Free-to-play and the browser-based revolution

One of my favorite topics is how new technology is changing the gaming landscape. I’ve already talked a bit about how the current generation of consoles has given birth to the idea of adding functionality to a gaming platform in an effective way. Today, I want to touch on how the internet is changing the way we distribute games.
For the longest time, PC gaming was the top dog, elite market in our industry. Machines like the commodore 64 were way more powerful and functional than gaming consoles, along with being easier to develop and distribute games for. Soon after the inception of the graphics card, gamers were given the ability to upgrade and optimize their machines to ensure that they got the best results when playing games. PCs had the best looking games, the best first person shooters, the best casual games, internet play, you name it. And building the fastest, most up-to-date computers became a hobby for the hardcore PC gamers. And then something happened. PC gaming began to slow down. Golden Eye and then Halo showed people that first person shooters, long a staple of PC gamers, could be done well on a console. The playstation brought gaming to the mainstream arena in a way no gaming platform (other than the PC) ever had. The Dreamcast showed the world that a console game could go online and look just as pretty as a PC game. These were all just tiny cracks and are not by themselves responsible for the losses in the PC market, but statistically the PC market as we knew it is in a down-swing. The call to upgrade and spend tons of money on a gaming computer seems to have died down a bit. Fewer games requiring the highest-level specs are being released every year, and the sales statistics for these games are dropping (based on NPD numbers, which doesn’t count digital downloads. But based on developer support, this assertion can be assumed). The highest-selling games coming out support lower-end PCs (spore, the sims 3, team fortress).
But the PC market is not dying, as some claim, but changing. With high-speed internet spreading throughout our society, it is becoming much easier for a game to be sent through the browser. Sites like instant action and battlefield heroes, which support ad-based gaming, are providing high-quality yet simple games that do all the processing through your browser. This opens up the games to any internet-ready computer, regardless of specs (unless your computer is made of vacuum tubes or accepts punch-cards). Free-to-play online games like “Kart Rider” and “Maple Story” are blowing up world-wide. Internet access is spreading and becoming faster all over America, and every year the potential of these browser-based games increases.
The casual gaming market is constantly being tapped in new ways, and free-to-play and browser-based (most fit both categories) are leading the way on the PC front. Companies like Pop Cap and sites like Instant Action are providing quality experiences that both casual and hard-core gamers can enjoy on any PC, regardless of specs. Big name companies are coming in like EA and Id, and cloud-computing through services like OnLive promises to revolutionize what we can do on a lower-spec computer. PC gaming is not dead, it’s changing, and I’m very excited to see where it goes.

Console is evolving! How MotionPlus, NXE, and Project Natal are changing the way we view our gaming machines

The past decade has brought an exciting number of new trends to the gaming industry. Budget games (XBLA, WiiWare, PSN, etc.) are letting small-time developers make a big splash. Downloadable content is letting us expand our games past their expected life-time. And game-specific peripherals are allowing us to experience a new level of immersive gameplay. But one of the most important ideas to hit the console arena is the ability to expand the features of a console after its release. Console manufacturers have experimented with the idea of adding more power to their machines down the line to earn some extra money and bragging rights. Sega released a number of add-ons such as the 32x to the genesis, and Nintendo released a “disk drive” for the n64. But none of these were able to really catch on in a significant way. Most of these products were not well supported by wary developers, which made consumers skeptical: a nice catch-22.
But things might be changing on that front. Game-specific peripherals have been around for years, but it took a game called guitar hero to make them truly main-stream. The game took off like a rocket, and since then it has become one of the highest selling franchises in gaming. Consumers were willing to part with the extra cash for a reasonably priced peripheral with a great game. With the release of the Wii, Nintendo promised a slew of cheaper peripherals utilizing the Wii remote’s technology. And since then we have seen 5 peripherals (WiiSpeak, wheel, zapper, balance board, and motionplus) for the wii, all of which were packed in with a game and all of which sold through the roof. But these peripherals are merely the tip of the iceberg. Last year, Microsoft announced the launch of NXE, the new Xbox 360 dashboard, which it promised would re-define the way we look at Xbox. Many laughed at this, but since its launch Microsoft has added or promised in support for Netflix, facebook, avatars, twitter, streaming movies and games, Primetime channel (I could do a while feature on this one alone), etc. The xbox has transformed from a gaming-focused machine to a livingroom-dominating powerhouse. And with the release of project Natal, we can expect an incredible amount of new features.
The point I’m trying to make with this is that we can no longer judge a console based on its specs and launch games. Now more than ever, the attitude of the company calling the shots is the real deciding factor in how a console progresses throughout its life. We’ve seen the Xbox evolve from a hard-core only console to an incredible social machine, and Sony and Nintendo are not letting this slip past them. Sony is constantly tweaking its Home service, adding in features to its PSN, and is introducing its wand motion controller soon. And Nintendo has given japan a Wii streaming video channel and the Dsi a facebook app. Natal has been proclaimed to be treated to a launch event that “will be as huge as a new console”, and Sony and Nintendo have both claimed to have more tricks up their sleeves. It’s likely that things are going to heat up pretty soon, and I can’t wait to see how everything goes down.

