What will gaming be like 10 years from now?

[popawell]

Well, this was brought up in my house so I had to post it. I think that 10 years from now, we will be able to link our minds to the game. Imagine actualy flying a vicviper from the cockpit!!!! Or going on a rampage in a giant mech!!! So what do you people think gaming be like 10 years from now?

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Shoot the body! Shoot the core! Shoot the wings! I don't care just kill the darn thing!!!

[Ganelon]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

[popawell]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

Whats SFII??? Sorry for asking that, I really don't play much besides the thunder force and gradius series.

Im shmups stupid.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

10 years ago, I was playing R-Type.
Today, I'm playing R-Type.
10 years from now, I'll be playing R-Type.

[Randorama]

Frank from gamecrazy is talking to a lot of people, i see. Let's not forget though: news does not start from Frank!

[Ex_Mosquito]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

Haha same here. You play on xbox live by any chance?

[mannerbot]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

Whats SFII??? Sorry for asking that, I really don't play much besides the thunder force and gradius series.

Im shmups stupid.

Street Fighter II, silly.

[Ganelon]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

Haha same here. You play on xbox live by any chance?

Nah, no Xbox for me. Just good 'ol-fashioned real-world play on the PS2.

[neorichieb1971]

Games of the future, especially in the next 10 years will not be any different from now.

The Genres will be the same, the controls might be a little different and the graphics will be TV quality. Isn't that pretty much what this nextgen is all about already?

Money is the problem, games have hit their peak and they cost too much to make. Unless you want to pay $250 a game I don't think much will change from now and in 10 years.

Games are about fun not realism. Soon you will be able to play the best games of all time on a shockwave enabled PC on yahoo games or something. The next games industry crash is almost upon us.

[Specineff]

I agree. It will be so expensive to make a game that no one will be trying, or only big budged sure fire rehashes will reign. Or maybe then people will realize that graphics aren't everything, and will discover that gameplay is king.

I want on keep on using my hands with my games. Screw teledildonics and similar stuff. Long live QCF + PPP.

[mannerbot]

I want on keep on using my hands with my games. Screw teledildonics and similar stuff. Long live QCF + PPP.

What kind of games do you play?

[cigsthecat]

Frank from gamecrazy is talking to a lot of people, i see. Let's not forget though: news does not start from Frank!

Excellent.

[Vexorg]

I don't really see the mainstream of gaming going in any direction other than where they're headed now, which is pretty much "More of the same, only this time with 53% more gratuitous violence!" sequels. Sports games are going to go downhill fast thanks to exclusive licenses (look at some of the bugs that have shown up in this year's Madden.) It's somewhat unfortunate because I know people who work in the industry, but I tend to think that another crash like the one in '84 would do a lot of good for gaming in general.

I suspect that ten years from now, I'll have more important things to do than play video games. Either that, or a whole arcade in my house.

[FatCobra]

Ten years from now, I'll probably care less about whatever's out on the market.

Hell, I've already begun to stop caring about today's games!

[iatneH]

Hah, I bet ten years from now is when FatCobra will start caring about today's games

Unfortunately I wasn't hit by the retro bug until early this year, and have only been playing shooters for around 3 years, so I can't say I played R-Type 10 years ago...
I'll be playing all the stuff I have now as long as video and electrical standards don't undergo any drastic changes...

[BulletMagnet]

Well, if the "Evangelion" anime is any indication, in 2015 people will still be playing the Saturn, heh heh.

[sethsez]

Money is the problem, games have hit their peak and they cost too much to make. Unless you want to pay $250 a game I don't think much will change from now and in 10 years.

How do you figure? Movies have gotten much, much more expensive to make than they used to be, but movie tickets have gone up maybe a dollar or two, and home video is the same as it's ever been despite inflation.

