Be gentle....please!
Last week ended up being a heavy time for news. After all, we had the joys of finding out that GameStop pulled free OnLive coupons from the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Not to mention Microsoft coming out and saying they have no interest in publishing games on XBLA that were published on PSN first. All this spiteful news, and that was just last week.
So when did competition start breeding so much stupidity? Take the GameStop fiasco for starters. Internet forums became flooded with all the games that this retailer sells that are sold with competing services. Sure, GameStop maybe working on their own game streaming service, but Steam/XBLA/PSN all sell games. These venues are a direct competitor to GameStop, so why does this retailer still sell these products? Why is it GameStop has to complain about this OnLive coupon, and ultimately rip customers off? Yet Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and countless other retailers do not have the same problems? At what point did GameStop think they became better than anyone else?
Now let’s look at what Microsoft said about titles getting published on PSN first. Why would you alienate developers like that? Why would you essentially tell people, if you publish a game over there first, we do not really want you in our pastures? This hurts consumers just as much as it hurts developers.
Some consumers cannot afford multiple consoles, and must choose one platform to play on. By telling publishers you could care less if they are on your marketplace, you hurt those consumers that may only be able to afford a 360, yet want to play that hot indie title from the PSN. You also hurt indie developers by making them feel unwelcome on your platform. Why not take the route of encouraging everyone to come to your device, and making a market that entices creativity, fun, and enjoyment for everyone involved?
The video game industry is still extremely young, and we have a lot of growing pains to get through. However, these two examples are just a continuing list of why this industry will never be taken seriously. There is so much fighting, back stabbing, and stupidity going on, all in the name of competition. We will never move to a more robust, thoughtful, or honored industry until we learn how not to act like grown adults.
Listen, I know competition is a good thing. It brings on innovation, pushes technology, expands new ideas, and brings us a world of great entertainment. However, we don’t need to be idiotic in the ways we handle this competition. Maybe that is just me, and maybe I am way off my rocker on this. So what do you think? Leave us your thoughts and feelings, and let’s have a civilized discussion on this topic.
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