Gamer on the Streets part 1

So, for the past few days I've been approaching people to talk about games as part of a long-term study I want to do. I go to Georgia Tech, where I assume the average person is pretty game savvy. I want to spend some time testing the public's awareness and opinions about gaming and gaming culture. I would eventually like to spread my examination outside of Tech to the general public, but I figure this is a good place to start. Plus it's a lot less awkward talking to nerds about nerdy stuff ;) This first segment has just been a practice run really, and it was very cool. I met some great people who I hope to have a chance to talk to again. I asked all the people I met what interested them about games (as in, what attracts you to a particular game), and if they were not gamers, then why weren't they. My answer is that I love games that are unique. Whether it's the art style or the controls or the story, I want a game that feels different and allows me to be immersed in a new way. Most people loved RPG's and other games that involved strong plots and interesting characters. In the people I was able to talk to, it was interesting to note that everyone seemed to like related genres. Though there were a few people that claimed to like all games, most people that likes FPS games also enjoyed racers and arcade games, which all involve lots of action and quick rewards (kills, winning races, beating levels). On the other hand, people who liked RPG's seemed to prefer games that had no real ending or a strong attachment to the main character and a slow pace. The common theme was that everyone wanted a game that pulled them in. Everyone liked community in games, be it multi-player shooters or MMO's.
It was very cool getting to talk to people about their favorite games, and I found some people that were really passionate. My next question will be more in depth, and I can't wait to see the responses.

Watch this Game: Excitebots

Today's game is Excitebots: Trick Racing. It launches on April 20 and is developed by Monster Games and published by Nintendo. The game is a successor to the Wii launch title Excite Truck, and the comparisons are obvious. The game appears to use the same engine as Excite Truck and plays in the same way, but with some very obvious differences. First off, you control a animal-themes robot instead of a truck. There are a number of robots available in the game, such as a frog, a bat, and a ladybug, and each one has it's own properties and play-style. The Turtle bot is very slow but really strong, while the bat is very light and has the ability to drift farther after a jump. The game still contains the same terrain deformation feature from Excite Truck (for those who haven't played Excite Truck, it allowed players to run over boxes that would raise or shrink hills and change the dynamics of each race), along with the star mechanic (the game encourages you to collect stars by performing tricks or placing well in a race, with the winner being the player who collects the most stars). However, the game now has "powerups" that enact a mini-game such as knocking over bowling pins or throwing a pie in a clowns face (they get really crazy, think WarioWare meets mario kart). Also in the game are vertical and horizonal bars that players can grab onto and spin around to gain a speed boost, as well as powerups that cause your character to loose their wheels and begin running, gaining speed and the ability ot slam other players out of the way.
Whew, let's take a second to let all that sink in. In one word, this game looks goofy. But based on the videos and impressions I've read so far, it's currently at the top of my list of Wii games to get this year. The game sits on a very strong base (Excite Truck was a great game that I recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it), and the min-games look to make a frantic racer much more so, and as long as it is able to stay interesting after a few hours I'm sure it will be a blast. Plus, 6-player online has been confirmed, and I can imagine the multiplayer in this game will be entertaining to say the least. Even if the style of this game doesn't sing to you, at least give it a try if you see it on demo. It ought to be a blast.

Excitebots is developed by Monster Games, who's website can be found at:
http://www.mgiracing.com/

On a separate note, Excitebots is very significant in that it was announced fewer than a month ago. This is hopefully a sign of things to come, as up until now Nintendo has been hanging games in front of our noses for extended periods of time to fill the gaps between releases. Hopefully Nintendo has a few more big guns up their sleeves (pikmin 3 please), ready for release during the slower months of the year.

