Xbox co-creator on how the pressure of AAA is destroying Gaming.

[forevercloud3000]

I was at a seminar for Video Game Design, and the speaker brought up some really great points.

Too often Developers are forced to choose high graphical fidelity over actual function, which is poor game design. Pretty games definitely catch a consumer's eye more but you can have a balance of both to KEEP that consumer interested. Many developers spend MONTHs of their dev time concentrating on weather simulation, grass textures, and dynamic shadowing...........but then they forget basics like in house co op, which has all but died in this day in age. Function should supersede flash to a degree.

I went to the Uncharted 3 Expo in D.C. before the game hit, the chosen devs that were their in that theatre went on and on about how they spent a lot of time creating a realistic ocean wave simulator. That in the Shipwreck level the way you get sloshed around was happening realtime. I couldn't help but think.....WHY!? Was this enhancing the gameplay in any real way? Sure, realism adds to immersion but I seriously don't think anyone noticed or cared while they were playing. All that time and effort could have been spent working on mechanics or something more integral to keeping audience attention.

This is the bubble that the AAA mindset creates. We need more innovation, horizontal thinking, less vertical. The consoles have actually realized this in design. At what point do graphics stop to matter? In the future there will be gaming consoles that can output realistic looking games in realtime with ease. When every game looks just as good, what will be the hook? The only answer is the gameplay and features. I personally believe graphics were good enough already in PS360 era, So glad the consoles themselves offer better graphics, but most of their power is put into multitasking capabilities. Now the Game Designers just need to also get into that mindset.

Luckily indies and select AA developers like From Software, Atlus, etc know this. FromSoft reinvented the Action RPG, and JRPG. The games are pretty but they don't dwell on that too much. Mostly it is about the tight gameplay, mechanic manipulation, game ethos, and unique online features. Atlus's Persona series is reinventing the types of interactions we show between characters and making the story and gameplay portions intertwined(social links direct relationship to combat). Quantum Dream also did this with Heavy Rain, breaking the idea of what constitutes as "gameplay" and the way we control characters. We just need more of THIS and less formulaic game releases (COD,Battlefield,Assassin's Creed, Everything Capcom does).