Various little news tidbits I found interesting.
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* See, (former) Senator Lieberman? Doom _is_ important!
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-washington-post-selects-doom-as-one-of-the-25-most-influential-works-of-american-culture/
The Washington Post selects Doom as one of the '25 most
influential works of American culture', the article says.
Any list of this sort will /always/ be sort of silly, and
I don't know if I'd put Doom in the top-25... but it
undoubtedly was influential. It not only was one of the
games to firmly put the IBM/PC as one of the major gaming
power-houses of the last thirty years (dashing the hopes
of any of its competitors, like the Mac or Amiga or any
of the others), but it also popularized the FPS and
multiplayer gaming (especially networked gaming). Not to
mention it helped change the idea that video games were
'just for kids', and the creation of various national
rating boards. Also, it was a damn good game. Worthy of
the top 25? Who knows. But definitely worth mentioning.
* The failure of AI slop games is all Steam's fault, says Tim Sweeney
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/epic-boss-tim-sweeney-thinks-stores-like-steam-should-stop-labelling-games-as-being-made-with-ai-it-makes-no-sense-he-says-because-ai-will-be-involved-in-nearly-all-future-production/
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says that the reason games with AI are
selling less is because Steam puts a label/tag on their
store-front if those games use AI. And that's just unfair
to those companies who use AI! Why should they be punished
for using the technology when people don't like them using
that technology! This whole idea of an informed customer
shouldn't be supported if it hurts sales! Publishers should
be able to push slop on customers without their knowledge!
You know, that's not quite the winning argument you think
it is, Tim.
* Is there era of web-based games upon us (again?)
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/why-releasing-games-on-the-web-could-be-right-for-your-studio-in-2026
An editorial on GameIndustry.biz argues that web-based
games might be the way to go for some publishers. Browsers
are becoming increasingly powerful platforms, after all,
and by selling through the web you can avoid all those
nasty store-front fees that places like Steam or the
Apple App-store or Playstation might charge you. And,
sure, your games will be a lot more limited in scope, but
who cares? It's only the older set who care about actual
content and gameplay. The younger set, their minds melted
by constant online presence, will consume anything so
long as its quick and colorful. And isn't having to give
your payment info to random websites so much better than
going through a known reseller like Steam? Yup, web-based
games are definitely the way to go.
* Cartridges make a comeback!
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/pc-gaming/steam-fan-finds-cheap-ssds-to-make-retro-game-cartridges-system-the-only-problem-is-2026-is-the-worst-year-in-history-to-do-it
Well, not really... but wouldn't it be neat if they did? As
much as I love tinkering with computer hardware, I admit
there always was a part of me that envied console gamers who
could just snap a cartridge into their game machine and
start playing instantly. A clever PC gaming fan has figured
out a way --using old SSDs and some scripting-- to get this
idea working with PCs. Using eSATA to hot swap the drives
and some configuration trickery, you just pop the 'cartridge'
/ SSD drive in and the game starts. It's a neat --if overly
expensive-- idea. Although given the size of some people's
libraries, they'd need whole rooms just to store their
game 'carts'.
* EA keeps pushing in-game adverts
https://www.thegamebusiness.com/p/ea-console-game-makers-should-consider?publication_id=4150086&post_id=207278571&r=7owge&triedRedirect=true
And not just for their own games. They're recommending
that all developers should consider more in-game adverts
during development. And hey, did you know EA is also
rolling out a back-end API that just happens to let you
slide in-game ads into games? What a coincidence! But I
guess, facing down a $20 billion debt thanks to their
recent leveraged buyout, EA is desperate to find new ways
to make money. Cheap remakes, overcharging for new
games, and gambling and MTX can only take you so far,
after all.
#
Was "Doom" _that_ influential? Are in-game adverts the way to go for
struggling developers? Is robbing customers of vital information to
support AI slop a good tactic? If it were an option, would you go for
an SSD-'cartridge' PC game?
And were there any other stories you think worth mentioning?
Well, if you can't think of anything, don't worry; in a week or three
I'll probably be back with another digest. ;-)
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* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)