Nintendo recently announced that is making DLC (Downloadable Content) for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch. And that's about all the information they gave. The cost per pack (1 fighter, stage, and some music) is 5.99 per pack. There are 5 packs. You can buy it all for $24.99. They did not give any information about what fighters would be included or when they would come out (except sometime before february 2020). What are the business ethics in the video game industry of selling a product to consumers, but not making them aware of what or when it could be released. Article might look at similar cases from Warner Bros or Ubisoft.
I think what helps set Nintendo apart this time is that Sakurai, the game's director, actually said in reference to the bundle that:
"We hope that only those with the utmost confidence in the value of this bundle pre-purchase it." To hear a developer encourage caution and careful planning when pre-purchasing their very own season pass/DLC with mystery content is quite refreshing and really sets a standard other companies should follow. – Dimitri Adoniou6 years ago
In the early 1990s, Yasumi Matsuno directed a game titled Tactics Ogre; a dark, high-fantasy strategy RPG whose deep and complex plot was inspired by the events of the Yugoslavian Wars at the time. The game forces the player to make significant choices during the course of his campaign, some leading to horrific war crimes and political manipulation. However, can video games truly reflect the scarring and atrocities of war like literature and cinema can?
Well, one has to look at war as a condition rather than the background for this analysis to be spot on.
I recommend looking at Specs Ops: The Line if the writer wants an Apocalypse Now in the Gulf. That being said I think we should avoid discussing political manoeuvring, since all of war is indeed deceit to paraphrase Sun Tzu. – RedFlame20006 years ago
Ever since the meteoric rise of mobile gaming, microtransactions have plagued the world of modern video games. Games are being released with DLC content available from day 1, leaving many to consider such games incomplete upon release. DLC used to be used as a way of extending the playability of games after they have been out for a while. However, it is now being used as a cash grab for developers who sell game content separately. Is this trend leading to the downfall of video games? How long will players continue to shell out wads of extra cash to play a game that they already bought?
I think that one should be careful to separate microtransactions, DLC, and expansion packs. Like the difference between a Sims stuff pack, Oblivion's Shivering Isles, mobile game shenanigans, and buying a crate in a game like Overwatch. It might be obvious to some, but clearly delinating what's what will likely prevent a lot of confusion. – Scarlety7 years ago
Make sure to define your terms very clearly, microtransactions, DLC, expansion packs, etc.
Good, relevant topic, lots of resources to look and draw upon from across the internet/gaming sites. – Sean Gadus7 years ago
To me microtransactions along with companies such as Netflix has started to lead us down the path of games as a service rather than or alongside buying and owning games. Because of this I don’t think microtransactions, as frustrating as they are, are ruining video games. Instead they are reshaping the way companies develop and provide games with continuing income in mind. – mfgorey7 years ago
I don't think microtransactions are inherently bad. Free to play games, for example require this kind of business practice to get some form of money to maintain the game. Microtransactions in AAA games are going to be the norm now due to games like Overwatch and Hearthstone. However what I think is bad about them is how malicious some companies make them. For example, the Harry Potter mobile game recently held your character hostage until you could pay up the money to do so. Those kind of practices are outrageous and should be frowned upon. But that doesn't mean microtransactions themselves are ruining the game. It's like DLC, they could be cosmetics or they could be full blown expansions. How obtrusive they are to the game that the player is playing is something else. – Vladimito6 years ago
Determine whether you believe the exaggerated physical differences between genders in World of Warcraft is innocent and is due to the company's herculean style, or they choose to depict men as much stronger than women and women much thinner than men. For instance, the female pandaren is not as fat as the male pandaren.
An interesting topic. If you break down all the comparisons into a systematic discussion it would be really interesting to look at the trends. For instance to see if they have made any real racial substantive changes or just used stereotypical forms every single time. I'd would be interesting to know if the designers have ever commented on this also. – SaraiMW6 years ago
Excuse my ignorance, but I'm completely clueless about World of Warcraft, although I comprehend the gist of your statement. I suppose the difference in stature between the men and women in WOW really comes down to the marketing angle; what the money men think will sell, which is ironic when we consider how often 'gamers' are portrayed in films as overweight males who seem to live on pizza! Stereotypes be damned! It's an interesting topic suggestion and you have my vote. – Amyus6 years ago
Take the recent 48 minute gameplay video of Cyberpunk 2077 as a starting point or even an exemplar in explaining how the gameplay demo should be undertaken. Compare CD Project Red's open and self aware approach to marketing their games versus perhaps some contrasting examples of other promotional campaigns that leave much to be desired. For example discuss the limitations of the 'cinematic trailer' that a lot of games use nowadays. Ultimately, discuss cosumer vs anti consumer marketing practices and that raw unfiltered gameplay is far more consumer orientated compared to heavily edited and scripted demos and videos whose sole purpose is to create shallow hype. Perhaps you could also trace the history of how triple A companies have marketed their games in order to provide some useful context.
The Legend of Zelda is a game series that many of us cherish dearly as gamers. However, when the previous Zelda games came out it seems as if they were all ahead of their time (Ocarina of Time, the Wind Waker). This doesn't seem to be the case now. Although BOTW is a great game, it seems to borrow pieces from other recent RPG's: such as Skyrim and the Witcher 3. Do we as a community think that this is Nintendo giving a nod to these other great games, or are they falling behind in the RPG community?
I think it's a sign that fresh blood is entering Nintendo. People who have played these other games and RPGs. By understanding and improving on the mechanics and systems from games in the wider marketplace, Nintendo has been able to polish BOTW to perfection. Although, this could be seen as "falling behind", I think this is proof of Nintendo changing in some ways. For better or for worse, it's hard to tell yet. – Dimitri7 years ago
Honestly, there are so many people who eat up Nintendo IP's regardless of the content of the video game. I personally loved playing through BOTW and enjoyed the new direction the game moved in, but I think the developers don't have anything to worry about when making new games within their traditional IP's. In other words, it may not necessarily matter how far they fall behind other triple-A RPG's because Nintendo has such a loyal fanbase. I do believe however that this was the right direction for them to move in. – gavinrayr6 years ago
Blizzard has just unveiled it's latest addition to their line-up of heroes in Overwatch: a hyper-intelligent hamster in a mechanized hamster ball. Yes, you read that correctly.
We have had robots, animals, people, and people in mech-suits in Overwatch before: but this takes it to the next level. Hammond's design and in-game iabilities are unlike any other heroes and he brings something entirely new to the table. Hammond rolls up into a ball, and rolls around the stage at high speeds – and uses a grappling hook to attach onto the environment to become a sentient "Wrecking Ball." The way this character uses the environment and the in-game physics engine is fun and new in so many ways – but has it gone too far?
The problem with characters/abilities who interact with environments and physics in multiplayer games is that it almost always leads to glitches and exploits. Look at Symmetra and Mei for example who create stage hazards which have been known to cause all kinds of glitches and exploits (the ice wall and teleporter glitches).
Is this character's unique toolkit an asset that helps Hammond stand apart from the rest – or is it just going to be a glitchy balancing nightmare as we all try to avoid a giant swinging ball on the pillars of KOTH maps like Numbani and Lijiang Towers?
Look at how GMs in Real-Play RPG podcasts go about presenting their long-term narratives. Do they present a sandbox world and let the players improvise? Do they railroad to hit more traditional story beats for the listeners? What's most effective?
It think also you need to discuss the background work of the GM from a narrative standpoint. For example, looking at what those GMs have identified themselves as preparation and development - do they use modules or write their own? do they create NPCs or build these off predeveloped characters? Also looking at the framework of their game could be interesting - how did they select the current narrative? was it in conjunction with players? had they run this before? There are many different avenues to explore. – SaraiMW6 years ago