Besides, I don't see any way in which games have hit their peak. Graphics are getting more complex, but the tools used to create them have gotten better as well. Doom 3 might have been more complex than Gorillas, but it also wasn't programmed in QBasic. Something that used to cost a ton to produce (say, a Final Fantasy VII cutscene) can now be done at the same quality for a fraction of the cost, at a far higher quality for the same numerical cost, and even higher than that if you take inflation into consideration.

Now, will games cost more to buy than they do now? Possibly. Everything will. Inflation isn't going to skip gaming by. But that's not a sign of a problem in the industry.

The next games industry crash is almost upon us.

Despite an ever-increasing fanbase, support from companies with more money than ever, sales constantly increasing and a firmly established industry? There isn't going to be another gaming crash (there never really was one in the first place, since PC gaming was still alive and well even when Atari did their bellyflop). Slump? Possibly, but every industry goes through slumps.

I don't see why people always claim there's a crash just around the corner despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. Maybe there are plenty of game fans who want to be the next Nostradamus, or were blindsided when the tech bubble burst in the late 90s and want to be able to say "I told you so" this time around.

I don't really see the mainstream of gaming going in any direction other than where they're headed now, which is pretty much "More of the same, only this time with 53% more gratuitous violence!" sequels.

Such as? I can't really think of what games you might be referring to. Skimming my brain for some recent huge series and hyped titles, Madden isn't violent, Halo has no gore (and is actually less violent than most games in its genre), GTA actually is getting more violent but is not the entire industry, Zelda's the same as ever, Half-Life 2 wasn't any gorier than the original, EA's action games don't have gore... arguments like these are based on a stereotype of the gaming industry, not what the industry actually is right now.

It reminds me of when people complain how much more violent horror movies tend to be these days, when the overall push is really toward PG-13 ghost stories and mainstream films got away with far more in the 70s and 80s. People let their own preconceived stereotypes shield them from the reality of the situation, and you can't create a fair analysis based on that.

...

In any case, who knows? We're only finally fulfilling the promise of what the Playstation hinted at a decade ago. I'm not even going to try to predict what gaming will be like in ten years. I don't think it'll be a holodeck or stupid shit like that, but no matter what I'll still be there to watch it evolve.

[Klatrymadon]

What scares me is the idea of Gritty Realistic WWII FPS #773 still being touted as hot shit in ten years' time, hehe.

It may be naive, but I'm not too worried about the way the industry is going. Most of my time next-gen will probably be spent checking out homebrew games (which I expect to become increasingly widespread... perhaps) and replaying my old faves, anyway. Although they may continue to be marginalized, I can't see my favourite genres dying out any time soon.

Beside the point? Maybe, but it's 6:34am and I haven't slept in ages.

[Specineff]

I want on keep on using my hands with my games. Screw teledildonics and similar stuff. Long live QCF + PPP.

What kind of games do you play?

I was talking about games that use standard controllers. Teledildonics refers to the Revolution's controller.

[CIT]

My nostradamian predictions:

Ten years from now...

...only 28% of todays Duo-Rs will still function.

...a copy of Kizuna Encounter, Neo Geo, will be auctioned off at Sotheby's for $120000.

...Ikaruga will have been inducted into the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

...the Eproms on all Irem PCBs will have died.

...Xexex will still not have a home port.

...Cave will have stopped making arcade shooters after being bought by EA Games (Their final shooter will have been "Espgun no Barahimesama" in 2011)

...Treasure will have also been bought by EA games, and Maegawa and Co will work on developing "Madden '15".

...Uwe Boll will direct "Gradius Vs. R-Type", although the film will be about two basketball players who are actually agents for the CIA in search of the Arc of the Covenant.

...The last Dreamcast game will have been "Senpai-Kouhai: Bimyou na Kankei ~Daisukiss!~ Revolution Version 5.3 Genteiban" (dating sim) in 2008

...it will become commonplace for failed actors to mount a second career by licensing their faces out to game developers. Excpect to see Ben Affleck in "Halo: Clone Wars" and Vin Diesel in "Driv9r".

