Looking at the recent sales trends and the financial reports from console manufacturers and game publishers it's clear that HD gaming is hurting financially. For whatever reasons the aggregate of HD gaming is not doing well. If you take casual gaming out of the equation the gaming industry looks decidely unhealthy. Is this good or bad? I believe it's neither good nor bad, but it might be o.k.

Even if the HD gaming industry doesn't turn around and implodes on itself I believe HD gaming will progress on some level. If a shakeout occurs I would hope that it is the less innovative companies that fail. On the same note hopefully the bad and mediocre developers will be the ones going out of business. The companies and developers with real artistic vision will hopefully survive into the next generation and in the end gaming will be better for it.

I know a lot of people will agree with me that business matters should be secondary to the artistry of video games.

I look forward to a time when making a game (even a blockbuster "looking" game)....can be possible in anyone's garage.

I'd liken this to the record industry. Right now you can produce an album in your bedroom that sounds nearly as good as what you would hear on the radio (and likely much better in artistry).

I'd like to see game design tools and distribution capabilities (ie, myspace) get to that point so that the average person can create truly innovative/ beautiful games without spending 10 million dollars.

Actually, I'd put business before art every time. Doing it the other way may give us some great games in the short-term, but it'll inevitably lead to bankruptcies, denying us good games in the long-term. I'm not saying soul-less, bottom-line games are the way to go; I am saying that whatever game gets published should have a great chance at being profitable, or else we're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

No way, business is more important.

You need a solid business model - without its just suicide. Unless you plan to be out of a job that is.

But - that said - its not necessarily about *maximising* profits. You always have the choice to take a "less profitable" route (as long as the business model is still solid) - and do something you believe in more.

I'd definitely want to see that happen

http://creators.xna.com/

If you would like to be playing high budget games (regardless of whether the budget is spent on graphical or artistic assets) for more than the next few years, business concerns MUST come before artistic ones.

Not everyone is Will Wright. Then again, he is making Spore for the DS and Wii so I guess he should be considered one of the outliers in this discussion. Perhaps he's just releasing it on a plethora of platforms to maximize profit. Hrm...

Its the wider societies focus on economics today thats the problem. Frankly i watch films that are good, not ones that make tons of cash. Who really cares if a piece of shit like Transformers makes 500$ mill, really coz i dont. Fortunately companies that make money sometimes produce quality irrelevent of the financial situation but it is rare. Capitalism is the name of the game. The biggest problem i see in games today, compared with 20 yrs ago when they were still a niche market, is that all these marketing elements used in Hollywood have transferred over. Sequels, advertising to sell bad products, wide releases (see jaws for the film comparable), these are elements that reduce any valuable measure of quality / artistic capability in the game. Of course art and economics can co exist but tell me if theres any appreciation for games that don't make money today. Independant films are almost always more complex, interesting and satisfying and i think Wii ware, etc is where its going in the video game sphere. M$ really don't have original ip's, sequels make money simple.

It's easy to say you want "artistry" in something when you aren't the one shelling the 10 million buck to make it happen. Then again I am one of those downer who don't see video game (or movie and music) for that matter as "art" but simply as entertainment, you want art, go visit a gallery. Boring you say? That because it's not entertainment.