Watch This Game: Scribblenauts

Today's game to watch is a DS title by 5th cell (of "drawn to life" and Lock's Quest" fame) called "Scribblenauts". This is a seriously cool game, with possibilities that make me feel like my head will explode. It's a puzzle game in which you try to help a guy named Maxwell reach a star that is somewhere on the map. The catch is that to help him, you must write out the names of objects, and they will appear on the screen. For instance, one of the videos showed a star up in a tree that the player had to reach. To do so, he wrote out "football", and a football fell onto the map. Maxwell grabbed the football and used it to knock the star out of the tree. As an alternate method, it showed Maxwell using a ladder to climb into the tree, and another showed a beaver chopping down the tree to make the star easy. The games takes things a step further by allowing objects to interact with each other. One example I read in an interview by IGN imagined a scenario in which the player used a fishing-pole to hang a piece of meat in front of a velociraptor and ride it across the map.
Now, the big issue I can see with this game is how it will live up to it's potential. It's such a big concept, how could the developer possibly make it work well, and on DS at that? I personally feel pretty confident about it's potential. The game has been in development for a while and still has many months to go before it is released (it's scheduled for Q4 2009). At the time of the IGN interview they mentioned having already spent something like 3 months working on word associations alone.
This ought to at the very least be a very interesting game to play, and I for one couldn't be more excited about it. For more info on the game check out the official website,
http://www.scribblenauts.com/about.html
The IGN interview,
http://ds.ign.com/articles/936/936157p2.html
or the developer's website:
http://www.5thcell.com/

Watch this game: R.U.S.E.

R.U.S.E. is a new strategy game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Ubisoft. It's a world war 2 game being released for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 next march, and it is looking seriously cool. The main catch of the game is it's deception element. At the beginning of a battle, each player is dealt a hand of cards with different tactics meant to mislead your opponent. Through out the battle, you are allowed to play these cards to trick up your enemy and try to lead them into a trap. In the trailer (linked below), one player uses a group of decoy landers to draw out a cocky enemy's tanks, which he then destroys by launching a flight of bombers that had been previously hidden. In addition to this, the game has an innovative new interface based on the "iriszoom" engine, which allows the player to seamlessly zoom in from a birds-eye view to being practically on the battlefield. These zoom levels are divided into 3 types of zoom, each with their own contextual controls, allowing for an unprecedented level of control over your units. This sounds like a very complicated system, but Eugen Systems promises it will be incredibly intuitive and easy to learn.
Eugen Systems was previously responsible for the act of war series, "The Gladiators: galactic circus games", and "Times of Conflict". For a more detailed look at the game:
http://gdc.gamespot.com/story/6206612/
For more on Eugen Systems, check out their official website at:
http://www.eugensystems.com/

New Ideas

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've been scheming up some big things. I've been working on a couple ideas for this blog, and I'm pretty excited. The first is a "watch this game" series, where I'll spotlight a game I think is or is going to be awesome. I'll try to do a new game every day to keep things exciting. Each one will have a specific reason why it's awesome and should be played, whether that is a cool gameplay hook, an interesting art style, or because it's just all-around cool but didn't sell well.
The second idea is a series of opinion polls where I'll talk to people around my college campus (Georgia Tech, go jackets!) to see where the general public stands on certain matters, be it a gaming debate such as "violent games and detachment" or "games as art", or simply how aware people are of games coming out or already out. Since I go to a tech school I'd be willing to bet that the people I talk to will be more informed on gaming than the general public, but I guess we'll see. The first in this series will probably be coming this saturday or sunday.
I have some more thoughts on new things, but I'm going to keep it simple for now and focus on these two ideas. Stay tuned!

Buy Moon!

I heard some sad news today from IGN. The game DS "Moon" from developer renegade kid (responsible for "dementia: the ward", also for DS) has apparently sold fewer than 1,500 copies in it's entire first month. I haven't had a chance to play the game yet, but everyone who I have heard impressions from gave it unanimous high praise. Renegade Kid is a very small developer with a very small budget, and for them to continue making great games they need support from gamers like us. If you own a DS I encourage you to buy a copy of this game next time you need something to play. Even though one sale does not make a huge impact by itself, lots of game purchases are made by people who heard good things from a friend. Even if you are not interested in the game, just bringing it up in a conversation can make a difference to the developers who live off of the money games like this generate. I've read and listened to interviews with these guys and they are good people intested in making great games. If this game can sell more, we will assuredly see more from them. There are rumors of them being intested in making a Wii game, which given their pedigree of making intriguing FPS games with good stories, which would be amazing, but might not be able to see the light of day if publishers don't back them.
Sorry to go all activist on you, but I do think this is an important issue. Publishers make the decision of what games to fund based on sales, so buying a good game will send the message that we want more like it. So, while you're at it, buy a copy of "Beyond good and evil" and "Okami", will ya?

http://www.renegadekid.com/home.htm

PS3 price cut

Here goes another SONY rumor. Many analysts and industry insiders have been speculating for a while now that the PS3 will receive a $100 price-drop early on into this year. No matter how you cut it, the PS3 has not sold nearly as well as expected, and with the recession in full, the most expensive product is likely the one to get hit the hardest. The PS3 did begin to gain some momentum late last year, though it's sales were still much lower than the 360's or Wii's. A price cut would put SONY into a position where it would seemingly match Microsoft's prices (for a tricked out console that is, the $200 version of the xbox lacks alot of the features that make the ps3 attractive). Not to mention the fact that the now-$300 PS3 would have a considerably larger features list than the equal-priced 360. And with the great-looking exclusives SONY has lined up for this year, sales would be guaranteed increase substantially. Sounds like an easy decision, right? The fact is, SONY already looses money on each PS3 sold, and lowering the price would really hurt their ability to ever return a profit on the PLAYSTATION brand in this generation. Selling a console at a loss is common practice these days in the gaming industry. Companies loose a bit on the system, and then make that money back in games sales and licensing fees. However, loosing >$100 on every console sold this late in the game is going to be a big problem. Microsoft, on the other hand, is sitting in a much more comfortable position price-wise, and could likely give a price-drop of it's own to keep their lower price point. And if the past years have been any indicator, the Wii will keep selling no matter what the other two companies do. I think SONY will end up biting the bullet and drop the price, but they wont like it, and if they can't close the gap between them and the 360 even with the price drop, we might see some new faces at PLAYSTATION headquarters by the end of the year.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10172178-1.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

My most anticipated games of 2009

Ok, so here's the list of games for 2009 that gets me most excited. It is in no way a complete list of games I'm interested in, just the ones that intrigue me the most. I could easily double this list, which is a testament to all the great things coming this year:

Bioshock 2

Mass effect 2

Muramusa: The Demon Blade

No more heroes 2

The conduit

Resident Evil 5

Madworld

Halo 3 ODST

Phantasy Star DS

Phantasy Star PSP

Rhythm heaven

I am alive

All Points Bulletin

Grand Theft Auto: China town wars

Motorstorm PSP

Punch-out

Street Fighter 4

House of the dead Overkill

Sin and Punishment 2

"The Beatles Game"

The list is a bit Wii heavy, but then that's my console of choice so it's the one I'll be playing the most by far. There are tons of other sure-to-be-great games coming, so be sure to take an in-depth look at these and the multitude of other games when you get the chance. I'd love to hear your favorites too, so post them in the comments when you get the chance.

Nintendo's big line-up

Earlier today Nintendo dropped a 120-game list of titles coming soon for the DS and Wii. Most of the list is pretty predictable, but there were some serious gems, including the announcement of "Excitebots: Trick Racing" in April and a release date of "Punch-out" in May. I feel very good about excitebots, despite the odd name. The only information we have is that it builds off of excite truck, which makes me a very happy gamer. Puch-out coming so soon is also very exciting, and I can't wait to find some hands-on impressions of that one. I didn't notice anything else new in the list, otehr than the very suprising ommission of "Mad World" from SEGA's line-up. It's a pretty odd typo, considering that game is likely their most anticipated wii game of the year (though "The Conduit" would definitely give it a run for it's money in my book). A link to the full list has been posted below. The list only goes through summer, so there are plenty more games to come, but this list is already more palatable than 2008 for me (on the wii front). I'll be making a post later tonight about some of the most anticipated games of the year, so be on the lookout :)

http://kotaku.com/5160711/nintendos-120-game-line+up-punch-out-excitebots-dated

Gaming Comaraderie

For all the steriotypes video games get for fostering anti-social behavior, I have to say I've never felt a quicker connection with someone then when I'm gaming with them. Ok, that sounds really lame, so let me explain. When you sit next to someone on a bus or in a class, talking to them always feels awkward. I'd like to think I'm a pretty social guy, but I admitt I've pretended to send text messages many a time while stuck next to someone I don't know. But no matter how awkward it feels to be in that position, once you have something to connect on, conversation is the most natural thing in the world. Like for instance, your in a crowded elevator and someone makes a joke. After that, everyone feels much more comfortable talking, and the awkwardness goes away. I was just playing an online game (galcon, it's my biggest weakness) with a coulple random people. During one game, me and another guy ended up as allies, and after winning the round, we started chatting as if we had known each other for years. This is probably the most random post I'll put up for a while, but the situation just struck me. I can remember times where I've been paired with someone in arcade games, or played halo at a party with people I'd never met, and I can't think of a time when I didn't finish the play-session without learning the person's name and recalling them fondly. I guess gaming is just a great equilizer, and really the same things can be said about sports. Have you ever thrown a frisbee with someone and come away hating them? Have you ever had a conversation with someone in an MMO and then gotten their facebook? Maybe I'm just going crazy (it is almost 4 afterall), but I'd love to hear any stories you've got on the subject.

More on the PSP redesign

http://kotaku.com/5160320/perry-psp-2-is-real-could-hit-this-fall

David Perry, chief creative officer at Acclaim, has apparently gone on the record claiming he knows that the PSP2 is coming, and could potentially come by the end of the year. This gives a lot more credibility to the rumors IGN posted earlier this year. It is not uncommon for people in the games industry to pass out rumors, but it seems to weird to me that both IGN and Perry, who's reputations are on the line in a situation like this, would make something up. That of course doesn't mean the rumors are true, but it gives a lot more credibility to the thought. once again, we should know relatively soon whether or not these rumors are true.

PSP redesign?

http://kotaku.com/5156291/sony-japan-looking-for-new-game-hardware-testers
http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/948/948234p1.html
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33063/PSP-2-rumours-are-nonsense
http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/23/source-psp-4000-has-sliding-screen-is-complete-aesthetic-overhaul/

The links above are the references I'm going to refer to in this post. I recommend reading them, but to sum it all up, earlier this year IGN reported on a survey SONY put out regarding features gamers would like to see in a future iteration of the PSP. Citing "several credible sources", IGN stated that the PSP2 was on the way, and that it wold feature a harddrive, multi-touch, and GPS, among other features. MCV responded to this article, saying that SONY had shot-down the rumor. Now, VG247 has reported that the believe a new PSP is in fact on the way, but not in the same fashion that IGN reported. They claim to be informed that the PSP-4000 (4000 referencing the fact that it is the 4th revision of the PSP) is coming, and that it features a sliding screen, as well as other cosmetic upgrades.
I am inclined to believe VG247's idea over IGN's in this case. While the prospect of a PSP2 sounds amazing to me, I just don't think it's a good time for SONY to make that move for a lot of reasons. First off, the PSP is not exactly dead yet. The system really came into it's prime over the last couple of years (thanks to titles like God of War and Monster Hunter), and is still selling well. SONY has made some good head-way int he handheld market, and while starting the next generation of handhelds while Nintendo is still fiddling around with the DS sounds good on paper, if they fail to capture people's attention they could become the next Dreamcast. SONY is currently a bit upset with the games division due to the issues with the PS3 (and their own predicted losses for this past fiscal year), so I find it hard to believe that they would get a green-light to release a new machine during such an unstable time. The PSP is already such a functional machine. For SONY to add enough features to constitute a new system, they would have to make the tough choices of selling at a high price, or taking a loss on each console, neither of which can be positive in this economy. Finally, I think a re-model would be a great way to try and get a leg-up on Nintendo. If they can use cheaper components in this new model, they could easily low-ball Nintendo on price for the DSi. The PSP currently sells for $199 with a game, movie and memory stick, so getting below Nintendo's $169 would not be hard.
Whether or not this rumor turns out true remains to be seen, but we should find out soon, since the rumors have E3 listed as the likely reveal date.

