Are Videogames In Trouble

With all this talk and statements about these companies losing money year after year what does this mean for the hardcore gamers. Will there be a time when there will only be social games and no hardcore games at all. With apple seeming to do no wrong in the way they do business and sony and other developers losing money where does this leave the hardcore. I know I for one don't want to just play social games but im afraid this could actually come true, or are we just going to be where just the big publishers survive with less games coming out every year. I for one still want my hardcore games. Is gaming in trouble like it was in the 80's and can it bounce back or is there nothing to worry about.

If Valve/Steam is still up and running, I honestly have nothing to worry about. Would Valve's games be considered "hardcore" though?

Gaming is one of the only industries that is growing these days, so no it is not in trouble but the economy sucks right now and it and the looses reflects that.

The audience for non-casual games is huge, more than enough to support a sizeable industry. Just look at all these websites, and blogs, and services!

Nope, they're fine. 

Gaming is in better shape now than it's ever been in before. The future for gaming is bright.

There will always be a demand for high quality AAA games; I just think we have reached the point where there are too many companies making games to fill the current demand so some developers are closing and some of the bigger publishers will just put out less(hopefully better quality) games.

I wouldn't worry about gaming, the economy is still rough, so everybody is taking a hit. The industry is fine, they are still making games, consoles, and PAX, GDC, and E3 are still going strong.

I didnt realise the games industry was in trouble. Last i heard it was still growing, or seemed to be.

@Jrinswand said:

Gaming is in better shape now than it's ever been in before. The future for gaming is bright.

Pretty much this^ :D

That and the next generation of consoles may be able to mix things up a little, given that some of the losses you're seeing are due to hardware sales slowing down. (Among other things of course)

My only concern is the massive budgets it takes to make some "hardcore" games nowadays and the large amount of sequels we get because of it. I don't think that'll change, but thankfully there's the indie and Kickstarter scene to rely on for fresh ideas.

The difference between the 80's and now is that the industry has not only the AAA games but there is also the XBLA/PSN/Steam, the mobile market, and yes even the social games all of which that are taking us to places we couldn't of dreamed of even five years ago. So even if one pillars falls it's a safe bet that the developers from there will move into the other parts of the industry that will result in some amazing games and if these games come i'll be there ready to play them regardless of platform. And if the industry does go in the toilet at least i'll be safe in the knowledge that i'm only seventy hours into Skyrim.

Yeah I can't think of much reasons of how the gaming industry is in trouble. I can see that some companies have gone thru bad times in the past few years, like Nintendo losing $627.9 million last year, but with the strong gaming scene in mobile, social and hardcore gaming, our likelihood for another crash in the near future is like having an earthworm winning a fight against Manny Pacquiao. Shit ain't happening.

Does anyone actually believe that hardcore games will disappear and everyone will just be making their own Angry Birds? Be reasonable. You aren't going to run out of games to play.

The top end of the market is a wasteland of stale ideas. I think things are looking up for interesting / nichier mid-budget titles though, which is where most of my gaming hours usually go.

I've only read the title of the thread and my answer is "No."

I might be inclined to answer your original post if you bothered actually asking a question.

But to answer your not-question, yes, our industry is in trouble. Triple-a titles are now costing dozens of millions of dollars to make, budgets are more bloated now than ever, most games must sell upwards of five million copies to break even, and that number is generous. Downloadable content is becoming commonplace, studios are being liquidated left and right to benefit their corporation benefactors in a much smaller capacity, creativity has stagnated in major capacities, as many games can really only be divided up in a few different categories and themes.

It's not all bad, though. The downloadable and indie space is prolific, and Kickstarter has proven that long-forgotten franchises and risky intellectual property can be a breeding ground for new ideas.

If developers continue to churn sequels they will be. I don't see a future for Call of Duty: Alternate Dimension Warfare XVII, or Assassin's Creed XIII.

no it's not in "trouble", it is however consolidating which means less choice in AAA titles for the consumer ultimately. As other players such as causal games fragment the market. The handheld market as we know it could go away entirely but console gaming and PC gaming will remain.

I know it's been said many times, but I suspect next console gen is probably the last time we'll have three. Either Nintendo or Sony will probably be forced out of the game. It might be Sony as I think their handheld business is much more vulnerable and their overall finances are a wreck. And since they have other units they may decide to do something with the games division.

Well it's all cyclical anyway. An abundance of generic games might cause a drop in sales, but as long as people like us fear the idea of "no hardcore games" there will be a perfectly healthy market for just that, hardcore games. And it's not like there isn't a thirty year backlog to dig into.

No.

no. achievement?

Yes and they will be put in the corner of shame for the rest of the class.

I think it's possible. Creativity seems to slowing down, coroporate greed is rampant. So If a crash happens, no one should be surpised really. Gaming is in a rough spot because the devs pushed us there. :/

@killacam said:

no. achievement?

I have so many 'no' achievements on here it's not even funny.

Sony isn't a developer. And they lose money because they make bad business decisions. Valve and Activison/Blizzard have more money then the guy God borrows money from

PAX attendance has been increasing year after year and they are looking into adding more events. I think this is pretty telling in regards to the level of desire for hardcore games.