What is wrong with the gaming industry.

An inside look from developer Nathan McClure that we all overlook but tends to be true.


In a recent interview Nathan McClure talks about how games are compared to some of the big dogs out there even though your title was only 1/20 of the bigger title's budget.


What do you think is the biggest problem current games suffer from?
Consumer evaluation combined with risk adverse publishing. People usually don't compare "Avatar" (the movie) to a smaller Reese Witherspoon date movie even though they will sit on the same DVD shelf because the consumer is more aware of production budgets, values, and target markets when it comes to film. In games (outside of the small percentage of hardcore players) that is usually not the case. You are on the same shelf as "GTA," "COD," "HALO" and all the rest of the "bigs" so even though your budget was 1/20th of them, it doesn't matter, you will be compared to them. My current favorite example is from a recent pre-alpha preview we did, it received this as the first comment;
"... You can do the same stuff in "Red Dead Redemption." And "RDR" is better."

Don't get me wrong I love that my 1/20th of the budget title in its pre-alpha state is thought about in the same realm as such a great game but not really a proper comparable. So take that consumer sentiment and compound it with extremely risk adverse publishing partners and you create a very difficult to navigate creative space. The publishing mantra is we need bigger numbers for lesser budgets or you don't get the contract. So the majority of us have to take the smaller budgets or we are out of a job. I cannot think of a single developer that wants to make a game that the player won't enjoy. I'll stop whining now.

You can read the rest of the interview over at the MTV website.

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