(I posted this in the forums, but it was so long that I thought I'm better off saving it in the form of a blog as well)

According to this CNET article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10007014-17.html

The article basically says that MS should buy Sony's game division if it ever wants to compete with Nintendo.

The gaming division is still an important component in Sony's broad strategy, but it's simply not as important as it once was. With huge losses that may or may not turn to profits, Sony is in an awkward position. Should it simply wait and see what happens or should it go to Microsoft now and see if the company is interested?

And why wouldn't it be? By acquiring Sony's games division, Microsoft effectively eliminates the major competitor in its space and can increase its presence overseas -- a major sticking point for the company.

Wow, CNET.... Just wow. I've never read an article this ignorant before.

It is this attitude in gaming that really bothers me. Why do some MS fans feel that MS should use it's deep pockets to buy exclusivity for multiplats and to steal away everything from Sony? To some people, like me, the PS3 was a deeply thought out investment. To hear people saying that MS should use monopoly tactics fills me with RAGE, because they are basically saying "Screw everyone who has a PS3! As long as I get the games and they don't!" Then they stick out their tongue and go off to pop their collars and get drunk and drive.... I'm joking.  >_>

Regardless, their whole position is infantile. It would be awesome if more games were multiplatform, I think everyone should be able to play as many games as possible. Certainly, that is in the best interest of the developers. And it used to be this way during the times when there were two main systems dominating the market. No matter which you chose, you had a HUGE library to choose from and many developers put games on both, at the same time even *gasp*. When I hear about all these timed exclusives and other BS, I wonder if MS's monopolizing tactics that screwed over the PC industry will end up screwing over the game industry in the same way. Linux is better than windows in every conceivable way, but because MS monopolized the gaming industry using it's deep pockets, OpenGL and Linux struggle to get any sort of gaming support. You are naive to think that MS will not do the same with the console gaming industry.

Despite my own angst about Microsoft trying to ruin my gaming experience, this article is just plain incorrect. Sony's gaming division is alive and well. No, the PS3 is not selling as well as they had hoped. So what? That's what happens when something is that expensive, and the PS2 is still a viable gaming platform. The XBOX and GC are not, so fans of those companies were forced to upgrade, unlike PS2 owners. That is why the PS3 does not sell well in N. America. I say, just give it time.

Or.... why not just play the games. If devs made games for the sake of artistic expression, we would be much better off. Sadly, the trends show a decrease in creativity in the industry. For every shining gem, we got hundreds of generic action games, and it is really deppressing.

How to make a marketable action game:

1. License the Unreal Engine. Normal-map everything to hell and back.
2. Add generic buff character with generic buff attitude
3. Add generic bad guy. Just copy and paste from any other game, nobody will care. Even if AI sucks. Nobody will care. Multiplayer is all that matters.
4. Make sure your texture artists paint in greyscale. Remember, real life is Grey and brown. Color is just communist propaganda!!!
5. If the main character is African American, make sure he says racially offensive things like "dawg" and "b****" in every sentence. it's called comedy.... So what if nobody finds it funny. >_>
6. Don't worry about plot. Multiplayer is all that matters.
7. Don't worry about single player campaign length. MP is all that matters.
8. Don't worry about sales. MP player is all that matters.
9. Don't worry about global warming and children starving in Africa. Multiplayer is all that matters.
10. Repeat step 10
11. ???
12. PROFIT

A quick look at these games can reveal to you that the developers were in this solely for the money. No art, no labor of passion and self-expression. No creativity. Money. That's all things are about now and I'm glad that Nintendo is still around to prove to the world that ingenuity sells better than generic action. 2008's Mario Galaxy should have proved to the world that games can be about fun and inventiveness, and still sell well. Still we get games day after day that look like they were made by perverted teenage boys or serial killers. This is what happens when a monopoly is beginning to occur. As one system gets outrageous market share, devs realize whatever they put on it will sell well regardless of quality. This is offset by having different consoles to choose from. More competition means better games for all of us gamers.

To make a long story short, this article is stupid, and the writer needs to get off his high horse and realize how ludicrous his statements are.....

/rant