the nes or snes. I think it started when gamers and developers elevated specs above the games. It has become more about style rather than substance with the only "saving grace" being online or b.s. dlc. Plus, many developers fail to listen to the criticisms of their fanbase believing they know more about what gamers want than the gamers themselves. With technology moving as fast as it is, few can even manage the upkeep. After all, who replaces their entire entertainment setup every few years? Before the digital transition, there were quite a number of people with televisions 20+ years old, and the vast majority of hd tv owners today still use a dvds rather than blurays. It's not really a consumer-friendly time especially with a recession.
If they opt to continue the tech evolution route next gen, it could be the consoles' last.

 

[Rydian]

^ - http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/rose-tinted+glasses

 

[FAST6191]

+1 to Rydian but given the current consoles can all of what came before and more for not a terribly great increase in power they are better. No way would I ever go back in time as far as games are concerned.

Every few years... did I imagine VHS, DVD and beyond as well as records, tapes, CDs and beyond because that would have been a hell of a coma dream. Granted the timeframes are slightly longer but that is what what one would call a paradigm shift. Regarding TVs... standard -> widescreen -> flatscreen but still CRT -> combi VHS/DVD/TV ->proto LCD (480p capable and such) and it goes on, I agree backwards compatibility is/was awesome and the marginal resolution increase that saw many replace a TV was an interesting shift.

Specs above games.... ever wondered why we measure cartridge games in megabits? Poke around http://www.outofprintarchive.com/news.html or some other magazine archive and the bits your game took up was actually a selling point on occasion. We should also not forget... this.

Developers failing to listen to their fanbase... there is merit to listening to some things but for the most part many are not entirely sure what they want so trying to please fans gets to be an exercise in pointlessness.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Maybe stop charging for a full game price then only getting to enjoy a quarter of it and forcing people to pay extra to get the full game that they paid for. This is the second worst bureaucrat made recession in the the history of the shitty economy of the US. On top of that, with the 3DS going the same fiery path to hell, game companies are getting greedy and wanting to shaft gamers over more. Maybe then they are finally tired of it and they are voting with their wallets?

When I was younger I remember: "you have unlocked" not "you may purchase."

such bullshit.

Yeah that has nothing to do with it but thanks for using the same tired rant you use in every thread again and again.

I remember back in the day when it was "Fuck you go buy the game again to get new content" not "spend some extra money on some optional content if you want".

 

[Foxi4]

I never did understand how Call of Duty sets records every single year. How is it able to beat it's own records every year? It just seems fishy to me.

I'll tell you why. Because it's one of the best Multiplayer First Person Shooters of all time.

Is it repetitive? Yes. Does it have a negligable Singleplayer campaign? Yes. Is it simple considering the competition from, for example, Battlefield? Yes. And those are its perks for a whole lot of people.

The recent Call of Duty games play on the lowest of instincts in a Core gamer - the capacity to shoot someone square in the face and do it with style and flair. They appeal to the most common and the simplest of denominators, and this is their strong point. Call of Duty went the same path Need for Speed did and dominated the market the exact same way. "Keep It Simple, Stupid" has been a technique of selling a product for generations - sometimes a gamer doesn't want to prepare an elaborate plan of an assault, sometimes a gamer doesn't want to bother with a difficult to master inventory system, sometimes a player doesn't want to traverse humongous maps while staying as stealthy as humanly possible. Sometimes a gamer just wants to shoot another gamer in the face to relieve frustration. Add a degree of Experience Gaining via introducing leader boards, levels of experience, unlockable weapons and other content and you're giving enough incentive for anyone to at least try your game, and when you have this winning formula, you don't re-design it, you merely improve upon it.

People diss Call of Duty left and right, and sometimes for good reasons - there are more elaborate productions out there, but believe me when I say that there is genius in its simplicity, and the sales are proof of that.