Topic: Japanese games vs Western games... The big divide.

I'm more talking about changing the entire premise of the thread just because WaltzElf dragged you into a conversation that has slight relevance rather than him being right or being able to back-up his argument.

Also, WaltzElf seems to want to start an argument with everybody

Debate, not argument. I appreciate the games industry as a business, and try to clarify some misconceptions people have about it.

Arguing with people is no fun. Debating is.

They could if they downsized.

Look at all the companies that are struggling / going out of business cause they aren't making enough returns from developing big-budget HD games. This whole push for more graphics is wearing many companies thin. Look at Capcom and Sega. Capcom had many flops this gen (Bionic Commando and Dark Void are big examples). Maybe they'd be better off if they did downsize, instead of constantly investing in things they can't afford to maintain.

Downsizing never goes down well, and for Square Enix to downsize to the point where it would be a niche publisher again would utterly destroy the company.

The likes of Capcom and Sega are underresourced, in part because people refuse to buy games for what they're actually worth. It's hard for these companies to invest in new IP, because when one of those new IPs flop (as you mentioned, Dark Void), it's hard to make up the loss. IP development is a business risk - a necessary one, but it's becoming harder for these companies to take risks. Going back to the digital distribution thing, it's a good thing for Capcom and Sega, because it would allow both companies to take a few more risks, enjoy better margin on their products, and get rid of retail, which is a real pain point for publishers.

None of that has much to do with the Japanese vs Western game debate though, as it's an issue that transends where the games come from. Plenty of western publishers are struggling with the same issue - Activision for instance, is finding it hard to find the capital for investment in new IP.

@WaltzElf

Another thing, the industry thrives on creativity and innovation. Without that, gaming would become monotonous and boring. Every few years, a company develops something that changes the entire way the industry operates,

• Arcade games from the 1970's and 1980's
• Midway and Capcom popularizing fighting games with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter
• Square / Enix popularizing RPGs with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest
• Nintendo and Sony bringing 3D polygonal games to the masses with the N64 and PS1
• Nintendo establishing handheld gaming with the Game and Watch, then further making it mainstream with the original Game Boy
• Nintendo creating the sidescrolling platformer with Super Mario Bros.
• The NES reviving the gaming industry after the crash of 1983.
• Microsoft making online console gaming mainstream with Xbox Live
• Nintendo popularizing motion controls with the Wii
• id inventing the FPS genre, which has become a massive success
• Epic pushing the boundaries of graphics with their Unreal Engine
• Nintendo creating the foundation for action-adventure games with Zelda and Metroid
• Apple disrupting the entire industry with the App Store and it's cheap pricing
• EA seeing a market for sports games, and making that market mainstream
• Microsoft giving indie developers a chance to shine with Xbox Live Arcade

I could go on and on. Without these innovations, gaming wouldn't have evolved to where it is today.

Absolutely, it's like any other creative industry; there does always need to be new approaches, new things done to keep the industry fresh and relevant. You can see plenty of parallels to the film industry (developments in special effects, different approaches to camera cinematography, new acting techniques, 3D cinema), music, literature and everything else.

The unfortunate difference is that the games industry is starting to struggle to find the capital to invest in these new technologies and ideas. There's an overreliance on "safe," franchises and quick turnovers, and now in bite-sized gaming from just about everyone, all of which are detrimental to any longer term visions people might have for the industry.

The main problem, in my opinion, is that the industry is constantly at odds with itself. Retailers and publishers have never worked together, and indeed they compete internally, let alone with the other retailers and publishers. As a result, consumers have been led down this path of entitlement, where they believe $60 for a game that lasts 10-20 hours (if not longer) is unreasonable. The reason the film industry has been able to continually develop and reinvent itself is because people pay their $10 for the movie ticket, the cinema/ retailer gets their end at the candy bar, and the consumer gets what they pay for. There's little discounting (creating the illusion that content is worth less than it really is), and there's no second hand sales to deal with.

What that means is that film financers end up with more money. Whilst some might believe this is bad, it's actually a good thing, as it means more (and riskier) films can be financed and there's more patience with money to develop ideas.

The games industry is slaughtering itself, and whilst I don't think it's going to crash, a lot of gamers are going to lose a lot of their favourite things without some significant changes to the basic model on how things are done.

I don't like Western games in general. Many of them seem obsessed with realism. If I play a game I want to escape reality not get back into it. The fact that I hate FPS with pride doesn't help either. I generally find Japanese games interesting and creative, while western games seem to remind me of big budget movies that have no plot (basically they are boring). Western games may be making more money now but that doesn't change my feelings about the majority of them. I find a majority Nintendo fans I meet like Japanese games better.