Amusing DC/Xbox360 comparison

[Kaftan Barlast]

And the game industry is bigger today because of the fact that more people play computer games, nothing else.

Uh.. the industry is bigger because more people play games? Isn't that like saying a rich man is richer because he has more money? The question is why the gaming industry is bigger now than ever before.

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You know what I mean. The gaming industry grows as more and more people start playing computer games. This is mostly because

 

-The games are more advanced and enjoyable for anyone, not just enthusiasts

-Playing computer games has become socially accepted

-People are becomming more computer-literate

 

 

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[Diamond]

I hate to say that, but consoles are taking over. At any game shop where I live the ratio of console games to computer games offered is roughly about 3:1 if not more.

 

 

People are becomming more computer-literate

No, it is computers become more and more idiot-proof.

[Sarjahurmaaja.]

"No, it is computers become more and more idiot-proof."

 

Actually it's both.

[kumquatq3]

As for the other replies in this thread: I'm sorry if I'm not being 100% clear, as I am used to carrying normal conversations with normal people who are able to 'fill in the blanks' when I don't write things on their noses. Semantics does not interest me.

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Sure, ok

Edited November 7, 2005 by kumquatq3

[Diamond]

Let's rephrase: "Computers become more and more idiot-proof and hence giving more and more people a chance to be computer-literate"

[Sarjahurmaaja.]

See, that's not right either. People also become more computer-literate nowadays because they need to.

[Diamond]

See, that's not right either. People also become more computer-literate nowadays because they need to.

That's a chain reaction. Computers become more user-friendly, more people learn them and become productive, others learn them to survive in competition. Basically people need computers because other people started to use them.

 

We wouldn't have so much computer users, if we were to use command line now.

Edited November 7, 2005 by Diamond

[Darque]

^ You're probably right.

[alanschu]

What Game Development University do you go to Kaftan?

 

And what precisely do they teach you there?

 

 

 

I've spoken with John Buchanan of Electronic Arts, and he basically said that EA has poor histories with typical graduates from schools dedicated to dame development. It seems as though he has the impression that they didn't do too well once a shift to new hardware came into effect. To be fair, he made these comments while giving a discussion to a CompSci department at my University. He did say that some are good though, and those were generally the ones that also offered graduate programs (a bizarre correlation IMO, but maybe it means the school is more academic rather than vocational??).

 

 

In any case I'm not sure where you got your information from regarding PC "dominance." I'm a PC fanboy and don't even own any modern consoles because I hate them, but consoles totally dominate the market from the information I have heard (including information coming from Electronic Arts, and to a lesser extent Bioware).

[Hell Kitty]

If anything is killing gaming, it's popularity. Not that I believe gaming is being killed, people have been whinging about that for ages. Same as people whinging about tv and movies and whatever else.

 

Anyway, the best developers make great games despite the limitations imposed upon them. The whiners make ****.

[Surreptishus]

It seems as though he has the impression that they didn't do too well once a shift to new hardware came into effect. 

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I read somewhere that these courses dont really teach about hardware and software and just concentrate on using the most up to date equipment at the time. This is fine except once you graduate yoru knowledge is probably obsolete.

[alanschu]

It seems as though he has the impression that they didn't do too well once a shift to new hardware came into effect. 

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I read somewhere that these courses dont really teach about hardware and software and just concentrate on using the most up to date equipment at the time. This is fine except once you graduate yoru knowledge is probably obsolete.

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That's pretty much what Buchanan said.

[Surreptishus]

Swerving it back on topic, i hope the 360 doesnt fail like the DC and takes up more of a market share than the Xbox, competition is always good. It might actually result in some quality platform specific releases and warrant me buying one of the new crop.

[alanschu]

The only reason why I secretly hope for the failure of the XBOX is because of Epiphany

[Surreptishus]

The only reason why I secretly hope for the failure of the XBOX is because of Epiphany

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That made me laugh

[Sarjahurmaaja.]

"We wouldn't have so much computer users, if we were to use command line now."

 

True, but I'd say even if we were to use command line nowadays, computers would see a lot more use than they did back in the command line days.

[Diamond]

"We wouldn't have so much computer users, if we were to use command line now."

 

True, but I'd say even if we were to use command line nowadays, computers would see a lot more use than they did back in the command line days.

True. But then we would have only text-based games.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

The only reason why I secretly hope for the failure of the XBOX is because of Epiphany

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It won't "fail" because like the Xbox they will trow a lot of money at it. Whether or not it actually makes money, well thats another matter.

[Kaftan Barlast]

What Game Development University do you go to Kaftan?

 

And what precisely do they teach you there?

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The Game development program in the Univerity of Gotland, Sweden. Its a three-year program with an option for a fourth year(I suppose you would call this post-graduate). It is considered the best of its kind in Sweden and you have to apply specially with work samples etc. we're the only one to have a proffessor and a professional MoCap studio.

 

It offers a programming line and a graphics/art line, Im doing graphics/art. Both of these read the same Game Design classes. The purpouse is to make us ready to go directly into the gaming biz after school and many are now working for DiCe or Starbreeze(its not that popular to go abroad yet)

 

 

The most recent celebrity lecturer was Stephan Lapinen, sales director for MS and former EA vice-president. But the "PC will always survive" goes like a red thread through it all even though there are plenty of console-fanatics here.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

The most recent celebrity lecturer was Stephan Lapinen, sales director for MS and former EA vice-president. But the "PC will always survive" goes like a red thread through it all even though there are plenty of console-fanatics here.

