What a Year - 2010 Review

2010 was a landmark year in my life for many reasons.  Getting married and buying my first house top the list.  And when I look at the year in video games there are a few things that really stand out.  Let's take a look at the big themes for 2010 and how they affected the video game industry.

Economy

The lagging recession and subsequent struggling economy had a major impact on video games in 2010.  First of all, there really are only two major developers left in the industry, Electronic Arts and Activision.  Back in the day, there were several equally important video game developers, but as the cost of creating a video game has risen to Hollywood blockbuster levels (over $100M), the small development company has become extinct.  In 2010, we saw that in full effect as Bungie (Halo series) was purchased by Microsoft and Infinity Ward (Call of Duty series) was purchased by Activision. 

This is going to have two major effects on the industry over the next several years.  The first effect is going to be the numerous iterations of very similar titles.  There's too much money at stake for these companies to go out on a limb with new untested video games.  Instead, they know they will make a fortune by repackaging an already successful series.  This was very apparent in 2010 with titles like Halo 5, er Halo Reach.  Call of Duty 7, er Call of Duty Black Ops, Fallout 3, Fable 3, Assassins Creed 2.5, er Assassins Creed Brotherhood, and Mass Effect 2.  All very successful titles.  All sequels.  And all will have many other sequels in the upcoming years.

The second effect will be the increased production of these games.  Have you ever felt that during the summer, there are just simply too many movies to see?  The same thing is going to happen to the video game industry.  It's easy to put a new coat of paint on a Call of Duty game and ship it out.  So instead of having a new Halo game every three years, we will see a new game every single year.  A huge blockbuster game will be released every single week leading up to Black Friday every year.  The gamer will just have to decide what game they want and stick with it.  You are either a Halo fan or Call of Duty fan.  Either Fallout or Fable.  There will be no room for in between which is a shame because all of the games are very good and I'd love to play them all.  But being a 30 year-old married homeowner, I don't exactly have the time.  And if you are a 17 year-old high school student, you don't exactly have the money.  So make your choice and stick with it.

Death of the Console Casual Gamer

Casual gaming was all of the rage a couple years ago when the Wii was first introduced.  But in 2010, with the struggling economy, the Casual gamer focused their funds elsewhere.  No one was buying Wii games in 2010 and the developers took notice and took their games to other systems.  The Wii for the first time ever was not the most popular console sold, and took a backseat to the Xbox 360.  What does this mean?  It means that the casual gamer bought their Wii for Wii Sports and now it's sitting in their living rooms collecting dust. 

It also means that the big launches of Xbox Kinect and Sony Move fell flat.  The devices are impressive, especially the Kinect, but the games aren't there.  People who thought the technology was cool bought the systems during the initial launch and then the sales fell off a cliff.  There just aren't any games that would get the hard core gamer to buy the equipment.  And since there are no gamers, the developers can't afford to develop games.  At the end of the day, Microsoft and Sony jumped into the game too late as the casual gamer has moved onto something else.

Welcome to the App Store

And where have those casual gamers gone?   To their phones.  There was a huge explosion of games for all of the Apple Iphones and Droid devices that have got those casual gamers flocking to.  With wildly successful titles like Angry Birds, Bejeweled, and Plants vs Zombies, the wireless video game industry has arrived.  Now casual gamers are simply turning on their phones and playing a game for a few minutes at a time.  They don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a system and then $60 a pop for a game.  They can simply download a game in a minute which will entertain them for a few hours for .99c. 

This wave has taken over the industry and has been a place where the independent developer can really shine.  It doesn't cost much to create a game and a good game can make you millions.  Something as simple as Angry Birds can be one of your most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year.  It certainly was for me.

And this industry is just in its infancy.  The possibilities are endless.  Games are just starting to sync up with Facebook so you can casually play with your friends.  It's truly a huge growth area for 2011.

Overall, 2010 gave us some great games and while some areas of the industry are taking off others are cruising right along.  There were more people playing video games in 2010 then in any other year ever.  I can only hope the industry and people in it really take another step forward in 2011.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer