You can see his point. Game industry analyst Michael Pachter sees the decline in sales numbers for new releases (down 15% from June of last year) are the result of online play taking over gamer’s time. He might be onto something. Obviously playing Call of Duty in your free time means not being able to play something else…
… but…
… maybe there is nothing else out there worth playing? The sheer number of familiar experiences is tiring, and with the industry expecting $60 from people, who can blame the gamer for not paying in a tight economy? When you pick up a game like Singularity, and the instant reaction is, “This is BioShock in every way,” that’s not a positive thing. This is an industry that is beginning to try too hard, pushing countless pieces of software on shelves without much thought as to why someone would want to make that purchase.
Making a game “like” Call of Duty isn’t going to do it. Why would someone buy a knock-off when the community isn’t going to budge from their mainstay? The industry needs to slow down, negative for creativity for sure, but at this time, in this country, it’s the only feasible option. How many people have $60 to purchase a new game every week, or even every month? That’s a lot for one entertainment purchase, especially when most have their copies of Battlefield already.