...The best selling games of 2015 in the US will be "Medal of Honor: Operation Enduring Freedom" and "Socom: Insurgency Strike".

...Nintendo's main source of income will be the licensing of "Mario", "Luigi" and "Yoshi" figures to makers of high-chairs, bibs and other early childhood accessories.


Hmm, that's all for now, I'll let you know if I see some more stuff in my crystal ball.

[howmuchkeefe]

In ten years time, I'm sure that some of the games I play will be the same ones which I'm playing now, or have already played; some will be newer versions of these cherished games; others still will be entirely new, fascinating and beautiful and fresh; others will be really base and nasty and take advantage of the penis port peripheral on my Playstation 5*.


*- Finally, mankind can look forward to playing games that suck!

[Vexorg]

I don't really see the mainstream of gaming going in any direction other than where they're headed now, which is pretty much "More of the same, only this time with 53% more gratuitous violence!" sequels.

Such as? I can't really think of what games you might be referring to. Skimming my brain for some recent huge series and hyped titles, Madden isn't violent, Halo has no gore (and is actually less violent than most games in its genre), GTA actually is getting more violent but is not the entire industry, Zelda's the same as ever, Half-Life 2 wasn't any gorier than the original, EA's action games don't have gore... arguments like these are based on a stereotype of the gaming industry, not what the industry actually is right now.

It reminds me of when people complain how much more violent horror movies tend to be these days, when the overall push is really toward PG-13 ghost stories and mainstream films got away with far more in the 70s and 80s. People let their own preconceived stereotypes shield them from the reality of the situation, and you can't create a fair analysis based on that.

I do agree that this is not necessarily the direction of the industry as a whole, but seems to be the MO of specific offenders (*coughMidwaycough*) who churn out what basically amounts to the same game they did five or ten years ago, only this time they're cranking up the gratuotous violence up to 11. See the remakes of NARC and Area 51, as well as Blitz the League for examples (granted, none was by any means all that wholesome the first time around, but the remakes all seem to add excessive amounts of violence and degenracy, as though they're trying to sell the games based on shock value rather than the merits of their gameplay.

[Klatrymadon]

...Uwe Boll will direct "Gradius Vs. R-Type", although the film will be about two basketball players who are actually agents for the CIA in search of the Arc of the Covenant.

Hahaha!

[sethsez]

But Midway's been doing that for ages. It's what they're known for, so I wouldn't call it a new development. And they have less influence over the industry than they had back when NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat were at the top of the hill. The days of the industry caring what Midway does are long past, so picking them out as an example of where gaming is going to be in 10 years isn't particularly fair.

Besides, Area 51 and NARC aren't "the same games with more violence" since they both play completely differently. Side-scroller to GTA-alike and gun game to (surprisingly decent) FPS are both pretty huge changes in gameplay.

The only one I can think of that does meet your description and is influencial is Rockstar, but they're notable primarilly because nobody else in gaming had really gone to their lengths. The exception that proves the rule, in other words. Every other company grew out of their "teehee blood" phase when Mortal Kombat clones got dull (and for the late bloomers, when Resident Evil clones got dull). There are still violent games, but violence as a selling point has come and gone for the industry.

Which is a good thing, in my opinion... violence is the inevitable result of many forms of conflict, so it has an obvious place in gaming (where conflict is often the focus), but companies are no longer acting like they're little kids who just learned a new four letter word and are (mostly) treating it as a result of the action, not the point of it.

[Turrican]

10 years ago, I was playing SFII.
Today, I'm playing SFII.
10 years from now, I'll be playing SFII.

10 years ago, Sony launched Playstation, with Ridge Racer.
Today, Sony launches PSP, again with Ridge Racer.
10 years from now... no, don't want to continue, it's almost too scary to tell.

[sethsez]

There's nothing scary about Ridge Racer!

Thought Wipeout also fits this, and Wipeout makes me all kinda of happy.

[Turrican]

There's nothing scary about Ridge Racer!

