Poll Tally: Innovate Or Die
January’s poll asked readers:
What is the most serious problem facing gaming in 2007?
Not as good a turn-out as last month, perhaps pointing a little bit to gamer apathy on the state of the industry (I kid). Those of you who did take the time to make your pick had some interesting thoughts on the matter. The poll results were as follows:
- Continued legal battles over graphic/violent games — 10%
- Lack of innovation on the part of developers — 38%
- The fall of E3; how will companies build game buzz? — 5%
- Prices, they just keep going up — 33%
- Lack of a major console launch — 0%
- The PC/Console split — 10%
- Gay bloodelves being changed — 5%
The last two options were added by readers unsatisfied with the choices we made available to them, and so I tip my hat to their initiative.
The ‘winner’, if you want to call it that, by a slim margin was the lack of innovation that has been the focus and debating point in the industry for over a year. Franchises go stale, the same game gets repackaged as new and exciting and even the newest, coolest stuff can be seen as a technologically updated version of something that has already been done. Fears of consumer apathy, slumping sales, and a questionable future for the development of an art form were all cries made by industry insiders and media coverage alike. This sentiment seems to be echoed by you, and the result only reinforces the need for something fresh in 2007 to rekindle the spark.
Running a close second was the issue of cost. Entire paychecks can now be handed over for the latest console system, computer requirements to play the latest complex games require A-list gear, games themselves are expensive, and let’s not mention the accessories. It costs a fortune to be a cross-platform gamer these days, and even more to keep on top of all the newest developments. Some of us are having to drop out of the buying race, simply because we value things like groceries and toilet paper.
Interestingly, no one thought that the lack of a console launch this year would pose problems. The buoyant effect that these glitzy events seem to have on the industry would definitely be a boon, but perhaps its shoes can be filled by the still raging furor over the Wii and the PS3, guaranteed to last through the spring.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Polls
0 opinions for Poll Tally: Innovate Or Die
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: