Could a Game Crash Like 1983 Ever Happen Again?

[wingzrow]

-Sega dying
-THQ dying
-Microsoft and Sony exploring the possibility of killing off renting and used gaming
-Games becoming more and more expensive to make
-iOS market gathering all the casual gamers, making other gaming companies try to get them back with more gimmicks
-Publishers reluctant to fund games for the PC due to piracy among other things
-Gamer developer relationships becoming more and more strained and losing trust
-growing mistrust in quality of AAA titles due to paid reviews funded by publishers/developers
-handhelds in trouble with the threat of smartphone and other portable devices

I'm sure there's more I could list but that's just what comes to mind. This really got me thinking, especially with these rumors about Microsoft and SONY's next systems not playing used games. CRAZY stuff is about to go down.

I understand that the industry was MUCH smaller in 83 but how is the game industry crashing due to too many poor quality games being released with no way to tell if a game is good or not, and different than what we have today?

Many, if not all "professional reviewers" seem to be giving many bad games undeserving high reviews due to being payed off by the game developers and publishers, so is the game environment really all that different?

What do you guys think?

[Gamevet]

Not going to happen!

The industry is stronger than ever, with console sales between the Wii, PS3 and 360 exceeding 200 million units, it's safe to say the industry isn't about to collapse.

[Press_Start]

No.

It's long overdue for a big adjustment. Video games are a medium that's ever-evolving on a consistent n' imaginative flow of new blood/ideas that for the last generation has slowed and stalled to a trickle thanks to an industry that reluctant to take the next step beyond their gold pot of reprocessed ham. Developers/publishers alike will inevitably to re-evaluate the conventional brain trust of the industry picking winners n' losers either by the explosion of the indie scene on non-traditional platforms or burned out by the archaic tropes of "graphic enhancement". One way or the other, things can't stay the way they are for too long, imo.

[megasdkirby]

I believe there is a possibility, yes.

With the constant barrage of FPS games (mostly CoD clones), lack of originality in many titles, loads of shovelware...there is always a chance that a crash could occur. And honestly, I would welcome it. I believe a complete "reset" is in order, just to make things interesting again.

On a slightly trolling, but not really manner, I wish there would be a crash on the classic games, like NES, 2600, SMS, and the like. There have been groups who foolishly jack up the price on games because they so "desperately need it" when they really don't. Or pay insane amounts of sealed games that will never be played and just stuck in a rack until it is resold or given away. Or worse, the damn VGA and fools falling for their stupidity. A crash on these types of games would, I believe, benefit us all, as those same people will get rid of their items are huge losses, making them available again.

I know the comment above may not make any sense to some, but it's just something I personally feel. Classic gaming, for me, has been ruined by these types of so called "collectors".

[RCM]

It really depends what you consider the game industry. Look at the success of iPhone, iPad and Android devices. They're capable game machines and really opening up new opportunities. Look at services like Steam too, they're totally healthy. The industry is in another transition and isn't going to crash, but the folks on the traditional side are scrambling to survive in this great new world for gamers.

[crazyjackcsa]

Oh god the sky is falling! No. I wish people would stop asking.

[swlovinist]

Crash again? No

Correction/Recession? Yes

I have brought this up in past posts as well as many others. Long overdue to for the game market to simmer down. There is a very large digital transition looming(may take years) and it might take some game companies with it(definitely profits).

[Spidey80]

I don`t think we`ll see a crash,or anything that remotely resembles the 1983 crash(even though I`m 31,I have read plenty of articles on it)

[Rickstilwell1]

All that pops into my mind here is an idea involving homebrew for the Atari 2600 and the character Crash Bandicoot. Call the game "Crash Like '83".

[chilimac]

There will soon be a transitioning from graphics-driven games back to gameplay-driven games. And since the vast majority of "gamers" these days are playing for the novelty and do not care for gameplay, they will not be making the transition once they become bored with graphics. The losses will be so great that I don't see how it could be considered anything but a crash. Now, that doesn't mean video games will stop being made all together, like some think there must be in order for there to be a crash. There will just be a lot fewer games being made during this time and their budgets will be much smaller.

[kedawa]

There never was a 'game crash', there was a 'console crash', and I don't think it will happen again simply because consoles are in the process of becoming set-top boxes.
There will be major changes to how the console business operates, and there will be cannibalization from mobile and casual gaming, but the console market will soldier on in one form or another.

The desire to lock out used software and transition to a download only, always connected system will create a serious dependency on internet service providers. That, coupled with the set-top box paradigm, makes it increasingly likely that in a generation or two, consoles will be distributed and subsidized by cable and telecom companies, and they will be more common than ever.

[chilimac]

There never was a 'game crash', there was a 'console crash', and I don't think it will happen again simply because consoles are in the process of becoming set-top boxes.
There will be major changes to how the console business operates, and there will be cannibalization from mobile and casual gaming, but the console market will soldier on in one form or another.

The desire to lock out used software and transition to a download only, always connected system will create a serious dependency on internet service providers. That, coupled with the set-top box paradigm, makes it increasingly likely that in a generation or two, consoles will be distributed and subsidized by cable and telecom companies, and they will be more common than ever.

Which will only speed up the downfall of the game industry. Who in their right mind would be willing to pay $60 for games they cannot resell? Not I. I have a hard time paying $10 for an arcade game that has tremendous replay value. Asking me to pay $60 for an interactive movie that I will play through once (if that), and then never again? No, not going to happen. And I'm sure the majority of gamers will agree with me.

[treismac]

On a slightly trolling, but not really manner, I wish there would be a crash on the classic games, like NES, 2600, SMS, and the like. There have been groups who foolishly jack up the price on games because they so "desperately need it" when they really don't. Or pay insane amounts of sealed games that will never be played and just stuck in a rack until it is resold or given away. Or worse, the damn VGA and fools falling for their stupidity. A crash on these types of games would, I believe, benefit us all, as those same people will get rid of their items are huge losses, making them available again.

I know the comment above may not make any sense to some, but it's just something I personally feel. Classic gaming, for me, has been ruined by these types of so called "collectors".

If this is trolling, good sir, please, by all means, troll on! The only benefit that I see to there being value (reasonable or crazily, unjustifiably inflated) in retro video games is that this ensures that there is a market. If all of the video games of old that we love lost all of their value, a good many folks wouldn't bother putting them on ebay, and they'd simply throw them in the garbage instead. Aside from the "market," hell yeah, I'm with you, megaskirby. I don't give a damn what my games sell for. The only benefit that comes from me not being able to buy a complete collection of NES games for $20 (not including shipping and handling, of course) is that the collecting of them becomes an "adventure" of sorts. I'm psyched when I pick up a valuable game in the wild for a low price. The process of building a collection is more gratifying because it is gradual rather than instantaneous. This is not to say I would EVER turn down a complete collection of any system if someone wanted to donate one to me, mind you. I'm just saying that there are benefits to the unfortunate fact that old chunks of plastic and pcbs are still valuable- especially when wrapped in cardboard and virgin cellophane.