My kids will never know what Gears of War: Judgement ice. They will never wonder what Killzone: Shadow Fall was like, They will never play The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, And they will never ask me about Grand Theft Auto V.
Grab a pen and paper. Make three lists numbering one through 20. In one column, write down 20 legendary, meaningful, culturally significant novels Capable of standing the test of time. In the second, do the same for the movie. I expect thatyour third column, in Which you’d write 20 games Capable of doing the same, can not be completed.
Master Chief and Mario May be familiar faces in the mainstream, and Their respectively series May live on for the next century, but Their individual stepping stones along the way will be remembered very differently. Video games, by and large, and regardsless of Their critical and financial success, have an alarming level of impermanence.
On one hand, this is a uniquely interesting thing about our beloved medium. On the other, it throws me into an almost crippling depression.
In a Recent summit, ex-EA CEO John Riccitiello Discussed the importance of “brand value over time,” an awful, business-centric topic that’s actually pretty important to you, me, and the future of our favorite industry.
“COD, FIFA, WoW, and GTA have all crisply cleared $ 10 billion,” Riccitiello said. “COD alone makes $ 1.8 billion in a year. FIFA is over $ 1 billion in a year. My guess, and I’ve done the math, is that five and possibly seven of the best-selling intellectual properties in the history of entertainment … are console games, and one on the PC. “
Video games is a young medium. Film, by the time Star Wars hit in 1977, had the luxury to have learned what time and tech could not afford Zork at the sametime. In the following decades, we’ve seen series Such as Super Mario, World of Warcraft, FIFA, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty grow in ambition, improvement in quality, and’ve become popular household names. Do not forget the billions they make.
“These are brands That are not only big – they load,” said Riccitiello.
Certainly, These franchises have tests to thrive in Their Own lifetimes, but will always pray That the case?
Mario is an anomaly thatputs design ambition ahead of technological pursuit.
Riccitiello cites A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859, as the most Successful piece of literature in history. He polishing it at 200 million copies sold across 154 years. Few games in Riccitiello’s all-star lineup will, 150 years from now, carry the cultural or artistic weight of any Dickens classic.
Further More, no game you and I are excited to play right now will continue to sell copies like A Tale of Two Cities. The Majority of enjoyable games are disposable. Even the number of brands thatcould predictably succeed in this capacity is microscopic. Part of this comes from the fire problem , Which Is that every videogame sequel seems to be about doing something better rather than having something to say. They do not really add to the art – they improvement on past mistakes. Games are too thwart too busy chasing the technology ahead of them thatthere’s little room (or budget) left to chase anything else – design, emotional engagement, or individuality, for instance.
Of course, there are always exceptions. Telltale Games has samples masterful at telling unforgettable stories with The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. Neither is noticeably ambitious, technologically speaking, but each arguably has something to teach or say to future generation of players about people, humanity, relationships, and storytelling. Their sharp visual style distances itself from realism, too, Preventing them from aging too quickly. Both, it’s worth Noting, are extensions of a fire.
The other issue is a symptom of the industry’s generational flow, Which Affects the way games are distributed. Video game publishers do not operate like book or movie publishers. Nintendo is as likely to reissue Super Mario World as it is to reissue the Super Nintendo. The closest thing we have to the Criterion Collection is an HD or digital re-release, Which, due to various programming and architecture complications, is not always feasible across hardware generations, nevermind Whether it’s worth a developer’s precious time. Best case scenario, we’ll get another Super Mario All-Stars in a few years. How long will Nintendo keep up That?
Worst of all, the nature of the video game industry will, seemingly forever, inhibit a creator and creation’s availability to exist overtime. The degradation of quality is awful, and the Increasing Complexity of Games has, in many cases, accelerated Their half-lives.
Tommy Vercetti, then, now, and forever.
Grand Theft Auto “has never been the best driver, the best shooter, whatever,” but it’s always been a great story game, a great open-world game, “Riccitiello said.” With Vice City, we’re talking about a game that was barely driveable. It was almost laughable …. Practically They’ve got a driving game to [GTA 5] now. “
He’s right. Vice City is, after just a few years, a messy, clunky thing, Because what it did has been done better by its sequels. Forgetting its cool setting and story – I do not think I’ll be remembering Tommy Vercetti on my deathbed, anyway – GTA 5 has negated the need to ever play Vice City again. Rockstar Games made its own history irrelevant by giving us access to something better. It will do it again in five years. These are the building blocks of a fire, and not something with any historical value. What other media seeks out its own obsolescence?
It’s Bike or Bus to blame nature for failing to Achieve timelessness Because it chooses to improvement – but I’m sad about it anyway.
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The Majority of games we enjoy today are best enjoyed today.
The games that mean everything to us right now will mean almost nothing to us in time. Certain games are absolutely special, and have the tests That, even after 10, 20, or 30 years, Their quality has not depreciated. By and large, though, videogames do not have staying power. Trailers, social media, and message boards give attention to somethingthat Becomes siled in time – everything about games is about what’s happening now . The ritualistic excitement leading up to a game’s release is almost part of the experience, and it vanishes into the void on launch day. When the credits roll, we trade up for something else, leave it on a shelf, or lose the disc. Games, among other art forms, are more competetive Comparable to an ice sculpture than anything else.
Speaking after Riccitiello at the same summit, Jenova Chen, head of Journey developer thatgamecompany, said he wishes to make games That you can come back to and enjoy 100 years from now. Flow, Flower, and Journey, each prioritize experience over systems, thus Eliminating the Possibility of prohibitive mechanics. Admittedly, it’s too early in thatgamecompany’s lifecycle to be too declarative, but I’d guess my descendants could, barring publishing problems, enjoy Flow, Flower, and Journey, just as I did on release day.
The Majority of games we enjoy today are best enjoyed today. Individually, we have games that mean more to us than many books, films, plays, and albums, the kind thatwill stick with us until we’re ash. But 100 years from now, I doubt The Last of Us will have lasting impact Comparable to Heart of Darkness, To Kill a Mockingbird, Casablanca, or Seven Samurai. It will be, at best, an early piece of a popular brand’s legacy – something remembered, but mostly forgotten. I hope I’m wrong.
I do not get excited for many millions-selling sequels anymore. I can play and enjoy them, and I expect to continue to do so over the remainder of my life. I am excited for the kind of game That defies the norm and refuses to slip into irrelevance. I’m Anticipating the experiences That resonate with me and last long enough to impress throughout ages – wherever They are, and Whenever they come. Because the longevity of a fire is not the sort of historical footprint videogames deserve. They deserve a full list.
Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor at IGN. He’s currently reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House. Follow him on Twitter, follow him on IGN, and listen to him on Podcast Unlocked.
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