Thought Wipeout also fits this, and Wipeout makes me all kinda of happy.

Yeah, the scary thing would be, well, see that the industry as a whole (not only Sony, of course) is stuck in genres and franchises from a decade ago.

in other words: noithing scary about Wipeout and Ridge Racer. But pretty creepy are Wipeout 32: Anti-Grav Circuit and Ridge Racer Extra Tournament S 45.

[sethsez]

Would you turn up your nose at a new Turrican?

Although I agree we need more unique content (the movie industry isn't nearly this sequel happy, and that's the goddamn movie industry), certain genres lend themselves very well to being dragged out and dusted off every few years. Racing is one of 'em. And both Ridge Racer and Wipeout are staples of it at this point, the racing equivalent of comfort food. They're sure things, which you always want to launch a new format with (remember when anything that could play a CD had Myst for it?).

In the movie industry, people might recognize that Yojimbo is a fantastic movie, but they're not going to try and sell HD-DVD with it. They want something that people know well so when they see the new product, they can:

1) easily and immediately see the differences, and
2) know it supports something they want to watch

NOW, with all of this said, I still want to smack everyone who asks for a sequel to Ico.

[neorichieb1971]

The industry will crash because graphics are TV quality. At the moment most buyers of new hardware are buying for graphics and sound alone. Not because SF anniversary is coming out on it.

The reason the PC was still alive in the Atari slump period is because PC's were gathering momentum in powr whilst the console was not.

When the TV quality appears there is no room for improvement which keeps alot of people into the industry. Retro players amount to less than 5% of the industry, so that isn't going to keep the industry alive once they revert back to the old classics.

Basically, games will drop in price to $25-$35 at the most.

You can see how the industry is going because Sony and Microsoft are having to lose money on each piece of hardware. Its only a matter of time before someone bites off more than they can chew. $400 + for PS3 is ridiculous, adding 2 games is even more ridiculous.

[Turrican]

Would you turn up your nose at a new Turrican?

Heh, certainly so if they make it like this

Although I agree we need more unique content (the movie industry isn't nearly this sequel happy, and that's the goddamn movie industry), certain genres lend themselves very well to being dragged out and dusted off every few years. Racing is one of 'em. And both Ridge Racer and Wipeout are staples of it at this point, the racing equivalent of comfort food. They're sure things, which you always want to launch a new format with (remember when anything that could play a CD had Myst for it?).

In the movie industry, people might recognize that Yojimbo is a fantastic movie, but they're not going to try and sell HD-DVD with it. They want something that people know well so when they see the new product, they can:

1) easily and immediately see the differences, and
2) know it supports something they want to watch

NOW, with all of this said, I still want to smack everyone who asks for a sequel to Ico.

Hmm, yes. But my post was not "unique games versus evil mainstream franchises". On the contrary, I recognize the qualities in Ridge Racer and Wipeout. 2097 is "art" like Ico, and overall a better game to boot.

My assumption was a little different. Before Playstation we did not have (I'm talking of big franchises, not just games):

Ridge Racer
Tekken
Wipeout
Resident Evil
Gran Turismo
Silent Hill
Armored Core
Metal Gear in his "Solid" incarnation

Not to mention Final Fantasy's popularity in the west.

In comparison to that, PS2 brought us less "staples" franchises: Onimusha/DMC, GTA in its successful form... And that's pretty much it. ZOE is a failed experiment, and Ico had the same market impact that Skullmonkeys probably had on Ps1. (or, better analogy, SotN: greatly praised by critic but very low sales).

I'm not against these successful brands, my complain is that there are not so many anymore. In other words, just like the NES was a revolution with Mario, Zelda & Metroid, the Snes simply followed the path. That's not to say I'm not happy with Super Metroid, but PS2, PSP and PS3 seem to just walk the path paved by PS1.

Again, you're right, nothing too scary about it (like no NES fan was "scared" by SNES), still, one might wonder when the next revolution will come.