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That's pretty obvious since the PC primary function is not to play games. However the closer the consoles come to offering the gaming enviroment that only a top quality PC could , the more the consoles will eat into the game sales. Which is exacly whats been happening over the last five years.

[BattleCookiee]

First of all; from a very old post of Kaftan (?):

Why do you think modern PC's can only now run PS application. When searching if GTA came on PS or PC first I found out the GTA2 site said that "GTA2 had to be Graphically downgraded(!) to make it run on a PS...

 

I'm surprised that you can't play Xbox games on the PC. Don't they use basically the same OS? Because I wanna play JE but its not worth buying an Xbox for one game.

 

Oh, they tried, they tried.

Remember Deus Ex: Invisible War?

It had the exact same coding for Xbox and PC; but while this caused a great game for X-Box standerds, it was crap for PC standerds, and also gave loads of framerate issues for many PC users due to crappy X-Box optimisation...

 

The gaming industry is bigger than ever in the history of gaming, thanks to (mostly) consoles. Whether you like it or not, piracy is killing the game industry. The fact that it's much harder to copy games on consoles probably made the industry what it is today: prospering.

 

The only thing consoles might be guilty of killing is game complexity.

 

Piracy on consoles is running loose. Remember Halo2 and GTA:SA were available illegal for your PS2/X-Box before the official release date.

Also a big boost for "console sales" would be these damn exclusives. If Halo or a GTA:SA came on the same day for PC as they would on consoles PC sales would be a *lot* larger, and the consoles one a *lot* lower...

 

I hate to say that, but consoles are taking over. At any game shop where I live the ratio of console games to computer games offered is roughly about 3:1 if not more.

 

Unfortunately, yes. This is mostly due to the fact that most console games don't take that much time to create as a well though PC-game; as you just drop sequel after sequel of most of the same stuff (with a nice graphic boost ofcourse)...

 

People are becomming more computer-literate

No, it is computers become more and more idiot-proof.

 

??? Then why do so many people have problems running their games on their PC without errors? I tell you; the idiots install virusses, spyware and "faster making tools" which will make your system unstable. For them a console would be perfect; they don't have the chance of people doing such things.

 

If anything is killing gaming, it's popularity. Not that I believe gaming is being killed, people have been whinging about that for ages. Same as people whinging about tv and movies and whatever else.

 

Anyway, the best developers make great games despite the limitations imposed upon them. The whiners make ****.

 

Well, partly agree on that. Due to higher demand and there-by $-eyed developers sequel after sequel hits the market. Since us gamers only buy these sequels and leave the great "original" games behind us, more and more sequel crap gets produced; since that will dilever them the money...

 

And on your second statement; DISAGREED. EA makes *loads* of crap. And is the biggest... Why? Because they don't dare producing new games; like these companies you tell produce crap...

And since they always produce new sequels they guarantee the same people will once again buy the same in a new jacket.

While the original and good games creator makes something new... and then disappears because the "crowd" doesn't trust that new could be good; maybe downloads it to try it out, and then when they find it is alot of fun the company is broke, the game is no longer sold or the sales don't matter anymore (budget bin)...

[Diamond]

??? Then why do so many people have problems running their games on their PC without errors? I tell you; the idiots install virusses, spyware and "faster making tools" which will make your system unstable. For them a console would be perfect; they don't have the chance of people doing such things.

 

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

 

Notice, I have never said that all users instantly became proficient computer users and know what they are doing.

[mkreku]

Piracy on consoles is running loose. Remember Halo2 and GTA:SA were available illegal for your PS2/X-Box before the official release date.

Also a big boost for "console sales" would be these damn exclusives. If Halo or a GTA:SA came on the same day for PC as they would on consoles PC sales would be a *lot* larger, and the consoles one a *lot* lower...

Piracy is a problem on consoles too, noone's arguing against that fact. But you can't buy a console (Xbox/Ps2/Gamecube), download a game and instantly play it. That's the reality on a PC. The threshold to start pirating games is much bigger on the console than it is on a normal PC, because of modchips and the like. Availability is key. Piracy on the PC is free, piracy on a console costs money to begin with.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Piracy is a problem on consoles too, noone's arguing against that fact. But you can't buy a console (Xbox/Ps2/Gamecube), download a game and instantly play it. That's the reality on a PC. The threshold to start pirating games is much bigger on the console than it is on a normal PC, because of modchips and the like. Availability is key. Piracy on the PC is free, piracy on a console costs money to begin with.

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The majorty of the console consumer market (those that buy from Wallmart etc) have no idea how to pirate console games. That gives you a much larger "safe" market.

 

This may well change in the future , but thats how it is right now.

[Child of Flame]

I hate to say that, but consoles are taking over. At any game shop where I live the ratio of console games to computer games offered is roughly about 3:1 if not more.

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Um, em, gee.

 

3 consoles to 1 PC.

 

3:1?

 

I don't know about you guys, but the EBGames I go to has about half the titles for PC that they do for Xbox, on the little horizontally displayed racks with the new releases, but then they have about ten times the old games in stock, placed vertically like books, all up and down the back wall.

 

It is pretty much the same for the Gamecube games, with a somewhat larger selection of PS2 games.

 

Handhelds are all on their own little wall near the entrance, as are new realeases.

 

Somebody must be buying all the 'not quite as new' games.