Nintendo DSi

So, the DSi has finally received a US launch date (April 5th). I'm honestly surprised at how quickly they're bringing it over here, despite the fact that IGN predicted it's arrival almost to the day, and other sites speculated likewise. The DSi gives me very mixed feelings. On one hand, I love the added features and the new interface. Applications and more online connectiviy should have been a day-one feature for the DS phat in my opinion, so I am thrilled that they are finally here. And the SD card slot is an obvious plus. However, the lower battery life, significantly higher price, and lack of GBA slot are killing me. While none of them are deal-breakers, they each hurt a lot and unless my DS lite breaks I feel no compulsion to buy one. My main issue with the system comes from how quiet Nintendo has been about the system. In the past, I would have taken this silence as assurance of cool new features to be unveiled, but as it stands I really think that nintendo is just resting on it's laurels. For one thing, the DSi apparently has a stronger processor and more RAM than the older DS models, but Nintendo doesn't seem interested in using those features. Games like Guitar Hero DS that require the GBA slot won't work on the new system, and games like pokemon, that allow for content to be unlocked by the game in the GBA slot lose that functionality. The DSiWare looks awesome, but where is the portable Virtual Console? I understand that Nintendo likely does not want to drop all of it's bag of tricks at once, but the system has been out in Japan for months with no mention of the no-brainer service arriving. I guess I just don't see where the draw will be to American Gamers. I am a long-time nintendo fan, but I buy their systems because of the games. The DSi has no software that sets it apart from the DS lite, other than the downloads, which look cool but not extremely compelling. If nintendo suprises us with a real killer app between now and launch, then I will retract my sentiment, but I just don't see that happening.
There's my rant for the day I guess.

2009

2007 and 2008 were great years for gaming. Bioshock, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet... the list of great games goes on and on. The Xbox 360 came into it's stride, the Wii continued to sell like Hotcakes, the PS3 began to pick up speed. The New Xbox Experience showed us that a console can have a UI upgrade, and even a new image. Indy game developers racked in the accolades last year with World of Goo and Braid. And the iPhone gaming scene is apparently doing well:
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/shoot-is-iphone.html
But in my mind, 2009 stands to be a year head-and-shoulders above them both. Despite the bad economy and the backlash from a crowded holiday season last year, I really think that 2009 might end up being one of the most important years of this generation. As cliche as this is, here are some predictions on that front:
1. The Wii starts to earn it's install base:
While there were some gems in 2008, it was mostly a desert for wii gamers. In fact, the best part of being a gamer with a wii as their primary console (me) was looking at videos of 2009. Just this past week was better for Wii then almost any month last year. We got Deadly Creatures, House of the Dead: Overkill, and Tenchu. And over the course of the year we will see The Conduit, Madworld, Muramusa: the Demon Blade, Dead Space Extraction, and Punchout, along with tons of other great confirmed and unconfirmed 2009 games. And with EA supposedly shifting half of their development power toward Wii, we are guaranteed one hell of a year.
2. The PS3 gains on the 360:
The PS3 had a good 2008, and it began to gain momentum in the end of the year. With great games like Killzone and Uncharted 2, along with rumors of a price-drop and the fact that it still hold such a strong brand name, might just spell a bright future for the luxury gaming machine.
3. Download as an alternative to hard-copy games make huge progress
Ok, this one is obvious, but I still think it deserves a spot. Steam has been providing downloads for a long time now, but the iPhone is finally making downloadable games more mainstream. People have always preferred having a hard-copy of media over a file, but that preference can be broken by the power of the impulse buy. iTunes provided music listeners a way to pick out an individual song and buy it without the entire CD, and now the App store is giving small games to gamers at a small price. It's true that selling someone a downloadable flash game for $5 isn't equivalent to selling someone a downloadable console game for $60, but when the main thing keeping people from buying is a mentality, any progress is good progress.
4. New IP's become more prevalent
This one might be stretching it a bit, but I think EA and Ubisoft set some trends in motion with Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, and Assassin's Creed. These were all new IP's that sold very well and proved that a compelling, innovative idea can still perform well (EA has stated that Dead Space and Mirror's Edge underperformed, but they each sold over 1million...) in a market crowded with sequels. The strategy of pumping out quick sequels will probably never die, but hopefully this year developers will put more faith in new ideas.
5. Indy Games will become more common and better-recognized by the public
Last year two indy games, World of Goo and Braid kicked the crap out of a lot of big-budget titles in the awards category, and if they are just as successful in their sales, more will come. Digital Distribution of games is making it much easier to indy developers to release their own games without the pain of aquiring and working with a publisher. This years independent games festival (IGF) should be great.

First post!

Hey, so I guess this experiment starts now. Welcome to casually pro! I intend this blog to be a good resource for the average gamers opinion. Like it says in the description, I am most interested in major gaming trends, the games as art debate, and console gaming. I don't have connections in the games industry, but I do follow the industry pretty closely and would like to offer my opinions on happenings that affect you and me, the average gamers, that make up the backbone of the gaming market. The majority of my posts will be commentary, meaning this probably wont be where you first discover a major happening (like the announcement of a new console or game), and will focus on fleshing out the story and what it means to all of us who enjoy gaming.